Done: This Old Thing

Wow, I’ve crossed a second item off my list already.

At the beginning of this month, I picked up a shawl I had started over four years ago.  As I was blocking it yesterday morning, I was thinking of all of the little life lessons this shawl had taught me.

First, perseverance.  It might have taken a ridiculous amount of time to complete this project, but I stuck with it.  True, I may have wanted to rip it out more than once and repurpose the yarn, but I didn’t.  It was amazing to see how the shawl was growing quickly when I was adding rows to it daily.

Second, acceptance.  Even though I spotted and fixed three mistakes when I started the project again, I noticed a few more flaws during the blocking process that I must have done early on.  I won’t be entering this shawl in a county fair, but I can live with the “slight irregularities.”  While acceptance of flaws might not be a marker of an excellent knitter, I am letting go of this project so that I can move on.  This project was my first large lace item, my first shawl, my first use of circular needles… and I’m now able to tackle more challenging projects because of it.

Third, patience.  Blocking is the last step in knitting.  The shawl is washed and laid out flat to dry.  Pins are stuck into the project to help the shawl keep its shape and to show off the lacework.  It can take hours (or days) for a knitted garment to dry, and a knitter must not release it early.  Oh, this step can be painful for me, but the results are amazing when done properly.

I know I’m missing the obligatory “I’m wearing this knitted item I’m talking about” photo, but I haven’t had access to both my photographer and natural light at the same time so you’ll just have to wait!

Read more about the journey here:

WIP:  This Old Thing (Part II)

WIP:  This Old Thing (Part I)

Also, ravelled.