Another knitting post

Finishing a knitting project has withdrawal symptoms almost as bad as finishing a really good book. I started a shawl/hap intended for a friends birthday present about 5 weeks ago, and since then I've spent happy hours with it in the park (on the odd occasions the sun came out and before it got really huge) listening to the radio, and whenever I've been watching television. Knitting is a great for sitting in comfy spots and not moving a lot and yet still feeling really productive. Now it's done I feel slightly bereft and rather like I should be hoovering (along with sundry other chores of a similar nature). I would start another project, but a couple of days before I head off on holiday probably isn't the best time.

I saw haps knitted sideways like this last year at a craft fair and thought then that it would be something I could do without to much trouble, and then saw a couple of designs using a lace pattern I was already familiar with and really like. This pattern sort of came from Elizabeth Lovick's 'Magical Shetland Lace Shawls', the sort of because I didn't read it properly and then found I'd been increasing to quickly, but I quite like how it's worked out so not a problem.

I was right about it being easy to knit (even without properly following the pattern), as it was just a question of increasing stitches on each row (then every other row when I realised why it was getting so wide so fast) until it seemed deep enough, then knitting along for a bit until it seemed like the right time to start decreasing (Lovick's pattern gives a specific number of repeats but I wanted something longer) and that's it.

I will admit that when I blocked it (quite aggressively) it came out rather longer than I had anticipated, but that's all the better for wrapping up in come winter (or the weather we mostly enjoyed throughout May) and on the whole I'm pleased enough with the result to be happy about giving it away.

Being stretched

Before being stretched

Finished