Ravellenics Wrap Up

The Olympics finished quite some time ago and so did the concurrent Ravellenic Games. Although I made a list of several projects I could do during the games, I concentrated all my knitting time on one -- the Celestarium shawl by Audry Nicklin.

It was an ambitious project but you can get a lot done in 15 days of focused knitting.

Since my last update, I did more knitting while watching curling:

Row 89 finished (16,659 stitches, 28%)

It wasn't a great year to watch the Canadian teams, but I enjoyed the round robin play.

We took a road trip to Missouri. I found a way to do charted, beaded knitting while riding in a car.

Row 101 finished (20,115 stitches, 34%)

As with almost anything, the key is to be a vigilante of organization. (I'm proud to say I only ever lost one bead.)

I can continue to show progress pictures, but the pictures pretty much all look alike -- big blue blobs.

Row 111 finished (25,875 stitches, 44%)

Alas, I did not get enough done to finish the shawl before the closing ceremonies. I got as far as 132-3/8 rows (38,187 stitches, 65%). That means the only additional recognition I got (besides my one medal in Aerial Unwind) was:

After a brief break, I continued to make progress even without the promise of a Ravellenics medal. And then I received this treat from my sister:

A gold medal cookie! So sweet of her!

This past Monday I completed all 156 rows of the charts (51,795 stitches, 88%):

How can I be done the charts, but only 88% done the shawl? About 10% of the knitting is in the edging! The shawl is written with a plain garter border that circles the outside and finishes off the live stitches.

The designer linked to a different edging that another knitter had adapted to the shawl and I decided to try that instead. It has a pretty wave pattern and is wider than the original edging. My row gauge is smaller than the patterns and I decided I could use the extra width.

I started the edging and have finished a few inches. Although it was hard to break the rhythm and stop, I made myself do it so I could block or steam what I have so far and see how it behaves. (This is why I should do a swatch, but I just foolheartedly experiment with my actual project.)

I have some concerns about how the silk is going to behave. Wool will take to blocking wonderfully and I can be confident the lace pattern will open up and show, but I'm not sure about the silk.

I'm still deciding whether to steam or wet block and how to do it, so for now the shawl is on hold.