Speed Demon

Sometimes, the quickie is satisfying. I'm sure my spam folder will be filled in nanoseconds, but I'm not talking about intimate relations, so to speak, no, I'm speaking of the satisfaction of knitting a piece of substance in barely more than a week.

Case in point, the Summer Flies shawl, my version of which I named a Midsummer Night's Dream because of the color. While I was knitting this Madelinetosh DK weight yarn in the color, Fathom, I kept thinking, it's light blue, bright blue, dark blue, no, it's black. The point is, it's not completely saturated in a single color which lends it a lot of visual interest without detracting from the beauty of the lace. I'm not a big fan of lace knit with obvious variegated yarn. Sometimes it works, but it's often so busy, one can't see the lace stitches, and let's face it, lace is the star of this shawl.

I think we should name my model. He's so handsome and tolerant.

Whatever color it is and whatever they do over at Madelinetosh to achieve their marvelous colors and an almost glazed and shiny appearance, I can tell you, it's wonderful to work with and it's much prettier in person. The recipient, my best friend, Fannette, has seen it on the needles and loves the color. Incidentally, this color is big in the stores for fall and winter. While at Macy's last week, I saw this color everywhere on shirts, jewelry, blouses and scarves.

I have to call her and let her know it's ready to fly the nest. Perhaps I'll hold it hostage for another movie this weekend. The Help looks good. So does a midnight showing of The Princess Bride at the Main Art Theater Saturday night. I have never seen PB on the big screen.

Now for the details:

Pattern: Summer Flies (free here on Ravelry)

Modifications: I used atbixby's modifications (found here on ravelry), but when it came to the ruffle, I used the original Summer Flies pattern and knit F&B on every stitch going into the ruffle. This left me with 456 stitches to work for the picot bind off. What's really important for that particular bind off is for your ending stitch count to be divisible by 3. There are 152 picot nibs on the hem and it's really not too ruffled.

Needles: Knit Pick Options Size 8.

Yarn: Madelinetosh DK, 2 skeins (450 yards, 200 grams). There was no more than 4 yards leftover. Cost was about $40 for 2 skeins.

Blocking: I wet blocked the finished shawl, and wow did the color run. I quickly threw it in a tepid rinse with a splash of white vinegar and put an end to that. The final rinse was clear. I stretched it out on my blocking table, which is really my dining room table in disguise, and stretched it sideways first, and length wise second. I stopped pinning where the ruffled hem began and let that dry naturally for a more flouncy appearance. I could have pulled each of the 152 picot nibs out and pinned those, too, but I think letting it look ruffly makes it appear more feminine. Ideal for the recipient.

I can't believe I almost sold my dining room table. How would I ever block such pieces without this?

The magic of blocking lace never fails to charm me. Looking closely, you can see the butterflies opening up near the top and middle of the shawl. I think if I make this again, which I know I will, I'll use a different double decrease on the butterflies for a smoother and tighter appearance.

Your truly, complete with bed head and still in my jammies taking the stereotypical picture in the mirror. I love those butterflies in the middle of the shawl.

There you have it--the glory of a fast knit and I think a Christmas gift staple for some of the women in my life.