60"

In spite of not being fond of working with the yarn, this project is coming along nicely. You certainly can't tell much from the photo. Unblocked lace is not appealing! This hasn't been a knitting-in-public project, but if it were I can't imagine any non-knitter wanting to take up the hobby based on seeing this wrinkly thing.

I did a quick steam block of the edges before picking up all around for the edging and I actually liked the yarn much better. So much so that I was actually encouraged. Encouragement is a Good Thing and not to be underrated.

True Haapsalu shawls have the edging knit in two long lengths, casting on a large number of stitches and stitching out from the edge, bound off, and sewn onto the garter edges of the shawl. Once again I am adding an edging the modern way ala Nancy Bush and picking up stitches all around and knitting in the round. To make my life a little easier this time, I bought a long addi Lace needle - 60" long actually. Really almost as long as I am tall.

I wondered if it would be awkward to wrangle. I am not very far along yet, but so far it is working well. I do have to stop occasionally and scoot the work around the cable, but they slide easily and, with 60 whole inches, they certainly aren't all bunched up on the needle like I've had before.

Can you see I'm using a project TIN instead of a bag for this? A tin of cookies came to the office at Christmas and I slapped a Post-It on there requesting the tin when the cookies were all gone. I knew it would come in handy. It has been just perfect for this project. I could keep my chart on the inside of the lid, using the magnetic ruler to keep my place, and just pop the lid back on when I was finished for the evening.

"Correction does much, but encouragement does more. " Goethe