annis shawl, a traumatic tale

My Annis shawl is done! I really love this pattern. It’s simple but very effective. And, let’s face it, Malabrigo is lovely to knit with, so pretty pleasurable all round!

I finished this I think on Saturday, but had no time to block it until yesterday. I don’t have anywhere to pin it, particularly now that I’m using my yoga mat for its intended purpose. With yoga classes three times a week the last thing I need is a soggy shawl left in a heap while I go dragging my damp mat to class!

But with Susanna arriving this evening, I figured I’d better get it done before my living room is converted into the spare room! In lieu of using my yoga mat, I used a tall, metal ladder that used to be the side panel to an old bookcase. We dismantled the bookcase years ago but kept the sides because they’re actually useful. We use them to get into the loft, but mostly to hang up laundry to dry! Recently, I’ve discovered they are PERFECT for blocking lace, by tying the project down while still wet using yarn instead of pinning.

So yesterday I secured the three main points of my Annis, the two ends and the central point, then began tying the points into place. Then I began the laborious process of tying down the crescent ridge. And lo! What have we here?

That’s right. My bind off edge UNRAVELLED. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BIND-OFF. I have no idea how this happened. It’s NEVER happened before! But here I was, mid-block.

The bind off was in perfect condition on either side of the unravelling, but towards the left side was an eighteen-stitch slippage. Instead of crying, I secured the dropped stitches and made sure the bound-off edge couldn’t undo itself further, using yarn and a cable needle as my anchors. Then I let the rest of the shawl dry. Fortunately it was a dry day and the shawl was blocked within a couple of hours. I then unpicked the bound-off edge to the tail, picked up all the loose stitches, picked up the dropped stitches and re-bound-off.

And, ta-da! A shawl! Way more trauma than a shawl usually causes, but a lovely new piece nonetheless and just in time for gallivanting about the city!

annis shawl

Alas it seems that I’m turning into one of those irritating people who only ever want to talk about their impending nuptials. I’m not sure if it’s a tragic sign that I’m bowing to convention and allowing the wedding to suck out my brain or an indication that it really is the best idea Matthew and I have ever had with regard to our relationship. Whatever it is, all this excitement on my part is utterly unexpected and completely in character.

In any case, it seems that the delightful and talented Susanna IC is destined to be the official wedding designer. Every shawl pattern I like enough to want to be wed in has been designed by her; every shawl pattern I could conceive of making for my two best women has been designed by her; every shawl pattern I think would be lovely to knit into a thank you to our mothers for all their help and support has been designed by her. The universe clearly wants me to knit her patterns for this wedding.

Just to make sure the universe is right I cast on Annis in some (not official wedding yarn) Malabrigo sock in Eggplant. Love! Such a great pattern and exactly the shape I want in a wedding shawl. How very fortuitous that Susanna IC specialises in crescent-shaped shawls.