Swallowtail #2
My second Swallowtail shawl is finished. The knitting was done two weeks ago, but I couldn't find enough time for blocking it during the day. This one is for my mother and I'll have to figure out how to get it to her. Neither one of us wants to trust the postal service with it. She is still waiting for a book I mailed her the first week in December.
There is also the issue of blocked shawls getting unblocked in transit. I read about that on a couple of blogs. Placing the shawls inside plastic bags to protect them from possible harm can result in condensation and heat that cause the shawl to get unblocked and reach its destination in a crumpled mess.
It's been almost three years since my last trip to Italy, so I guess I'll have to deliver in person. :)
This Swallowtail is bigger than the original pattern. I added five repeats in the body so that it would be more wearable than the tiny one I made for myself last year.
I cannot recommend enough the Jenkins lace needles, the sharpest little things in the universe. They made knitting the nupps a pleasure. I had been dreading making all those nupps, especially with the larger version of the shawl, but those needles saved me a lot of frustration.
Another thing that made this shawl more fun to knit was the yarn. I definitely enjoy knitting with Zephyr a lot more than Misty Alpaca.
Comments
So pretty! The larger size is really nice, and there is no way I'd mail it either. Thanks for the link to the needles, I will try them.
Posted by: joan | January 18, 2008 6:14 PM
oh yes, i think the only way to safely deliver it is to do it in person, absolutely....
Posted by: stephanie s | January 18, 2008 11:04 PM
Oooh, beautiful! Your mum is a lucky one. I'm waiting for my addi lace needles, I won't start the nupps with ordinary needles. And the crochet hook's so slow. Good to know from someone who has actually added repeats that five repeats more is right.
Posted by: Maud | January 18, 2008 11:28 PM
You just have to make the trip to deliver something that elegant!
I have a pair of those Jenkin needles. Nice tips, but the cord is hateful. I would sell them, but not too many people would pay $32 for a pair of needles. Sorry I did for sure.
Posted by: fleegle | January 19, 2008 1:20 AM
Oh, that is stunning! Delivery in person (and shawl in hand luggage) seems the ideal way forward. When do you think you might make the trip?
Posted by: rosie | January 19, 2008 2:58 AM
This looks beautiful. Congrats on the finish!
Posted by: May | January 19, 2008 8:09 AM
E' bellissimo! Sara' un regalo stupendo per Tua mamma.
Posted by: Zita | January 19, 2008 8:33 AM
This Swallowtail is magnificent! Would you mind telling us whether or not there was math involved in making the shawl larger? :-) I would like to try knitting a larger one too, but I know this one is not like Flower Basket or Shetland Triangle, where you can just knit as many repeats as you like before putting on the edging. Unless five is the magic number for this shawl...?
Misti Alpaca is wonderfully soft, but I've had to re-block my one alpaca shawl several times. Zephyr was a much better choice, especially if you are giving the shawl away.
Posted by: Beth S. | January 19, 2008 8:49 AM
Beth,
I found out about the magic number on Ravelry, where several people had knit a larger Swallowtail and the consensus is that adding repeats in sets of five is the way to go. So, either five more or even ten more repeats.
I did end up with a couple of extra stitches on the needles at one point, but I suspect that it was a mistake on my part. Not 100% sure, though, so keep our eyes open for that. I didn't want to frog or tink and did the unspeakable (oh yes) and decreased the extra stitches on the following row. Not even I can find them now. :)
Francesca
Posted by: Francesca | January 19, 2008 10:56 AM
Oh, it's beautiful! Makes me want one of my own. And of course you have to take it yourself. My friend has a motto: Don't argue with good excuses.
Posted by: Sue | January 19, 2008 11:41 AM
It's absolutely beautiful Francesca - obviously a labour of love!!
Posted by: Wannietta | January 19, 2008 11:47 AM
What a wonderful gift, Francesca! Hope you manage to get it to your mother soon.
Posted by: Cornflower | January 19, 2008 1:03 PM
Beautiful !!!! I volunteer to come over from Paris and bring it back to your Mother in Italy . Much better than postal service . But if it sounds to complicated for you , may I say I never had a Global Priority letter or package lost . And yes , I did get quite a lot in the past few years VBG
Danièle
Posted by: Danièle | January 20, 2008 6:11 AM
Another gorgeous shawl! Absolutely beautiful -- hand delivery to Italy is definitely called for.
Thanks for the tip on the five extra repeats.
Posted by: Erin | January 20, 2008 11:18 AM
Maybe we'll be in Italy at the same time!
Posted by: Lydia | January 20, 2008 4:10 PM
Meraviglioso! Beata colei che aspetta cotanto dono!
Posted by: Cristiana | January 21, 2008 12:08 AM
Una meraviglia! Mi unisco al coro delle altre. Anch'io amo molto lavorare la Zephyr. Sì, devi portarlo assolutamente di persona ;-)... per svariati motivi...
Posted by: Betta | January 21, 2008 1:11 AM
Congratulations on another beautiful shawl!
Posted by: Nonnahs | January 21, 2008 7:48 AM
This is my favorite Swallowtail BY FAR! I love the idea of adding repeats to the body, I found the original Swallowtail to be a wee bit too short, it's gorgeous!
Posted by: Bea | January 21, 2008 1:53 PM
so pretty. i love those nupps so much. i'm curious for details on why Zephyr was more fun to knit.
Posted by: meowgirl | January 24, 2008 10:11 AM
That swallowtail came out beautifully. So well I think I will add that project to my queue (finally). Have you tried Alpaca With a Twist "Fino" yet? It is an alpaca / silk blend that is beautiful for lace - light and warm with a tiny bit of shimmer.
Posted by: Lisa J | January 25, 2008 12:01 PM