The Lace Bug...

....I now officially have it!

Here is my finished Aeolian Shawl:

Pattern: Aeolian Shawl from Knitty
Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Stream Heather colorway (2 skeins)
Needles: US 2.5 (3.0mm)
Beads: size 8 Matsumi green iris beads (from Fire Mountain Gems)
Started: March 19th
Finished: April 4th

I wanted something slightly bigger than the small size shown in the pattern, but not as big as the big shawl size. So, I did a size in between! The pattern is designed so well, that you can customize it to your heart's content! As long as you do an even number of yucca repeats, all of the other charts will work. I ended up doing 8 yucca repeats and one agave chart repeat. I used a total of 660 yards. I probably could have squeezed another couple of yucca repeats or another agave repeat in there, but it ended up large enough for my taste as it is!

I am in love with the flower edging on this shawl! It absolutely eats yarn, though! I used about 317 yards on the body of the shawl, and the edging alone used 343 yards. I ended up with 753 stitches on the needles!



Blocking was a challenge, since it's not a triangle, it's more of a crescent shape. And all the flowers had to be pinned out. BUT, the trouble is worth it in the end! Here it is blocking:

There are a lot of beads in this! But, I think the beads are a must in this pattern - they really make it pop!

I'm planning on entering it in our Knitting Guild Awards (lace is one of the categories), so it'll be out of my clutches for a whole month while it's being judged. I'm not sure I can let it go! ;-)