(Taken before blocking)
Esjan, one of several projects I finished recently. This is a pattern from “celebrity” knit designer Stephen West. I loved the large size and crazy, loopy tiers. I made sure to stop by Purl Soho while in NYC to get yarn for it. I love buying yarn as a souvenir!
I ended up knitting this shawl twice. The first time I made a few mods to the pattern to account for my chosen yarn being smaller than what the pattern called for. Still too small, and with too much leftover gray, I decided to rip the whole thing out and start again.
For those who always ask me how long it takes to knit – I made this twice in less than a month while simultaneously knitting a complete pair of socks, 4 inches of a fine gauge sleeve, and a few thousand stitches on another shawl.
I really liked the ruffles which naturally occur from the pattern. However, I wanted to smooth out the garter stitch tension and make it as large and blanket-like as possible. I gently blocked it and it grew magnificently. The edge flattened into a large zig-zag – not ruffles but still fun (I expected this based on the pattern photos and other ravelry users).
Before blocking
After blocking
Tomorrow I’ll take up my other shawl sitting on needles. It’s fingering weight (smaller yarn, takes longer to knit the same area size) and I had to buy more yarn from the shop in GJ when I was out last week. I also completed it once, then ripped it out completely to start again with a modified pattern. I should really stop doing that 😉
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