maia shawl
May 14th, 2013
Have you ever finished a Christmas present in May? I suppose that’s what happens when you start the largest and most complicated crochet project you’ve ever attempted in November.
Yes, this is a christmas present for my mother (and birthday present and now mother’s day present). Yes, she has seen it, unfinished and unblocked. Yes, that is kind of mean: “Here is this thing I’m making you that’s half done and kind of crappy looking! Aren’t you excited? No, you can’t have it! And I have no idea when I’ll be done! Merry Christmas!”
Oh well. It is actually done done now. I finished the crocheting in February I think, then I had a little project fatigue. I did not want to see it or touch it or do anything else with it. Has that ever happened to you?
I was super nervous about blocking the shawl, because blocking could make or break this project. This project I had devoted a crazy amount of hours to already. Finally, I borrowed some blocking wires from a friend (thanks, Debbie!), bought 200 pins, cleared off the guest bed, and blocked that sucker. It turned out nicely, seeing I had no idea what I was doing! The before and after blocking pictures are pretty striking. Block your work, people!
You can find the link to the pattern on Ravelry. Sorry there isn’t any information about the yarn I used. I will try to hunt it down, because I’ve completely forgotten what it was called. It was a lovely lace weight, mohair blend just slightly variegated. It was the absolute perfect yarn for this project. I guess I’ll just have to go back to the yarn store to see if they still stock it.
Maybe this would be a good time to start working on her present for this christmas…
I’m pretty sure she’s not going to mind the wait for this…
If I’m wrong and she doesn’t want it, I’ll surely give it a home! ;-)
Gorgeous!
That is so gorgeous! If I was her, I wouldn’t mind having to wait for something so awesome.
Beautiful and inspiring to a novice crocheter like myself! I’m sure it was worth the wait (and I think the fact that you finished before next Christmas should be considered a triumph!)
Very very nice. Personally I have also taken several seasons to finish a project And have never bothered to properly block a piece. It looks so different afterwards!
That is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! Your mom is one lucky gal!
So so so amazing! Best Christmas birthday Mother’s Day gift ever!
I am right there with you, still trying to finish crocheting my best friend’s Christmas gift! Love your mom’s shawl, beautiful work.
Stunning!!!
SO worth all the time and effort.
Thanks for sharing.
Totally amazing! If i promise to wait patiently til nxt mothers day or heck i’d wait til 2050…can i please be next?!
It’s beautiful! In my family it’s fairly common to get cut out pieces for Christmas presents- all of us have done it at one time or another.
You are all that! This is awesome!
That is one gorgeous shawl! I’m seriously impressed. Congratulations!
Wow! This is amazing. This is lace! You made lace! Holy mackerel, that is something.
It is beautiful ! You certainly have a gift for crochet… and your yarn is great, too.
Not wanting to see a project anymore, yes, that happens to me, almost every time I do something big. In my case, I guess it’s just that I want to be able to imagine how well it will look just a little longer before I actually know.
Wow. Beautiful.
I just spent 2 years knitting a sweater for my husband. This year, I finished it just in time for his birthday. And he loved it. I definitely had a few moments of not wanting to see it anymore along the way.
Seriously, seriously beautiful.
Beautiful!
Awesome….and beautiful and so worth it for Christmas and Birthday and Mothers Day….I hope you made a wonky card to go with this….
Absolutely gorgeous!
awesome.
i try to finish them in october, myself. (the october, following, not prior.)
and i was playing carol of the bells just this morning, still trying to nail it, these six months later.
you’re way ahead, in my book.
m
ps: the shawl? it’s beyond lovely.
Absolutely beautiful, Meg – well worth the wait! And wow I had no idea that blocking made such a difference!
Stunning…absolutely stunning!!!! Very worth the wait!
wow! so pretty!!! :)
I hardly need to add anything after all these compliments to the shawl–it stands up to all of them. I did wear it today for the first time (it’s still cool in Minnesota); first your sisters and then several clerks complimented me on the color, on the design, on the yarn! So don’t think I didn’t feel special. Hugs and kisses, Meg. (Next time I’ll wear it to the Opera or to the Guthrie.)