My favourite thing about knitting...

... is casting off!

I know it may seem like I enjoy casting on, what with chronic case of startitis I have, but really I like nothing better than slipping all those pretty little stitches off the needle - I'm definitely not a process knitter - I like the final product.

Tonight (after almost three agonizing hours completing the last six rows... damn those suckers were long!) I cast off my Sea Silk shawl.

It's blocking now:
I made a few modifications to this one (which I will detail when I give you post-blocking photos) but it is much larger than the last Frozen Leaves I made. This one is a REAL shawl, with a width of a nice, snuggley 62 inches! I probably could have made it a little wider (I cut chart 2 short again) but as it grew, it was harder to gauge how much yarn was needed for each row.As mentioned before, I used Handmaiden Sea Silk the colourway is 'Woodland' (and when I do post-blocking photos, I will get some that accurately show it's beauty.) The Sea Silk is very nice to knit with and creates a gorgeous drapey fabric. However, like all silk yarns, it's slippery as all hell, so I recommend using a bamboo needle. Even then, you'll probably end up dropping stitches (because it flies off the needle at the slightest provocation) and invent a few new curses in the process, I certainly did. But it's well worth it - especially with this pattern.

Normally, I don't repeat patterns. I make one of something, and I find making a second version just too boring (Loch Ness Monsters being an obvious exception) but I do love this pattern. Even when it gets enormous, it flies. Of course, I did cast on for a second Zetor, so maybe I just like knitting lace (you can stop laughing now Mom).

So, now I've done four shawl for my 10 Shawls in 2010 quota. I'm debating on which one to cast on for next. As I was looking through my queue, I realized I haven't knit one single shawl that I picked out when I first decided to take up the challenge! I think my next shawl will be in a heavier weight, all though I do have two skeins of Top Cat, already caked up and ready to go...