I finished this up last night while watching the
Firefly marathon on the Science channel. I knew that it was going to be a bit of a challenge to block, so I took some progress pictures to show how I did it. Here is the shawl after I cast off.
You can see how ruffled the edges are. After I soaked it I laid it out and spread out the center stockinette stitch section and pinned the top edge. I followed the natural curve of the knitting and stretched gently, pulling the shawl out. Then, starting at the bottom center and working up each side, I pulled out the center spines and pinned them.
The next step was the tricky one. I had to decide what to do with the other leaves. I played with a section a little bit trying to understand what the shawl wanted to do. I ended up pulling out the panels and pinning them, adjusting the spacing on the central spines if necessary to allow room for the two smaller leaves. This left a fold of fabric that I opened up with my fingers and folded over.
The whole thing took less time than I thought it would (between 30 and 45 minutes). When blocking shawls I always try to listen to the knitting and determine what it naturally wants to do.
Pattern: Knitterati Mystery 5 by Janel Laidman
Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden Squooshy in Horne Creek Fall (September 2012 Art Walk Club)
Needle: US 5 (3.75 mm)
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