Peacock Shawl - Finished!

I finished up my Peacock Shawl this past Wednesday and I am delighted with how it came out.  I extended the pattern to use up all of my yarn, and ended up needing more, running out with six rows and the bind off to go.  Fortunately I had a skein of Zen Yarn Garden Sturdy Sock in my stash that went well with skeins 7 and 8 from the set, containing some of the same greens and taking things into the lighter colors as you can see.  Oh the advantages of a ginormous stash, and also these are my favorite colors, so it wasn’t a stretch to find a similar enough skein.

I did have one set back, when I decided that the original way that I had extended the pattern just wasn’t working out.  I had gone a bit nuts on the beads, I didn’t like the way that I had closed up the peacock eye, and I had also started using the final chart for the center panel and I didn’t like how that was working out - too much stockinette stitch and I just didn’t think it would block out well.  So, I spent an eventing putting in an afterthought life line in the row right before I started my changes (10 rows back), ripped back, got all my stitches back on to my needles, and went back and reworked the chart for the sides - this time simply extending the peacock eye motif, cutting back on the beads (just one per eye) and decided to just keep using the center chart C for the rest of the shawl.

The shawl is huge, taking all of my newer gridded blocking mats, plus some of my older Knit Picks ones.  You can see how I extended the peacock eye motif as well as the center panel.  I really like how it came out.

Pattern:  Peacock Shawl by Sivia Harding

Yarn:  Yarn Fairy Fairy Sock Medium and Zen Yarn Garden Sturdy Sock

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Peacock Shawl - Chart C Done!

With the Saugerties Shrug finished I’ve been focusing most of my knitting time on my Peacock Shawl, finishing up the second repeat of the Chart C yesterday.  I’ve totally disregarded the yarn usage instructions in the pattern and am just using up each skein and then joining the next.  I have decided to modify Chart D, closing up the main motif into a diamond and repeating rows 151-155 of the chart until I use up my yarn.  I may do some modifications to that pattern as well - closing up the pattern in those final rows - it depends on how much yarn I have left at that point.

Pattern:  Peacock Shawl by Sivia Harding

Yarn:  Yarn Fairy Fairy Sock Medium

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)
 

Peacock Shawl - One Repeat of Chart C Done!

After finishing up my Capelet I pulled this project out of my WIPs pile and decided it was time to finish it.  I had set it aside because I wasn’t sure how I wanted to handle the skein transitions.  The pattern calls for “feathering”, also known as striping, and I’m just not a fan of doing that, so in the end I just went with my default method of attaching the new skein to the old and just knitting until the old skein ran out, wherever that happens to occur.

It has been a while since I’ve done an all over lace shawl, and I am really enjoying it.  The yarn is really wonderful to work with, and I love the colors and the beads.  This project has been languishing since December of 2016!  I’m glad to be working on it again.  I want to finish as many of my WIPs as I can before I start more projects, although I have already broken that rule with the Saugerties Shrug, but that is a special exception.

Pattern:  Peacock Shawl by Sivia Harding

Yarn:  Yarn Fairy Fairy Sock Medium in Peacock

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Peacock Shawl - Two Repeats of Chart B

I finished up the two repeats of Chart B last weekend but didn't have an opportunity to get any photos till this weekend.  Yesterday I finally caked up the second skein and I'll probably start Chart C today.

Pattern:  Peacock Shawl by Sivia Harding
Yarn:  Yarn Fairy Pixie Sock Medium AKA Fairy Medium Sock in Peacock
Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Peacock Shawl - One Repeat of Chart B

I finished up one repeat of Chart B last night.  This pattern has a cool center panel as well.

On to the second repeat of Chart B.


Pattern:  Peacock Shawl by Sivia Harding
Yarn:  Yarn Fairy Pixie Sock Medium AKA Fairy Medium Sock in Peacock
Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Peacock Shawl - Chart A Done

I finished up my test knit this past Sunday so I decided to finally cast on the Peacock Shawl.  I bought the kit back in June, but didn't really have time to get started on it because I had so much else going on both at work (five safety review board meetings in five weeks, including a two day meeting in California), Camp Loopy, and test knitting.  But things are winding down a little and I'm getting back to some projects that have been patiently waiting in the wings.

This is the yarn set that came in the kit.  The skeins are worked from left to right.  I finished up Chart A earlier this week - the detail is hard to see in the picture, the yarn is pretty dark.  I'm almost finished with the first time through Chart B.  The pattern calls for alternating skeins when you switch, similar to the transitions recommended for working The Unique Sheep gradiance sets, but I'm not sure I'm going to do that.

Pattern:  Peacock Shawl by Sivia Harding
Yarn:  Yarn Fairy Pixie Sock Medium AKA Fairy Medium Sock in Peacock
Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm)