The colourway I saw July 2004, and fell in love with online at ThreadBear Fiber Arts Studio - Blue Bayou. Not only did I love the colors but it so reminded me of my recent (at that time) trip to New Orleans.
The colourways arrive home 7/2004.
Starting Charlotte's row 106.
Charlotte being blocked. This is the edging I decided on.
Charlotte's Web started July 9, 2004 at Needleworks in Burlington NC with Linda and Greta starting their Charlotte's Web. Finished April 12, 2006.
Yarns: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino - codes P410 58D, P429 23, P534 44, P407 65, P427 12
Needle: size 6 Denise - switched to Kertzer's The Collection Bamboo size 6. Don't like Denise needles, much prefer Addi's but could not find a size 6 anywhere. 3.5 mm crochet hook.
Finished size is 76" across and 35" down, counting the fringe hanging down. Compared to pattern it says 76" across and 36" down, but not sure if it means with or without fringe. Without fringe going down I got 26" but I probably could have stretched it to the 36" but my crocheting was a little tight and wouldn't let me, but I had pull on the shawl itself. I am happy with the length.
The picture in my post of Busy Week shows Charlotte when she only lacked 50 rows to completion - look how small she is compared to her blocked size. Amazing!
I am glad I am anal as I had all of Charlotte in a plastic baggie in a project bag. Not sure why my chart was not in the baggie, as I had put all my projects in baggies with their yarns and patterns, so why this ended up in a basket with my knitting mags I'm unsure. I was able to pick up this project after almost two years absence because I had marked my chart where I had finished. I knew exactly which row to begin.
I tried and looked at a few different edges and finally settled on the one in the pattern. I did a single crochet around the whole shawl and then at the lower edges I did a chain of 9 stitches and put it in every 5th stitch, I repeated it one more time for two rows. I then did the fringes by cutting 4 strands of colors and then combining another two for a total of 6 strands, 16" long. Folded in half and attached fringes to the last row of crochet chains. The reason I had to do 4 strands is I ran out of one color. I read a lot of bloggers who did this shawl and they had tons of colors left over. I don't, I have a small ball of one color and then 2 very tiny balls left (LOL thinking of the google hits LOL). Not enough to even make a sock out of.
I loved this pattern - even though I remember in the beginning being very daunted by the idea of knitting this. I did heed the warnings of other knitters to use stitch markers at every pattern repeat, and to count each stitch after a pattern row (alternate rows were purl rows). It is very, very easy to miss a yarn over or not to pass a slipped stitch over, I don't know how many times I missed a psso, but it was very easy to remedy when I did find them.
Now back to my kitchen - I just need to do some touch up painting, then hubby can put up the cabinet doors, finish painting the walls (I think it only lacks one more coat) and then put up the back splash tiles, which I did eventually find.
Your shawl is simply beautiful!!
Posted by: mary | April 13, 2006 at 01:06 PM
It is simply beautiful, I am sure the photos do not even begin to do it justice. I clicked on the photos to enlarge them and really check things out.
You should be very proud of finally finishing this!
Ann
Posted by: Ann | April 13, 2006 at 09:47 PM
I just had a slideshow of your flickr-photos, I think your special liking is for pink and reds, as is mine. I love your glas-jars, filled with pins and your rose cosmetics, must smell delicious!
Happy Easter to you and the ones you love,
greetings from Germany,
Suzi
Posted by: Krawuggl | April 14, 2006 at 02:04 PM