I FINISHED THE RAVEN SHAWL!!!! I don't know how many hours went into this, or how many yarnovers and SSKs there ended up being (both things I probably should have kept track of for novelty statistical purposes), but this was certainly EPIC. Just blocking this thing took about 3 hours, and that was with the use of wires.
But overall, it was worth it. This is the largest and most complicated lace shawl I've ever made. The pattern was EXCELLENT, clear instructions, no confusion at any point. I took a risk by deciding not to use lifelines, but thankfully I didn't need them. I tried spit splicing for the first time when my yarn snapped - it worked! I tried lace grafting for the first time on the edging - it worked! The yarn (Centolovaggi) is quite lovely. With the cost of yarn (Rav destash), needles and pattern the total cost of materials comes in at around $AU40. But it looks and feels like a million bucks!
But the best thing about this shawl is that it's constructed so that it actually does resemble the wings of a raven when it's draped around one's shoulders. I remember getting a bit Antony & the Johnsons and exclaiming to my friend who was helping with the photoshoot, "I feel like a bird!"
So as of right now it's already been judged by the RAS people, and only fate and time will tell whether it's yielded me a ribbon of any description. In all honesty, despite my tendency to get a tad competitive, I actually don't think I'll be that devastated if I don't get anywhere with it. The fact that I entered it in the Show forced me to meet a deadline and knit something which one day will become a mad gothic heirloom.
