Finishing the Catamaran Shawl!

Well, it's done!  I've finished the Catamaran Shawl.  It looks really pretty, and the extra repeats make all the difference in the length of the shawl.  It's actually kind of perfect for me, though I can't quite get over the asymmetrical shape.  It doesn't seem to want to block out the way it was intended too, but I did the best I could, so that's something.

Aside from the odd shape, which doesn't truly bother me that much in the long run, I really love the colors.  My daughter said it looks like Christmas colors, but I'm not so much in agreement, though I can see where she would get that idea.  I love the colors, the shape, and the lace work, so much more so now that it's blocked.

And that's another new and exciting thing for me, I've finally got proper equipment to block with!  I really could have used one more blocking pad for the shawl, maybe two, but they were sold in packs of a dozen.  Maybe I'll pick up another dozen for Christmas or something, if I really feel the need.  For the time being, this will work for most of the projects I've got going, at least the ones that need blocking.

This pattern not only was fun to knit, but introduced a new technique I'd never tried before.  The edges were bound over in an i-cord style binding, which I had never done before.  I wasn't surprised to see this was also the style of binding used for the cast off.  The technique wasn't as difficult as I feared it would be and actually worked up pretty quickly in the scheme of things.  I like the final look.  It looks sharp and matches so well with the other edges of the shawl.  It looks complete, like it was designed properly.

I'm not sure how much use I'm going to get out of this shawl, given it's not winter weight, so I won't be using it when the months get cooler, but I love it.  It seems like it will be just enough for a breezy summer day, one that's not too hot, just to keep the sun off of me and to provide the slightest layer of extra warmth.  The yarn is nice and light, so it won't be too hot.  I can see myself having plenty of opportunities for it come spring, and maybe early next summer, when the weather is still cool.  I can even see me using this shawl in the first few weeks of autumn, when the weather is just cool enough to want for something, but not enough that one of my wool shawls will do the trick.  If nothing else, I can see myself looking for an excuse to wear this shawl, just because it's lovely and I really want to wear it.