Echo Flower Shawl

Now that spring has sprung in Maine, I've finally decided to change my background image.  What do you think?  Pretty, huh?

Non-Knitting related news: Walker and I are looking for a house!  We made the decision that we're going to stay in Maine for the next several years while Hubby finishes his schooling and gets certified.  Yay, progress!  We're in the very beginning stages: getting preapproved, open houses, etc.  I will keep you posted as things change!

Now, knitting:
You guys remember that shawl Arty ate?  Yeah, this one:

 

Well, I've replaced it.  I bought some more Malabrigo in a similar color and even picked a similar shawl design, Echo Flower by Jenny Johnson.  It's free on Ravelry. Here's my finished shawl all pinned out:

This blue's a little darker than I used for Laminaria, but this pattern went by MUCH quicker.  I don't know if it's because the pattern was easier or because Laminaria acquainted me with the craziness of Estonian lace, but this sucker only took my about 2 weeks.  It could also be that I had more knitting time now that I'm done with the epic journey that was Venezia...

The main thing that differentiated this shawl from Laminaria is that this one contained nupps.  I know you've all heard me complain about nupps.  They can be a real pain in the patootie and this pattern had dozens of them in every row.  What made the difference this time was my amazing Knit Picks Harmony Interchangeables.  I really can't say enough nice things about them.  Best knitting purchase I ever made.  More to the point, though, their pointy ends and smooth (but not slick) grip downgraded nupps from a huge pain in the bum to a minor inconvenience.  

Here's a close up of the edge pattern with all the crazy nupps:

And now I have a pretty shawlette again, yay!  Too bad it's getting warm out now and I won't be able to wear it again until October or November.  Oh well--it'll be there waiting for me, safely stored away from naughty kittehs.

Previously I'd been slow with posting because I didn't have much to show you, but now I'm way behind!  Now that Venezia's done, I've been working on finishing all the UFOs sitting in my knitting basket and I finished 3 of them last weekend with Patriot's Day!  I might have to pace them since I'm working on another pretty sweater that could take a while (SO excited about this one!), but I've got lots in store for you over the next couple of weeks.  

I also have some crafty pay it forward stuff that I actually need to forward, except I'm missing some addresses.  Get in touch with me here or message me on Facebook.  I hope to get all those things out to their recipients in the next couple of weeks.

Happy Spring and Happy Easter to you all!

-Allie