Wave at your yarn at the border - you're probably right about that....

How about beads on your Birks?!!

Also still waiting on yarn from the US, probably having a nice rest at the border with yours. Can you wave to mine as you go by too? lol

Good Lord that's gorgeous!

Absolutely gorgeous finishing on the lace. Beautiful.

I really like your mystery stole. I started it and then gave up because I got so far behind. The reason i got so far behind was because I was afraid. I couldn't stand not knowing whether all that work was going to be something that I was going to be ecstatic about or if it was going to be icky. I'm so glad yours is so pretty! You are a brave woman!

Beautiful beautiful beautiful! Have a great time at Rhinebeck. Happy knitting.

Gorgeous MS3!!

I tossed mine to the side for Fulmar but now seeing yours all blocked and pretty like...I might have to give it another shot;)

Clearly we need to get knitters working at the border ... any volunteers?

Oh that shawl is so pretty. I found myself holding my breath as I scrolled through the pictures and details. I am sure that is not what made me dizzy though. Gorgeous!!
Enjoy the wool fair.
Dizzy and jealous darn it.

Lovely lace, and lucky you, going to SOAR AND Rhinebeck! Are you sure you'll be able to hold up under all that fun? (This is jealousy talking, if you couldn't tell...) Have a GREAT time!

the shawl is simply stunning. I agree with the beads, I'm doing my first lace stole, SOTS with the Nautical Knitter, love the whole bead thing. It looks a bit ratty at the moment, so your posting comes at a good time- I now know it will sort itself out in the end. Can't help you with the border patrol, although I did meet a couple agents from the RCMP, [that's Royal Canadian Mounted Patrol, for those south of the border]but I believe the reward yarn will be waving to you as you pass on the mototway, hopefully it won't be jeering at you from inside the truck--surely yarn doesn't act that devious!.

That gorgeous MS3 is enough to make me try a lace shawl with the beads too. Having only knit a lace scarf this will be a great challenge to me especially with the beads!!! I'll have to find a rather easy one to do tho. Any suggestions. Have a great trip, wish I were going to Rhinbeck.

That turned out very nice! I don't want to knit it anymore, but I like yours!

What only 15 comments ahead of me? - *hee hee* everyone must still be in bed - i better get in quick and say Hi Stephanie! oh the lace is lovely too ;)

The shawl is breathtaking. I love how you photographed it draped in the window...beautiful! Can you model it for us? I would like to see it's shape, how it looks/drapes when worn. I haven't tried beads yet but after seeing this and reading your comments, I will have to try them!

Love how your stole/shawl turned out--mine has been done for some time, but I haven't blocked it yet. I've been debating on getting welding wire or a kit, and that HandWorks kit looks perfect. And I just happen to have a BIRTHDAY coming up! I'm handing my husband the order form tonight with the checkbook...lol.

I agree on the beads--they add a lot to the finished piece, and I wish I'd beaded it more heavily as you did. I beaded the Baltic Sea shawl, which you were so kind to admire when you were in Chicago on your book tour. That was really my first foray into beading lace and I was so pleased with the results.

It's too bad your reward yarn is having trouble at the border. I guess you'll either have to suffer and take stash yarn and/or suffer more and purchase additional reward yarn at Rhinebeck--you deserve something new for getting that MS3 blocked, right?? :-)

p.s. I also appreciate the comments about blocking lace, how a finished project looks like a failure until blocked...I finished knitting a little lace shawl a while ago, out of lovely blue alpaca yarn, but I haven't blocked it yet because it looks so awful. Okay, now with all of these great instructions and confidence-boosters, I'll give it a try! Thanks!

Ooh! The shawl turned out beautifully! And I love the beads -- I'm absolutely with you about how nicely beads make shawl drape. May have to go get some blocking wires myself, now.

The shawl is stunning. I hope you will be sporting it at Rhinebeck; the crowd is exactly the right sort for giving it proper oohs and aahs.

Fingers are crossed that the yarn arrives today... and that our sheep are some of the ones you wander by to pet on Saturday!

Wow - love that shawl. I read Lily Chin's book on knitting and crocheting with beads and was hooked too. I really need to start adding them more to my projects. They do really dress things up. Here's to hoping you get your yarn before you go....

Frickin Border. Wool can be a tool of death used by terists (say like George Dub-yuh). Gotta watch that stuff. Someone might want to off the robot (Steven Harper).

Ooops. Shawl... Stole.... whatever..... :)

Quite beautiful, but you knew that. :-)
So, will your Rhinebeck knitwear be the Kauni cardigan or the Mystery Stole?
I'll cross my fingers for your reward yarn. You definitely earned it.

Sucky borders! Yarn at the Canada border is much less a threat then what happens at the mexican border. Have a great time - the FALL COLORS ARE PERFECT UP THERE NOW! You will love it up there! MI in the Fall is the best place on earth (IMO)

(gasp)!!!

I'm speechless.

1. Don't you just love how unblocked lace always looks like fuzzy little mountains?
2. Now you tell me about better blocking wires--I just ordered a "regular" set yesterday. I always seem to be 1 step behind the times.
3. I'm with you on the beads. I want them on everything too. Beads rule.
4. Good progress on the gansey. Don't think about how much there is left to do, just pat yourself on the back for what you've done. You've spun. On Tuesday.
5. We'll pray that the yarn comes today. If not, I think you are thoroughly justified in buying a little something extra at SOAR to tide you over. And Rhinebeck. Maybe a lot extra. And really, for spinning on Tuesday you deserve another reward. Or two. Plus you blocked a shawl and raised a wont-be-a-dropout child. I think you'd better bring a couple of big empty suitcases with you.

That shawl looks bee-you-ti-ful! (Needed that extra syllable for emphasis!) Ah, the magic of blocking. And I *thought* there were a few more beads there in your photos, than in Melanie's diagram! Beads are addictive, just like yarn, I believe. That's probably why your yarn is stuck at the border, yarn is a controlled substance or ought to be. But then that would limit my access to it....
Hoping you are amply rewarded today. Otherwise, I hear there might be a little yarn at Rhinebeck...

Monday was a holiday here so no mail. If your package was a little slow getting to the border, you might have lost a few days because of that.

Here's hoping that your yarn arrives on time... idle hands are no good. Though we know that your stash is mighty, new goodies are more fun on trips. :)

Have a safe journey to SOAR and Rhinebeck. I hope to make it to NY this time next year.

Your stole came out beautifully! I'm so glad you enjoyed the knitalong and I hope you enjoy wearing the stole! Hugs!

Don't forget to call your credit card company before you go shopping. Grr. I am having a "bad bank" day but I will try to let the yarn's eye view of YOUR Ashford cheer me up.

((Waving over towards Michigan-way to you))

I'm glad that you said that you used more beads because there were times that you would show it along the way where I'd swear that I didn't remember beads being in that place. I know it's a big long pattern, but I also didn't think my memory was going that quickly at age 23. I looks absolutely lovely.

Such beautiful work and so much finishing!!! Does it feel as great as it looks? It sure makes for inspiring posts. If your reward yarn doesn't come today, I can't wait to see what you finish up in the car! (Of course you totally deserve to start something new. It just looks to me like you're on a roll.)

The stole's gorgeous! I love the color you used! I hope the reward yarn is there soon!!! =)

Wow! The shawl is stunning! I just wish you'd taken a picture of it spread out far enough away so we could see the whole thing at once. Pretty please?

The fine gauge blocking wire will help you get a smooth arc, but you still would have had to pin each individual point in order to ensure they were evenly spaced. The blocking wires are great, aren't they? I've been putting mine to heavy use lately as I prepare for Myrna's lace knitting retreat in Boise next week. Have fun at Rhinebeck! I'll bet you are looking forward to traveling somewhere as a simple tourist for a change. :)

Gorgeous! The beads are definitely addictive. Hope you get your reward yarn asap!

I, too, have yarn that must be waiting at the border. What Kenya Post wants with yarn is beyond me!

Fingers, toes, arms, legs, and eyes crossed that you get your yarn today.

So I don't know much about beads, but wouldn't the silver tarnish and maybe stain the yarn? Or hasn't this been a problem?

I'm teaching at Rhinebeck on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I'll be so bummed if we're on two sides of the same wall and I can't at least wave at you across the room. Maybe at lunch, maybe not. That's life.

I thought you were doing a book signing or something, which might have meant Sunday. Which is my day to wander as you will do on Saturday. Sigh.

The glamour of working in the fiber biz. I wouldn't trade it for anything... but still.

Hugs. Have fun and pet lots of yarn!!!

The shawl is just gorgeous Stephanie. I love the blocking pictures for the lace virgins, like myself.

Have fun at SOAR. Make sure to bring your wedding shawl to show Judith MacKenzie McCuin. I was at a workshop with her a couple weekends ago and she mentioned she'd love to see it.

Enjoy your weekend! Goodness knows you've earned it. :)

That Mystery Shawl looks great - kudos for finishing it!

I've been listening to your audiobooks and because of that finally got up the courage to try to knit socks. Guess what? I love it! I've knitted myself a pair of wonky messing-around-the-house socks that are too tight at the toes and too loose around the ankles, but I love them all the same.

Then I just finished another sock today, which was going to be my Perfect New Sock Just For Me...except that I got a little exciting when doing the toe shaping and now it's about two sizes too small for me. Thank goodness I have a lot of friends' birthdays coming up!

So the quest for my perfect sockyarn continues, as I fall in love with heel flaps and gussets on the way there!

thanks a million,
Cat.
~writing from The Netherlands

Totally crossing my fingers for you that you get your wool in time!!!

Totally gobsmacked. Fingers crossed.

It's only fair, since my reward yarn from Canada is also hanging out at the border.

Wow...I was holding my breath as I looked at the photos of MS3, I swear I heard music. How absolutely dreamy. I bet the beads give it a delicious weight and swish - perhaps a full photo coming soon? Have a good time at the festivals.

I've bought laceweight yarn, the needle, and the pattern... but have yet to acquire the nerve for lace.

Your beautiful shawl will be inspiration.

Good work on all the finishings. You are definitely due some reward yarn.

I would think that they'd have more issues with yarn coming from Canada to the US. You know, with everyone being a terrorist and all.

I am envious and the stole is beautiful.

You totally converted me to beaded knitting that night under the twinkle lights. I scrapped Branching Out and am currently poring over stitch dictionaries to find the perfect vehicle for the pink alpaca. The project has to be worthy not only of the materials, but of the collective time we all spent at the bead shop.

P.S. You didn't necessarily have to stick in a photo of the gansey singles...I believed you.

OMG! Your lace is gorgeous! I have not tried anything lace yet, but I will someday! You are very lucky to be such a good knitter......

I'm just in the process of blocking my first lace shawl (Icarus) and when I cast off, I was _convinced_ I must have really messed up my gauge. Ever though I _knew_ the lace was going to look different after blocking, I really had no concept of how much the size of the piece was going to change. My gauge was spot on, it's exactly the size from the pattern now that I'm blocking it - hooray!

And thanks for the pictures showing the blocking wires in place, I'm really happy to see I put mine in place correctly, I couldn't find any instructions on how to actually _use_ my blocking wires.

ps Your mystery stole looks beautiful :)

Waiting on yarn from the Loopy Ewe which was also ordered on the 25th--was this a bad day to order yarn from our neighbour to the south?? As you say hello to your yarn (and Sarah's) when you cross the border have a smile for mine too please. I know you won't be without for long.

Cheers, Barbie O.

Oh my heavens....the stole is absolutely gorgeous! Gives me the itchings to make one myself...except for the fact that I don't know how to knit lace, nor do I know how to follow a chart. Guess I should figure those out before trying.

Have fun at SOAR!

Thank you for that lovely post on lace blocking! :) You really demystified the process for me. :)

All borders seem to be an impediment for wool these days. Two packages out of several containing discontinued Jaeger yarn I ordered from England haven't arrived yet after a month. One just showed up a few days ago.

Each Royal Mail pouch has one corner cut and retaped. They checked that it was yarn.

Wave to yours as you go by.

Oh, and your shawl turned out beautifully. I recently decided beads have their place, too, after not wanting anything to do with them for years. I just wish the semiprecious stone beads had bigger holes.

Yay for you being in Michigan, but boo for me not being there. Apparently it's just about spinning? Oh well, I don't know how.

I do not see the sheep link. If I saw the sheep link, I'd have to break my vow to knit only from the stash until after Christmas.

Beautiful shawl, and it's not just wool being held up. I mailed a friend's birthday gift, with the contents clearly identified on the export document, three weeks before her birthday. She got it (in Quebec) two weeks AFTER her birthday.

Oddly enough though, I can get all kinds of con-artist solicitations from the US and Canada and even Europe and Africa within three days of their mailing. . .

WOW, that mystery stole is beautiful!! I am at a loss for words, so a big WOW will have to suffice.

*drooling on myself, so words cannot come out* I knew you were good, but everytime I see your lace, I just sit in awe. OOOOh!!

Gorgeous lace, all finished and blocked. I'm now really wishing I was at home working on mine, instead of at school procrastinating.

Your stole is bee-yoo-tee-full! Makes me wonder if I should have gone the bead route? Or maybe that's incentive for another project... hmm...

OH. MY. GOODNESS!! Your MS3 Shawl is GORGEOUS!! (I love mine - I used 4ply redheart supersaver and US#10 needles, so mine is HUGE) BUT yours is just super super beautiful to behold. and your use of beads makes me DROOL.

I guess I will have to try the double winged version with BEADS BEADS BEADS and finer wool.

Wish me luck. (MS3 was my first KNITTING PROJECT).

WOW. That's lovely. Thanks for photographing the blocking wires in progress. I couldn't figure out how the heck they worked...now I get it!

I feel your pain. That same border has been holding my (previously owned) Journey Wheel hostage. Now USPS says it's arrived, but I can't find it!

Your MS3 is stunning. More beads were a good choice.

The Mystery Stole is so so pretty. I love the color. And the beads--I can see why you want to put them in everything now. :)

This is mind boggling to me! I cannot fathom knitting something that delicate. It is truly a work of art...

Bev Qualheim
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com

Oh, your MS3 is so pretty! That yarn looks delicious, and you're right, the beads just add that extra touch.

I'm halfway through the second clue, and I've stalled. I just don't think the yarn is right for this pattern - my yo's are never the same size, the decreases look like crap, it's just... It doesn't work.
And I really wanted to make it for my grandma's 70th birthday in Febuary next year. :( She's the one who taught me to knit, and always marvels at how well I'm doing (lately it's been stockinette mittens - she's very impressed! :D) so I wanted to make her something special...

Oh well. I'll just have to find another pattern that'll work with this yarn! I think it does better with lace repeats instead of patterned lace.. Does that make sense? Like the one end of the stole that's not the wing. Just doesn't look good.

Anyway. I hope you get your yarn! I *hate* waiting for yarn. It always shows up when you're not home. I guess it's just one of them natural laws.

I'm in awe of your lacework. Right now my knitting consists of cussing through knits, purls and k2tog and YOs. I knit Continental so it's hard to find pictures and such to know that I'm doing it right. And I'm a perfectionistic (and lazy) crocheter so when the knitting doesn't fly off the needles as fast as the crocheting flies off the hook, I get testy. I've made a dishcloth so far with my knitting. :( I strive to one day make a lacy stole. *sigh*

Whoa - gorgeous, gorgeous and some more gorgeous!

I just may give this lace knitting thing a try again. It has to go better than the socks.

Clearly I need to spend more in person time with people who knit well.

* * -- that's me being speechless. How terribly lovely;-)

And as for the Gansey... was that Buddy Holly who said "Every day, it's a little closer..."

And as for the postal service? We hates it, yes we does, doesn't we hates the nasty slowness of the postal service? Yes we does, it lies, my precious, how it lies!!!

Ok, as soon as I finish the thing I need to finish by the end of the month I'm going to get back to MS3!

Your stole is GORGEOUS!! When my Mystery Stole grows up, I hope it's as pretty as yours. And thanks so much for the instructions on blocking it -- I will refer back to this when I'm ready to block mine.

I'm sending positive vibes your reward yarn arrives today!

Your MS3 is so beautiful, and the blocking so magical, that it almost makes me bring mine out of hibernation. Alas, it needs to rest a bit longer. Maybe that means my singles have rested long enough and I can ply tonight.

It starts with pretty beads and then goes on to tiny little sparkling rhinestones and then it's all downhill from there. Even if you tell yourself you're not going that way - you do. Just like an insect to a bug lamp.

Oh! It's so beautiful. It gives me enthusiasm to finish mine. Right now it looks nice but kind of floppy. Blocking will do wonders. I've never blocked lace before. =D And I send vibes for yarn to arrive. Now!

How far you've come. I remember reading your blog post on your first trip to Rhinebeck, complete with finishing your sweater in the hotel room. Today you are quite the cool customer. Hooray for growing up!

The shawl is a dream! So beautiful with the beads. Thanks for the inspiration... I'm going to go block the lace scarf - a task I've been putting off far, far too long. :-)

That is breathtakingly gorgeous. I know the word 'heirloom' is oft overused, but girl, *that* is an heirloom. You done good.

Blocking wires?? Did you say blocking wires? Good golly, I didn't know there was such a thing! That is absolutely brilliant! I picked up a second-hand blocking board recently, and it's wretched. For starters, everything I've made is infuriatingly larger than the actual @#$! board. If you're looking to unload your old ones, let me know (we can make a super secret transaction in Rhinebeck on Saturday. Fried artichoke cart. 2 pm. Shhh.)

You know, I didn't really like the idea of beads on knitting before now. After seeing your Swan Lake, I kind of want to bead all my lace. And I haven't knit any lace. Hmm.

Dang, woman, you are incredibly productive. Look what I DIDN'T do this week: finish a book, spinning, carding, finishing any knitted object, much less blocking it.

Are you sure your days have the same number of hours? Mostly what I did this week was... um... well now. Frog my first sweater several times, take store bought cupcakes up to the school in honor of my daughter's birthday (I did make a cake for her family celebration but it's not finished yet) and have lunch. Yup, sums it up. Sigh.

As a MS3 dropout, I am in awe.

Oh, that shawl is magnificent! And those wires look divine. I've never used wires, but have fallen in love with a pattern that specifically directs me to (and I believe I must follow that directive): Queen of the Waves, by Ilga Leja. I'll be searching for the perfect fingering weight wool at Rhinebeck. Hope to see you there. Last year you brought the wedding shawl with you. Will you bring the Mystery Shawl this year?

Breathtaking! I think I might have to add a lace project to my queue...hope to see you in Rhinebeck!

Ach, Harlot dearie . . . such faithfulness!

Your yarn is pr'olly seeking a more skittish knitter so it will find needles sooner. Heeere yarnie yarnie yarnie heeere yarnie yaenie

Dang, that's one heckuva nice lookin' shawl!

In other news, WE'VE GOT A KNITTING GROUP IN CaRLISLE!!!! Granted, Dickinson students are in it, but who cares?!? IT'S KNITTING!!!! (And yes, I'm gonna be subversive and take some of my crochet with me. I'm just evil like that.)

I'm a dork. I have seen countless MSS 3's and couldn't figure out what was wrong with mine. I keep getting this weird jog at the end of Chart 1 and beginning of 2 right where the yarnovers are all alone. (yes I am that far behind thank you - and wouldn't be if I had not redone this 4 TIMES!)
I just noticed this jog in your finished beauty and it's supposed to be there.
sigh...

yes, blast the border.. only..

Canadians are different than USer's.
sure we speak the same language (almost)
and have the same culture (almost)
and our money, while different, is pretty interchangible (being so close in value)

but gosh, you guys are different!
nicer sometimes, but most often just different..not so much that you don't feel like someone we know; just different enough to recognize you are not us/US!

even if a few hours in NYCity makes you want to honk at traffic, and a few hours has me, replying with eh.. --something i drop as soon as i am back across the border!

Your shawl is just beautiful! Congratulations:) The shawl is so pretty that I'd love to knit one except that, you know, the whole 'mystery' part is gone now... I'm always disappointed how much smaller the wool is after it's been spun-it looks like so much beforehand!

Your mystery stole came out beautifully! I should get past clue 2 on mine. LOL
Something I hate about drumcarding wool is that you make these wonderful fluffy batts and then when you spin them, they disappear into nothing.

Gorgeous as always young lady.

You do lovely work.

Have a blast at Rhinebeck.

I haven't tried beads on lace yet, but it's definitely on the master "list." Hope to see you at Rhinebeck!

Your MS3 is just beautiful. Mine kind of stalled during Clue 2 when my 2 year old and I had a nasty dose of the 'flu. It wasn't pretty. And it gave me a terrible mental block about getting back to the stole. But having seen yours all done, I think I'm going to have to get to it again! Thanks for the inspiration - as always. :)

What a beautiful shawl. You did a great job!

No, they do not care so much about yarn on the border.

The shawl is beautiful - somehow I just didn't get it together for this one - maybe next time.

Hope to see you, at least in passing, at SOAR - and let's hope it stops raining - it's been raining all day up here today! But even in the rain, Michigan colors are beautiful this time of the year. pip

Your lace is so beautiful; I feel like a total slacker. I will recommend if you're going to get into beaded knitting check out www.earthfaire.com. She has first quality beads, lots of patterns for beaded knitting (yes, she got me hooked)and will match beads to your fabric so you don't have to try to figure out how it will look from the web page.

Gorgeous, gorgeous shawl!

Be glad you didn't order the reward yarn for the holidays! The border takes 'Christmas in July' literally! I never know if my sister's package is from 6 mos late or 6 mos early. Gotta love Canada Post!

Fingers and toes are crossed for your yarn arriving on time. The shawl is just gorgeous!

Stole = Beautiful

Beautiful shawl--I love the miracle of blocking lace! I'm a few days late with this comment (but I was desperately trying to get my garden basket shawl ready for last weekend and am now catching up with everything): next time try throwing some raspberries (frozen or fresh) in your homemade cranberry sauce.

Am hoping your yarn arrives today. It is HARD to wait for yarn!

And btw, I used your FANTASTIC tip of putting a fan on when you want your blocked item(s) to dry more quickly. Worked great for the parts to Bristow. Thanks!

-Jennie, who clearly feels like SHOUTING a lot today

Just started my first lace project and I am counting on the magic of blocking. The thing sure looks like a knarled mess of wool and silk at the moment.

Wow. That's amazing.

When I was a new knitter I stumbled onto a blocking post you did and I remembered being in awe. It was that moment that I knew I had to learn to knit lace. The process was slow but eventually I took the leap.

This is another one of those inspiring posts. And... it too is about blocking lace. Thank you for sharing the blocking, the beauty of the shawl and for the inspiration. I'm not only inspired to knit more intricate lace but I'm also inspired to sign up for the next mystery stole.

Thank you. Great post!

Breathtaking lace. I love blocking magic. I love that it never stops being magic.

B R E A T H T A K I N G.....I covet this...I want it..how much..in chocolate?!!!

This is coming from one who absolutely cannot accomplish lace knitting and I have tried and tried. That shawl is absolutely ABSOLUTELY breath takingly beautiful.
Nita

Stunning lace!

The Mystery piece is very very pretty. If the title is "Swan Lake" then the points (which you wished you had made into a curve instead if I read correctly) make perfect sense to me..they are the points of swan feathers. Maybe I'm just slow at more than my knitting...??
All I have seen of your knitting is lovely and this piece is no exception. Continue adding the beads..they are nice accents..and the Swan Queen would love them.

Just lovely! One of my friends made MS3 in black, which is also stunning. It may be time that knitters infiltrate Customs departments everywhere. If we teach them to knit, it can only be beneficial to our mail order wait times.

that shawl is beyond wonderful. thanks for the amazing photos.
have a blast being a tourist at a few fiber events - you totally deserve some play time :-)

Your shawl is absolutely gorgeous! After reading your blog, I have been inspired to try lace work. I bought my first laceweight (absolutely yummy wool) at my LYS and have actually completed 20 lines of your snowdrop shawl. I am in love with it already!

Stunning. Lace.

Just gobsmack, flat-out, ohmygawd stunning.

And the package thing? I am wondering if the package you asked me to send along from New Orleans is also languishing at the border.

Your mail must confuse the livin' daylights out of the Customs people. Books and yarn and bags and needles and voodoo dolls!

Ahhh, glorious! Plus not only do we get glorious lace, but also another great tutorial on blocking wires. Dunno if I'll ever knit anything that lacy, or ever need wires, much less get them...but I'll have a clue of what to do with them if I do. Thank you! And I think I love the window shots the best. It's so beautiful with the light shining through! Totally agree about the beads, too. ;)

And Amber at 1:44 pm, about the silver in the beads tarnishing? No worries; the silver is a layer inside the glass of the beads, completely enclosed. It'll never touch the yarn, or tarnish.

Thanks! I'm currently working on my first lace project, the Peacock Shawl from FiddleSticks Knitting. I'm using Zephyr wool/silk lace yarn on US #4 needles. The work is progressing, i'm having a great time, but it's just so darn ugly! I've contemplated not finishing.

This posting, and the photos, have really encouraged me to go on with the work!

Thanks, Steph!

Gene

Oh my, that stole is beautiful and has reminded me just how much I want to learn to knit lace.

Thank you for sharing.

Julie.

I love the shawl. How can I get the pattern? I heard you speak at Borders in Baily's crossroads Va. and saw so many of the "Mystery shawls" on shoulders. Thanks for coming our way, it was great!

Ohhhhhh.. it is so hard to wait for yarn. If I could give your package a descreet push across the border I would.
I too will be at Rheinbeck. This is my first time, so dare I say it?!?! I am a Sheep and Wool Festival virgin!!!
Am bringing best friend ( fiber enabler) with me.
Hope to see you!
Carolyn

The more finished ones of these I see, the more excited I get to finally cast on for mine. Yours is amazing!!

The shawl is glorious! ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS!
I am humbled and inspired to aspire to such knitterly skill!

Gorgeous shawl, Stephanie. How do you manage to block on your bed without skewering the mattress with t-pins?

When are you going to persuade your publishers that you have a reading public in the UK? I'd love to see you at the Knit & Stitch Show (on this weekend at Alexandra Palace). I was in one of Lucy Neatby's classes last year, which was great, but WE WANT STEPHANIE!!! Maybe I should start a petition?

- Pam

Have you ever thought of purchasing a sheep for personal yarn production? cecilia

I always am in awe whenever a lace project comes off the blocking board. Hope we get to see this beauty next weekend in NY!

Bunny hugs,
=:8

That's a very pretty shawl! I ran into my LYS a couple of weeks ago and saw the yarnista knitting this as well, though she was doing hers in eggplant.

Lovely scarf, and very un-surprising that you went with more of the sparkly stuff :)

I don't know if you've seen this yet, but it was sent to me and I thought of you. I suppose that I am happy it is considered strange enough to be newsworthy. Interestingly, although they talk about darning and sewing, they don't mention knitting. Perhaps it is not godly enough.

"The LA Times fronts a look at how women students at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary can earn credit toward their bachelor's degrees by taking classes in homemaking. The seminary is even building a model house to better teach women "how to set tables, sew buttons, and sustain lively dinnertime conversation." More moderate Southern Baptists disagree with the seminary's vision ("we're confusing 1950s culture with the teaching of Scripture," one pastor said), but the students say they're happy with the program. "My created purpose as a woman is to be a helper," a 19-year-old student said. "This is a college education that I can use.""

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-homemaking11oct11,1,1761777.story?ctrack=2&cset=true

Your shawl is so beautiful !! I am sure it was worth the wait. I love shawls, but I am not up to that ability yet. Still, maybe someday....

I sell a lot of yarn to the US from Canada and my theory about customs is this. Yarn packages are light and easily tossible by the customs guys so I think they throw the yarn parcels way to the back of the line. Then when they get to those parcels to examine they think 'oh just yarn' and toss it just as far the other way and it again goes to the back of the line for getting sent. Hope your yarn comes. I can relate to WEB's pain and yours of course. Your shawl looks great.

OMG, all mothers everywhere must see this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

I laughed, I cried.

I sent it to my kid.

I could have guessed how gorgeous the shawls would be! Le sigh....Fingers crossed~

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. - Keates

Um, Mommy, that shawl...I want one. WOW! How beautiful it is and how magic is the blocking.

Since I have been waiting since Sept 22 for a package to get from New Jersey to New York (and from nearby points) I can sympathize. I just sent an evil email to Amazon about the US Postal Service and the unwisdom of using them and then it arrived today....finally!

Gorgeous shawl - have fun at Rhinebeck - I have a group of 8 from our area coming up.

Looks so lovely! *makes note to block*

Stupid border indeed - why do they hold up yarn!? Surely there are other substances crossing that would be of more concern.

That is such a dream of lace!!!

And every time I seen you card and washing the lockses and fleeceses... I wish I didnt live in the Outback where spinning would just be a nightmare....

*sigh* spinning..........

Presbytera notwithsatanding, you SO did have to show the single-ply gansey yarn. I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you (which, given your size, is farther than most.) Especially when you're going to SOAR in our very own state and I'm reading Oulipo poets. Or not.

As to the shawl, I'm waiting for y'all to sort out the various possible perfections before committing my beads. The nursing home attendants will enjoy it, I'm sure.

that lace is lovely and inspiring! go steph!

Interestingly, I found your first picture rather striking. I've got a lace scarf in progress that has a very interesting texture now that I rather like. I'm tempted to not block it. I imagine eventually it will get a bit stretched out from being worn and will require a blocking, but for now I'm thinking of just enjoying the shibori-like effect.

I am blocking's bitch, still. Maybe I'll finally break down and get some wires.
Your shawl is absolutely gorgeous. The beads are really lovely--subtle but bright--good choice.

I love the shawl and yes, you will probably pass your yarn at the border. I have a question about blocking shawls. When you block a shawl, IF you wash it later down the road, which I am sure you don't need to often, but do you need to RE-block it when it dries? I was just curious.

Hope you have fun at Rhinebeck, it looks like fun.

I love that the weather has turned cool and I am hoping it will be a beautiful drive to Rhinebeck next weekend.
Are you organizing a hat collection point at Rhinebeck? I am looking forward to hearing you speak there.

Oh my. That stole. Oh my. I'll just sit here and look at it for a while. Wow.

I really should get a drool-proof keyboard.

SOAR. Is in Shanty Creek? Have you ever been to the Sleeping bear dunes? Dude- you gotta GO!

Here are some pics;)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tracey_in_mi/sets/72157600142397423/

got all excited ..... forgot to say your MS3 is gorgeous!!!!!!

Lisa's wires are a treat! have you met Lisa? She's actually on my laptop, not in that way, as a picture girl. Lace knitting it takes the linar mind, I'm more of the feral knitting sort. Umm chocolate drawer, mine's empty, spinning beaded yarn has depleted my stash. I'm back with "The Glen" , which makes beaded yarn even more challenging.....good luck on your travels!

You could call it "Harlot's Web"! It's lovely. I must get back to mine.

Lovely shawl. Once I knew what the final design looked like - all asymmetrical - I frogged it. Gave me the creeps, it did. Glad to see a beautiful finished project but I'm even happier that I didn't keep going.

I had sent some yarn to a very nice person (name not mentioned to protect the innocent) north of the US border, not too far from you in fact, who SWEARS if she orders yarn from the US the package has always been opened and "searched", and she really wants to know WHICH of the border customs people has the yarn fetish and could they quit touching her stuff?!?

Enjoy Rhinebeck!

Ok, I am new to all this stuff. I want to say I absolutely love reading your posts and everyones responses.
I also have to say that after I discovered your site on the S n' B calendar that I came straight over to have a read. I then clicked on that lovely little link that is dangerous!!!

Thanks! I have now spent $130 (US) for some of that wash, some cute stitch markers, and of course some yarn that I really didn't need since I have a closet full (literally). Now I have to find a way to hide the purchase when it does come in (after I guess being fondled by customs). So, thanks again for that devilish link!

A comment unrelated to knitting.

Just come back from seeing the mighty RUSH live in concert, Birmingham England.

Canada Rocks!

I just finished my Mystery stole too! Although I haven't had the time to block it yet. :( Can't wait though. Unfortunately it's scrap yarn for me. I don't have blocking wires yet.

I also put more beads in and I'm tempted to put beads in everything I do. I love the beads!

OH oh, more 'must have' things: blocking wires. Gorgeous shawl. Will the blocking wires make me knit so beautifully. I wish.

Beautiful, beautiful shawl. Someday I'll actually manage to knit lace......maybe.....

The shawl is stunning!

I hope you're hiking at the dunes today--- it would be beautiful;)

I'll look for you at Rhinebeck but in a friendly not crazy knitting celebrity stalker sort of way ;-)

Stephanie your shawl is beautiful!!!! I must tell you that I picked up your book (audio) Saturday at Knitch in Atlanta. My 19yo son and I listened and laughed for 4 hours. You made the car trip pass very quickly!!!!

Stephanie, was it hard to get the blocking wires on the shawl when it was soaking wet? Thanks.

P.S. You have (again) inspired me, so I've just gotten about halfway through my first big lace project (MShawl5). Your stole looks beautiful!

I love the batts you have and how they spun up. Just Gorgeous!
I am glad you are going to Rhinebeck. I will be there Sat as well. If I see you, I shall tap you on the shoulder and say "hey"
Have fun at the show!
Vanessa in Upstate NY

Gorgeous shawl, Stephanie. Love the colour. Will it be draped around you at Rhinebeck? Hope to see you both there!

Hello - I'm a reporter at the moment in Baghdad. I often knit when I'm in conflict zones, and recently a yarn supplier asked me if I would write about this. I'd like to get in touch with other knitters like me - especially military knitters in Iraq - to hear about how and where the knit - and what their brothers (sisters) in arms have to say about it. Can anyone help? Thanks - Elizabeth

Hi there! Your stole came out GORGEOUS! You did an excellent job (as usual). Hey, any chance you're coming to Barbados soon? LOL! ; )