Today's Lesson

Apparently my new favorite color is 'out of stock' with 'unavailable' being a close second.

::sigh::

ETA: how could I forget the also popular 'discontinued'?

FO Report - Leaf Lace Shawl

the oh-so-flattering back view

Pattern: Leaf Lace Shawl by Fiber Trends

Yarn: Lisa Souza Baby Alpaca Lace

Colorway: Olive Tones

Started: November 2007

Finished: January 2008

Measurements (unblocked/blocked)

Top edge: 58 inches / 74 inches

Center (top to bottom): 26 / 38.5 inches

Side (one side of "V"): 34 / 54.5 inches

Needles: Knit Picks circular 2.75 mm

Project Summary

I originally started this project in July 2007, but I wasn't happy with how it was progressing so I ripped it out and restarted in in November 2007.

Progress as of 11/21/07

The initial appearance of the shawl was, as Mrs. G pointed out, not unlike that of a stingray.

Note: Provided for comparison purposes only.
This is not an actual shawl image
(image from Google images)

As the shawl progressed and the stitch count grew (this shawl pattern starts from the bottom point) it was difficult to determine that any progress was being made since the total size of the shawl never seemed to change. I started placing a pin to mark my progress at the end of each week.

Some weeks showed more progress than others.
The closely spaced pins represent the hectic weeks of mid-December

The Leaf Lace Shawl has an easy and easily memorized lace pattern and a good choice, I think, for a first time lace knitter. Unfortunately, my choice of a fairly fine yarn and small needles meant nearly 10 additional chart repeats in order to get the size I wanted.

By the time I reached 622 stitches on the needle, knitting ennui threatened to derail the project since each row was taking about 40 minutes to complete. I originally planned to make the shawl larger but made the decision to end at 27 chart repeats.

The lunar landscape of the unblocked shawl

Needle Liberation Day - January 22, 2008

Unblocked shawl

Blocking
(an excellent use for that newly spare bedroom)

Blocking closeup

The pattern calls for beading on the final row. I wanted some additional sparkle so I worked in extra beads in the lace edging.

Finished!

Mr. CPA took several 'FO' photos that actually show me smiling, but as luck would have it those shots did not turn out for one reason or another (as judged by me). So the official FO shot is the one of me looking mildly amused. (a totaly fortuitous shot that managed to slip in between the usual photos of me in mid-sentance, with a goofy closed-eye smile or enhanced with blurry arm movements).

March 1 – Caterpillar Day

"Life depends on a silken thread" - club motto

Mr. CPA and I aren’t exactly what you would call ‘joiners’. We’re a bit quirky and non-conforming and we like it that way.

However we are thrilled that 26 years ago today, Mr. CPA became a member of an exclusive club in which almost no one actively seeks membership. The Caterpillar Club.

There are no dues or meetings and the club is fairly small because only about 10 people per year qualify for membership.

The rule for membership is so simple that it is contained in a single sentence:
Members of the club must have saved their lives by using a parachute to jump out of a disabled aircraft.

Now Mr. CPA might point out that he did not jump so much as he was forcefully flung out by the centrifugal force of the plane’s inverted spin after he popped the canopy immediately following impact, but this, dear reader, is a technicality of a very minor sort.

The headline from the front page of the Pensacola Journal

The distressingly meager remains of the two planes



The rip cord that opened the best parachute ever

As it turns out, Mr. CPA had not personally checked his parachute before leaving because things had been a bit rushed getting ready for the training flight. He thought about it as he and the instructor hurried out to the plane but told himself, "I'm not going to need it."


To show his gratitude to the diligent workers who had obviously both packed the chute well and checked it correctly, Mr. CPA (in his then capacity of Mr. Marine Corp 2nd Lt.) bought a case of beer for each of the parachute packers on duty that day. Because when you're a young guy in your early twenties on military pay, a case of beer is a lot of gratitude.


But really? It wasn't enough.

* Caterpillar club image used with permission by Wikipedia

(see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CaterpillarClubPin.jpg)