knit•er•a•cy |'nitərəsē, 'nitrə-|

I block lace projects on playmats-- lots of people do. But when pola_bear was over yesterday, we discovered that my blocking mats weren't large enough to block the Laminaria! Like not even close. I asked around, and actually posted a message on a Ravelry forum for lace knitting. Several people suggested that I block it by folding it in half -- then my mats would be enough, plus the shawl points would match exactly on either side!

So this morning, filceolaire helped me (I'm having a really bad pain day) move stuff around and place the mats, and I used the yardstick from the blocking wire kit as the foldover piece. Probably I will end up pressing the shawl when it's done, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Even though I'd managed to misplace my big tomato of blocking pins, there were 20 in the lace wire kit. Today was, therefore, a great day to learn how to use the kit efficiently. So with only 20 pins and 4 wires, Laminaria is blocking. It should be ready by dusk, which means I'll be able to wear it to class tomorrow night!

Laminaria Shawl, Blockin' In The Wind! Here's the shawl, pinned out on the blocking boards, drying in the (semi)sun today. Should be done by dusk, which means I can wear it to class tomorrow night!