The Shawl from Hell......

This is my first lace shawl. I have been humbled by this experience. As a knitter, I can say that I have been forged by the fires of this experience. I can now consider myself an "experienced knitter"---not an expert, mind you, that will come later! I naively thought, before taking this on, that if I could produce a lace shawl, I will have reached a goal in my development as a fiber artist that I had set for myself. Always try something you have not tackled, and you will keep on learning! I did, needless to say. I began this shawl 5 years ago. Yes, you heard that right--5 YEARS! I started it with a lovely lace weight dusty rose yarn. I had to rip the shawl back so many times, because of mistakes I made and did not detect until rows of knitting later, that the yarn became ruined. That was heartbreaking. I began questioning my mental capacity, and my bruised ego gave up on it so many times......I shoved the mess into my knitting bag for months at a time, out of pure disgust. Began again with a sock weight yarn that was easier to work with, and forged ahead, with renewed enthusiasm! More ripping back, consulted the Internet, books, any and all manner of research.....gave up a few more times, etc., my battered ego in the ditch. With a half done shawl, and some experience about what NOT to do, I learned to "read" my knitting, check every single row for accuracy before beginning the next row, learned how to use a "life line" thread, and swallowed another pill of determination! Needless to say, I am feeling accomplished and very happy and relieved to have this shawl done and on the blocking mats! I can't wait to start another lace project.