5/11/2019:

Cast on and worked set up rows last night. I’m making this for a sister of a friend of mine. She loves birds and has a scarlet winged macaw. She saw the pattern and wanted it to match her bird. How lucky am I that Red Heart’s It’s A Wrap Rainbow comes in those exact colors! Plus, it’s acrylic/cotton blend and here in Texas that’s exactly what she needs. Wool is just too much for a Texas fall and winter sometimes.
So far it’s going well. I’ve begun the short rows and I love the clarity of the pattern so far. The designer included the turning row for the wrap and turn as part of one whole row so it makes it easier to understand where you are at and where you leave off if you have to. No leaving off in the middle of it. Perfect!
I did pick up two cakes of the yarn and I intend to use each color change separately to make the color changes in the shawl longer. We’ll see how that goes.

5/15/2019:

Finished the second transition and began the third feather section last night. It took me all day working on the transition section, and I highly suggest you do these sections with NO distractions. You really do need to focus on each row because the transition rows are fiddly. Once you get past these rows the feather section rows are a nice break. There is no need to focus as intensely on the feather sections. I would suggest using stitch markers once you get to the transition rows to help you keep track of each area/“feather” worked. I have not done so because I am just being lazy but I will probably grab some markers and go to town once I hit the next transition section.
The Red Heart yarn I am using is almost a dream. I am really enjoying using it and it is really making this project retain interest. My only issue is that it is splitty. I was using very sharp ChiaGoo bamboo circulars, which worked very well, but I was afraid the further I went on that the splitting of the yarn would begin to occur so I’ve since switched to a pair of Addi Turbos with a more blunted tip. Works much better, especially for the M1s and M2s.

5/22/2019:

Getting closer to the next transition section. I have about 3 more short row sections and then I’ll be ready to begin it. Then the last feather section! Have not begun getting into the green blend of my yarn yet but hopefully soon. I plan on knitting with the cake of yarn I’m working on now through to the blue and finishing the shawl with the blue. It’s looking fantastic even unblocked.
Truth to tell though, I am not looking forward to this next transition section. I have trouble with each one. I fly (pun intended) through the feather sections just fine but those transition sections are just a pain in the neck. I am constantly tinking back or simply miscounting something. And, horrors! I’ve even dropped a stitch and didn’t find it out until 10 rows later. Fortunately it was easy to fix without tinking back all ten rows (I like to live life on the edge and not use lifelines). Thank you teeny tiny crochet hooks.
I truly can’t wait to get this finished and block it and see if it matches what I had in mind when I began.