This shawl is easy to knit and the finished item is simply spectacular.

Nov. 13, 2011: I’ve been plugging away at the edging. 7 repeats down, 33 to go. I find the written instructions in the book, which are really more of a hybrid between written out directions and charted directions, to be really easy to follow. They are very similar to how I will write out pattern repeats when knitting complicated lace patterns. So far I’m having little difficulty knitting with the black yarn.

All of the Shetland-type shawls I have made before started with the center and worked outwards, finishing with a knitted-on edging. The edging always takes longer than you think. LOL I gave serious consideration to reworking the pattern and starting with the center, but I decided to give the more traditional method a try. So far I’m not minding the “endless” edging. It’s fun to knit and not at all boring. This pattern is a little too complicated for me to totally memorize, but as I’ve repeated it, it has become very familiar. I tend to break down lace patterns into groups of stitches and this helps me “understand” the pattern. I’ve knitted Print O’ The Wave several times before, and I’ve also worked this edging before, but never the two together. The combination makes for a really lovely edging.

11-15-11 I finished one side of the edging tonight--3 to go.

11-21-11 The edging is half-way done and I have used almost all of skein #1. I’m surprised at how quickly I’ve been progressing on the edging. Although I have to look at the pattern for every patterned row, I have a good understanding of the pattern now and don’t have to concentrate on it. I can work on the edging while watching hockey on TV!

11-28-11 The edging is nearly 75% completed. I hope to be ready to pick up stitches by the end of the week. Much to my surprise, I haven’t gotten bored with the edging.

12-4-11 The edging is now completed. It weighs exactly 100g. Time to wind another skein of Gloss Lace.

12-5-11 Last night after I quit work on my Sunday KAL knitting, I started picking up the stitches along the edging. I’ll finish up before the day is through and maybe even get a few rounds of the shawl body completed.

12-7-11 I finished all the set-up rounds tonight and am now ready to start the first border pattern.

12-8-11 I managed to complete 3 rounds of the first border pattern even though my current priority is a pair of Xmas socks meant as a gift. :-)

12-17-11 I have the first border pattern--roundels-- finished. Next up, miniature leaf pattern.

12-22-11 I’m progressing nicely, being half-way through the miniature leaf pattern, but I almost had a knitting disaster. I was using a Knit Picks 32-in circular needle and the cable started to pull out of the needle. Fortunately I discovered it before the cable came all the way out and was able to switch the stitches to a 24-inch Addi Turbo. Not the best needle tips for lace, but at least I don’t have to worry that the cable is going to come loose. No more Knit Picks needles for this knitter.

12-28-11 I’ve finished the miniature leaf section and am ready to start the horseshoe section. I have 16g of ball #4 left, and only one more skein of yarn (50g) so I’m definitely worried I won’t have enough yarn.

1-5-12 I’m into the second miniature leaf border, ready to start the part of the pattern that has the fern-leaf squares. There’s little chance I’ll have enough yarn to finish the shawl, and the color is currently listed as “available soon,” so I have no idea how long it will be until I can get another skein of yarn to finish the shawl. Meanwhile, I will just keep knitting till I run out of yarn. Actually, I’ll save enough yarn so that I can alternate rounds with the new yarn, but you know what I mean.

1-11-12 I’m progressing rapidly, and rapidly running out of yarn. Gloss in black won’t be available until May, so I used the magic of Raverlry, found a fellow knitter with some extra black Gloss in her stash that is the same dye lot, and we worked out a trade. Ravelry to the rescue!

1-13-12 My yarn arrived today. Thank you, cselkie!

1-16-12 I reached the round where you change to a smaller needle. Things are progressing at lightning speed, now. I should have Sheelagh finished before the end of the week.

1-19-2012 Sheelagh is completed and drying as I type. I didn’t stretch the shawl very hard because I wanted to keep within the restraints of my blocking boards. But even without a hard stretching, the lace has opened up very nicely and the shawl, which was about 48 inches square before blocking, is stretched out to about 59 inches square, so this is a nicely sized shawl, not too small, not too large. I could certainly make it even larger by stretching it out harder. I used 296g of yarn.