Overall thoughts:

• Like everyone else has said, holy moly, this shawl is huge! I measured it when stretched out for pictures - 12 feet long.
• I love the colors I used and the color melting.
• I didn’t much like knitting the lace - it was really easy to get off the pattern and hard to tell quickly when I did it.
• Also, charting the lace pattern made it a lot easier for me to knit - just following the written instructions was really confusing for me.
• I planned to use 5 colors but still follow the color melting instructions, just doubling up on the first two and last two sections. However, the last two sections take more than one skein of yarn. It would be easy to knit with 6 colors - which is what I ended up doing.
• I’d love to knit another similar shawl, with just garter stitch, and make it not so long. I need to think about how I’d adjust the pattern to make that work.

I’ve been plotting this one for a while and am excited to finally cast on. I’m using 4 different yarn bases. I’m using 5 colors, so am going to double up using the first and last colors to two sections each.

Color A, B: Rocky Shore
Color C: Delphiniums
Color D: Element Number Five
Color E: Lunar Landing
Color F, G: Black Hole

Cast on 5/15/2017. Got to the end of the first garter section on 5/28 and was ready to start the lace - but my stitch count was off by one. I ripped back halfway, and then tinked back more, but still off by one. Ripped out and cast on again on 5/29. It took FOUR TRIES to get it right, but finally I was back on track.

Okay, ready to begin the lace section again on 5/31. I’ve now tried the lace three times, ripping back the lifeline I thoughtfully placed after the first time I ripped back. I just can.not. get the lace stitch count to work out right. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.

6/4/2017: I spent some time charting the lace instructions on graph paper, which made all the difference in the world. I could finally see how it lined up and was finally able to knit the lace.

8/18/2017: Brought this project on a summer vacation to Lake Chelan and did a ton of knitting on it. I started Section 7 with the second color melt (for me) right before we got home. My third color is on slightly finer yarn but I’m determined to mix my bases and I really do love how the colors morph in this project.

The lace pattern still gives me some trouble - it’s pretty easy to mess up - and I’ve done a fair amount of ripping or tinking and redoing several rows. I’ve learned if I don’t have the exact right number of stitches in the center or edges, I need to figure out what went wrong an redo it. I’m still laying lifelines every time I start and end a lace section in case ripping is required.

9/1/2017: I’m in Section 7 and have made the switch in the increases/decreases so that I’m staying at 233 sts each row. I’m considering this halfway, although I’m not sure that’s right. Exciting to be moving towards the finish now!

11/8/2107: Finished Section 8 lace last weekend. I had to chart it out again to understand how things lined up, and then it was pretty smooth sailing. There were two or three times I got off-pattern, but I was able to see the yarnovers weren’t lining up and went back to fix them. I’ve now started on Section 9 and am only a few rows away from my next color melt. Woo-hoo!

3/31/2018: I’m most of the way through the color into my last color, the black, which is halfway through Section 11. I feel like I’m getting close to the end, but that is still about 100 rows left…

4/12/2018: I’ve added what I planned to be the last color (I’m trying to do this in 5 colors, not 7), but I’m not sure I’ll have enough of the Black yarn to cover both F and G. Considering options…

4/28/2018: I considered purchasing an additional color, but couldn’t find one I really liked and worked with the rest of the gradient. I’m thinking I’ll be able to find some extra black in fingering if I need it to finish. Continuing onward!

7/14/2018: I’m into Section 13 (the last one!) and have weighed the black yarn and I definitely don’t have enough. Like 15 g short. I went looking for more black yarn, and - of course, I should have seen this coming - I can’t match the black. However, I found a really love purple/black yarn, so I’m ripping back, taking all the black out and putting this new Raspberry Cordial as color F.

9/28/2018: Just finished Section 11 … again. I love the color of the Raspberry Cordial so much but am a bit nervous about it being a singles yarn. Feeling committed now!

10/21/2018: Making my way through the lace in Section 12. I really don’t like knitting this lace pattern. It’s so easy - but also so easy to make a mistake and get one stitch off, then have to tink back a few rows. It’s establishing the pattern again that always gives me issues. I could see knitting this shawl pattern again, but I would not do it with this lace pattern.

10/27/2018: I finished knitting the lace! I finished knitting the lace! Section 13, you beautiful final section, here we come!

1/19/2019: I put this down over the holidays (honestly, I was considering swapping out the MadTosh Blackberry Cordial for a different yarn because I’m nervous about a singles yarn, but the color I was trying didn’t work in the shawl.) So I picked it back up for a weekend away on 1/18/2019 and realized I had less than 20 rows left. So, in no time, it was done and bound off! Yay!!!