This yarn was a pick-me-up after I had to scrap my first attempt at a project for my husband. The hand is soft, the colors are rich, and the promise of a quick, single-skein project for about $10 seemed like the perfect treat.

What was not a treat, however, was my fumbling attempt to wind this at home with my ball winder but no swift. The yarn has a tendency to cling to itself like Velcro, and about three-quarters of the way through winding I made a hopeless knot out of it.

I spent somewhere close to 8 hours trying to untangle the mess. Unfortunately, I lost a not-inconsiderable chunk of yarn, and had to splice two or three pieces back in after snapping them from the knot.

But!

Once I actually got started, the pattern was a breeze and I enjoyed both the yarn and the knitting. The pattern allows the variegated yarn to shine and was a nice departure in style from the other shawls I’ve knitted recently.

Despite the loss of yarn, I had enough to complete the pattern as written with a bit to spare after binding off. (Unfortunately, I don’t have a scale and don’t know if I started with slightly more yarn than the stated put-up or how much I actually lost to the knot.)

I would definitely use Malabrigo Lace again and would consider knitting this pattern again (or, alternately, Citron Grand), although probably in a fingering weight yarn for a larger shawl.

Things I Would Do Differently
Next time, when the lovely lady in the yarn store asks, “Would you like me to wind this for you?” I’m going to reply with a very emphatic “Yes!”

Finished Measurements
Width: 35 inches
Drop: 13.5 inches
Measurements do not include the ruffled edge.

Technical Details
I used a ChiaoGoo RED Lace circular needle (24”). Since our new apartment is mysteriously missing drain stoppers for the kitchen sink, I soaked the shawl in a large stainless steel cooking pot and fortunately noticed no dye bleeding. I wet-blocked the finished piece on 2 two-foot-by-two-foot foam tiles using nickel-plated steel ball-headed pins. It dried overnight.