The Baby Heirloom Shawl

Finished!!!!

Yes, it was done on time for the baptism:

Yes, he is wearing a handknit sweater and booties, courtesy of our dear Gomme (my Grandma).
Yes, Knittybaby is also sucking on the ribbon. More on that issue later.

A close-up:
Another close-up:
Details:
The Baby Heirloom Silk Shawl, by Erika Knight in "Knitting for Two."
Yarn: Rowan 4 Ply
Guage: I never checked. (It's a blanket. Yes, I know I'm bad. I swatched, it looked good, on I went.)
Needles: Very slippery and too blunt Addis, size 8 for the body, 7 for the edging.
Started: February, 2006 (Olympic Knitting, Baby!)
Finished: Assembled and blocked September 22, 2006. Ribbon added September 23rd. Baptism September 24th!

Notes: I absolutely love this shawl!! It is by far the lovliest thing I have knitted, the most complex, the most delicate, and something I have learned a great deal from. It is not perfect. I joined up yarn in the middle of rows. Not a biggie when knitting stockinette, a biggie in lace because I can tell where it was woven in. I had trouble not losing stitches and had to fudge it in a few places. My yarnovers combined with the seed stitch pattern got a little goofy and also needed a little fudging. Despite the fudging, I did make myself frog back quite a few times in the body to fix it the best I could. My seaming, I have to say, turned out fabulous and was easier than I thought. Overall, I am very, very happy.

One note on the pattern. Despite it's name, it is not the most practical shawl/blanket for a baby. The ribbon slides all over the place and Knittybaby likes to pull and suck on it. The ends of the ribbon are fraying already, but I'm afraid to put anything on it because he keeps sucking on the ends of the ribbon. Despite the fact that the ribbon makes it so pretty, I think if I were to make it again I would leave it out. Although, maybe not. It is really pretty!

We had a wonderful time with our family this past weekend. Everyone came in for Knittybaby's baptism, and he was a pro during the church service. Little Man was quite the gentleman, stopping to shake people's hands when he walked with our pastor down the asile to show of his little brother.

We did, however, have a very scary moment. About 15 minutes after the baptism, my Grandpa became ill during the service. Luckily, a doctor was there and able to help him out. He was taken to the hospital and ended up having to stay a couple of days. He's home and doing much better, thankfully, but it was pretty frightening at the time. Plus, Pops loves a good party and I know he was sad to be stuck at the hospital when he really just wanted to be back at our place having a good time. We're all just thankful that it was something treatable and he's home safe and sound. If anything, it made the time we had with everyone more special, as events like this remind you how important that time really is.