Finally finished my Sidewinder shawl!

[rivenwanderer]

I started this project last August, with kettle-dyeing purple over some pink yarn (which I'd gotten for free when my partner's mom was destashing). I wanted (and got!) a subtle, semisolid effect. I finished knitting it in March... then didn't block it until now. Blocking it made such a difference! Now it actually looks like lace and is large enough to comfortably cover my shoulders/arms all the way. I'd been really worried that it would be too small.

The Sidewinder pattern is written so that you can use an arbitrary amount of yarn, which was really convenient in this situation. Sure, I *could've* used a niddy-noddy to figure out how much yarn there was, but it was just as simple to ration my yarn as I moved through the pattern.

The yarn was a pretty unevenly-spun single ply and gave me some headaches while working with it--I had to cut out some slubby felted sections. I definitely don't want to use yarn like that again! I don't think it ruins the appearance of the shawl, though.

The "before" photo of the yarn...


...and the "after" photo.


The shawl!


Detail shot:


More photos and commentary (babbling) at my Ravelry project page

I feel like I've been "done" with the project forever, so it's nice to be officially done! (Now I'm working on a High Seas shawl. You'd think I'd have picked a pattern with plain old "purl on the WS" rows after Sidewinder, but nooooo....)

Comments

[untonuggan]

That's really awesome! Did you use a tutorial or any particular dye for the dye job? (Have been contemplating doing some yarn dyeing myself this summer...)

[rivenwanderer]

Thanks! I used Jacquard acid dyes. I didn't use a particular tutorial. I basically followed Jacquard's instructions for stovetop dyeing, with a few changes--I believe I added the vinegar to the kettle before adding any dye. And I mixed the dye with a bit of water in a separate container and poured the concentrated mix into the kettle while dyeing.

[untonuggan]

Good to know! Thanks.