Blue Shawl Nearly Finished

This is the blue and purple shawl I'm making for my Sister-in-law whose name I drew out of the bowl at the close of last year's family Xmas to-do. Ed's family switched to drawing names for the honor of giving one nice gift to one family member instead of giving two dozen dollar store gifts.

I drew Ed's sister's name and decided to crochet either an afghan or shawl for her. Am also making a coaster set out of crochet thread but I may not get them ready by Friday. I still have to take out twelve rows and put back in eight on one of them--I mistakenly repeated two stripes about half way between the end and the center--and then attach the embroidery floss fringe to all eight ends. That's 33 half inch pieces times 8.

I finally broke down and asked Ed to go pick up another skein of the yarn for the fringe on the shawl. I'd been planning to just take out one row at a time until I had enough fringe pieces. He picked it up this morning before he left for work so I made this my main focus for today hoping to have enough done in order to ease his anxiety over me having it ready to wrap long before we leave for the family to-do on Friday afternoon.

He has reason to be anxious as last year I was crocheting the neck scarf for my niece all night and right up to the hour we left for the to-do in early afternoon. And then trying to put the finishing touches on a bookmark during the fifteen minute car ride and then another half hour hidden away in one of the bedrooms at his brother's house with the family waiting on me for the last five to ten of those minutes.

Attaching the fringe pieces to the shawl today is just the first step. I'm going to be tying some knots similar to macrame and then distressing the ends to make them look fluffy like a long-haired cat's tail. I'd also like to put the same fringe along one long side so that there is fringe hanging down over the hips. But I decided to stop and do the knots and distressing of the two end sections and see where I am time-wise.

I draped the shawl around the office chair at the computer desk in the front room to give as good an impression as possible of what it will look like worn. I was hoping to also get a shot of the back but my camera batteries gave up the ghost after one.

The length reaches from my nose to my toes when held up in front of me before the fringe. When draped around my shoulders the ends reached my wrists and the back edge my waistband. Again, before the fringe. That's why I would still like to put fringe on the one long side so it will cover the hips. But that will mean another 75 or so fringe pieces to attach, knot and distress. Which is about the equivalent of doing two more ends.

Well back to work.