Oceanside Shawl

Yesterday I finished my, what I'm calling, Oceanside Shawl (pattern is called Ruthie's Sunshine). 

I soaked it in warm sudsy water mixed with Dreft pur-touch baby detergent and then rinsed it out.  I don't know if baby detergent was necessary, but it sure left the shawl with a nice barely-there soft scent.  And then I didn't block it, but rather (after rolling it in a towel and pressing out most of the water), I just laid it out on another towel to dry - didn't pin it, or try to open up the stitch pattern.  I felt like it was pretty perfect as it was.

That said, I did want my shawl a bit wider than the original, so I added some extra stitches (an extra V stitch in each section where those appear), so my shawl is probably wider by an inch or two from the original.  My shawl measures 16" x 74".

Also, I did not do as the pattern instructed and crochet half the shawl, then go back and start it again going the other direction (which would make a seam in the center back).  The stitch pattern on this really doesn't not need for that to be done. It looks just fine hanging down on either side, don't you think?  Without studying the stitches closely, you really can't tell that the "shells" go a different direction on either side.

Now... this yarn is interesting.  I've never used it before, so I'll give a little review.  It's Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball in the colorway, Healing Teal.

For the most part I like the self-striping.  And I like the effect of the white cotton thread that is spun into this colorway.  I'm not sure, though, what I think of the unevenness of the thickness of the yarn. There are lots of large slubs which produce fuzzier places in the finished project.   I'm used to this in say, Red Heart's Unforgettable, and, like Unforgettable, it can be a bear to unravel (actually, I think this yarn was harder to unravel).   The cotton thread spun into it also produces a different feel in how it handles. It's hard to explain, but it has to do with both the random thick-and-thinness of the acrylic fiber (which stretches to some degree), combined with the cotton threads which don't really stretch at all.

The short of it is that it took some getting used to.  While it took me telling myself it was okay while I was working with it, now that this project is finished I'm deciding that the cotton thread is a plus in that it adds strength to what appears to be an otherwise un-spun acrylic fiber.  I'm not sure there are a lot of projects I'd use this yarn for.  It makes a nice shawl, so I guess the name of the yarn (Shawl in a Ball) is fitting.

And that's all she wrote!  To see what other Yoppers are up to, visit our group on Ravelry.

2018 Yarn Stash-Down:  18.17/100 Skeins