Having been under the weather for 2+ weeks, I took yesterday to just chill out and rest.  I do feel much much better today, so that’s a good thing.

I used the time to sit on my butt and watch 7 hours of PBS and take up the Five-Eighths Shawl again (finally).  My fingers just weren’t up to working on tiny sock needles, and I needed semi-automatic knitting that didn’t need a lot of attention.

This is the progress so far:

Yes, the most recent rows seem darker — I am incorporating a darker charcoal in the same way I added the bronze previously.   And then I will also add a coppergold later one near the end.  And I am really glad the angles are showing off so well, and almost without holes.  Almost.  You can see some gaps along the turning angles, but they aren’t full eyelets.

And it is also more clear now that this is coming out to be Five-Eighths of a full circle.  That’s what I want.  The minor shawl collar treatment will make more sense and (I hope) allow for a more comfortable drape.

I’m using a commercial brand thick worsted yarn on size 10.5 needles.  You can see that I really and truly need a good 60-inch circular. I used two circulars just for laying it out, but I’m needing on the gray one as it is smooth and lovely to knit on. I think it is one of the older Silva-Lume style, marketed before the nickel-plated needles now available.   A 60-inch Addi Turbo would be awesome, but not in the budget so I won’t worry about it now — worse than not having the “ideal” needle is getting an “ideal” needle half-way through a project, which changes gauge even if ever-so-slightly

Today I have tidy-up finishing work on some projects, and I have learned that my cubes for the Dicey Knitting should be arriving today or tomorrow.   No new yarns will arrive before next Monday, so the rest of this week will be finishing this Five-Eighths Shawl, writing up the instructions and making it available for you.

Added:   I’ve heard many women complain about shawls with pointed bottoms, or even small rounded bottoms (like my Art Deco II shawl).   The center of this one will be horizontal because the center is a full section and not a shaping angle.    

Also, it is just now 30 inches across.  If I continue in pattern as I hope, it will be nearly 70 inches across, plenty spacious and warm.  

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