L'Etoile Chocolate

Evenstar, by Susan Pandorf

Unique Sheep Marici (100% silk)

Gradiance Colorway - Cafe Au Lait

Size 8/0 triangle seed beads - Earth Faire

5 tubes, slate blue lined topaz

Addi Turbo, US 5, 3.75 mm

April 20 - July 12, 2011

Modifications:

1. Instead of following the recommendations of the Unique Sheep as to how to calculate the color changes, I determined how much yarn I would need to do the transition, measured that amount from the end of the yarn and worked until I was close to that point. I have roughly 10 yards left of each of the first three colors.

2. Because I wanted to use as much yarn as possible from all of the colors, I added an extra lace band - 6 stitches wide - to the border. Could have made it even wider, but I needed to be done.

Comments:

1. Because I am frequently asked how much time is involved in the knitting of a shawl, I did keep track of this one. There are roughly 30 hours invested in the center and 24 in the edging. Ordinarily, the edging would not eat up so much time, but as there are six beads every other row which must be added individually via crochet hook I was considerably slower than normal.

2. The ONLY thing I dislike about the yarn was the way the fourth color striped in the border. I tried to figure out how to avoid that, but it striped with every single thing I tried.

3. I've done many circular shawls. This is the first time I've ever put the border on counter-clockwise as per instructions. It was a bit odd to adjust to. Then again, most circular shawls use a garter border, and this one was in stockinette.