Turning The Corner

It is official!

I am on the very last leg of the fantastic journey that has been the Princess Shawl.

Yesterday morning, after more than a little bit of fussing, I turned the corner and started doing the narrow band of edging that runs across the top.  I've not actually done the math, but I'm guessing this will involve about 40-50 hours of work....a relatively short amount of time given how much effort has gone into the rest of the shawl.

That's right.  The end is clearly in sight!

The crazy fussing yesterday was partially due to my own tendency to over think things. To be fair, though, I did have some genuine questions about how the pattern was written as no instructions were given for turning the corner with the edging..  Some browsing on Ravelry showed me that I wasn't the only one who had such questions.....and has sparked some ideas for future discussion/thought.

For now, suffice it to say that I made one wee adjustment to the pattern by adding an extra repeat of the edging to the corner via short rows for a little bit of extra fullness in the fabric there.

Two more things:

1.  The Princess is attracting a LOT of attention these days.  People seem to be drawn to her, despite what our modern opinions about lace shawls may be.  Most of them are amazed with the amount of work involved and with the beauty of the design.  To them I just smile and say, just wait....the real magic will come when she's blocked......

2.  Now that I'm close to finishing, there is a very real question of what I shall do with the finished piece.  Honestly, I have no idea.  Even with the Princess I can feel myself pulling away from the finished product.  I've always been a process girl, and am remarkably detached from even the best of my work.  I am a stay at home mom, with nowhere truly fancy enough for a piece of this magnificence....nor would I truly want to risk damage by wearing it for lesser events.  The fact of the matter is that it will probably be carefully stored away somewhere as a just in case.  Who knows, maybe one of the girls will want it someday.  We shall just have to see.  These things do tend to take on a life of their own when I'm finished with them.....