Swallowtail Shawl is Blocking

I've been puttering away on a Swallowtail Shawl since February when I started it while we were in South Padre Island. This pattern was the first lace pattern I had ever knit back in 2008 and I was pretty pleased with the results back then.

I was so close to finishing this second one, that I decided to just put a push on and get the rest of it finished. Last night I nervously bound it off only having 2.4m of yarn left at the end. Phew!

It's blocking now and I'm very pleased with it so far. I used Zealana Ora Kiwi fingering yarn which has 40% Fine New Zealand Merino, 30% Organic Cotton, 30% New Zealand Possum Fibre in the Fern colourway.

It measures 60" along the hypotenuse and 30" down the centre 'spine'. I used 4.5mm needles for a nice, open lacy look. I really like the Lily of the Valley nupps (rhymes with 'hoops').

There are basically three sections to the shawl: Budding Lace (14 repeats for the small size, 19 repeats for the large size), Lily of the Valley border (mirror images are graphed) and the Peaked Edging. 

I added clear glass 6/0 beads using the crochet hook method to the peaked edging on the single knit stitches between the two yarnovers.

The stretchy bind off is explained well in the pattern.

Blocking is very easy. I just run the wires through the eyelet along the 'hypotenuse' and then through the points of the peaked edging. I also ran a wire through the eyelet down the 'spine' of the shawl.  I spent some time measuring and adjusting so the two sides of the shawl are pretty close in dimensions.

I hope it dries quickly because it's blocking on Scooter's bed and he'll be arriving for the weekend this evening.  I'll take some arty photos of it tomorrow once it's off the wires.