Promise kept with Dory

Promises and pie crusts are made to be broken.  ~Jonathan Swift

Now are they Mr Swift???    A promise is a promise and I don't agree with Jonathan Swift mine are not made to be broken otherwise I don't promise.
I'd philosophically add and advise that you shouldn't make a promise lightly and then you won't break it!

My promise is about reaching its completion but had to undergo a bit of blocking before I send it off to the other side of the world...to a place called Toowoomba. Sure some of you know where that is :-)

How did this all come about well I sent my sister a bronze wrap for her birthday and my neice wanted one. I of course promised I would get around to making one for her.

Bronze Wrap made in April 2012

Its very rare I do the same pattern twice as I enjoy trying out new designs much more then repetitive crochet,so I wasn't really sure what sort of shawl I wanted to make for my neice. I thought possibly something light,airy,young looking and browsing through Lynne at Pieceful  blog I found just what I was looking for. I found the Dory shawlette  and the pattern can be purchased here on Ravely. I used
Freedom spirit,Twilleys of Stamford 100% wool.
It was a real dawdle to make not at all difficult.   Nearly nearly finished too!
At present it is laid out on the spare bed undergoing the blocking process.
I had done blocking before but on much smaller items such as doileys and lace crochet dipped in starch but never anything so big. Luckily Lynne also gave me some tips about that too so I have managed to improvise,that and reading the tutorial on MarrieB at Purals and Pleats .

Step 1. Soak garment in lukewarm water with a dash of wool wash and leave for approx 30 mins.
Step 2. Do not wring at all,lightly squeeze and lay out on a towel

Step 3. Roll up in the towel

Step 4.

STAND ON IT

Step 5.

and walk across it!!!!

Step 6.
Now here is where Lynne's advice came to the fore.
Spread it on a towel across the bed. I didn't use a towel I used an old impermeable sheet I had from when Cookie baby was a little girl.
 By using this sheet I was able to cover all the bed and it therefore helped to keep the shawl taunt.

so this is before I started blocking the shawl.

Step 6. I had no T pins (blocking pins) so again I had to make do with what I had and those were normal pins.

open the windows and leave it for 24 hours approx to dry.

I had to shut the bedroom door in case Willie Shakespeare decided to have a nose. He may be yonks old but he hasn't lost his need to know everything that is going on in the house. He is so nosey!!!. I could just see him coming out of the bedroom his nose and paws covered in pins!!!

There you have it folks not at all complicated and later this afternoon it should be dry and ready to send off to OZ.

Amanda :-)