That was attempt number 1

those of you waiting to see a perfectly blocked Scheherazade will have to keep waiting. I'm sorry. Parts of it are gorgeous. It feel perfect like silky satin. Like wearing a red spiderweb. The center motif is stunning, better than I imagined as I picked up the cast-on edge. There are parts I just love.

Then there's this part

This is all my own fault. I should have blocked it by threading cotton along the edges a la The Yarn Harlot. I've used this method in the past for rectangle shawls with brilliant success. But I was feeling impatient. I just wanted to finish the shawl. I wanted to have it blocked so I could wear it, NOW. I feel like I've spent so much time knitting lately with nothing to show. I wanted to finally finish something. I didn't want to dig through my closet to find my thin cotton. I didn't want to spend an hour or so threading the cotton through the shawl. I just wanted the blocking part of the knit to be over with. So I choose the bazillion pin method. The wavy edge, which I knew in my heart of hearts would be there, is the result. I deserve this. And I probably would have lived with the wavy edge and called the shawl done if not for this.

This is not really my fault, partially but not completely. The pattern said to weave the ends in then block. So I did. I was very careful not to weave them in too tight, but they still didn't stretch like the rest of the shawl. All eight ends look like that. They're extra dark red, and they all pull in. They don't show so much on camera, but up close and in the knit, they are eight huge angry red puckered blotches of mistake. I can not live with this.

So as painful as it is going to be, I'm going to carefully pick the ends out, string the shawl with cotton yarn, block it properly this time, weave the ends in, and THEN I'll get to call it done.

Why aren't there shortcuts in knitting?