Virus!

My intentions for blogging,  having had almost the entire time of March Break away from the blog, were to post daily this week.  But a mid-March virus sent my laptop to the computer doctor.  My current laptop is about 3 years old.  Twice since last summer, it  has been to the doctor's.  I thought the low on-line price was a bargain but I am now close to the purchase price in repairs.  Next sickness - new computer.

With no 'surfing' time available to me, I have had time for this -  198 Yards Of Heaven.

 This little shawl was not on my radar but it challenged me.   First though, it challenged one of my Ladies With Balls.  She had decided to do the shawl for her Olympic project.  She did her homework, read ravelry reviews - mostly all of which said 'Easy Pattern' and thought she could manage this  -her first lace project as he Olympic challenge.  But the pattern defeated her.  She would bring it to our knitting classes and ask me about it.  I too was confused.  She struggle, I struggled. Eventually she switched  sports projects mid-Olympics.

I finished my Olympic sweater, then knit the promised Lucy Hat, finished my navy socks and finally have taken up the challenge of 198 Yards Of Not-So- Heavenly Heaven.

I have managed to figure out the pattern and other than having to knit more rows than prescribed due to my finer yarn, I am happy with the results.  Was the pattern easy to decipher? No.  Was the pattern  clear to me? No. Could the pattern have been written in an easier-to-decipher way?  IMO - for sure.  Once more, my knitting brain seems out of sync with 99% of the ravellers who knit this shawl.

As I like to do when I am faced with a pattern I think should be more clear, I've done it my way!  I re-wrote it for my own - and that of my lace-knitting friend - use.  The test of my re-write will be of course if my lady can figure out my version. 

In finishing this post, it seems that either my virus is not completely cured or blogger is not working 100% because I can neither spell check nor post pictures.  My apologies. ETA These are now working.  I hae added the photo.