Shawl math

Dear Cynthia,

While I can't seem to be 'project monogamous' lately, I have been true to three projects. Here is Summer in Kansas, complete through 84 rows (253 stitches on the needle). Since there are 160 rows in the main body of this shawl, I am tempted to view this as being halfway. Note, however, that this follows the laws of "shawl math", which vary from shawl to shawl, but for this particular case, it is most pessimistic. It started as five stitches at the back of the neck, adding 12 stitches every four rows, forming an ever-enlarging triangle working its way outward from the neck. I haven't done the exact math (due to some special shaping for the neck section requiring extra increases -- though I am about to embark on the part of the project which is more normal for shawl shaping in which the increases are only 8 stitches per four rows)....but roughly speaking, if the thing was a true triangle and I was halfway through the ever-increasing rows, it would mean that I'm only one quarter of the way through all of the stitches. But hey, it's one quarter done!! Only 152 more increases to go.....

I set a goal. My life did not have enough stress in it with my final tests in the next couple of weeks, so I decided to add a deadline to the shawl project. I want to wear it to my nephew's confirmation on June 25th (though, I'm sure it will probably be 95 degrees that day). If I do three rows per day starting yesterday, it should allow enough time to add the border and block it by the deadline.

I only have one more thing to say about this: "Lifelines" are called that for a reason -- without using them, I'm sure I would have killed somebody by now.

Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)