Blocking Board

I haven't yet had much to say for myself in March for the simple reason that life is complicated. I did manage to finish knitting my Shadow and on Wednesday I got my block on-- thought you might like to see the results.

Here's the back, all pinned out:


You may or may not be able to tell, but I started a new ball of yarn around the region of the armhole, and there is a shift in the color. I went back and checked all of my ball bands, and the dye lots were all the same, so I'm not sure how to explain it... at any rate, it's barely noticeable and I've decided that I refuse to be self-conscious about it.

I can't help but continue to marvel at the transformation that blocking works on Shelter-- for comparison, here is a bit of the front before its bath:


Here's a closeup of the back:


And finally, the sleeve, unpinned:


All those hundreds of stitches have relaxed and cozied up to their neighbors. The material is cohesive, fuzzy, and about twenty times softer. Mind you, it isn't the kind of kitten's ear softness of cashmere or fine merino-- more like the inside of a well-loved sweatshirt.

Now all that remains is seaming...