The Blue Blob is done, and shall now be referred to by its dignified, grown-up name, the Seascape Shawl.  The transformation from Blob to shawl went thusly:

 First, off the needles.

Then, a bath.

There’s nothing like a bath to relax the fibers and prepare for a life transition.  The astute observer will note that the shawl is bathing in the same vessel that the yarn it’s made from was dyed in, a nice bit of symmetry.

Then, a firm squeezing dry in a towel

followed by a trip to the new blocking surface.  Is this not marvelous? Firm foam squares from the big box home improvement store (Lowe’s, in my case) that interlock into the configuration you need for a project. Flooring department, aisle 7.

In this case, I needed a rough U shape, and two packs of the squares was just enough.  This is a great surface to crawl around on, so much easier on the knees than a carpeted floor. And the pins go in beautifully.  I used a thinner, more flexible wire for the center back of the neck, then longer stiffer wires to complete the front section.  Since the shawl was so curved along the bottom edge, I just used pins there.

 After letting it sit overnight, I unpinned it and slipped it over my shoulders.  So elegant!  So warm! So light!

And I’m very happy with the way the beads came out. Subtle yet noticeable.

Now, what shawl should I start next?