Drum Roll, Please

Here is the afghan still on the needles for the edging, just before I bound off.

It looks dramatic in the slanted morning light, doesn't it? But the moment is dramatic, because right now it is like an unknown flower about to unfold. This is the moment of trepidation and excitement, when I wonder if I'll see success, failure, or -- actually most common -- something totally unexpected.

Here is what I saw.

The dark edging really pulled the design together! I'd rate it as a success with a dash of unexpected, because I was worried that the design would look too choppy.

This is the unblocked version. I'll block it tonight and post the final pictures tomorrow, and you'll see two changes.

1) The proportions will grow. See the yardstick at the top? Compare this to how long the afghan will be tomorrow.

2) The segments and the edging will even out.  Here is a closer look at the edging, showing some waviness.

Tomorrow, the edging will lie flat. Similarly, some of the slightly awkward joinings between the segments will relax.

Blocking relaxes the yarn, softens it, and evens out the tension. I won't be using blocking wires with this one, though, because I think it will lie flat by itself, and I won't want it to be larger.