I finally blocked the Icarus shawl I (otherwise) finished in October. Part of the reason it's taken so long is that I had no flat surface of sufficient size anywhere in the house. Or there were a couple of beds, but the cats are in the habit of sleeping there, and I didn't want it full of fur. Sandy at Knitorious told me I could use the empty storefront next door, and Sunday afternoon I stretched it out on a sheet on the floor.
For blocking wires I used standard 14-gauge plastic-coated electrical wire from Home Depot, cut approximately to the outside measurements of the shawl, plus a bit for overlap and stretch. They worked great, and I highly recommend that choice over the expense of buying actual "blocking wires".
Here it is!

Detail of the edge:

Yarn and pattern details:
Pattern: Icarus, by mimknits.com, from Interweave Knits Summer 2006
Yarn: Something German I forget the name of. It was quite scratchy while I knitted but softened up considerably in the blocking process (ETA: The yarn is called Kauni Effektgarn EQ.)
Needles: Addi Turbo size 3 circulars
Modifications: After the first dark blue section, I used alternate skeins (2 rows from each) in order to lengthen the color blocks.
For blocking wires I used standard 14-gauge plastic-coated electrical wire from Home Depot, cut approximately to the outside measurements of the shawl, plus a bit for overlap and stretch. They worked great, and I highly recommend that choice over the expense of buying actual "blocking wires".
Here it is!
Detail of the edge:
Yarn and pattern details:
Pattern: Icarus, by mimknits.com, from Interweave Knits Summer 2006
Yarn: Something German I forget the name of. It was quite scratchy while I knitted but softened up considerably in the blocking process (ETA: The yarn is called Kauni Effektgarn EQ.)
Needles: Addi Turbo size 3 circulars
Modifications: After the first dark blue section, I used alternate skeins (2 rows from each) in order to lengthen the color blocks.