Can you follow the pattern?

One of the ladies in my knitting group asked me if I ever follow the pattern.
Hmm... good question. Do I follow the pattern...I could not remember from the top of my head when was the last time I did that.
So I set up to "follow the pattern as it is written".
I knew exactly what I wanted to make: I just got my new issue of "Knits"

The shawl on the cover is a "Summer Blooms Shawl" by Susanna IC from Interweave Knits. It is one of those crescent shawls that are shaped by working short rows.

I had a very nice cotton yarn in an ocean shades, so off I went.
Well, after I was done with the lace border - I realized that if I follow the direction precisely, I will get a very skinny shawl, more like a scarf -  so, I had to improvise and make the lace border much wider.
This is the closeup of the original :

 

and this is my modified version

You can see the resemblance, but it is different.

Here is the finished shawl:

and one more:

I absolutely LOVE how it came out - the colors, the drape, the lace!

But the question still remains - can I actually follow the pattern all the way?

 I guess I will have to try again... :)

Oh, and if you are interested in the original Summer Blooms Shawl - it is here:

Interweave Knits

Happy Knitting!