One final swatch starting with six triangles and working down to one block. See, a little while back Rob opined that she still like the idea of lace. That got me thinking because despite the fact that the very first entrelac swatch had been lace, I had been thinking of the shawl as more or less solid. Could I add some lace and have it look good? I went over and over lace stitch patterns and swatched again and again. Eventually it came down to something simple - something I had initially rejected because it was so simple!
Row 1: K1, *yo, K2, [sl1, K2tog, psso], K2, yo, K1; repeat from *.
Row 2: Purl.
Except for general size and color (colors!), this is the final prototype - at least I think it is. The shawl I intend to make will be considerably larger than this - though this would be suitable for a scarf - but the layout is about right. I may play a bit more with the lace blocks - except for the ones in the center; those are perfect as they are :)
Apparently, because I’ve been a good girl (as if!) this arrived on Saturday…
I haven’t actually knit anything with the Options circular yet so I’ll have to report later on that. I can tell you though, once the needle is screwed onto the cable, I couldn’t feel where the join was - the machining is that precise. That means there isn’t going to be any snagging of the yarn while you’re working and trying to slide the stitches up onto the needles. Also the needles themselves have a little heft (without in the least being awkward or heavy, in my opinion), a feel of solidity so that my fingers won’t be afraid of breaking them. As useful as bamboo needles are - and I do use them from time to time - my fingers never stop worrying that the needles will snap.
I did try the DPNs though, by casting on for a sock I’ve been eyeing for a while now. It’s the Tidal Wave Socks pattern and the stitch pattern is somewhat reminiscent of the beautiful (and popular) Pomatomus socks.
Back to the shawl, the next step is to make some measurements so I can determine how much yarn to dye for the various sections. In my mind, I see a progression from light at the top to dark at the bottom with the border being the same as the darkest shade - or perhaps even a bit darker. Once I’ve got that worked out, now that I have the yarn, I can start dyeing and once that’s done I can begin to actually knit this beast!
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Love your lace solution, and the idea of color gradations for the rest of the shawl. Kewl!
Oh yay! I love packages. It looks like you got some great stuff there. I am saving up for a Knitpicks order of my own. Those Options needles are on my list too.
Rob - Well, I’m still trying to figure out proportions on the dye which is proving a little stickier than I expected. But, God willing and the creek don’t rise, I should be able to do the first batch tomorrow :)
Lisa - Doesn’t a package just make your day? Especially if you weren’t expecting it for a while yet!
i certainly thought about you and your dyeing operations while coloring umpteen jillion easter eggs during the weekend- after finishing all the eggs, i was very loathe to pour out the dyes and kept thinking they should be used for yarns instead- however, can you believe i managed to achieve *grey* eggs from one batch!! obviously my ‘neutral life’ has finally carried over to easter colors too-
having worried and fretted my way through the pomatomous socks last year, i’ll be interested in seeing your finished tidal wave ones-
hope you had a pleasant easter- the old bunny brought us *snow*- yep, just a bit inland from the gulf coast and well into spring, we finally got the white stuff-
stay happy-
Please give us a review of the Knitpick needles when you use them. I have been thinking of adding a pair or two to my collection. The shawl idea looks great. I’ll look forward to seeing what color you come you choose.
As I study your swatch, I notice that the “solid” blocks sort of cluster together as do the lace ones. Is this intentional? For some reason, I was expecting it to look more like the lace ones wove under and over the solid ones.
Barb - I can’t imagine how you got gray eggs! Now that’s talent - heheh…
Oue Easter was pleasant and quiet - we didn’t get snow though. The universe saved that up for tomorrow - another 6” of yucky stuff is forecast with maybe more if the storm decides to linger a bit…
Happy Spring!
Maureen - I’m looking forward to trying them myself and I will certainly report on how they seem to me.
The color has been decided, but you’ll have to wait for the post to see what it is. Nothing exceptional - but pretty enough, I think :)
Charlotte - Yes, it is intentional. I had originally thought that the solid blocks would alternate with the lace blocks until the shawl explained it to me otherwise :)
The lace blocks will go down the sides of the shawl and in a panel up the center. The rest of the blocks will be solid.
I really like the lace. Lace lace lace!
Opal - I know how you feel about lace :) I don’t see any reason to avoid it just because I can’t manage lace weight yarn at the moment. Therefore I’m gonna :)
