I’ve been thinking shawls, as you know, and specifically the Victorian Shawl pattern that Elann offers. I’ve spent a fair amount of the last couple of days looking closely at this pattern and thinking about it.
The concept, when I finally was comfortable that I understood it, was actually very simple. This shawl is made from the top down instead of from the bottom up and stitches are increased by 4, rather than 2, every other row. And, because we aren’t making a plain, garter stitch shawl here, various stitch patterns are introduced and new repeats of them are incorporated across the width as soon as the constant increasing gives us enough stitches to do so. This is my understanding. If I have got it wrong, please set me straight :)
Once I stopped hyperventilating over the thought of how long those last rows would be, I rather liked the idea. There’s a nice symmetry to the increases - one at each end and two in the middle. I’m fond of symmetry; I like things to balance. This is simply my own preference and I only mention it because when I looked closely at the pictures of the shawl in the pattern, the transitions between one lace pattern and another looked - I don’t know - ragged? Unkempt? Decidedly un-symmetrical.
Back to thinking :) There’s no reason those transition spots have to look like that - a careful selection of lace stitch patterns with the same repeat (or a multiple thereof) would make for a much nicer changeover from one stitch pattern to the next. Also, the Victorian shawl makes its increases on the wrong (purl) side of the fabric which seemed needlessly complicated So I started swatching with these thoughts in mind.
It occurred to me almost immediately that instead of changing three stitch patterns over the width of the shawl, each stitch pattern could be carried down the length of the garment - like rays. I know this isn’t a new concept, but it was new to me and an enchanting idea. And so I began…
On the first try, I used the razor shell pattern all over and did the increase stitches, on the front, in garter stitch. I don’t think the garter stitch looks very good and as you can see below, my cast on wasn’t nearly loose enough as the razor shell curls over :)
So I bound that off and went on to the next attempt. Thinking a “flat” pattern might yield a more aesthetic result, I started with a 9 stitch panel of seed stitch and then, when I had enough stitches, added a mini-vine.
I also did the increase stitches in stockinette (much better!) and changed the method of increase from “knit into front and back of stitch” to M1 (picking up the horizontal bar between the stitches and knitting into the back of it). Also much better.
I like this swatch a lot more though I think the seed stitch panels are too wide and the mini-vine is too narrow to suit me. So I swatched again :)
I started this with moss stitch but it just didn’t work out well to my eye, so I switched over to seed stitch - a five stitch panel. Next to that is another 5 stitch panel with a bobble every 10 rows or so. There’s also going to be a lace panel but it requires 15 stitches and it was getting late so I didn’t get it incorporated. I think I like this one best of all though I would reverse the positions of the seed stitch and bobble panels.
You see how I envision this working? You can introduce any stitch pattern you like - just keep working the increases until you have the right number of stitches. You could do every one differently, all of them the same, or mixed any way that suits your fancy!
Whew! Nothing like a good yarn to get the brain ticking over :) I hope to have something in progress to show you on Friday :)
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Very nice, Robbyn! I like your thought process - it would definitely work the way you’re envisioning. :) And the sky’s the limit on patterns, too. Way to use the old noggin!
Oooooh, I love something to get my brain really going!
Wow, great swatches. It’s pretty neat to look at the different swatches, and read what you were thinking…........like watching a brain work….!
Look, am I starting to channel you or something? About a week ago, I started fiddling around with the exact same pattern, in the exact same way. I also put the increases on the right side, in stockinette, but I had rays of the mini vine coming all the way down. Now that you’ve given me the idea to add panels of plain stitches between the lace ... Oy. This is very funny.
As you have more time to knit than I do, I suspect yours will be designed faster. (And you’ve moved in the direction of bobbles, where I Will Not Tread. )
i’ve read somewhere that by keeping the brain engaged in active thought, the chances of drooling senility are kept at bay- i think you should be ‘good to go’ for about 200 years- what an excellent journey through the thought process involved in ‘thinking knitting’ you give us!!
psst, have you done anything with the gorgeous cascade yet?
stay happy-
Thanks Bron (blush)! I will never be the expert in extemporania that you are, but once in a while I get the nerve to play :)
Kathy - Cool, isn’t it? It’s like a hit of very strong coffee. The mind just hums along…
Christine - I also enjoy watching another knitter’s thinking process - it can trigger any number of cool things in my own!
Colleen - Too funny! But, if you were noodling around with this a week ago, then I’m channeling you :) Hey, not bad there, kid!
What’s wrong with bobbles?
Barb - Aw, shucks :) But hey, if I can stave off dementia, well, can I justify stash expenditures with that? Heheh…
Shoot, you should be able to claim it under preventive medicine! Your brain is ticking over quite well. All beautiful, though I agree with Colleen on the bobble issue. Your bobbles are well done but I’m just not a bobble person. It’d be dead boring if we all liked the same things, wouldn’t it?
I had an additional thought on yesterdays yarn re: truth in labeling. In addition to the approximate yardage, I found I was ASSUMING it to be CONTINUOUS yardage. Which ain’t always the case. 
Happy knitting!
Robbyn - they hurt my hand to make. Granted, the only bobbles I’ve tried were in chunky yarn, and involved p5tog - NOT my favorite thing to do. I’m okay crocheting bobbles, though. :)
Aarlene - Goodness girl, you don’t have to like bobbles! Aside of the fact that they really, really eat up the yarn, I think they’re kind of cute but as you say - we all have our preferences. That’s what makes it a horse race :)
Er…shoot me for being slow, but why wouldn’t you assume it was continuous yardage?
Colleen - K4tog makes my hands hurt to, so I don’t do it :) If you want knitted bobbles (and I’m not trying to talk you nto it al all) there’s a tutorial in the sidebar about bobbles - and it doesn’t require knitting any more than 1 stitch at a time.
Bobbles can be awfully cluttered and fussy looking, but I think if they’re used judiciously, they can be a really nifty design element. And that doesn’t mean making them 20 wide! LOL!
Hmmm. Might be a revisit to Bobblicious sometime soon. (Well, soon as a relative term, of course). I *vastly* prefer your method to what they suggest.
Bobbles: Nicky Epstein makes them separate and stitches them on, according to an article I read in VK. Sorry, don’t remember to issue.
amaryllis
You are very creative! Very enjoyable to see all the different swatches.
Amaryllis - Really? Makes them separately and then sews them on? Good Lord! I can’t imagine doing that - I doubt I’d ever make another if I had to do it that way :)
Scotty - Thanks! It’s not so much creativity as the total inability to keep still - neither my hands nor my mind :)
