Knit-Along II: knit's Feather and Fan Shawl

My next project: the Feather and Fan Shawl from knit

First off, if this is your first trip to DestiKNITions, do yourself a favor and go back to read the first CHARLESTON, SC installment. It will put everything in context…although be warned, it may have you booking a flight by sundown.

Now that I’ve finished both sides of my sampler scarf, I’ll turn my attention to the Feather and Fan shawl from “knit.”
Knit is definitely a cool store, and this is cool fiber. It’s a deliciously silky hand-died confection of a yarn called “Rick Rack” from Interlacements. It’s rayon, so it’s hand-washable —I don’t like to knit things that will end up sending me to the dry cleaners—but with a rich, elegant feel that will undoubtedly give me an artful looking product. The yarn takes its “rick rack” name from its squiggly nature, like the “rick rack” trim you’d find in a fabric store. While providing great texture, it also makes it a struggle to take out if you’ve missed a stitch or made some other mistake. While it’s smooth and silky, it’s not quite slippery enough to undo easily. That’s good, though, because it also won’t stray off your needles like some of the other shiny rayons I’ve used. Still, I chose to cast this onto wood needles just to make sure nothing goes wandering off my needles when I’m not looking.

I’ve done feather and fan stitches before, and hadn’t realized there are variations on the theme. This one is a bit more complicated than my previous attempts, but I like the shape of the wave it produces. The repeat is just long enough to forget, so use a stitch counter. Of course, that means you have to remember to advance the stitch counter when you finish a row (I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve messed myself up on that front). If only they made needle-pedometers that counted for you based on how you moved. Oh, I’d probably confound a device like that with all my fidgeting anyway.

This is an endurance pattern. Master the repeat, then repeat it all for about six feet. Good “watching tv” or “attending a meeting” knitting—provided you pay attention on the complicated rows and keep count.

Next installment I’ll tell you the sorry story of how I unwound this thing….it will help us get through the mileage of this project with a smile on our collective faces. Or it may take your opinion of me down a few notches. Stay tuned, DestiKNITers, the adventure continues.