Wavelength Shawl from Holley's Yarn Shoppe - Day 6

Is "thru the back" worth it?

If this project teaches me nothing else, it has taught me what I dislike most in knitting:  purling through the back loop.  Even knitting through the back loop is enough to make me break into a scowl.  Doing either hundreds of times in a single row?  Yikes, somebody get me some chocolate!

Why bother? What does going through the back loop accomplish?  I figured if I understood the design goal behind KTBL and PTBL, it might make me feel better about endlessly digging my right hand needle through an uncooperative loop hiding at the back of my left hand needle.  So I went hunting.

A little research told me the stitch method intentionally twists the stitch to create a starker line on the opposite side of the fabric.  If you want to create a vertical or diagonal single line of stitches—as the border of this piece seems to incorporate—you’ll want to knit or purl through the back loop to get a line that stands out.

Is it worth all the trouble?  Tough to say right now.  I can’t quite see how the border pattern will play out because I haven’t blocked it.  So I am taking satisfaction in two important facts:  1) I’m finished stitching!  2) This baby is about to get its bath so it can transform into its final glory.  Because of its linen content, this piece will transform in both stitch clarity and texture.  It will get larger, have more drape, be softer to the touch, and have a more pronounced lace pattern—I can hardly wait!

But yes, this is going to be a "sevener"... so you'll get your payoff in a view of the finished piece, but it will be in the seventh post.  

Wavelength Shawl from Holley's Yarn Shoppe - Day 5

Make a run for the border...

It’s so refreshing to get to the border!  Sure, the rows are LONG—400+ stitch rows that take about 30 minutes each—but it's the border!  That’s like the victory lap without the last-minute anxiety of the bind off (which never fails to give me hives—I’m always so sure it won’t come out right).

Tonight I’m heading downtown on the train with my son to watch a live taping of my favorite radio show "Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me.”   Lots of great knitting time on the train, on the blanket in the park during the outdoor taping, on the train home.  This is one of the things I love about knitting—when combined with certain events (ones with lots of sitting or long waits), it just makes everything so much better.  Is it wrong that I am almost as excited about the long stretches of knitting time as I am about the show?

Still, these border rows require attention.  I can’t get so swept up in the moment that I botch my stitches. So I’ve made good use of stitch markers to segment off my repeats.  If I get into trouble, I want to catch it right away.  And if I’m having so much fun that I can’t pay attention to my knitting, well, then it’s a good reason to put it away, right?

I wish I had a better sense of what the finished piece will look like.  I mean, yes, I have pattern photos.  And sometimes you can stretch out a piece of unblocked lacework and glimpse the final result.  But not mine, and not yet.  I can’t quite see how this particular shawl will turn out.  Still, the weight, color, and texture already please me, so I can’t imagine I’ll be disappointed.

Wavelength Shawl from Holley's Yarn Shoppe - Day 4

For. Ev. Rrrr....

Forever.  That’s what it felt like to get these last two repeats of the pattern done.  The yarn-overs still refused to play nice with the stitch markers—please, someone invent a solution for this! 

And the Curse of the Top Down Shawl?  It’s still following me like a black wool cloud. No matter how generously I plan, no matter how much of a head start I give myself, the final segment of some all top down shawls always feels like an endless sludge to the finish line.  Sore shoulders.  Cramping fingers.  Backaches.  Posts that are three and four days late.  Ugh.

Previous times, I have episodes of knit-worthy TV shows like Outlander and Smash to binge on while knitting excruciatingly long (400 stitches!) rows.  This time, it was just me and the conniving Underwoods pounding our way through season two of House of Cards.  When I hit that final stitch last night at 11pm, it was as if the storm finally passed.  I actually look forward to knitting again.

Which is good, because I’m not completely done. I’ve got the edging pattern to do now, but for some reason that doesn’t feel quite so bad.  More like the home stretch.

I hope. Stay tuned.

Wavelength Shawl from Holley's Yarn Shoppe - Day 3

What is it with yarn-overs and stitch markers? Why can’t they get along?

It seems I’m always working with a pattern that places a yarn-over next to a stitch-marker.  I can see why it happens—sections of lace design are often separated by lines of yarn-overs—but it’s so frustrating when the stitch marker sneaks under the yarn over to mess up my stitch count.  I suppose I could try using larger stitch markers, but I hate how they feel in my hands, sticking up off the needles to poke at my fingers and palms.  Knitting is a highly tactile experience for me.  I don’t like anything that interferes with the pleasure of the yarn and needles in my hands.

I’ll admit, it’s been a problem in this section of the pattern.  It helps that I can line up certain design elements to see if I’m in the right place (an excellent reason to use charts for lacework).  The best solution I have found is to go back over the needle before I begin a wrong-side row and make sure the marker is where it is supposed to be. That means either after the yarn-over in rows 22 and 30 or before the yarn-over in rows 26 and 34.  Complicated, but necessary.

Things don’t line up in neat rows on this pattern.  The lacework columns of yarn-overs wiggle a little bit as they run up the center section.  I’m sure it will block out nicely—lacework never looks good in the knitting, but acquires its true beauty after a bath—but it’s troublesome right now.  I never know if I’ve truly messed up.  Luckily, I’ve never been off by more than one stitch, and that feels like a small enough error that if it is a mistake, it won’t be noticeable.

The rows are getting longer...I can feel it.  Can I escape the Curse of the Top Down Shawl?  Only the next posting will tell.

Wavelength Shawl from Holley's Yarn Shoppe - Day 2

Right-sizing....

One of the things I’m most looking forward to in this project is the size.  I’m not a small woman, so shawlettes don’t have a lot of versatility for me.  A full shawl, however, can be worn as a shawl, a cowl, or a scarf.  So I’m delighted to be working on a full shawl, even in a summer weight like this.  It always feels that much better to be wearing a full shawl.

Speaking of feeling, everyone keeps asking to touch it. It’s the linen quality, I think—they want to know if it's soft.  It’s not yet, I explain, but it will be.  It will hold its shape well, but still be light enough for summer wear.  There’s a reason linen has always been the go-to summer fabric.

I admit to a bit of hesitation about the lacework panel.  Given the soft color, the design doesn’t stand out very much yet.  There’s a few photos of the shawl in a more vibrant color on Ravelry, and I really like them.  In the beige tones, however, it doesn’t seem to pop.  Yet. You can’t judge lace before it is blocked.  I absolutely must reserve judgement until the end on this one.

The good news is that I’m early in the project and I already know I have mastered all the necessary stitch patterns.  Knitting is a place where “more of the same” is a comforting thing.  My job now?  Keep going and don’t mess it up.

Wavelength Shawl from Holley's Yarn Shoppe - Day 1

Just the right Wavelength...

This is a perfect summer project.  The fiber, Classic Elite Bella Lino linen/viscose/cotton blend is light and airy.  I have a good, cozy neutral beige winter shawl, but I need one for warmer weather.  The gentle undulation of warm colors—browns, tans, grays, and creams—gives texture and just a bit of interest to the knitting.  For now, working with only one 50 gram ball, my project is highly portable even with its long circular needle.

The yarn is a bit stiff—it is, after all, 58% linen—but I know that will soften once this baby gets its first bath.  The ball is like a squirmy toddler; it wants to unwind.  I find I need to keep it under close control so that it doesn’t unravel and tangle.

Yes, this is another top-down shawl.  I know, I just know it’ll be grueling at the end.  I’ll be slogging through the long final rows, whining to you about how many stitches there are.  To help in that challenge, the designer places panels of mercifully quick-and-easy garter stitch on either side of the lacework center.  I’m hoping this will keep me from pulling my hair out in my inevitable final dash to the bind-off.

The lacework pattern—with its expanding repeat in rows 21-34, takes a few readings to grasp. Read the note and the pattern a couple of times until it becomes clear. Essentially, each set of row repeats adds 14 stitches to the section; enough to host an additional stitch repeat. So you don’t repeat the first “repeat”—you just execute it.  It’s complicated, but once you catch the idea, it’s whack-your-forehead simple.  Stitch markers, which get shifted at the end of each set of 14 rows, will help ensure you’re exactly where you need to be.