Leftie Shawl from Knot Just Knits - Day 5

It always takes longer...

Sigh.  This is going to take a while.  I thought I had it plotted out into six equal segments, but I didn't take into consideration that these last rows are three times as long as my first rows--and as such take three times as long to complete.  I'm working hard here.

I don't know what it is about these short row "leaf" trims, but I only get them right about half time.  I know enough about short rows to make them all look reasonably similar, but I have to say it really bugs me that I can't  manage a 14-row repeat accurately.  I should be able to handle this, you know? I like to think of myself as having a decent level of competency.

One thing is for sure:  this is a show-stopper.

 I'm asked about it every time I pull it out of my knitting bag in public, and I've run across several people who have either made one or have one on their needles.  Invariably, the comments run to, "Oh, I could do that in _____ [insert yarn here]."  

It's true.  I've dreamed up half a dozen yarn combinations myself from stuff I own just in the time I was knitting.  With the Color Affection shawl, I kept seeing yarn I wanted to buy to make another.  Somehow--maybe it's just the subliminal suggestion of the name (leftie, leftovers, etc)--I keep thinking of yarn I already own to make another Leftie.  

Intentional?  Who knows.  Welcome?  You bet.  Anything that eats into my massive stash is a positive project!

Leftie Shawl from Knot Just Knits - Day 2

Faking it and making it...

The design element that sets this shawlette apart is the stripes.  And not just the stripes, but the leafy short row trim that peeks out from every stripe.  Now, I’m no stranger to short rows as the Color Affection Shawl can attest, and I can wrap-and-turn with the best of them.  These short rows, however, had a new twist that eluded me for the first few leaves.

You are stacking short rows on top of each other here, so that by the top half of the leaf you are asked to pick up two wraps.  For the life of me, I couldn’t see where the two wraps were.  Part of it was that I was not following the pattern closely (my husband would insert a knowing chuckle here).  The other part was that I wasn’t exactly sure what to look for.

This is where knitting in community has its highest value.  Flummoxed, I brought it to my library open knitting morning, where a young knitting friend quickly showed me which little bits of yarn I needed to catch with my needles.  I’ve included a photo here, but I think this may be one of those times where you really do need a live human being looking over your shoulder.

I felt better once I mastered this technique.  Truth be told, however, I don’t think you can tell a bit of difference between the leaves where I just was guessing my way through it and the ones where I mastered the directions.  The stitches are tiny enough that you can get away with just about any wrap-and-turn.  Still, I’m glad to have added a new skill to my toolbox.  The fact that I learned it from someone less than half my age?  Well that just shows the glory of the craft.

Arroyo Shawl from Yarn Shop and More - Day 4

The u-turn of knitting...

A well-shaped shawl is a thing of beauty.  Shaping is where the designer gets to strut her stuff.  Anyone can knit a rectangle--and I do have several lovely wraps that are simply that--but the crescents and triangles seem to be the foundations for the real “ahh” pieces.  

All knitters who hope to shape their pieces must make friends with the short row.  It is exactly that--a row shorter than the full garment.  It’s the u-turn of knitting: you stop and go back the other way, often zig-zagging your way across the piece much like a sailboat tacking into the wind.  Short rows are a crucial element of that central magic of knitting that is the turned sock heel.  Short rows make curves out of straight lines.

One of the biggest drawbacks of u-turning mid-row is that it often leaves a hole.  Holes are nice, we like them; holes make lace lacey.  But no one wants holes popping up in your garter stitch like mushrooms.  The solution then, is a little trick known as the wrap-and-turn:  

• Knit to the place where you need to turn
• Keeping the yarn in back (if you’re knitting, which in this case we are) slip the next stitch to your right hand needle without knitting it.  
• Turn your work and slip your yarn (which is now in front because you’ve turned around) to the back in between your needles.  
• Slip the stitch (which is now on your left needle because you’ve turned around) to the right
• Your working yarn will have done a little wrap around that slipped stitch, snuggling your short row up to the unknit stitches next to it and preventing a hole.
• Knit away on your new row, going back the way you came

Go ahead, try it.  If my description befuddles you, there are a number of fine videos on the internet that may explain it--or a version of that technique--in a way that suits you better.

This pattern uses progressive short rows to create the triangular shape.  The direction “knit to last stitch before turn” is the key here.  A dark yarn like this makes it hard to see that “last stitch before turn” in a sea of purple garter stitch.  In this case, I forgo my subtle stitch markers and use big, bright ones to guide my way.

So far, I’m really enjoying this shawl.  I’ve found myself plotting which yarn to use next--something dk or larger to see what the more substantial version looks like--and that’s always the sign of a great pattern.