Knitting Friday

Ok, so you are going to have to suspend disbelief and pretend today is Friday because somehow I lost Friday - and Saturday.

Well, not really lost them. I lived through them; both days waiting for my "significant other" to get the shawl picture ready for my blog. I know, that's a pathetic excuse.

So sit back and pretend it's Friday and the weekend is ahead of you. To begin:

I felt like a variation of that "who will help me bake this pie?" fairy tale this week. You know the one where the hen asks everyone to help making the pie and gets no responses but the minute the pie is cooked everyone is ready to help her eat it.

Well, my variation is that I have been making my pink, fluffy shawl in front of my family for well, it seems like years but it’s probably only a little over a month. In fact, this past week, I worked on it non-stop so if you saw me, you saw it.

No one even said: Nice work. Ever. No comment about the color, the pattern. Nada.

I’m working in a vacuum here, folks. No feedback of any kind and you all know from reading Knitting Friday that I’ve been mocking the pink, fluffy nature of the shawl with my Miss Marple comments.

As you know, I really thought I’d have this baby finished a week ago when I learned, like they say about love in that famous song, you can’t hurry finishing off a shawl. So I had to rip back and with my last thread of patience I finished this masterpiece the evening before Easter Sunday.

I call it my masterpiece because as I laid the final product out over the sofa, the “Ohs” and “Ahs” started pouring in. What a great color. Oh, it’s so soft. And, on and on.

But here is where I diverge from the fairy tale. As I remember it, she shooed the would-be pie eaters away and enjoyed the whole pie herself. That showed them!

I however, gave the shawl to my daughter. No, I’m not a fantastic mom. I still think the pink and the fluffiness make the shawl too old for me. I would have worn it and tolerated this. She’s however, is going to wear it and enjoy it. And that’s the reason we knit, isn’t it?

Here are the complete instructions with a picture below. It really is a nice pattern.

Mesh Garter Stitch Triangle Shawl (see Friday, 3/6/09 for more information)
Using Paton Lacette; US 7 or US 8 needles
Basic pattern:
Row 1: K1, *P* K1
Row 2: K1 *K2tog* K1
Row 3: K1 *K1, YO* K1

CO 3 sts. Mark the right side.
Increase Section:
Row 1: Kfb, *P* Kfb
Row 2: K1 *K2tog* K1
Row 3: Kfb *K1, YO* Kfb
Continuing increases EOR to the desired width ending after Row 3.
For a triangular shawl, repeat to length and bind off on Row 1. (Note: Because this is a three row pattern, the increases will be on different rows.)
Even Section: Here you’re inc/dec row will only be Row 1
Row 1: Kfb, *P* K2tog
Row 2: K1 *K2tog* K1
Row 3: K1 *K1, YO* K1
When the shawl is long enough, end ready to work right side.
Decrease Section: Start decreasing on the marked right side.
Row 1: K2tog, *P* K2tog
Row 2: K1 *K2tog* K1
Row 3: K2tog *K1, YO* K2tog
Continue to 3 stitches. (Remember that the decrease rows will change.)Bind off but do not break yarn.
(The Decrease Section gets wonky when Row 3 is the decrease row. It throws off your decrease count and should have given me a wonky-shaped shawl but it didn't. In fact this was the best shape I have even gotten in a diagonally knit rectangular shawl. However, I have no idea what would happen if you used another yarn. I’m going to work on this but with another yarn you may wish to make the triangular shawl.
Edging: (You could single crochet around the whole shawl before you start but I found the edges very holey and used them. Just try and be even.) With a crochet hook slightly larger than gauge: Chain 5 and slip to connect to edge "hole." * Single crochet in next hole. Slip stitch in next, chain 5 and slip stitch into same hole.* Continue ** around. Slip stitch to connect to first Chain 5 space. Now, this is from memory since I don't have the shawl here any more but I think I just chain-3 in each chain 5 space around the shawl again and then just fastened off.

Final Note: As I said in a previous post, this is not an original pattern since it joins a basic ruching pattern (K2tog row and K1, M1 row) with a P row, which is essential for the Even Section (You could use a K row but I didn’t like the look.)

This worked for me. I hope it does the same for you.