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Knitting FridayIn my determination to get this posting up, I've even putting down my knitting to type. First, here's a picture, finally:
Some specs: 75" x 20", Wool-Ease doubled, US 15 needles, before blocking
This is the first shawl I've made with the modification of my pattern. The pattern uses the Wisp pattern: http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer07/PATTwisp.html but you can use any 2 stitch pattern (right now, I'm working with Row 1: *YO, K2tog*
Row 2: *K*.) It's the ends of the rows which matter to get the shape.
The pattern with modified increases:
Row 1: K1 front and back (fb), 2xs *work pattern* K1 fb, 2x
Row 2: K1fb, 1x *work pattern* K1fb, 1x
Work to length.
That's all there is to it. You can work a 90 row pattern but you must repeat the increases as written until you get to your length. And what do you do at length? The beginnings and ends of every row become K2 as in: K2 *work pattern* K2.
It's that simple. Once your shawl is wide enough, bind off. What you see in the picture at the long ends of the shawl is the area you work without any increases.
I'm wearing the shawl as I type in a cold house. Sitting, it covers down to my thighs (fastened with a chopstick shawl pin) and I'm cozy warm. Originally, I had increased so it fell down to my knees (not good for sitting or standing) so I ripped back and I even could have ripped back more.
Re the change I made in the increases: You get a crescent shaped shawl with original Kfb, 2xs at the beginning and end of every row. Which is great for summer shawls that I want to wear around my shoulders and not my neck. However, you can see from the picture you get a very tiny triangle area (from a CO 4; I'm sure a larger CO would eliminate this) with the pattern modification. The shape is much more rectangular which allows inside wear as a shawl and outside wear as a thick scarf.
Why do I like this pattern? You can easily modify this shawl to match the amount of yarn you have. Unlike the diagonally knitted rectangular shawl where you must have enough yarn to fill in the top part of the rectangle, here, you can end any time once you are knitting the pattern without increases. So, with every project I attempt with this pattern, I know I'm going to have enough yarn. I might have to increase my needle size to get more "mileage", I might only get a scarf size and not a shawl size; but I know I going to be complete the project.
Observant pattern readers will see that working to length (with the modification), I'm using 2 beginning and end stitches on row 1 for increases and only 1 beginning and end stitch on row 2. On row 2, I start the pattern with the second stitch and all works well. Could I work: Row 2: K1fb, K1 *work pattern* K1, K1fb? Probably but I haven't tried it. Could this change allow me to work patterns with different stitch counts? Maybe. As I've said before, this is a work in progress.
So I hope you take this template pattern and run with it. One day I may post it on Ravelry. I hope I don't get snark because I have eliminated the traditional middle of the shawl increases.
Happy knitting.
Some specs: 75" x 20", Wool-Ease doubled, US 15 needles, before blockingThis is the first shawl I've made with the modification of my pattern. The pattern uses the Wisp pattern: http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer07/PATTwisp.html but you can use any 2 stitch pattern (right now, I'm working with Row 1: *YO, K2tog*
Row 2: *K*.) It's the ends of the rows which matter to get the shape.
The pattern with modified increases:
Row 1: K1 front and back (fb), 2xs *work pattern* K1 fb, 2x
Row 2: K1fb, 1x *work pattern* K1fb, 1x
Work to length.
That's all there is to it. You can work a 90 row pattern but you must repeat the increases as written until you get to your length. And what do you do at length? The beginnings and ends of every row become K2 as in: K2 *work pattern* K2.
It's that simple. Once your shawl is wide enough, bind off. What you see in the picture at the long ends of the shawl is the area you work without any increases.
I'm wearing the shawl as I type in a cold house. Sitting, it covers down to my thighs (fastened with a chopstick shawl pin) and I'm cozy warm. Originally, I had increased so it fell down to my knees (not good for sitting or standing) so I ripped back and I even could have ripped back more.
Re the change I made in the increases: You get a crescent shaped shawl with original Kfb, 2xs at the beginning and end of every row. Which is great for summer shawls that I want to wear around my shoulders and not my neck. However, you can see from the picture you get a very tiny triangle area (from a CO 4; I'm sure a larger CO would eliminate this) with the pattern modification. The shape is much more rectangular which allows inside wear as a shawl and outside wear as a thick scarf.
Why do I like this pattern? You can easily modify this shawl to match the amount of yarn you have. Unlike the diagonally knitted rectangular shawl where you must have enough yarn to fill in the top part of the rectangle, here, you can end any time once you are knitting the pattern without increases. So, with every project I attempt with this pattern, I know I'm going to have enough yarn. I might have to increase my needle size to get more "mileage", I might only get a scarf size and not a shawl size; but I know I going to be complete the project.
Observant pattern readers will see that working to length (with the modification), I'm using 2 beginning and end stitches on row 1 for increases and only 1 beginning and end stitch on row 2. On row 2, I start the pattern with the second stitch and all works well. Could I work: Row 2: K1fb, K1 *work pattern* K1, K1fb? Probably but I haven't tried it. Could this change allow me to work patterns with different stitch counts? Maybe. As I've said before, this is a work in progress.
So I hope you take this template pattern and run with it. One day I may post it on Ravelry. I hope I don't get snark because I have eliminated the traditional middle of the shawl increases.
Happy knitting.
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