A Pattern! Well, sort of ....

Cathy has finished her shawl!! She brought it to church on Sunday and showed it off. She even modeled it for us. I didn't bring my camera to church, and I forgot it this morning, so photos will have to wait a day or two, though we will post them. I promise! My shawl, unfortunately, is not bigger than it was in the last posting. BUT, I do have a great excuse, er, I mean, a good reason, for the delay. Honest!

I've been told that there are those who do not want to purl, and the pattern on the Shawl Ministry web-site is a knit 3, purl 3 pattern -- not too cool for anyone who doesn't want to have to purl. Soooo, I decided to try my hand at a basic triangular shawl that is done in straight knitting, known in the knitting world as garter stitch. I don't have a picture of it either -- but it is now at least 40" across the top and is over 21" deep at the centre. It's a very simple pattern - working from the bottom up. You can knit it either way, depending upon whether you would rather increase or decrease, but there is a distinct advantage to working from the bottom up -- when you realise that you are about to run out of yarn, you cast off (or bind off, if you prefer). If you work from the top down, you are more or less compelled to continue until you finish the bottom point ... so this works best if you are certain that you have more than enough yarn. Otherwise, you'll wind up with an odd shape and might even be compelled to frog the whole thing (a sophisticated knitting term for tearing out knitting, derived from an ancient language -- rip it, rip it, rip it ! I know, that's very sad, but if you have to unravel your knitting you are indeed very sad.)

I'm on my second skein of yarn. I'm using Paton's Decor in a variegated combo called Blossom. It has a small wool content, so will have to be clearly labeled so that no one who is allergic to wool comes in contact with it, but it can go in and out of the washer and dryer, so is an easy care yarn. And I had it on hand, so could immediately start the experiment. Variegated yarns make the knitting a little more interesting, since you get to watch the colours change as you knit. And, I confess, it is easier to meditate when you are simply knitting your way across the row, instead of making sure that you have only knit or purled 3 stitches. Who knew it would be so easy to turn one of the groups of 3 into a group of 4????? So I am finding the triangle a more meditative knit.

If you want to try a triangle, you have a choice of starts:
Cast on 1 stitch, knit into the front and back of your stitch, giving you 2, and then into the front and back of those two, giving you four stitches.
Or, you can cast on 2 stitches, knit into the front and back of each stitch, giving you four stitches.
Once you have four stitches proceed to:

Row 1: Knit 2, yarn over, knit 2.
Row 2: Knit
Row 3: Knit 2, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit 2.
Row 4: Knit
Row 5: Knit 2, yarn over, knit until 2 stitches remain, yarn over, and knit 2.
Row 6: Knit

Repeat Rows 5 and 6 until you have 225 stitches (more or less). Then knit 1 row, and cast off (bind off), loosely.

This pattern is designed for a worsted weight yarn (like Decor) which has approximately 210 yards/192 metres in 100 grams. I anticipate that it will take 4 skeins of yarn. I am using a 7.5 mm circular needle, which gives a slightly looser fabric that drapes nicely, and will still be warm and snuggly.

If you'd rather increase along the edge, instead of after knitting two stitches, you can do a yarn over at the start and end of alternate rows, which will give loops along the edge, instead of a lacy opening two stitches in.
Or
You can increase on alternate rows by knitting into the front and back of the first and last stitch on the increase rows.

All of these will give you a triangle.

If you'd rather knit from the top down, cast on 225 stitches.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Knit 2 together, knit until 2 stitches remain, knit 2 together.

Repeat these rows until you have one stitch remaining and cast off (bind off) that one stitch.

That's more than enough for today! I hope to have pictures before the week is out!

Dawn