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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Purple shawl

Since returning from Kangaroo Island I have been working in the evenings on a triangular knitted shawl, using some two ply wool in my stash from Bendigo Woollen Mills.The pattern is a flower basket one I bought from Knitty City in  New York in 2009.
I knitted it up that year in a variegated lace-weight wool for my neighbour who was moving. This was the year before I started my blog - no wonder I couldn't find my record of it!








The two ply is a little heavier than the original lace weight and should give quite a different look.

My preference when knitting triangular shawls is to start at the wide end and decrease - it's encouraging to be getting faster on each row. This pattern, however, works from the point up - so lengthwise progress is slower. It is a 10 row pattern and after about 30 rows I started using markers to keep my place.


The pattern has three suggested shawl lengths. This is progress at the 'small' length - even with blocking, too small I think. The first shawl I made with it was ten rows short of the 'large'. I have enough wool to make the large so will persevere.







In preparation, I bought more ring markers.  If I continue to the large shawl, there are 78 pattern repeats in the longest pattern row. Although I had a supply of clip markers and split ring markers,

I didn't have enough of these simple ring ones, which I prefer. Now I'm ready for the long pattern rows - in equipment, at least!

6 comments:

Katherine said...

I think I would like to work it the other way round too lol. It is a stunning pattern and one day I would like to attempt one when I have spun up some laceweight alpaca. Oh there is so much wooliness in my head at the moment. As for markers I use a knot of contrast yarn with a 3cm tail that nice weaves itself along as I knit up. They are very easy to remove and the tail leaves a trail which is handy at times.

margaret said...

2 ply sounds very fine to me, not sure if your wool plies are the same as ours in the UK Your work looks beautiful

Jillian said...

The trail of contrasting thread is a great idea. Must try that. I can't imagine spinning so finely. Hope you do some.

Jillian said...

Thanks Margaret, the
Plies are the same, so yes, it is pretty fine

Monica said...

It's a beautiful pattern. I'm looking forward to seeing it blocked! So far all my planned shawls (not started, no) are rectangles, because I know I would lose speed on the wide end of the triangle!

Jillian said...

Thanks for commenting, Monica. I now have nearly 400 stitches on my needle and progress seems slow indeed. Rectangles are great. If knitted from the short end you make visible progress, if knitted the other way you never have far to go!