Nora Shawl

This is the second shawl I’ve knitted from Knitting wraps in the Round, part of my attempt to hone my skills in steeking. For both I’ve used natural alpaca, from Adagio Mills, now located just outside Sydney. I love the yarn. While the earlier shawl was a fair isle, two colours per row, this one has been a mosaic knit, knitting with one colour per row, but carrying a second colour from previous rows by slipping stitches. It is an appealing technique, which I’ve used before. Here, with two very strong contrasting colours, it is used to produce a striking pattern.

The geometry is intriguing, and all credit to the designer who came up with it.

As with the previous shawl, it began with 3 stitches. I worked about 3" back and forth, increasing at each end of every row until I had enough stitches to join into the round., inserting a 9 stitch steek in the process.

It seems unlikely that the pattern will emerge when you are knitting with only one colour in each row - but it does. The mosaic technique not only pulls up a second colour in each row, it also creates curves.

It took quite a while to knit, with each row increasing by 2 stitches, until there were 462 stitches.

Along the top is a single colour feather and fan border, about 10cm deep. I chose to work it in the black, rather than the brown. By the time I got to it, I was pleased to move into a single colour, and a lace pattern.

The cast-off, using an i-cord, took a few hours. 4 actions went into casting off each stitch. It is strong, and loose enough to accentuate the curve. I was concerned, however, that it might continuously curl, even after blocking, especially as it is the edge that sits around the neck and front of the user.

The back has its own charm, no floats, almost tweedy (left).

Although I machined two rows  either side of the centre of the steek before I cut, I ended up unpicking most of the machine thread as I stitched the edges down, because it removed elasticity.

Blocking presented a problem. I had intended to use my hap stretcher, but the shape that emerged once the steek was cut did not lend itself to its right angles. The shawl was over 2 metres from tip to tip. A friend suggested using the spare bed. I was a bit concerned about the dampness transferring to the bedding, but with a towel under it and the window open, it was manageable.

Fortunately, the bed is a king single, so it just fitted. With the window open it dried in about 20 hours. 

I was truly delighted with the result. My worry that the edge would continuously curl was unfounded. It folded neatly around the neck and fell beautifully.  I was also sceptical about the usefulness of the shape, but it is well long enough to drape comfortably.       

It is better than I anticipated. This one is a gift for a daughter. I'm wondering if there's enough alpaca left (yes, I did end up over-ordering!) to make another one.  

Now there's an idea!

Banging on about Wrapping up a Wrap in the Round

This is another post that will be of interest only to the most hardened of knitting nerds, and it's long. Turn back now if this puts you off!

As I wrote in my blog post about the Vikkel hat, after my steeking success last year, I decided I would get a bit more practice. When this book appeared on my radar, I thought I'd give it a go. The 21 wraps employ steeks, enabling , for the most part, all work to be in knit stitches.

I bought some alpaca yarn from Adagio Mills - in three shades, two browns and a black. My idea was to work two-coloured shawls. I bought what I thought would be enough to make three shawls, and the three colours would give me six possible colour options.

I began with the black and lighter brown.

When I read the pattern, I decided the steek was an unnecessary complication, and began using the chart to knit back and forth. It didn't take long for me to realise that reading the chart from left to right for the purl rows was going to be slow and frustrating. I joined the work into the round and went with the steek after all.

The pattern had a 5 stitch steek. I increased it to 7 stitches to give myself leeway. In retrospect, not strictly necessary, but helpful.

It's an 8 stitch, 8 row pattern.  After a couple of repeats it was easy to remember.  Each row increases by 2 stitches until there are 452 stitches on the needle - slow progress.  

 

 

I didn't time my progress until there were around 340 stitches on the needle, by which time each row was taking 25 minutes. It isn't possible to keep a row counter on circular needles so I was counting rows up the steek with a goal of 200 rows. When I reached 173 rows I checked the pattern to discover the goal was 220 rows!    Knit faster woman!       

The alpaca knits beautifully and feels very good on the hands. It is quite dense in the two colour pattern, because of the yarn carried across the back. I am, fortunately a fairly loose knitter. It will stretch a little in blocking, but not much. I realised after about 100 rows that my yarn calculations were way out, so amended my plans. Rather than 3 shawls from the yarn, I will make 2 - and still require more yarn. I managed to order more of all 3 colours from Adagio Mill before they ran out. The dark colours run out quickly. In fact, the pattern needed even more.

                                          

Around  row 216 I measured the length and, (as much as I could on a circular needle) the breadth, to find, as I suspected, it was larger than the pattern's predicted size. I therefore called it quits, and proceeded to cut the steek. I ran a row of straight machine stitching either side of the central line in the steek and cut. It wasn't as scary as the first time!

The result was pleasing: a decent size triangle and straight edges.

A lot trickier was the process of picking up 320 stitches evenly around the two steeked edges.  

The circular needle, with 772 stitches, was crowded. I had further extenders, but needed more joiners. 

The border is 12 rows. It was only after picking up the stitches that I realised the pattern was using the sandwich method of completing the steek - that is, knitting a double border, picking up a second round of (another 772) stitches on the inside of the shawl, then sealing the two border strips together with an icord, encasing the join so it isn't seen, like binding the edge of a cushion with a cord.  I was not at all sure it was feasible to find the stitches to pick up between the floats on the back of the shawl. 

The more immediate problem was the tightness of the stitches on the circular needle. I needed more length, had only short extensions, and no joiners. A trip to the Yarn Trader gave me a 125cm extender and a couple of connectors. The resulting circle is huge - not quite the full length of the stitches, but workable. 

As I worked the 12 rows in rib, I considered my options for neatening, or hiding, the steek - an inner border, or just neaten the raw edge?

I liked the look of the underside of the single border. On the top working edge there was no steek, and the transition to the border was smooth. It seemed a shame to turn that easy transition into a double border, losing the look of the inner rib. 

My yarn calculations, once the outer border was complete, suggested that, even with the extra yarn I had ordered, I would not have enough yarn to complete an inner border but would just manage one around the two steek sides - without the icord. Furthermore, there was no more of the fawn yarn available. I ordered a ball of what looked like a similar colour in an alpaca/polwarth blend, but it was too light. 

So I cast off the single side with an icord, then knit an inner border on the two steeked sides. This meant knitting back and forth, purling on the back. I'm OK with that - it was easy, relaxed knitting.

I cut any excess loose threads from the steek edge. Even so, the fold was bulkier than I'd like. The folded edge inevitably has four layers of knitting which no amount of pressing or blocking will remove.

Once the inner border was finished, I hit another snag. The pattern instructions simply said 'join the two edges', gave icord instructions, assuming a single edge. As I had no intention of trying to slip 369 stitches from the inner circular needle one by one between the 369 stitches on the outer circular needle, I went looking for instructions for joining two edges together using an icord. I found a useful video that showed me how to begin with three cast-on stitches, then knit together three stitches, one from the cast-on, one from each edge. 

It is slow, demands concentration, but works.   I just had enough fawn yarn to finish the two edges, so the icord edge is black.

It needs to be worked with the wrong side facing, to get the corded edge on the right side ( upper edge in the photo above). On the wrong side it leaves a narrow gap with a running stitch effect.

Having come this far, I covered the gap by whipping over it.

To reduce the bulk over the steek, I reluctantly decided to run a row of machine stitching over it.  While part of me thinks this is a shame, it is firmer and much smoother.

I experimented with a number of embroidery stitches to work over the machine line, but rejected all of them in favour of allowing the machine stitches to sink unobtrusively into the knitting. I feel this is a bit of a compromise, but definitely the best option. 

I have no regrets about leaving the long edge as a single layer. I like the way it frills. I bought a magpie scarf pin from Scarf Pins and Rings to hold it together.

I considered blocking it on my hap stretcher. It would certainly fit. The hap stretcher, however, needs a repair to one of the screws, which I have been putting off.  

The shawl is  soft, light, and  cosy rather than lacy. I didn't want to lose any of the warmth and thickness by stretching it too far, so I blocked it on my dining table using a combination of blocking tiles and a polystyrene  board, deliberately giving it a scalloped edge along the single border.                   

After 36 hours I removed the blocking pins and hung it outside for a couple more, just to ensure it was dry.

Veronica modelled it for me on Saturday. 

I am really pleased with the drape and feel. 

My daughter should have it in Canberra today in the expectation there are a few weeks left this year when it will be cold enough to use it .

This has been a major learning exercise. There were times when I questioned my sanity. I think clearer instructions would  have helped. Nonetheless, I'm glad I figured it out, adapted and did it. I really like the shawl. I think it will bring pleasure and get used.  My first shawls were knitted from patterns in the Prayer Shawl movement. I try to practice contemplation and blessings in all my knitting now, but particularly shawls. Even the frustrations experienced couldn't take away the calm and peace that came with knitting it.

I guess that's why I'm about to cast on for the shawl shown on the cover of the book above using the remainder of the alpaca!

Knitting bits

For much of winter I knitted up some yarn my brother bought at an unclaimed post auction late last year. There were two huge boxes of yarn - more than I could ever use, so I chose three modest bags of what I thought most interesting. I've been trying to work my way through it. My new resolution is to use up yarn as far as possible as I buy it, rather than adding to the three drawers I have stashed. I succeeded in knitting up the wool I bought from North Ronaldsay, and some alpaca from Adagio - ands I've been trying to reduce this pile from my brother.

I tackled the easiest one first - a ball of Joy Rainbow tape designed to make a scarf. I adapted a pattern I found online for a scarf, and it knitted up quickly. 

The colours are attractive and the texture interesting. I narrowed the ends and created a loop on one end through which the other end slips.




It's a bit of fun - not really my style, but  someone might enjoy it for a while.












Next I tackled a
couple of balls of this rather attractive Sirdar Aura. These screamed 'hat' to me, so I tried out a couple of patterns, one for a beanie and one for a slouchy.

I rather like these, although I'm not sure it was a good idea to practice a new elastic cast-off on the slouchy. I think, however, some family members who like bushwalking will get good service from them.

I then turned my attention to some silvery Rico which I knitted up into a triangular shawl.

Once blocked, I got Veronica to model it for me. I think it needs to be blocked again, and stretched out a bit further. The yarn is spectacular but I'm not convinced  it works on its own.



I still had three balls left, so I tried a bit of an experiment, matching it with some fine one-ply mohair and a pattern for a chevron shawl that alternates one-ply mohair with four-ply merino. This is taking me a long time to knit, but is coming along beautifully. I think I might save that one for its own post.
In the meantime,  I bought a bit more Adagio alpaca - because Adagio are needing a bit of support through the drought, and I also bought a kit for a scarf from Marie Wallin - because it was beautiful. I doubt I am half way through my brother's wool - so I'm afraid there is no rest for my needles regardless of the heat!

Australian Alpaca Shawl

I bought a kit of two-ply Australian alpaca from Australian Alpaca Yarn. Both the yarn and the pattern were lovely.

The pattern was knit from the top down, beginning with a cast on of over 300 stitches.


Knitting on each row stops 4 stitches short of the end of the previous row, but the unknitted stitches stay on the needle. Consequently the centre gets longer and the edges stay narrower.




Once you are only knitting the four centre stitches on the row, the lace edge pattern is taken up and knitted across the whole row.




I was, I admit, anxious to get on to the lace section. I found it difficult to maintain even stocking stitch with 2 ply wool and slightly  larger than usual needles (which, of course, contribute to the lace effect when blocked.)

To ensure I kept lace the pattern, I had an absurd number of stitch markers - but it kept my pattern.





I had the barest amount of yarn left at the end.













It did, however, block up rather well, and it is very soft.

I'm very pleased to have tackled this one. It is lovely, lovely yarn - and there is no end of interest in the various ways of shaping a triangular shawl.