Balvraid Hap in Samite

Last year I bought some Blacker Yarns Samite, a 4ply blend of wool and recycled silk, along with their pattern for the Balvraid Hap. I bought two shades of pink, enough of each to make the larger of the 2 sizes in the pattern.

In the middle of this year I decided it was time to take the plunge. I wound the darker of the two shades into balls and got knitting.

The hap is worked around a central garter stitch triangle.  The unusual element, to me at least, is the set of loops knitted into the edges, to assist in picking up for the border.It makes for a very neat join.   

The first layer of the lace edging is a twelve row repeat of a twelve-stitch fan shape worked around two edges of the triangle. Stitch markers kept me on-pattern. The corner turn, was, of course, the tricky bit.  

                 

When I bought the yarn I had the idea of mixing the colours in the lace border, but after discussing with my family experts, decided against it.Consistency seemed the better option.  

It hasn't proved to be my favourite shawl pattern. The garter stitch centre was a bit tedious to knit and although the repetition of the border aids memory, it too is a bit monotonous. Although I used stitch markers to mark off each repeat, and checked each one, it was really easy to drop a stitch with the number of stitches knit together, especially the ssk. Even with care and checking, I found 4 dropped stitches I had to tie off when blocking. 

The really tricky bit, however, came with the edging. Varying between 16 and 20 stitches wide, with a 20 row repeat, this is knitted vertical to the lace edge, picking up one stitch from the shawl edge every second row. That's a lot of short rows! Towards the end I got a rhythm and reasonable speed, but I had to keep following the written pattern. It didn’t stay in my head.

If I were to use the pattern again I think I’d work the centre in stocking stitch. Admittedly, the garter stitch opens up nicely on blocking.

 Turning the corner of the triangle took further concentration but was achieved relatively easily.

 

The outer edge border pattern was not easy to see as I was knitting but became clear as spread out.

I finished it around 10pm one night and set about blocking it straight away. Quite a lot of dye came out in the washing process. I used tepid water for washing and cold water to rinse, continuing until the water ran almost clear before squeezing out the water and rolling in a towel.

I’d hoped to mail it the next day, but it was still damp 20 hours later. I adjusted the pins and fixed the dropped stitches, accepting the need for patience.

I’m not entirely satisfied with the shape. I think the top edge would be better sloping the other way, so it fits more easily around a neck.

Nevertheless it’s a flexible, warm and elegant shawl. 

I rather like the knotted version but the scarf pin version shows off the lace a bit better.

It has a solid look when close against the body and a lacy look when it catches the light.

This is now on its way to the friend who rescued my website last monthI hope she gets pleasure and warmth from it.

While the pattern and kit indicated 3 skeins for this larger version, I did not completely use two of them. That leaves me with the possibility of getting three shawls from the six skeins I bought if I work one in two colours.

I'm still considering options. It might pay to set it aside for a bit. There are plenty of other knitting projects to take up in the meantime!