All Shawls, All The Time
Okay, let's try this again. I attempted to post something on this subject last night. I wrote at length, I modified photos to improve lighting and color, I went to post the entry. Then my blog editor locked up mid-publishing, and wouldn't come out of it. Gryphon and I both tried, but we couldn't find any way to break the deadlock without losing the post, too.
I spent the rest of the evening angry with myself for not saving the entry before publishing, and I went to bed without making a new attempt. It was too late, and I was too pissed.
My mood isn't a lot better today - we went over the budget, it's no better than usual - but I'm ready for a new try. So here goes. I promise, I'll hit the Save key before I try to publish this one.
I finished the Green Monster, as I took to calling Wearable Hug 10 (WH10). And just in time, too. As usual, when I began WH10, I had no idea who it was going to belong to. Since finishing this on Sunday, though, I have identified a recipient, and Gryphon and I will be making the delivery tomorrow.
I've decided that I may mention when I've given out a Wearable Hug here, but that I won't give details about the recipients. This is only appropriate, since they are generally people in crisis or transition, and whatever it was that inspired me to give them the shawl is not my story to tell. If I can encourage others to pick up a similar knitting project by letting you know that a new WH has found a home, though, it will be worth it.
What's a Wearable Hug? For more about Wearable Hugs, my personal version of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, read this earlier entry in this blog.
Wearable Hug #10, modeled after midnight
In other knitting news, I've been chugging away on the test pieces for my "Wings of the Cat" lace shawl. I finished the test for the trapezoid shape by putting three repeats of my border pattern, "Old Shale", around the edge. I wanted to be sure to see what happened to the shape when I did that, since I was convinced that I have to discontinue the increases at that point.
Trapezoid test complete
Over all, I like how Old Shale looks here. What I don't like is the way the shape was affected by it. The "fingertip" points take a dip along the neck edge, when I'd rather they turned upward or at least stayed straight.
Droopy Fingertip Point
And the juncture between the center back rectangle and the triangle wings, which is the other increase point in each right-side row, shows a nasty cupping developing.
Inappropriate Cupping
I'm beginning a new test for the shaping, to try out some ideas for how I can incorporate increases into the border. One idea is that I might place two increases at each of the junctures between back and wings on each right side row (or do one at each point on every row). After three right side rows, there would be enough new stitches there to add in a new repeat of Old Shale.
But will changing the increase point that way alter the shape, and in what direction? Hence, the new test sample. I decided to reduce knitting time, I'd do a half-trapezoid this time. Draw a line straight down the middle of the back, and I'm knitting the piece on either side of that. That will give me enough of a look at what the shape is doing, without knitting miles of what amounts to redundancy.
Meanwhile, I also wanted to try a test of the combination of patterns I'll be using on the back rectangle. Remember, the plan here is to have alternating columns of "String of Beads" and "Narrow Cat's Paw" (3 "String of Beads" and 2 "Narrow Cat's Paw", to be exact). What I wanted the test to show was whether I should butt the columns right up against each other, or add separating bands of stockinette or garter stitch to help them stand out better.
My first test was for the version without the separations. I knitted it up through 3 repeats of String of Beads and 2 of Narrow Cat's Paw (there are a different number of rows in each pattern; that's the number of repeats that puts them both back at row 1 at the same time). When I took a look at what I had, I mostly liked it, except for one thing.
Back Panel Test
String of Beads has some built-in stitches on either side that separate the repeats of the pattern, and this provided enough separation from Narrow Cat's Paw to count. But the way the pattern is written, the separations come out in garter stitch, and I decided I didn't like the lumpy-bumpy look there.
For the next set of repeats, then, I changed String of Beads so those stitches came out as stockinette stitch. If you click on the photo below, you can see a larger image, and the difference will be obvious. The bottom half has the garter stitch version, the top half the stockinette stitch.
One Test, Two Ways
I think that settles the back panel, then. It will be alternating columns of my new, modified String of Beads pattern, and Narrow Cat's Paw.
This is the most elaborate knitting project I've ever designed, and I'm having a grand time with it. I think what makes it even more enjoyable is that I can document what I'm doing, and share it with all of you. It's nice to feel like I'm with a huge circle of knitting friends, even when I'm sitting at my desk alone!
I spent the rest of the evening angry with myself for not saving the entry before publishing, and I went to bed without making a new attempt. It was too late, and I was too pissed.
My mood isn't a lot better today - we went over the budget, it's no better than usual - but I'm ready for a new try. So here goes. I promise, I'll hit the Save key before I try to publish this one.
I finished the Green Monster, as I took to calling Wearable Hug 10 (WH10). And just in time, too. As usual, when I began WH10, I had no idea who it was going to belong to. Since finishing this on Sunday, though, I have identified a recipient, and Gryphon and I will be making the delivery tomorrow.
I've decided that I may mention when I've given out a Wearable Hug here, but that I won't give details about the recipients. This is only appropriate, since they are generally people in crisis or transition, and whatever it was that inspired me to give them the shawl is not my story to tell. If I can encourage others to pick up a similar knitting project by letting you know that a new WH has found a home, though, it will be worth it.
What's a Wearable Hug? For more about Wearable Hugs, my personal version of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, read this earlier entry in this blog.
Wearable Hug #10, modeled after midnight
In other knitting news, I've been chugging away on the test pieces for my "Wings of the Cat" lace shawl. I finished the test for the trapezoid shape by putting three repeats of my border pattern, "Old Shale", around the edge. I wanted to be sure to see what happened to the shape when I did that, since I was convinced that I have to discontinue the increases at that point.
Trapezoid test complete
Over all, I like how Old Shale looks here. What I don't like is the way the shape was affected by it. The "fingertip" points take a dip along the neck edge, when I'd rather they turned upward or at least stayed straight.
Droopy Fingertip Point
And the juncture between the center back rectangle and the triangle wings, which is the other increase point in each right-side row, shows a nasty cupping developing.
Inappropriate Cupping
I'm beginning a new test for the shaping, to try out some ideas for how I can incorporate increases into the border. One idea is that I might place two increases at each of the junctures between back and wings on each right side row (or do one at each point on every row). After three right side rows, there would be enough new stitches there to add in a new repeat of Old Shale.
But will changing the increase point that way alter the shape, and in what direction? Hence, the new test sample. I decided to reduce knitting time, I'd do a half-trapezoid this time. Draw a line straight down the middle of the back, and I'm knitting the piece on either side of that. That will give me enough of a look at what the shape is doing, without knitting miles of what amounts to redundancy.
Meanwhile, I also wanted to try a test of the combination of patterns I'll be using on the back rectangle. Remember, the plan here is to have alternating columns of "String of Beads" and "Narrow Cat's Paw" (3 "String of Beads" and 2 "Narrow Cat's Paw", to be exact). What I wanted the test to show was whether I should butt the columns right up against each other, or add separating bands of stockinette or garter stitch to help them stand out better.
My first test was for the version without the separations. I knitted it up through 3 repeats of String of Beads and 2 of Narrow Cat's Paw (there are a different number of rows in each pattern; that's the number of repeats that puts them both back at row 1 at the same time). When I took a look at what I had, I mostly liked it, except for one thing.
Back Panel Test
String of Beads has some built-in stitches on either side that separate the repeats of the pattern, and this provided enough separation from Narrow Cat's Paw to count. But the way the pattern is written, the separations come out in garter stitch, and I decided I didn't like the lumpy-bumpy look there.
For the next set of repeats, then, I changed String of Beads so those stitches came out as stockinette stitch. If you click on the photo below, you can see a larger image, and the difference will be obvious. The bottom half has the garter stitch version, the top half the stockinette stitch.
One Test, Two Ways
I think that settles the back panel, then. It will be alternating columns of my new, modified String of Beads pattern, and Narrow Cat's Paw.
This is the most elaborate knitting project I've ever designed, and I'm having a grand time with it. I think what makes it even more enjoyable is that I can document what I'm doing, and share it with all of you. It's nice to feel like I'm with a huge circle of knitting friends, even when I'm sitting at my desk alone!
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