Shawl Cast-On Tutorial

Notice the straight edge of the shawl blocking above and the detail photo of the shawl Cast-on (CO) area below, no bumps or wonky transition from CO to knitting. The following CO is the reason why. It's the only CO I will use for shawls and once you try it you'll love it!!

This Cast-On as written gives you 9 stitches on the needles including a 2 stitch border of Garter Stitch on both sides/edges:

1 - Use a provisional cast on with a smooth waste yarn.

2 - Pick up 2 sts of working yarn through back loops of waste yarn.

3 - Knit 7 rows garter stitch.

4 - Pick up 5 stitches along the edge of the rows.

5 - Undo the provisional CO.

6 - Pick up & knit these 2 stitches.

With these 9 sts CO you're ready to start your shawl. For more or fewer border sts adjust step #2 accordingly. Or if you need more or fewer chart sts adjust step #3 accordingly. See two alternates below. (Note: The sts picked up with the waste yarn represent your border sts, the rows knit in garter stitch represent the sts needed for the chart.)

An example of needing 13 sts total CO:

1 - Use a provisional CO with a smooth waste yarn.

2 - Pick up 3 stitches with working yarn through back loops of waste yarn.

3 - Knit 9 rows garter stitch.

4 - Pick up 7 stitches along the edge of the rows.

5 - Undo the provisional CO.

6 - Pick up & knit these 3 stitches.

An example of needing 5 sts total CO (as when making Gail [aka Nightsong]):

1 - Use a provisional CO with a smooth waste yarn.

2 - Pick up 2 stitches with working yarn through back loops of waste yarn.

3 - Knit 3 rows garter stitch.

4 - Pick up 1 stitch along the edge of the rows.

5 - Undo the provisional CO.

6 - Pick up & knit these 2 stitches.

I hope this is helpful because once I understood this shawl CO it made my shawls look so much better. The finished result is seamless! Whom ever it was that invented this was a genius (a total perfectionist too)!!

If there are any discrepancies or issues with the above, please leave a comment for me so that I can correct or fine tune these notes. - Thank you

Gail! My New FO

Although it's been months since I've blogged, I actually have been knitting! Lots of hats and quick knits for other people, and a baby blanket that I should have finished at least 5 months ago (because the little guy was born in June, oooops!!!!) Recently I've been on a search for a shawlette/scarf for myself for the winter transition. Something luxurious and green. What I found was one absolutely gorgeous skein of Halcyon Gemstone Soft Twist Silk yarn (sport weight/100% silk) ... a perfect match for my miniature version of Gail (aka Nightsong). You can find the original here, there are also some pages that will help you to knit this pattern here.

This was an incredible treat for me, a sumptuous yarn to knit with, which made knitting a dream. I was almost tempted to frog the whole thing and start all over again just so that I could knit with this yarn. If you try you'll never regret it, you'll love it and anything you make with it!!! Guaranteed!!!!

More Lace Knitting

I've been working on a few projects up to this point that are lace, not very successfully or happily, but recently there have been a few lace patterns that looked irresistible, also I have yarn waiting in my stash to be used ... calling out to me to knit it ...


The fine lace pattern is from the Spring 2009 Interweave Knits magazine, it's called Fountain Pen Shawl, love working the pattern ... really well written and very comprehensive, the designer even includes a lace BO so that you can achieve looseness while blocking your FO. For this pattern I had some Malabrigo Lace in the Purple Mystery colorway just waiting for me to knit it up. The yarn is really soft and cozy, yet light and airy too!! I'm really excited to continue with this pattern!!

This beauty is the Hemlock Ring Blanket and it's a free pattern (follow the Ravelry links to locate the original pattern). This pattern satisfies my desire to knit lace without it taking a year to finish the pattern. Also the Cascade Ecological Wool that I'm using is so beautiful to work with, plus I love the fact that it's not dyed or chemically treated ... always a plus when looking for 'Green' knitting projects!! This blanket should be a smaller blanket, like a lap blanket, so I'd say I'm almost half-way finished. I'm excited to finish this and I know it will be beautiful once finished and will perfectly coordinate our blue/beige couch!! Thanks to Jared Flood for making this version available!!!

Thank you to the ladies at Saybrook Yarn who are so sweet and helpful when ever I shop there!! I went in to buy The Cascade Eco Wool and originally I wanted a chocolaty brown, but they only had one hank left. I stared at two different colors for what must have been an hour. That wasn't working to help me see if I should have the color ordered or use the color they had in stock, so we found a skein of yarn that matched pretty closely to my sofa and compared to the colorways we were staring at. It turns out that the color they had in stock was an even better color, so I excitedly brought it home and cast on!! I was really surprised to find that what looked like charcoal in the store looks dark brown in my living room ... go figure!! It is so important it is to find a great LYS (or multiple LYS's) who are so patient, willing and helpful!!!

I've also been tackling a men's hat, like a Newsboy hat from the 1930's. I should probably say that the hat has been tackling me instead. I am determined to get it done before the spring officially arrives (my poor friend's head has been freezing all winter!!). I will post the pictures when I'm finished, if it's ever finished, not sure if I'm going to post the pattern though ... have to see how much finishing work is involved, it may not be worth passing on.

Ahhhhh ... Boston!!!

Recently we spent some time with my sister who lives a stones throw away from Boston. I lived in NYC growing up and since moving to CT, a much more rural area, I have longed for the hustle and bustle of city life. Since my sister arrived at Tufts to get her Masters in OT (so proud!!) she has been asking us to come visit, so we finally did. (She's so cute!!, but what happened to me? yikes ... I have no eyes!!!)

Although not directly in Boston, this area nearby was enough of a city to satisfy my longing. People walking every where, very little parking (not necessarily pleasant, but very city-like), dogs enjoying a nice walk with their owners on real sidewalks that didn't just randomly start and stop (you'd have to visit our area to know what I mean!!). It was great!! We ate at this cute little place the morning we left called Mr. Crepe, I got the Nutella stuffed one below, it was delicious!! I'm glad that my sister shared some of it with me, I'm starting to grow a fanny pack.



Here's the crepe maker on the left, he was so quick, every single one looked great ... you also can get an idea as to how huge the crepe's are in this picture, yum!! My sister making a silly face (somehow it's a family trait), Gman's getting his coffee fix ... it was such a cool spot, like a cafe/crêperie where you can hang out and eat or study, perfect for the college setting.

On the needles: I've been working on an English Driving Cap for a friend for what seams like a year, after multiple froggings it seemed like defeat, but I borrowed a store-bought version of the hat I'd like to make to use as a visual ... I think I'll get it this time (that is if the yarn can hold up to another knit and frogging). I'm also working on a beautiful blanket called the Hemlock Ring Blanket, it's like a huge gauge doily, totally awesome!! Also still working on some shawls, lace shawls, but I think I've just come to the conclusion that I just have no patience for lace knitting. I do, however, want to start the Whisper Cardigan by Hannah Fettig in the Spring Interweave Knits Mag (I just haven't received mine in the mail yet, harrumph). So maybe I'll use the lace yarn in my stash for the Cardigan, sounds like a nice compromise!!!

Go Fly A Kite

Ok, so I lied the other day when I said I was going to do the Lacey Stole from Louet...I'm really doing this one instead...for real this time!!



It's called "Go Fly A Kite" (I found it on Ravelry!!)...it's really pretty and although I'm not really the lace wearing type...more of a plain Jane...I'm excited to be knitting lace for real. This is the same lace yarn that I was planning to use for the Lacey Stole, but since the Lacey stole called for sport weight yarn I thought that my yarn might be better used on a project that actually calls for lace weight yarn.



True confession: I hate lace knitting!! Or should I say that we have a Love/Hate relationship, maybe?!



I wish I could say that lace knitting is a treat and that as you go you start to see all your hard work unfolding that it brings joy to your heart and is beautiful, which would make you want to knit more and more and more. But I can't say that! In fact, I would probably tell any beginner not to even start lace. Here's why: As I knit this pattern I have to make sure that I keep my spot on the pattern chart, but inevitably I will move the wrong way, have to get the phone, or change the channel, or whatever (I think you get the idea) and all my spot is lost...so now I have to back track and figure out where I am, for the 500th time. Oh, and of course you have to make sure that you're knitting the correct stitches across the pattern or else you completely mess it up, and this is not the type of pattern where you can have an in depth conversation and remember how many repeats of the pattern you have already finished, or how many stitches are left to knit. Trust me, I've had to undue so many rows already for not getting that row right that I can't even count the times on BOTH hands.



Ok, end of rant!! :)



But ultimately this is a Love/Hate relationship...each time I put it down and see what has been knit so far I am amazed and say to myself, "Could this possibly be the thing causing such terrible torture for me all these hours? It's so lovely and light and airy!! How pretty and elegant this will look over a cute black dress...I should keep going and knit some more, maybe I'm just lace-challenged, it can't be that bad after all!!"

Now I know this is not the case for many, many knitters in this world, so to you lovers of knitted lace out there, please accept my apologies for my bluntness, but I must speak truth!! In lieu of my feelings, I am NOT quitting this project, this lace shawl challenge may drive me crazy, but I must finish it!!! And maybe, I'll grow to love lace knitting by the time I am finished......maybe?



Saga To be continued.....

Lacey Stole

I was watching Knitting Daily a few weeks ago on PBS and saw Eunny Jang showcasing a Knit Along of the beautiful and simple Lacey Stole with Louet Linen yarn. It seems like something that would keep me interested and yet still knit while carrying on a conversation or watching tv. I purchased some lovely 100% baby alpaca lace weight yarn from my LYS, pictured above is Baby Alpaca Lace from Plymouth Yarn in color #2020.

This is my first official lace pattern, i.e. the yarn is lace weight, et al., so I'm a little nervous that it will take millions of hours to finish. My hope is that I won't get bored with it and them change my mind, which seams to be my MO. You can find my progress and the free pattern on Ravelry, and once I have a sufficient amount of it finished (and figure out how on earth to post my pictures) I will post some pics. I'm modifying the original pattern just a little, since the original pattern is in sport weight yarn, and mine is in lace weight, I will add a few extra rows of garter stitch all around the entire border for some more stability.

I Shall Conquer: Lace Knitting

Being someone who doesn't have all the money in the world to buy all the yarn I could ever possibly want, I am trying to stretch the yarn I have. So I have decided that knitting lace is the way to go. You can buy lighter weight yarns (i.e. more yardage) and use larger needles to show off the eyelets in the lace...the end result?....more for you money, yay!!

The purple yarn is Malabrigo Worsted hand dyed yarn. This is some of the softest stuff you will find around. It is very lofty and knits up really quickly, always a plus after knitting a project with fingering weight yarn. Malabrigo is hands down my favorite yarn, they have yet to go wrong. The merino they use is super resilient, even though it's a single-ply. Oh, and did I mention it's REALLY soft?

The fingering weight yarn pictured here is from Pagewood Farm, another excellent yarn company, the name of the yarn is Yukon ... a blend of merino/bamboo/nylon ... so soft. I used Yukon for my first pair of knitted socks and was really pleased with the results. The pattern for both these scarves is pretty simple for lace, and will knit up pretty quickly especially if you use larger needles, so if anyone is interested I'll post the scarf patterns, just leave me a note in the comments section.