Is it permissible to post without photographs? *looks around nervously for the blog police* Alrighty then.
I’m finished with the knitting of the Cap Shawl and have been for a couple of days. I’ve been too busy (with jury duty and whatnot) to get a good start on the border, but it was causing me some issues anyway. I’ve started it and ripped it back several times. I now think I know how I will knit it, and once I get going it will be fine.
These were some of the issues:
1. I don’t think the border chart, which is a very simple one, matches what was actually knit on the shawl. The chart is written as if it were knit in garter stitch, but the photographs of the border look like stockinette. (Similarly, the last few rows of the shawl chart show some purl rows which I think were intended to be garter stitch; however, the knitted piece is done in all stockinette as far as I can tell.) The author uses the identical border for the Maltese Shawl/Scarf pattern later in the book. In the photographs of the Maltese, the border is knit in garter stitch as shown in the chart. The difference is noticeable. This was a bit of an issue for me because her method for joining the border as you knit along assumed you would be knitting the wrong side rows. I want to do mine in stockinette and so I will be purling. So I had to make a few adjustments there.
2. Every other time I’ve done a knitted on border, I’ve had the shawl stitches on my left needle and knit the border on as if I were moving counter-clockwise around the shawl. This border is charted so that the shawl stitches are on the right needle, and you add them clockwise. I thought about flipping the chart so I could do it in my usual manner but then decided against it.
3. There are three plain rows in the center of the chart (two purl rows and a plain row with no yarnovers in between them). When I started the border, I decided that it looked funny to have those rows there — something looked a bit off-center. At Sue’s suggestion, I eliminated that bit of plain knitting. I think it looks better. Of course, that changes the number of rows in the chart, which means I have to fiddle a bit as I go so that I have the correct number of rows so that I the number of full repeats matches up with the number of live stitches on the shawl.
It takes two rows to eat up one live stitch on the shawl. I have 738 stitches and my new chart has 28 rows. That means that I get rid of 14 stitches per full repeat. I need 742 stitches for the repeats to work out. In other words, I will be four stitches short, but I can easily add those by creating an extra stitch four times.
So, that is where I am and what I’ve been doing. I have a little bit of the border finished, but I need to rip it because I changed one last little thing in my plan.
I’ll post photographs as soon as I have enough to make it worthwhile.
From Susan — just a little comment: I just bought a “new” car (2004 Chrysler Pacifica, cuz I knew you’d ask!) and today I finally got to put my vanity plates back on — LV2KNIT rides again!! It really did not feel like my car until I put those plates on it. Honk if you see me!! 😉
Oh dear — So sorry you’ve struggled with the border. Honestly though, I’m thankful that you’ve struggled, and I’m only on row 110 or so…. hopefully it’ll all work out in the end. We’re keeping the faith!
Comment by Wendy O — May 22, 2007 @ 6:16 pm
Okay, I’m weird, but do you have any good jury duty stories you could share? It’s an experience that most of us see mainly on TV, but real life can be so much more interesting.
Looking forward to photos of the shawl, too 🙂
Comment by kmkat — May 22, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
Oh no, I try assiduously to avoid jury duty and so far I’ve been successful. I was called once for a case while I was a law clerk in the U.S. District Court in D.C. (that’s federal court for you non-lawyers). This was a very complex drug trial that was going to go on for months. I got out of it because my judge was overseeing the wire taps in the case and I had been listening to them with him. That was pretty funny during voir dire when they asked if any of the prospective jurors knew anything about the case. In DC, you won’t get struck from the juror pool just for being a lawyer, but having clerked on the federal court and having taught at a law school I’m more likely to be cut.
I’m on jury duty through June 4th; I have to check every night to see if I need to go in the next morning. I have tomorrow free. Yay! I have a ton of stuff I need to do, but I am going to try to work a bit more on this border.
Comment by surly — May 22, 2007 @ 11:50 pm
No, I’m sorry, it is *not* ok to post without pictures. I mean, really, what are people with no brain by the time they get to read blogs (cough:me:cough) supposed to do with only text and no pretty pictures? =whimper=
Comment by Romi — May 23, 2007 @ 2:16 am
I’m with Romi! I need pictures to know what you’re discussing 😉
Nice car, Susan, but even nicer plates!
Comment by Marina — May 23, 2007 @ 6:51 am
Susan- I can feel your pain- drives me insane when you have to make adjustments.
Good thing you have the skills and experience to manage it.
Show us a pic when you’re back on track.
Comment by Lorraine — May 23, 2007 @ 10:32 am
I meant to address that to Sally- too many “S”s in your family!
Comment by Lorraine — May 23, 2007 @ 10:33 am
I look forward to hearing whether you can stick with attaching a border while the shawl stitches are on the right needle. I have a shawl that will not end and having the border stitches on the left needle means they rest in my lap as I attach the border. Having them on the right needle sounds like a nightmare. What was the designer thinking? BTW I love your blog; I’m a long time lurker but believe this is my first comment.
Comment by Mary Tess — May 23, 2007 @ 12:44 pm
I meant for the second sentence to say “…having the shawl stitches on the left needle….” Sorry!
Comment by Mary Tess — May 23, 2007 @ 12:49 pm
I am currently knitting the Cap Shawl and just started the border last night. Perhaps
I did not read the chart correctly, but I am knitting it in stockinette stitch AND am
going around the shawl clockwise adding the border. So far, so good. I have not counted
my stitches to see if everything will match up – but will fudge at the end if necessary.
I did do reverse stocking stitch in the last few rounds – kind of interesting. It will
be fun to see what you do next.
Comment by Dianne — May 23, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
I did a huge shawl from “A Gathering of Lace”, with a wide, knitted-on border–in stockinette. In hindsight, it would have been better in garter, as it tends to curl under, and the lovely points on the edge get lost. I went back and checked the pattern, and it was definitely not garter stitch. Perhaps stockinette on the inside of the border, then garter for the edge so the points lie flat? Does that add some complication?
Comment by Pam — May 23, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
Dianne — you should be fine. Although the chart is written in garter, I am doing it in stockinette also b/c I think it goes better with the shawl. I, too, am going clockwise — I am just used to going counter-clockwise. It won’t matter in terms of how it looks when it is finished.
As long as you do what she suggests to get rid of three extra stitches as you work your way around, you’ll be fine on your stitch count if you are doing the chart as written (with 30 total rows). I have to fudge because I am doing the chart with only 28 rows.
If you look at the Maltese pattern, you will be able to see the difference between doing this border in stockinette and in garter.
Sally
Comment by surly — May 23, 2007 @ 4:19 pm