In Which I Describe How to Knit a Shawl
I’m glad yesterday’s post about chart-reading was helpful to some of you. If you haven’t read them yet, there are some great suggestions in the comments on how to read charts or keep your place as you knit from them. So check those out. Also, I can’t take credit for the easy-to-read charts in Spring Things. Those charts were created by Cindy Moore. She did a fantastic job.
If you’ve never knit from a chart before, Forest Canopy is an excellent pattern to start with because there are only 3 different stitches used and, thus, only three symbols to memorize. But, if you like the look of Spring Things but are hesitant about the charts, you could make what I’m calling the “watered down” version by knitting the bulk of the shawl in stockinette stitch.
Here’s how:
- Cast on 5 sts.
- Knit 2 rows then begin the body of the shawl as follows:
- Row 1: K2, yo, k1 (center st), yo, k2. Mark the center stitch with a coiless pin.
- Row 2: K2, purl to within 2 sts of the end of the row, k2.
- Row 3: K2, yo, knit to the center stitch, yo, k1 (center stitch), yo, knit to within 2 sts of the end of the row, yo, k2.
- Repeat Rows 2 & 3 until there are 231 sts on the needle. End by working Row 2.
- Work Chart B once.
- Work Chart C once.
- Follow the written instructions for the Rows 1-6 of the edging and then follow the instructions for binding off.
That’s it. There is a minimum of knitting from the charts because you’re working Chart B once instead of three times.
I used beads in my watered down version and I really like the way the bottom border looks:
Of course, you can make the shawl larger by working the stockinette stitch portion until you have 255 or 279 stitches on the needle (or any number that’s 231 plus a multiple of 24). I ended at 231 stitches because I was trying to squeeze the shawl out of one skein of fingering weight Knit Picks Bare that Teri dyed and gifted me on my birthday.
After much calculating, recalculating, weighing, and reweighing, I came pretty damn close to using up every last bit of the precious skein.
See:
*Gulp* Maybe you have to be a professional driver on a closed track to attempt this.
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Susan | designing, knitting, patterns, shawls
Cutting it so close is a knitter’s version of living on the wild side.
“GULP” is right! Could have been the other way around: I once needed about that much to finish a project! Are you going to do a bead tutorial?
Or at least someone with very very steady nerves. Yikes - a little too close for comfort?
Thank you so much for this simpler version of your shawl. I bought the more decorated version yesterday. Now I can knit both. I was wondering if you could tell us how many beads you used on the simpler one. I would like to string the beads onto my yarn before I start knitting if I can. Then knit them into placer as needed.
Happy knitting!
Love the beads added to the shawl. My question is how will this shaw work with Blue Sky Alpaca’s Cotton? I’m not so concerned about getting it out of one skein as if the cotton would be suitable! I think you are a super judge of quanity!!
Whoa! That was close. I am starting to panic about finishing my current WIP. Yikes!
the first time i made gloves for my boyfriend i had just slightly less than that left. i still have it.
and
now i have a reason to buy a bundle of Knit Picks Bear and try dying it mice elf.
browns or deep greens with super shiny beads.
…LOL…
,i must have been thinking of those brown shades.
Hey Susan, since I have yet to reply to the blog comments you left, in which I was going to point give a pointer for people knitting Spring Things and showing no love for the nupps, much like me, I’ll leave it here.
At My Fashionable Life, from just this past January, an alternate way of dealing with nupps (which I tried last night and although they look slightly different than traditional nupps, my goodness, it was soo much easier - link here: http://autoscopia.com/amelia/archives/2007/01/nupps_without_t.html
After an evening snb at my lys, I started Spring Things last night in Claudia Handpaint Silk. I’m planning to use some silver-lined crystal beads with it. I’ve made your other two shawls and love them. This one is proving to be just as beautiful. I might just give that plain version a go with a different yarn!
Hee hee…extreme knitting! Who says knitters don’t live on the wild side?
The beads are such a nice touch on that shawl - very pretty!
Oh, what a lovely idea!
Thank you so much for such great posts. They’ve helped me a great deal by giving me the confidence I needed in trying a shawl. I’m working on your forest one right now…I love it! Thanks again!
What a lovely shawl. I like the minimal use of beads–I like a few for accent as you did. Also, the painted yarn looks so very nice in stockinette and you don’t lose the lace pattern. Good job!!
I always loves me a shawl that can use up the 500 yards of whatever I am spining right now that I am tired of and want to get off the spindle to move on to the next pretty fiber. I have attention for spinning that really only seems to last for about 500 yards. This shawl, for my purposes, is brilliant, dear.
That was indeed a close one… but so worth the potential heart failure
Gorgeous as always.
That would be too close for comfort for me… I ordered extra yarn from Anne, just in case, and any leftovers will make lovely matching fingerless gloves. This shawl was so beautiful to hold the other night; how many beads did you need?
The ‘watered-down’ version is quite pretty, too!
Especially with the variegated yarn. I’ve been thinking of doing another Swallowtail this way, in fact–substituting plain stockinette for the first lace motif. I think the borders (especially the nupps section) would be much more dramatic that way.
The watered down version is lovely too. And excellent timing. My daughter wants her own Spring Things shawl now that she’s seen the one I’m knitting as a gift. Since she’s learning to knit now, and I want to knit one for myself when I finish the gift, I think I’ll have her make her own using the minimal pattern.
I’m sure I’ll have to help her a lot with it but I think it will be great practice at knit and purl and yarn-over without being boring for her. And that way I get to knit mine next instead of third. (I’m an evil mommy.)
Thank you so much for this shawl and all the information you’re sharing.