MARG'S KNITTING PLACE

Knit Club Project for April was a Shawl

In April our knit club decided we would take a basic shawl pattern and attempt to make it using a punch card or hand manipulating stitches to create something pretty but serviceable.  Members were encouraged to make changes to the basic pattern - no holds barred on this project.

Our member Krys did a great presentation offering a pattern well in advance of our knit-in to encourage our members to try something on their own.  Work with punch cards or hand manipulation patterns that weren't being used normally.  In other words "something different" that was also a bit of a challenge.  They could either start it at home to complete at our knit-in or start from scratch at the knit-in and possibly finish at home.

Krys showed many samples of her shawls using tuck and fairisle.  Photos hopefully will be made available for me to put up on my blog.

I decided to work with my LK 150 for this project.  The yarn I chose was James C. Brett's Baby Marble Double Knit color BM5 (produced by Monarch Mills In England - his website is www.jamescbrett.co.uk if you are interested in this yarn now available here in Canada and probably in the U.S.A. as well).  

The yarn has a grading of color from cream through shades of beige to brown then pale to dark blue.  This was a beautiful yarn to work with as it seems to love tension 4.  The carriage slid back and forth easily throughout the project.

Now bearing in mind that lately it seems I can't have too many things going on at the same time throughout a project I'm knitting I decided to keep it simple and utilize some tools I should be using more often.  One of which will transfer every other stitch over nine stitches at the same time and also my garter bar was an option as well.

On the left side of the shawl I followed Diana Sullivan's "Decorative No Roll Edge" that she showed  to us in April and it really works - go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XztMJV4ERBo and you will see for yourself.  Thank you Diana for this great gem of a technique.  I will most certainly be using it I the future.

I worked on an eight row pattern.  Starting with 8 rows of stockinet stitch then transferring every other stitch but leaving 6 stitches on the left to do the Decorative No Roll Edge and increasing and or decreasing on the right keeping five stitches unworked in pattern throughout.  It really turned out quite nice - I have blocked it but still think I'll do a crochet edging along the ends and bottom of the shawl just for added length and weight.  I used almost all of two 100 gram balls on this project so far so any additional edging will get the third ball involved for sure.

Here are a couple of photos of the shawl so far.  Updates to come with hopefully more photos of what our members have come up with at our May meeting!   Click on the photos if you wish to enlarge them.

Front folded

Diana Sullivan's Decorative No Roll Edge!

Back Folded

 

Shawl folded in half

 

Finished the soft scalloped edge

Close up view of scallop edging (crochet)

 



 

The only way I could figure to show the whole shawl was to drape it over the back of my sofa.