My Flower Basket Shawl Affair . . . What you might want to know----
Specs: Interweave Knits Pattern, Fall 2005
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca, sport weight/color: blue sky 030
Needles: Size 10 Addis
Our past: I had just finished my very first lace project, Knitty’s Branching Out, and was feeling bold where lace knitting was concerned. So I cast-on for this shawl, planning on giving it to a friend for Christmas (well you don’t need to wonder how THAT turned out!). *
Strategies: I wrote the pattern on this handy-dandy ring-cards, and flip the card at the completion of each row. For me, this was much easier than trying to knit from the chart. I also marked off the repeats with stitch markers, so I could figure out where I was in the row.
Our issue(s): As in many relationships, you think all is well, and then a problem sneaks up on you: I would knit the pattern, confidently, and I would purl back, gleefully thinking about my next row. Somehow, the stitches to the right of the center stitch worked perfectly, but on the left side, I was consistently short 1 stitch, and would have to frog the row.
Again, as in many relationships, the problem was reoccurring, and I just became worn out by my inability to get it right (and this, my friends, is a personal characteristic in my own relationships: the get-it right, or fix-it-before-it-goes-wrong gene). I was also inhibited by reading and hearing about everyone else’s success with Flower B.--that green-eyed monster reared his ugly head!
This Time: I have vowed to forge a kinder, gentler relationship with myself and my shawl! I am going to take my time, and take advantage of the support I gain from my other Amazing Lace friends.
I ended up frogging the whole thing, so I could start from the beginning, I also bumped ny needle size up to a 10 (originally I used a 7, as in the pattern, but in a stroke of brilliance I decided to swatch and get the correct gauge!!)
In Preparation:
During the month of May, I have been working on Green Gables, Streakers Shrug and hoping to make a European Mesh Market Bag, all of which have a lace pattern variation somewhere in the piece. I consider this helpful in building my confidence to re-approach Flower B with a new attitude!
I am confident in our partnership--so much so, that I believe my friend will have a lovely shawl, and I will knit another one, just like it (different color) for myself . . . by the end of the summer!
* Last night, I cast on and knit the first 24 rows of the pattern: that’s what you see in the photo!
@#$#@%%^#@ This is the last photo before my camera battery died, and I can't find my charger!!!
