Boundaries -- And When To Push Them

Last night at, oh, 11:15 p.m., I got this wild hair; I wanted to try my hand at designing a shawl. It is to be a gift and so it had to be Just The Right One. Since there was no sleeping going on, I looked through every pattern I have. Nothing caught my eye. So, I dug out my Mary Thomas's Book of Knittng Patterns and started thinking about the special person I wanted to design for. I looked at the yarn in my stash (this is an embarrassment as there is so much) and found Just The Right Colour.

The Perfect Yarn is very soft blue, yellow, lavendar, and grey lace weight. When I saw it a few years ago at Orchardside Yarn Shop in Raphine, VA, I had to have it, but I didn't have a project in mind. As you know, that seldom matters in the case of yarn or fabric. Home it came. Now, it is going to a good purpose and is just perfect. The colours just suit the recepient and will go with nearly everything.

What I have decided is to make a stoll with a garter stitch border and edging to keep the shawl from curling. The first pattern is a flower which is 38 rows high; this will be followed by a 20 row repeat of butterflies. The back will be "rows" of honeybees which I will fashion from a combination of eyelets, small and large. I think it will be lovely!

I am nearly done with the first row of flowers. It was so exciting to watch the pattern develop that I couldn't go to bed! At 1:15 a.m., the Mister woke from his "pre-bed nappie", yawned, looked at me, and asked if it were morning. Technically, it was... and I was still stitching away!

Would you like to try this pattern out with me? Here's how you start:

Spring's Coming Shawl

Yarn: Lace weight (but I think you could use anything, depending on the size you want your shawl; mine is about 24 inches wide using lace weight and #4 needles)
Needles: to suit your gauge and yarn
Gauge: Gauge is for sissies!

CO 90 stitches.

Knit 10 rows for a garter stitch edging.

Place markers after the first five stitches and before the last five. This will create a garter stitch edging. You wlil knit these stitches every row.

Flower Pattern
16 stitch repeat

To keep up with your pattern, place a marker after each repeat. This will help you keep each pattern correct.

Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: K6, YO, S1, K1, psso, K2
Row 4: Purl all stitches.
Row 5: K8, YO, S1, K1, psso, K6
Row 6 and 8: Purl
Row 7: K6, YO, S1, K1, psso, K8
Row 9: K4, YO, S1, K1, psso, K10
Row 10: Purl
Row 11: (K2, YO, S1, K1, psso) 3 times; K4
Row 12: Purl
Row 13: K8, YO, S1, K1, psso, K6
Row 14: Purl
Row 15: K10, YO, S1, K1, psso, K4
Row 16: Purl
Row 17: Knit
Row 18: Purl
Row 19: K10, YO, S1, Y1, psso, K4
Row 20: Purl
Row 21: Knit
Row 22 Purl
Row 23: K4 (K2tog, YO, YO, S1, K1, psso) twice, K4
Row 24: Purl. Purl the 1st YO and Knit the 2nd
Row 25: Knit
Row 26: Purl
Row 27: K2, K2tog, YO, YO, S1, K1, psso, K4, K2tog, YO, YO, S1, K1, psso, K2
Row 28: Purl as row 24
Row 29: K6, K2tog, YO, YO, S1, K1, psso, K6
Row 30: P6, P2tog (stitch and 1st YO), K2tog (2nd YO and stitch), P6
Row 31: K2, K2tog, YO, YO, S1, K1, psso, K1, YO, YO, K1, K2tog, YO, YO, S1, K1, psso, K2
Row 32: P6, P2tog (stitch and YO, including strand below), P1, K1 into YO and strand, P7
Row 33: Knit
Row 34: Purl
Row 35: Same as Row 27
Row 36, 37, 38: Same as Rows 24, 25, 26
Row 39: K4, (K2tog, YO, YO, S1, K1, psso) twice, K4
Row 40: Purl, same as Row 24

Okay; that's your start. When I get the next pattern worked, I'll post it for you to use. I can't wait to see how this works out. Please bear in mind that I have never done anything this complicated from scratch before. If you find an error, will you please let me know? And if you are going to knit this, will you let me know as well? I am eager to see if it is as attractive and pretty as I believe it to be! So far, I love love love it!

Happy Monday!