Progress so far...

I started my shawl the night before last. Didn't like how it looked and switched to a smaller size needle. Then I made the mistake of knitting while my grandson was here. I ended up frogging the little bit I'd done. After more than 30 years of knitting, you would think I'd know better than to read a chart while being distracted.

I started again yesterday afternoon after switching to a smaller size needle. I took the photo after I started the second repeat of chart B, haven't had a chance to work on it today. The photos shows that I've left my lifelines in. But, if you look closely you will see what looks like a bead laying on my knitting. As someone warned, you need to be careful not to catch your stitch markers when putting in the lifeline. I realized I did it on the next row, took the marker off the needle and left it hanging. The lifelines have come in handy already. I noticed that I had too many stitches at one point and was able to pull out my needle and undo my knitting easily. I hope to get more done tonight.

I did it!

Hurrah! Frustration has ended. I am now through chart A with no mishaps. I decided to use a basic fingering yarn and size 7 needles so I could easily see the pattern as I finally got the hang of following the chart. Once I am confidant in what I am doing, I will start over with a lace yarn and smaller needles. Thanks, Margaret, for your help and encouragement.
Sue J.

Received Pattern & Yarn Today

Hi Janet,

This is an easy lace shawl and the perfect pattern for someone just beginning to read a chart. Scroll down toward the bottom and begin reading with subject 'Chart Knitting'. Read "up."

There's not too many advanced knitters here, to my knowledge, with the the exception of Mary, a very experienced lace knitter and Jackie, the designer, who is a master knitter. All of us are willing to help so that this will be a pleasurable experience. You will love reading a chart! Ask away if you have questions.

Margaret

cast on?

Just one more question. Well, one more for now, anyway. Is there a preferred method of cast-on for lace knitting? Should I use long-tail, cable, knit, etc.? I tend to prefer knit cast on, but will certainly change if one is better than the other for this type of knitting. I wasn't kidding when I said I was knew to lace knitting. Once again, thanks so much for the help.
Sue J.

Tha yarn is dyed & I've begun....

Amanda, your yarn is very pretty and will be a lovely shawl.

Oh, one thing about the lifeline; don't run it through your markers as they have to go with you. (-:

Margaret

Tha yarn is dyed & I've begun....

Okay...I finally dyed the yarn for this shawl on Wednesday. It's Merino laceweight from Knit Picks. It's not as bright as I had hoped(only because I forgot the vinegar...duh!), but this colorway is really growing on me. Below is the yarn wound into a ball and I've completed up to Row 7. My only knitting time for this is at night, when I have no interruptions...so this will be a little slow going until I get the hang of the pattern. THANK YOU...to whoever posted about the lifeline technique...I've never heard of this, but will be using it in this project!

Pattern

Kathy, hope you decide to join us. We are going to be learning about following a chart and the instruction, of which you mentioned in your email, will come with your questions as you knit and follow the charted pattern. If you change your mind, there are a number of merchants who sell HeartStrings FiberArts patterns, including me. You may either purchase (or view the cover sheet) at the Promotion page or visit HeartStrings to locate a shop near you.

Thanks for dropping in!

Margaret

Knitting Tips...

I thought I would share a couple of things I learned from previous lace knitting. While I like working with center pull balls for most knitting, when using a very fine, slippery or grabby yarn, I will wind my yarn into a ball or start from the outside of a center pull ball. The first time I had fine yarn tangle, I gave it a tug and it snapped, resulting in a bit of a mess. Another time, once the ball of yarn started to collapse, what was left was a tangled mess, resulting in stress, hours of untangling and lots of bad thoughts. Since then working from a ball or outside end of a ball wound on a winder, seems to work best for me.

Writing things down... Below is swatch done months ago, testing the pattern in a wool cafe au lait color. I didn't write what needle size I used and so I can't just pick it up and continue without swatching. Since then my daughter's wedding gown has arrived and while the yarn color looks great on her, it doesn't really look good with her ivory dress. I've decided that since I have over 4000 yards of that yarn, I'm going to use it for square shawl/throw. Even though I'll be making a different project, I like the lace with whatever size needle I used. Just a little note would have have helped.

Dental Floss?

Sue, a lifeline occasionally saves a lot of time and aggravation in the event you drop a stitch like I did with the tencel. You can put one in ever so often but I will definitely be lacing one in after Chart A, one after Chart B, and then I will probably increase the number of lifelines after that to every given number of rows.

With a tapestry needle (sized to go through the loops of your stitches) and a length of dental floss long enough to go through all your stitches (with ample leftover on either side), start at the outermost stitch and go through the stitches (loops) on the needle with the dental floss and leave it in place. If you drop a stitch, you can rip back to the lifeline and pick the stitches back up on your needle at that point. Had I done that the first time, I may be much further ahead now.

You can start out with straight needles if you are more comfortable getting your pattern established; I do it sometimes. This time, I haven't. I started out knitting with the circulars I will use throughout.

Margaret

Dental Floss?

Wondering if you could please explain about the dental floss lifeline technique. I am all ears if this will save some aggravation later. Also, is there a benefit to starting with straight needles first, then moving to circular, or should I start with circulars right away?
Thanks for the help.
Sue J.

WHOA Nellie!!

Well, Iris, you're not behind. Mary and I both have started over. I have gotten very good at Chart A; this is my third time. (-: I dropped a stitch the first time somewhere in Chart B (KNEW I should have taken Mary's advice and put in that dental floss lifeline!), mistakenly used the wrong size needle the second time and finally finished Chart A in the right size needle last night after a few failed attempts.

And, as you can see below, the dog ate Mary's homework. lol

We're really just gearing our engines. (-:

Margaret

WHOA Nellie!!

Sheesh! Here I've been patiently waiting till May 1 to dive into this project. Then I visit the KAL blog tonight and see how many of you are well underway. Not fair! ;-)
Well, I'm still waiting for Monday. And then I'll read all your comments as you work out the kinks for us, and just breeze along, right?
Iris in Iowa

Wavering....

I'm waiting for my Alpaca lace weight yarn order to arrive and when it does I'll be starting my daughter's shawl using that. However, I was taking photos of some new skeins of yarns and this one kept calling t0 me... Looks like one way or another I'll be starting a shawl even if my order doesn't come by May 1st.

Dog Blast It!

My Shawl has met a Dogged End! I put it down for a moment, walked away, and our Grand-Dog (we are visiting our son, his wife and their dog) got a hold of it. I came back to a knitted disaster. It has been chewed to bits. There isn't any of the yarn that is recoverable. The needles, luckily, were not chewed. I didn't get all the ring markers back.

Unfortunately, the mood in the house is that it is all my fault. I should have known better. There is no sympathy whatsoever. There have have been a lot of chuckles as to the possible use of the chewed item.

I'll start again ... tomorrow. Today is a day to look at the dog and think rude thoughts. I'm going to be knitting in the room that is off limits to him. After all, I was knitting about 4 stitches, then throwing his ball. Couldn't he have appreciated that?

Jumping the gun

Hi, I couldn't wait to see what the pattern would look like, so I thought I would test the waters. I really like the pattern and I like the yarn that I was testing with. I really wanted to make it with the other yarn, but I can't seem to make myself stop the "test". I am hoping that I can get on the ball and dye the other yarn, so I can use it, but leave the "test" on needles so I will go back to work on it. What I really should be doing is finishing up my tail-end projects so I won't feel guilty starting this new project. I haven't run into many problems reading the chart. I found the transition spot was a bit tricky, but if you don't think and just do what the chart says (use the force, Luke) it will be ok. I am putting a picture up on my blog of my progress so far. I finished going through chart B once. I can't wait to see what all the shawls will look like.

Another 'hi', welcome and thank you

So good to see friends here knitting along. In case everyone doesn't know, Cary and others here have farms. Cary's wool from her sheep stays sold out. Cary, I'm afraid yarn choice would be no contest for me. (-:

Nice to see a note from Amanda! And, thanks, Sue for your nice comments.

I'm becoming even more familiar with the pattern than I already was. I dropped a stitch last night after completing Chart B and with tencel, it slid fairly quick. (-: So, I started over and knitted Chart A and noticed the stitches were kind of loopy and was fighting the cable of which I had just straightened the night before. Just after finishing Chart A, I caught a glimpse of the correct (smaller) needle. lol My start date may truly be May 1!

Yarn choice/selections

Yarns with heavy rayon content may or may not hold the pattern in a stockinette stitch based design like the Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl as rayon is known for its wonderful drape. Of course, when a shawl is stretched across one's back, the pattern is sure to show but maybe not as much as a yarn like Cloud 9 with a balanced content of rayon and cotton.

If Jackie is viewing the blog, I would like to have her opinion.

Just arrived!

My yarn and pattern just arrived from Heritage Yarns, and I am thrilled! The colorways are stunning. I chose Cloud 9 and Tencel 8/2, so now I must decide which one to use first. Margaret, they are just beautiful. Thank you so much and away I go!
Sue J.

Intro & Yarn Selection...

Hello! My name is Amanda. I just joined the KAL today. I live in Central NY, just north of Syracuse and have 3 children under 7. You can visit my blog here.

I had purchased a skein of undyed Knit Picks Merino laceweight yarn with plans to dye it then sell it, but when this KAL came along, I figured it would work. Since the skein is only 880 yards, I'll just be knitting a smaller shawl. My idea for dyeing the yarn is inspired by what works with my skin tone and the colors of new plant growth in the spring. 2 or 3 shades of pink, light lime green and white, with the possibility of a little yellow...still considering that color. I'll post a photo of the yarn when it's done drying.

Also...I've never knit from a chart, so I'll be needing a little help along the way.

And...with this yarn, what needle size would be best??

Amanda

More Yarn Selection

Hello Everyone! My name is Cary and I am a friend of Margaret's and several others signed up here ;) Have you all made your yarn selections for sure? I am trying to decide between some of Margaret's lovely silk/rayon yarn; a pretty lettuce leaf green fingerling weight cotton or handspun from my own flock of sheep...hmm, I think I will spend the next week before the official start date knitting samples out of each yarn and then decide. I'm really looking forward to this KAL, thank you to all who are hosting us ;D

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Welcome, Kate and thanks for your nice comments. Bird of Paradise was designed from the flower while on a trip to St. Petersburg, Florida with my husband. They were planted around the pool in proliferation and so beautiful.

A trial colorway will debut in a few days and already, I am considering a name, in the event the samples are good. Two, here on the knitalong, will preview it. Can't wait to see how fast they can knit. lol

Margaret

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Hi all, I'm new to blogger so this is a test post. I ordered the pattern and a skein of Bird of Paradise colour cloud 9 (I love the names Margaret gives her colourways), and I got the last skein of that colour! That was exciting to me, because I adore bright colours.

Anyway, my name's Kate, and I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and am eagerly awaiting my pattern and yarn (and it's not even going to be mailed 'till tomorrow. Patience, patience...)

Kate, curious as to whether or not this post will actually go where she wants it to go...

Faith is the key

Marlene, looks like 52: 11, the center repeat X 2 and the last 11. Something that might make it more clear - I hope (-: - there are 2 additional yarnovers on row 1 of Chart B that make up for the decreases on that row. Note that you should have finished row 26 with 50.

As you go up the chart, you will be adding markers as needed toward the outer edges of the shawl, keeping the repeat.

Margaret

Confused

Hi Marlene,

This post may come through twice as Blogger got a little hyper on me when I tried to post.

Repeat the center stitches of the chart (between the darker lines) as necessary across the row, ending the row with the remainder of the charted row.

Occasionally, in the pattern, you may need to move your markers but go forward and trust the pattern and it will work out. In order to check your work, occasionally, count the stitches between each marker to insure you have the right number.

Margaret

Confused

Hi Marlene,

Repeat the 15 stitches in the center portion (between the darker lines) as necessary and ending with the remainder of the charted row.

Can't wait to see pictures!

Margaret

Question on Chart B Rows 12 and 13

Trish, Mary doesn't have internet access this weekend but does have phone access and I asked her thoughts. (Incidentally, I recall this throwing me.)

You have the extra yarnover on each end. Place your markers between the 2 purl stitches, i.e., .^., the arrow indicating the marker. You may need to temporarily move the marker but it will work out. Not being able to get my hands on it right now (nitrille gloves on and typing) and knit, basically, just trust the pattern. It will work out.

When do we get a picture? (-:

Question on Chart B Rows 12 and 13

Trish, I remember cross this but haven't gotten to that point yet. I believe it is simply temporarily moving your markers out of the way. I will have to put my hands on it to be sure and actually be knitting. Mary?

Margaret

Question on Chart B Rows 12 and 13

I jumped the gun and started, and now have a question. When I go from Chart B, Row 12 to Row 13, the "dotted" stitches (on the outer edges, both sides) do not line up. The overall stitch counts are OK though-and the inner dotted stitches line up. I have been putting my stitch markers in the middle of the two 'reversed' stitches, so this confused me. Also-on the pattern, they line up, but the 'extra' 3 stitches on each side on row 13 have to come from somewhere. Am I doing something wrong? It looks OK otherwise.

Hi.

I am not new to knitting, but I have never really done a lot of fancy knitting. I am looking forward to this. Now I have to find out What I doing first, LOL! I seem to have that problem.

Donnely

Wedding Shawl

Eve, it may not be too warm with Tina's beautiful strapless wedding gown, particularly inside. It's a finer yarn and with it being a lace structure, I would think it would be fine.

Margaret

Needles

Good points, Mary; no pun intended. I started out with Denise needles and love the cable but the tencel is a little slippery for them. We are limited to local access here but I found some wooden Clover needles that seem to be working O.K. but for the cable. Oh, my does it do a curlique thing! Hope dunking in some hot water will help.

Margaret

Hi!

I'm new to blogging and relatively new to lace knitting, but am so eager to learn more and improve my skills. Can't wait for the yarn and pattern to arrive from Heritage Yarns. I have worked with Heartstrings patterns before and loved them, but have much to learn. I've already learned a lot by reading the previous posts. I'll do my best to keep up and be helpful to my fellow knitters.
Thanks so much.
Sue J.

Wedding Shawl ....

Glad to be a part of this knitalong. I've done a swatch of this pattern with a light coffee colored yarn and really liked it a lot. However, since this may end up being my daughter's wedding shawl, (wedding is July 1st) I want to make it using an off-white or ivory yarn. Going through my yarn supply all I have enough of in lace weight is merino, too warm maybe?

Needle Thoughts

I started off with a size 6 needle on the Cloud 9, as the pattern calls for a size 5. I will be frogging and starting with a size 8. There just isn't enough stitch definition for me to be happy. Bottom line is to do a few repeats, pin it out and see what you think. Sometimes you don't have to pin it out. Just look.

On needles... it is such a personal preference. When I'm doing lace, I avoid Addis. They don't have a sharp enough point. I like Inox Express. Susan Bates have a good point. If you are knitting with a slippery yarn, a bamboo or wooden needle is great. An ebony or rosewood needle is a joy and an investment. The points on the one needle I had were sharp, and made the lace a joy to work with.

Another thought, how much does your yarn contrast with the needles? I once tried to knit something that was the same color as the needles...a disaster in extremely fine yarn when you are doing some of the decreases such as knit 3 together through the back loop then pass a stitch over! Where is that stitch! Something you may or may not want or need to think about.

Boye needles have amazingly good points. We don't tend to think of them.

Try a set of circulars. Do they have a smooth join? Can you easily do the stitches called for in the pattern? Then you have a winner? It doesn't matter what someone else is using. You are the one that makes the decision here.

As for me, it looks as if I'm using Susan Bates, because that's what is available! Smooth joins, sharp tip...I'm happy!

Needle sizes

Hi,

Gail asked about the size needle to use for her yarn. With Cloud 9, I would start with a size 7. The label states size 5 but that is for stockinette. Lace needles need to be bumped up a couple of sizes in order to open up and show the pattern pretty.

For 8/2 tencel, I am using a size 5 and hope it is not too open. But, the bottom line is are you satisfied with your fabric when blocked out.

Suggestions, Mary?

Signing up for the knitalong

Hi everyone,

A few email messages have bounced back to me when I have emailed you and copied Mary. Chances are, the email address was put in incorrectly or may have something to do with your server. If you know of anyone who has signed up and not heard from me, ask them to contact me through email.

I would hate for anyone to miss out on the knitalong who wants to participate.

Thanks.

Margaret
Margaret@heritageyarns.com

A worrier

Hi, just thought it would be good to post a first message before I have to start wringing my hands. I am not worried about the knitting or the chart part. I have to be worried about the YARN! I haven't done a bigger project that requires any great amount of yarn (ok, I did bought 9 balls of yarn for a sweater/dress/socks pattern, but that doesn't really count. The person I am knitting that for is small so it doesn't seem like a big project). It is difficult to justify buying yarn with so much fiber sitting around my house. It is either unprocessed or in such small amounts spun that I can't do much with it. So I go to buy yarn. By the time I am done, I will have too much yarn variety and have spent enough money to buy what I wanted to in the first place but was too cheap. I think I have a plan though. I have bought some undyed and I will have my middle daughter and me dye it ourselves. If nothing else, it will be a designer original! I am so excited about the knit along. Cheers for us!

Peggy

Following a chart

Mary asked me to post this rather than commenting to Lyn's question as she felt it might be useful. Therefore, I'm going public. (-;

Once you get accustomed to a chart, you won't care to go back to written instructions. It's kind of like reading a cross-stitch pattern. First, cast on 20 stitches. Then, look at the bottom of the chart at the legend. Begin odd rows (first one & right side) on the right side of the chart. You will see that the arrow symbol is a chain selvedge. Follow the instructions for a chain selvedge. Turn your knitting and follow the chart for the second row starting from the left side and chain selvedge. All the odd rows (right/public side) will start from the right side and even rows will start from the left. The arrow symbols are a good reminder for me. To make knitting a little easier to keep up with, place a marker between the (.) symbols. It also helps to use a magnetic board and place your magnet above the line on which you're working. When mine dries tonight, I will be placing a lifeline through the stitches too.

Margaret

Chart Knitting

Chart knitting can be intimidating the first time, but most knitters find it easier. Take a bit of time and see if you find it working for you.

Chart A:
Row 1: Chain Selvedge stitch, knit 8, purl 2, knit 9
Row 2: Chain selvedge stitch, knit 1, purl 7, knit 2, purl 7, knit 2
Row 3: Chain selvedge stitch, knit 2, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, right slant decrease, purl 2, left slant decrease, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit 3

You can write out the directions this way, if you prefer, but most of us find that it is faster to look at the chart and read the chart. I'm not going to write out more of the design, because of copyright issues, but you can see, from this, how it would be done. If you want more information, ask me off the blog.

I can't echo Margaret's tip enough, USE A MARKER BETWEEN EACH REPEAT that way you don't have to count. It is also a way to quickly realize that you have made a mistake.

Chart A

O.K., I succumbed to the urge this morning and finished knitting Chart A and did a quick, damp, finger block. Not sure if the pattern shows up great. I'm using a size 5 needle with 8/2 tencel. What do you think? Too early to tell?


Margaret

My yarn is here!

My yarn got here! I've balled one skein, so I'm ready to go. Vroom, vroom, do you here the engines idling? grin

Specs: Yarn is Cloud 9, 50% cotton 50% rayon, 832 yard per skein

Color is Black and Gray in a Rainbow World
Purchased from Heritage Yarns

How to Post

Since so many have said you are new to blogging, I thought I'd give a quick and dirty rundown on posting.

Go to the Dashboard or control panel, to allow you to start new posts. See the green cross? Click on it to start a new post.

Now you are taken to the page to create your post. Put in your subject, just as you do in an e-mail. There are features to add formatting.

To add a photo, click on the icon that looks like a scenic picture. It will walk you through the steps to add an image from your computer. It adds it at the top of your post, but you can either add all the pictures at the start of your post, then write, or copy and paste the pictures in where you want them to go. If you put the pictures in the center of the screen, the words don't wrap on the side, and you don't get the description with the picture.

To add an HTML link, click on the icon that is a chain with green below. It will come up with http: I find it easiest to copy and paste directly from the website. The thing I forget most is to put something between the link and the second brackets with the /a. Without something there, your link won't show up. Paste the link in there too, if you like. Put in the store name. Whatever you are sending us to, that is what should be in there.

To check the spelling in your post, hold down the control button on your keyboard and click the ABC button on the screen.

The bold -- b , italic -- i, and quotes -- ", are self-explanatory.

Another nice touch, to the right of the "writing pad" is a link that says "Preview". Click on that, and you can see how your post will look BEFORE it goes public. If you don't like the way it looks, click "Hide Preview", make the changes, and either click "Preview" again or "Publish Post".

Run out of time before you post? Click "Save as Draft" and the post will be ready for you to complete when you come back to it.

If you do post it, and you realize you've made an error? You can still go back to the dashboard, click on the name of the blog, and it will take you to a list of posts. You will see the name of the post, with an edit box in front of it. Click on that box, and you will be taken to the same screen you were in when you wrote the post originally.

I hope this helps! Any questions, feel free to write me.

Mary

Hi!

Hi y'all!

I'm really looking forward to knitting along with all of you and getting to know you. I've got to pick out a yarn! (-: I'm debating with myself but tencel will probably win out and maybe Blue Bayou. Hmmm.. I'm riding out of town tomorrow afternoon with my DH and may knit for almost 3 hours if I will commit and ball it up. Sounds like a morning project.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone does.

Margaret

Finally Made It In

After 4 tries, I finally gave up and changed name and tried a password that I use occasionally and got in. I am glad to join this group for the KnitALong. I am on my 3rd shawl and this one is knit from the center and is square. It has a few errors in it, but it has been a learning experience which I have thoroughly enjoyed. Another gal from my city will be joining, Ann, and she too, is excited to be part of this.
I will be finishing the square shawl by the end of this month and plan on using beads in my shawl for this one. Have been playing around today trying to figure where and how many I want to place in the pattern.
Stannie
aka spinmaggie@cox.net

May 1st Start Date

The May 1st Start Date is NOT set in stone. If you want to start before that, go for it! Start posting and start showing progress reports! We wanted to give people time to acquire materials.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Elegantly Simple Triagular Shawl Knitalong! We've created this space to knit our shawls together. Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer is going to be available to help us as needed. We thought this forum might be great for showing pictures as we progress. Tell us who you are, what yarn you are working with, and how it is going!