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A couple of weeks ago I finished and blocked a new shawl. It seems I was so busy with New Hampshire Sheep and Wool and the Boston Strong colorways that I never posted about it.
Draupner Shawl. In case you're wondering, the name refers to a type of wave.
This design uses short rows to create a crescent shape.
The advantage to this shape is that it's easy to wear and stays in place.
The pattern is worked from the bottom edge up.
Each scallop is created separately using short rows. Then they are all joined together, and the body of the shawl is worked to the top. Draupner combines a bit of lace and a garter ridge pattern for an interesting project. I was surprised at how quickly it knit up.
The yarn is Dirty Water DyeWorks Lillian, colorway Depression Glass.
The magic of short rows.
Knitting can be boiled down to two ingredients - the knit stitch and the purl stitch. It's the extended techniques that make knitting so intriguing. For example, take short rows. They are magical. Short rows allow for shaping and adding extra fabric just where it's needed.
Lately when the situation calls for short rows, I've been experimenting with German short rows.
Draupner has a series of scallops along the bottom edge, and the scallops are constructed using short rows. I opted for German short rows since they are so neat and tidy. If you want to see step by step instructions for making German short rows, check out a previous blog post.
I've been making scallop after scallop after scallop.
My cable is full of scallops. I think it's time for a scallop count.
Speaking of shapes take a look at the work of Kiyoshi Mino for detailed needle felted animals . . . lovely works of art.
I came away from the weekend with several observations. A strip mall parking lot can be entertaining if you're people watching - loud teenage boys piling into a car, barking dogs left unattended in a car, excited children skipping into the pet store. It can also be a good spot for production knitting while waiting for kids. There's nothing like a few hours in a confined space to add several inches to the latest knitting project.
My Picabeau is off the needles and next in line for a good blocking. I'll share pictures in a later post.
Since one project was off the needles, I had license to start a new one. In case you're wondering, that's our communal Easter / Spring basket in the background. That was one of my better ideas over the weekend - throw a bunch of candy in one basket for all to share. I don't know why I didn't think of it years ago. My not-so-good idea was leaving two teenage boys with potatoes, peelers and a pot and expecting that it would all land on the stove ready for cooking. You win some, you lose some.
Next up on the needles is Draupner. I would put this in the win column.
This shawl has a short row, scalloped bottom edge. Draupner is worked from the bottom up, so right now it's all about the scallops. I came up with a production system on the first scallop. One down, ten to go.
