Swallowtail Shawl

On my recent train ride from Los Angeles to Seattle, I finished knitting the Swallowtail Shawl (mine is more of a scarf size) as a gift for a former boss. It was in lieu of another shawl I had started last year but never finished.


Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl, by Evelyn A. Clark
Pattern from: Interweave Knits, Fall 2006
Wool used: Misti Alpaca Lace, Sea Mist color. I used about one skein (50 grams, 437 yards) single strand.
Where purchased: Knit Cafe in Los Angeles, CA
Needles: Addi Turbo circular, U.S. 4
Started: September 2006
Completed: November 2006
For whom: A former boss
What I learned: Knitting five stitches together can be a bit tricky with the blunt Addi needles.

Shawl point—


Shawl body—


Shawl edge—

Nether garments

My latest project is knitting some nether garments from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac using Rygja wool I bought at a thrift store.


Following the "Washing" instructions on this Recycling Yarn page, I soaked the hanks of wool in hot water and shampoo.


When the water cooled off, I rinsed the hanks in Eucalan Woolwash and hung them out to dry and, hopefully, lose some of the rancid lanolin smell.


Then I wound one of the hanks into a ball and started knitting to find out the gauge. I'm getting 5 stitches to the inch on size 5 U.S. (3.75mm).

And I've started knitting. Here's the first ankle. I'm not worrying too much about the irregularities of my knitting as these are long underwear. (I probably won't wear them under a housedress with boots, EZ style!) The wool is quite rough, and I'm hoping blocking will help even out the stitches somewhat.


I've started increasing up the back seam for the calf and knee shaping. It's tricky trying to increase the way EZ recommends. But I should figure it out before I finish.


This is my knitting project for a two-day train ride. Hopefully, I'll have nether garments well on their way to being completed by the time I reach Seattle!

P.S. There is an EZ knit-along, Zimmermania, that is currently quite active.

Knitting books II

Shelf 1: Small items—toys and doll clothes, collections of small items, socks, mittens, hats, bags, furnishings; collections of generally larger items (mainly sweaters)

Shelf 2 right: Children and infants, "knit lit," crocheting

Knitting books I

Shelf 1: How-to; Elizabeth Zimmerman; pattern stitch and motifs, including afghans; garment construction and general patterns; knitted fabric techniques (e.g., color work); finishing

Shelf 2: Knitted lace and scarf/shawl patterns; Scandinavian knitting; Fair Isle; Aran, including Starmore books; traditional British

Beach socks

I started a pair of socks on my recent trip to Hawaii. I ripped out the first attempt because size one needles were too large. I found a pair of size 0s at The Needlework Shop in Lahaina, Maui, and started again.

I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock wool in Aslan (beige, lilac, light blues), which I won in a drawing at the former Knitty Gritty.


The pattern is from Wendy Johnson: her toe-up feather and fan sock pattern (.pdf).


Sock has been knit while on Maui beaches, in the condo, and in the airport. The first attempt on too-large needles kept me occupied on the flight over.

Blocked Flower Basket shawl

If you have good neighbors (like I do), living in a duplex can be a handy thing—for example, if you need someone to model your freshly blocked Flower Basket Shawl.


I would have liked to make it a couple repeats larger, but I had a deadline, so I hope this size will work.


Details in two previous posts.

It's blocking

I picked up a 40 x 60 inch piece of foam board, which, of course, did not fit in my car. So I had to put it in the trunk, and then, of course, I didn't have anything to tie down the trunk. So I found a large plastic sack stuffed away, ripped it open, managed to feed it through the latch on the top of the trunk and tie it to the matching latch on the inside of the trunk.

I drove home with the trunk more or less open, but at least the plastic tie held it somewhat, and I was able to take side streets.

The colors ran quite a bit when I soaked the shawl, even with vinegar. Then I rolled it in towels and laid it out on the foam board.

I've never made a shawl before, so I now see the advantage of buying blocking wires to keep the straight edge of the shawl straight. As a substitute, I thread dental floss through the eyelets along the top edge using a double-pointed needle that also has an eye on one end and pulled it tight. Then I tried to pin the edge without making too many bumps. The scalloped edges are easier, although it's difficult to stop re-pinning to make the scallops as symmetrical as possible. I was still re-pinning after I took this picture.


I knitted three extra repeats of the main pattern for ten repeats total. The Flower Basket shawl is still slightly smaller than the dimensions suggested. It will be more of a scarf/shawl than a shawl to wrap up in. The dimensions are about 55 inches across the top edge and just over 26 inches from the top edge to the bottom point.


More pictures when the shawl is dry!

Unblocked Flower Basket shawl

For the past few weeks I've been working on a Flower Basket shawl for my former boss and colleague. Today was her last day at work, but I just finished knitting the shawl around mid-night last night. So it still needs to be washed and blocked. I gave it to her anyway at her good-bye picnic and then took it back so I could block it.


Pattern: Flower Basket Shawl, by Evelyn A. Clark
Pattern from: Interweave Knits, Fall 2004
Wool used: Cherry Tree Hill Glitter Alpaca, Martha's Vineyard colorway. I used about one and three-quarters skeins (50 grams, 222 yards each) single strand.
Where purchased: Unwind in Burbank, CA
Needles: Clover bamboo circular, U.S. 5
Started: Mid-May 2006
Completed: Mid-June 2006

I like the bumpy texture of the back of the shawl, again, unblocked.