Allow me introduce you to two sisters: Shoals & Shore. They’re crescent-shaped shawls worked from the bottom up; Shoals (as her name implies) is shallow, while Shore is deeper and rounder like a sandy beach. They both begin with a lace border, but Shoals‘ body is smooth stockinette, whereas Shore’s is an undulating garter stitch.
Shoals + Shore
PDF Patterns + Worksheet
£8.00
Shoals‘ lace looks like waves, and swaying seaweed, and seashells all at once. She’s a dainty little creature who will keep the sun off your shoulders while you relax on the beach with a book. Knit in a vibrant colour like turquoise, she’ll add a flourish to a plain outfit, especially useful if you’re travelling with a limited wardrobe. She could totally pull off white too, though.
Shore is sand lilies, mermaid’s purses, fishtails, and fins. Being a bit larger, she makes a good cover-up for the beach, tied nonchalantly around your hips or jauntily at your shoulder. She’ll also keep the chill off after your swim.
BONUS!
But I haven’t even told you the best part yet! The sisters bring with them a CRESCENT SHAWL SHAPING WORKSHEET which shows you the exact formula I used to design them in the first place. All you have to do is decide how rounded you want your shawl to be, fill in the blanks, and follow the pattern.
What does this mean to you?
1. It means that you can design your own crescent-shaped shawls using any stitch pattern you like for the border.
2. It means that you can modify patterns you already own to be shallower or deeper or A DIFFERENT SIZE!
3. It means that you can expand your knitting repertoire to include this intriguing knitting technique.
The worksheet elucidates the technique used in the beautiful Annis Shawl, designed by Susanna IC. I love this technique so much; it’s quite brilliant! If you haven’t tried it before, it works by decreasing at the end of each short row, so essentially the shawl is shaped in two ways. I think this worksheet will be of great value to you, because figuring out how these shawls work is by no means intuitive.
Don’t worry if you’re not good with maths, either. I’ve laid out the worksheet (which is 1 page, with an additional explanatory page) clearly and simply, so all you have to do is fill in the blanks, and perform some basic division. Perhaps you could use an abacus. :)
See? Life’s a breeze when you have the formula; now I have all this spare time to relax on the beach. :)
many moons
If you’re as fond of visual puns as I am, then you will appreciate how many themes are ripe for a crescent shawl…
How about…
a crescent-shaped shawl for a honeymoon, whether it’s your own, or a friend’s?
a Luna Lovegood shawl to celebrate the final Harry Potter film?
a “cheer up” shawl for a loved one who’s been mooning about?
a shawl inspired by the croissant, for elegant brunches at a café?
Details
Shoals & Shore each have 4 sizes, and both written & charted instructions.
The sisters are only available as a pair, as they complement each other so well. The best part is that if you don’t like my sizes you can use the worksheet to create your own, so altering any of the shawls to work with other yarn weights and gauges is easy. You can also effortlessly configure Shoals to be more curved, and Shore to be shallower. The possibilities are endless! One thing’s for sure, you’ll be blocking your own shawls in no time…
As I continue to receive the sweetest “thank you” notes for the Shawl Shaping Cheat Sheet (which has now been downloaded over 3000 times), I’ve been considering easy ways to add borders to the shawls. Unless you want to push mindless knitting to the edge, that is… ;)
I tried my idea on this grey triangular shawl that’s been languishing for a while. All I did was work a stitch pattern which divided nicely into my stitch count (253). I stopped the regular shawl increases, so the border has straight sides, and a rounded tip (fig.1). Usually the 4 increases every 2 rows would be maintained into the border, so the shape of the shawl wouldn’t change (fig.2).
It’s difficult to predict how this method would look with different stitch patterns, but I really like the way it looks on this shawl. The tip definitely needs to be blocked to look good though, and I don’t know whether some of the larger shawl shapes would stretch the border out too much at the corners. What do you think? Do you like the effect?
If you’d like to try adding a border like this, the various shawl shapes will allow the following stitch pattern multiples:
TRIANGULAR: mult. of 4+1
SQUARE & CIRCULAR: mult. of 8+1
SEMI-CIRCULAR: mult. of 6+1
HEART-SHAPED: mult. of 6+3
Any variations on these are also good. For example, stitch patterns that are multiples of 2+1, 4+5, 8+1, 8+9, 12+1, 12+5, etc. will all work for the triangular shawl. Any stitch patterns worked over an odd number of sts will work for all the shawls, such as the lace stitch I used:
ROW 1: K1, *yo, k2tog, rep. from * to end.
ROW 2: Purl across.
ROW 3: *Ssk, yo, rep. from * to last st, k1.
ROW 4: Purl across.
An alternative would be to place stitch markers at the beginning and end of “blocks” of pattern repeats, to keep them separate from the shawl increases. Each time a pattern repeat was completed, if there were enough stitches for another repeat, the stitch markers would be moved along. In fact, if I wrote up a “cheat” like this, it could be used to fill in any shawl shape with a stitch pattern. Of course, there would be zig-zags of white space around the stitch pattern, but that isn’t unusual, though I do find the square border above rather more pleasing.
Please let me know what you think, shawl knitters!
P.S. This is my 7th shawl this year, so I’m sort-of on target for 11 shawls in 2011! :)
Since I demonstrated my purling technique in Love Your Purls, I’ve had loads of knitters contact me to let me know how much it’s helped them get faster at purling, and actually stop hating the process!
I’ve also had a few people asking me to demonstrate how I would work a knit stitch in this way. It certainly wouldn’t make sense to change techniques between knitting and purling, so I shot this video a while back, to show you how I knit and purl. You might be able to tell I’m working the Parasol Shawlette, which will be released oh-so-soon.
Knitters who purchase the Parasol Stole before the release, will get a free copy of the Shawlette pattern. Otherwise, it will be priced as a separate pattern, although I may offer a discounted “bundle” for the Stole & Shawlette together. So if you’re interested in knitting either, it’s best to buy now! :)
Here’s a video I just shot showing you a really neat way to work a central decrease. I’ve used this technique before in my Hottie Cover to decrease 8 stitch (4 over 4) cables, and in this video I’m using it in ribbing. It’ll work anywhere, you can decrease as many stitches as you like, and it’s really easy to remember. I certainly didn’t come up with it, but I love it nonetheless! :) You’ll also get a sneak-peak at my new pattern, which I should have ready really soon. Let me know what you think & if you have any other knitting problems, you can ask them over on Tumblr, or here.
Here’s a quick guide to fringe-making. I don’t know how correct it is to say fringes are really “in” right now, after all, do fringes ever go away? But they definitely take a project from drab to chic. So…
You will need:
yarn
a piece of card
a crochet hook
How Long?
The length of your fringe will really depend on what looks good to you, so I recommend you make a few “tassels”, attach them to your project, and step back to see if you think it looks the right length. Remember that the frequency of tassels will change the overall effect as well. Then cut your card to the right size, making sure you have an even width across (or some of your strands will end up shorter). Remember that if it’s a thick piece of card, this will add to the length of your strands when you wrap the yarn around it.
How Much Yarn?
Fringes take a LOT of yarn. It’s very difficult to estimate, but you could measure each of your strands, multiply it by the number of strands, then figure out how many “tassels” you have for every 10cm/4in of your edging and thereby figure out how many tassels you need in total and how many metres/yards of yarn that’s going to require. If you’re following a pattern, you might even be able to “guesstimate” how much extra yarn you need to purchase in advance in this way.
Instructions
1. Place your yarn against the card, lining the end of the strand up with the bottom of the card.
2. Wrap the yarn around as many times as the number of strands you want. You can see that for this shawl I used 6 strands in every bundle.
3. Get your scissors and snip through the bottom of the strands, then snip the end of the yarn at the same length.
4. Keeping the strands all together, get a crochet hook, insert it through the edge of the piece where you want to attach the fringe, and pull all the strands through. To get the neat side of the fringe on the right side of your work, you need to insert your hook from the back.
5. Pull the ends through the loop, making sure to keep them at an even length.
6. Tighten the tassel. This is called a “lark’s head knot”, in case you want to look it up. Now repeat the process for however many more tassels you need.
Tips
For thicker yarns one strand may be enough for a fringe, but for thinner yarns like the one I’m working with, I recommend you bundle up several strands together or you may find that your fringe looks rather thin and scraggly. A card helps even when you’re working with a single strand, though.
Remember to always pull through the same side. Examine the back and front of your fringe and you’ll see what I mean.
For a triangular shawl, it might help to attach the fringe to the point to begin with, to see how far down it will extend (you don’t want to be treading on it all the time).
By the way, in case you’re wondering, this is a KniTwit Shawl that I knit the summer before last in a lovely soft mohair blend. The “pattern” is less than 147 characters long, so I think it’s fair to say it’s one of the easiest shawls you can make. Add a fringe like this & it’s also very stylish. If you knit it in a thicker yarn (DK or maybe even worsted), I bet you could have it done in a weekend!
My initiation into the world of circular jumpers (and indeed jumpers in general) came with Stephanie Japel’s ‘Angelica‘. I fell in love with it the moment I saw the photo, and stalked Stephanie’s blog until she put the pattern up. It took me 3 days to knit (I was procrastinating an English essay), and I was utterly fascinated by the process. Angelica is knit top-down, in the round, with yo raglan increases and a beautiful, highly unusual neckline. I’ve knit quite a few top-down jumpers and cardigans since then, and it’s definitely become my method of choice, but this is the first time I’ve tried to knit a bottom-up jumper. The main reason I decided to try it was that I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with the neckline of this jumper. Boatneck? V-Neck? Cowl neck? I was leaning towards the cowl neck, but then I wasn’t sure how much yarn I’d have left to play with. It turned out I had plenty. The yarn is Himalaya Padişah (talk about an incongruous name) which is a Turkish yarn. It’s a 70/30 acrylic/wool blend that’s actually quite nice; fuzzy, but with a sheen, loosely spun and about aran weight. The colours cycle smoothly through blues, purples and bluey greens, creating subtle stripes. My Mum gave me this yarn (she’s more into cotton & linen), which makes it even more special.
I ended up knitting the body three times. The first time there was too little ease, the second time, too much, and finally on the third go I got it right. It just goes to show that you can do the maths and estimations, but you still can’t be sure until you try it out. I decided not to bother with waist-shaping, but I did work a few decreases after the ribbing to prevent the stocking stitch from sagging outwards, as it tends to do, just in the right place to make you look like you’ve got a spare tyre.
I was quite excited by the possibility of raglan decreases instead of increases, and I nicked a trick from Véronik Avery’s ‘Offset Raglan‘ in Simple Style (which I reviewed here): left and right-slanting double decreases divided by two purl stitches. The book doesn’t seem to specify which decreases to use, and I found that a k3tog wasn’t a very good match for the sl1 k2tog psso, so I substituted a double decrease that Mary Thomas mentions in her Knitting Book: sl1, k1, psso, return st to left needle, pass 2nd st on left needle over 1st st. This creates a more clearly-defined right slant, rather than the bunchy-looking k3tog.
I continued the four pairs of purl stitches up the cowl neck, which is almost as long as the body when unfolded. It can be worn unfolded, or folded in half with the right side facing, or rolled down to show the reverse. I think it works really well & it’s just loose enough to keep you warm without choking you.
One of the biggest drawbacks of bottom-up jumpers as opposed to top-down ones, is the need for underarms seams. Seams? On a seamless sweater? It’s a bit difficult to visualise why this is the case, but basically, when you go to join the sleeves, the long circular needles you’re using for the body can’t bend around to accomodate the narrower sleeves. The solution is to put aside (or bind off) a certain number of stitches from both the body and the sleeves, and join them up later on, by grafting, seaming or a three-needle bind-off. Definitely a bit of a drag. I opted to graft mine, which left two circular holes on either side. These I closed up by threading the yarn around the hole, like the top of a hat, and pulling tight.
I love this jumper, and bottom-up construction definitely has its place, but top-down is still my favourite. Here’s a run-down of the pros & cons of each approach. Let me know in the comments if you can think of others!
Bottom-Up
Pros
The chance to use some decorative decreases for the yoke.
The chance to defer the decision of what to do with the yoke/neckline until you have a better idea what the jumper will look like as a whole.
Cons
Underarm seams! On a “seamless” pullover. Tch tch!
The need for an extra set of circs to join the sleeves onto the body (though their size doesn’t really matter).
More difficult than top-down to adjust length.
Lots of balls of yarn/ends dangling about after you join the sleeves.
Top-Down
Pros
It’s easier to make adjustments depending on how much yarn you have left. Shorter sleeves, shorter body, etc. This is one of my favourite things about top-down jumpers.
It’s easier to try on as you go along, and get a good idea of fit.
The chance to use decorative increases (hello yo!).
Can be accomplished with one pair of circs. As long as you’re happy magic looping.
I find it strange that so many knitters have an aversion to purling. After all, it’s almost 50% of knitting isn’t it? I was doing quite a bit of purling on a project a while back, and I found that wrapping the yarn around the thumb of my left hand (I’m a continental knitter) made things go faster. Here’s a video showing you how…
I hope this helps you, and do share if you have any other good tips on making purling pleasanter! ;)
Although this article talks specifically about knitting, the ideas can be implemented on any projects, whether craft-related or not.
First, the difference between ‘procrastination’ and ‘hibernation’
Most knitters and crocheters have a few Zs floating around their project pages. I’m no exception, and there are many more projects that I’ve never even got around to logging on Ravelry! I think it’s important to differentiate between two categories of projects: ones you feel guilty about, and ones that are simply ‘waiting for the right day’. It’s the former sort of project that I want to help you with in this article. If thinking about the project makes you uncomfortable, or (heaven forbid) it turns you off your knitting completely, then you need to do something about it. You knit because you enjoy it; you enjoy making things and you find it relaxing, fulfilling, and worthwhile. You shouldn’t be filling yourself up with little anxieties instead.
So here’s one approach that’s worked for me. The idea is to do one small thing every day that is very simple in its own right. If you spread each step over a week, it’s easier to detach yourself from what worries you about the project, and stops you from finishing it. read more »
As you know I only started spinning a week ago, but I thought some tips from a beginner’s point of view, may help other struggling beginners.
A little bit goes a long way.
You need a very thin strip of fiber to spin yarn, and to this end you need to prepare your roving before you begin. The process of easing the fiber out to spin is called ‘drafting’, and it determines the thickness of your unplied yarn. Predrafting is an easy, calming exercise, and you can do it while watching TV, chatting to a friend, or even waiting for a program to load (especially if you’re on Windows!). Thanks to Yarnhog for her help, check out her pre-drafting tutorial.
Watch the drafting triangle.
Hold the fiber splayed out with your thumb and forefinger to form a triangle. If the fibers are nicely spread, the roving is easier to draft. Make sure there is no twist in the drafting triangle.
Wind tight.
When winding yarn onto your spindle, keep it quite tight, and try to fill your spindle in a cone shape, wider at the top than the bottom. This will help your spindle spin longer, even when it’s getting full. Also try to keep about 1” of the bottom of the spindle free from yarn, to make it easier to spin it.
Your spindle is full when you decide it’s full.
You’ll notice your spindle get slower and more cumbersome as it fills, but as long as the experience isn’t becoming too annoying, you can keep going. If your spindle has no notch, and you’re having trouble with your yarn slipping as your spindle fills, have a look at this helpful Knitty article.
Keep your pre-drafted roving out of the way.
Wind your roving around your wrist like a bracelet to keep it from drifting against the yarn you’re spinning, or things can get messy!
Do you have any tips that helped you as a beginner? Leave them in the comments. Have a lovely weekend!
I put this list together because I was amazed to find how many of the small knitty gritty details of knitting can be improved with simple tricks. I had come to accept that little holes here, and a bit of looseness there were in the nature of knitting, but knitting is a far more flexible art, and once you develop a familiarity with the way stitches work, you begin to realise that there must be solutions to neaten things up. TECHKnitting is such an amazing resource that I frequently go there looking for something and get lost in all the fascinating articles. So I thought I’d choose 5 of the articles I think have the widest range of application; that is, you are certain to need them in most of the projects you knit. I think if we all got into the habit of following these tricks, we could consider our knitting truly ‘professional’. Neaten your knitting...
hot water bottle cover with pocket - £3.00 (approx. $4.70)
houses slipover - £3.00 (approx. $4.70)
earring & key holder - free
bow pouch - free
* Paypal will show you the precise currency conversion before you confirm the sale.
(round)about
My name is Derya and I'm 25-years-old. This blog is an experiment in better living through knitting. Learn more about Laylock in the Introduction. If you'd like to get in touch, leave a comment or email me at: d.y.davenport AT gmail.com.
27 July, 2011 | 
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