shawl • The Knitting Vortex • Page 4

Vary

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Nov 032014

vary: to change periodically or in succession; differ or alternate An asymmetric shawl that combines various patterns, this bias wrap moves from simple garter stripes through slipstitch colorwork and back again. Cast on at the long, narrow end, Vary grows on the bias, only ever using one color at a time in each row. Choose two colors or even more, and make it your own by varying the placement of the different stitch patterns; the simple construction adapts easily to different amounts of yardage and to your artistic vision. Techniques & Skills Used: knit/purl, increasing/decreasing, slipstitch colorwork; the slipstitch pattern instructions are fully written only. Size: 105” length and 21” depth, customizable. Yarn: String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn Selku (50% silk, 50% merino wool; 375 yards/343m/113g), shown in Viola (MC) and Juice (CC); 1 skein MC and 1 skein CC. The sample used about 340 and 370 yards respectively. Other Materials: US 7 (4.5mm) 32” circular needle or size to match gauge; Yarn needle. Gauge: 15 st and 30 rows/4” in garter stitch, after blocking. Gauge is not critical for . . .

Sneak Peek: Vary

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Oct 312014

My giant, asymmetrical, two-color shawl Sundry is one of my most popular designs. It’s so over the top, I had no idea what sort of reception it would get once released. But people seem to like it, which is always great. I think it’s the opportunity to mix and match colors, and to customize their placement. A look at some projects on Ravelry shows all sorts of beautiful choices: One of the reasons I love the sample so much is the yarn I used; Selku by String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn. It’s a wool and silk sportweight blend with excellent drape, and the gorgeous colors for which Karen and Tanis are known. I was fortunate to see their lovely yarns in person at out tiny, local sheep and fiber festival at the beginning of September, and inspired to create another design using Selku. I was looking for something to pair with the purpley-blue Viola colorway I had been hoarding, and found a deep raspberry that was perfect. For fans of Sundry, my new shawl Vary . . .

Katie Scarlett

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Jun 022014

I unveiled Miss Scarlett in March; originally a Wooly Wonka Fibers 2014 Heroines Shawl Club exclusive, Katie Scarlett is now available as a pdf download. The belle of the ball will always be Katie Scarlett O’Hara, the indomitable heroine of Gone With The Wind. Even dressed in a green velvet curtain, she is unapologetically flirtatious, enticing and captivating. This semi-circular shawl is worked from the top down in the shape of a hoopskirt like those worn by Miss Scarlett, using a beautiful wool and silk blend laceweight yarn. Four different lace patterns represent our heroine’s journey. Like her gentle upbringing, simple increases grow into a regular, small scale eyelet mesh, which becomes a swirling diagonal reflecting the tumultuous Civil War years, and finally straightens into strong vertical lines of hard edged diamonds just like her headstrong and determined character. The knit-on ruffled edging is worked sideways in small short row sections and attached to the live stitches of the shawl, avoiding long rows and proving that perseverance will pay off. After all, tomorrow is another . . .

Slip Sliding Away

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Mar 242014

This graphic, topdown shawl begins with a garter tab, then is worked in narrow, two-color stripes with slipped stitches in reversed colors on each side of the central spine. The lower edging is a complementary slipped stitch rib which curves around the point and extends to each tip, emphasizing the strong linear elements of the shawl. Visually complicated but easy to work, only one color is used at a time, and the slipped stitches result in the pattern looking different on each half of the shawl. Increases on every row create a long v-shaped wingspan which accentuates the strong lines and showcases the changing optical interplay of colors. Techniques & Skills Used: garter tab CO, knit/purl, slipped stitch colorwork; this pattern is both written and charted. Size: 64” wingspan and 27” depth, after blocking. Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock (100% superwash merino wool; 395 yards/361m/100g), 1 skein each, MC and CC. Sample shown in MC Wood Violet and CC Victorian Gothic. This pattern may be adapted to any amount of yarn in two colors; see Designer’s . . .

Clubbing with Katie

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Mar 022014

Probably my all-time favorite movie is Gone With The Wind; I love everything about it – the period costumes, the sweeping narrative, the human frailties. And of course the heroine, Katie Scarlett O’Hara. As flawed a human being as she is, with her childish, manipulative, selfish temperament, she is also unflinchingly strong and unfailingly loyal to the people and places she considers her own. Certainly she qualifies as a heroine in my view. Last year, Anne from Wooly Wonka Fibers invited me to design two shawls for her 2014 Heroines Shawl Club, and asked me to pair my choice of heroines with her lovely hand-dyed yarns. And so I designed two shawls, using Artio Lace and Aerten Sock to depict two admirable heroines. The first of these is the design in the March 2014 club kit, Katie Scarlett. It’s a semi-circular laceweight shawl, knit from a garter tab cast on, with four tiers of lace patterns that represent Miss Scarlett’s trajectory through life. The beautiful, jewel-green color is the exclusive Twelve Oaks colorway, meant to . . .

Swirligig

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Dec 202013

An elongated, asymmetrical, swirling shawl that uses two colors, and simple knit, increase and decrease stitches to achieve a striking shape. Cast on with 3 stitches at one corner, Swirligig grows asymmetrically on the bias; adding stitches to each triangular section, while at the same time shifting the triangles by increasing and decreasing on a bias tilt. The garter stitch wedges are set off by swirling lines of yarnovers, and a matching line of yarnovers finishes the long edge. Techniques & Skills Used: knit, increasing/decreasing; this pattern includes written instructions, as well as a helpful stitch count table. Size: 112” length and 18” depth, after blocking. Swirligig forms a spiral shape expanding from one narrow point to the other wide end; see schematic for approximate shape. Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock (100% superwash merino, 395 yards/ 361m/100g); 1 skein MC and 1 skein CC, or approximately 380 and 295 yards respectively. Sample shown in Logwood (MC) and Ginger (CC). Other Materials: US 6 (4mm) 40” circular needle; Stitch markers (8); Yarn needle. Gauge: 20 st and . . .

Folderol-over-and-over-again

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Oct 282013

I promised another indie re-release of a design initially published in a magazine, and since it’s getting chilly, what’s better than a soft and warm tucked wrap made with worsted merino? The individual pattern download features a link to my video tutorial for the tuck stitch, and expanded notes and photos, all presented in my user- and printer-friendly format. “Folderol” means foolish nonsense, but this worsted crescent shawl is no trifle; the cozy wrap is made extra thick and warm with triple folds, curved gently with short rows, and finished neatly with applied I-cord. Knit from the bottom up and given texture and shape with tucks and decreases, Folderol is completely reversible and absolutely worthy. Techniques & Skills Used: cable and provisional CO, knit/purl, tucks, picking up stitches, short rows, decreasing, applied I-cord; this pattern includes written instructions as well as a link to my tuck stitch video tutorial. Size: 58” length, and 10” depth. Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted (100% Merino) 210 yards/192m/ 100g; 3 skeins shown in Tuareg. The sample used approximately 525 . . .

Phi

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Aug 022013

The Golden Ratio, or Phi, represents harmony in nature, art and mathematics, and embodies the human perception of beauty. This asymmetric shawl harmoniously blends two colors to the Golden Mean, and then back again, using the Fibonacci sequence to determine the width of the stripes and their relation one to the next . . . All knitting, always pleasing, with a graphic , and harmonious result. Techniques & Skills Used: increasing/decreasing, knit; Phi includes instructions in written and quick table format, and a link to my video tutorial for carrying the unused color along the garter edge. Size: 90” length and 16” depth. Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Finito (100% merino; 200 yards/183m/50g; 2 skeins MC and 2 skeins CC, or about 370 and 300 yards respectively of fingering weight yarn. Sample shown in Plomo (MC) and Mostaza (CC). The yardage requirements ratio of MC to CC is approximately 1.25 : 1 – make sure you have about 80% as much CC as MC to complete the sequence. Other Materials: US 5 (3.75mm) 32” circular needle, or . . .

Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love

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May 212013

Who doesn’t want to stir up a little love? This triangular shawl begins with many stitches and an enticing ruffle, then decreases the stitch count by 2/3 before the body begins. Strong ribbed lines lead to the top, with optional beads added for glamour. The reversible stitch pattern is bewitching from both sides, all in the service of love. The hotter and stronger, the better! Techniques & Skills Used: longtail CO, knit/purl, beading (optional; prestrung and crochet hook methods, with link to tutorial), decreasing. This pattern is both written and charted, and includes links to my grafting and beading tutorials. Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Silky Merino (51% silk, 49% merino; 150 yards/50g; 2 (4) skeins. Size S shown in Cumparsita with beads, and using about 240 yards; size L unbeaded, shown in Redwood Bark and using about 495 yards. The Silky Merino becomes very drapey when blocked, which is essential for achieving a straight top edge, as the body of the shawl is ribbed and the wings must be pulled up to avoid a point at the middle . . .

Amortentia

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Apr 232013

The most powerful Love Potion in the Harry Potter world, Amortentia causes powerful infatuation or obsession in the drinker. It manifests as a different aroma to each who drinks it, recalling one’s favorite person, place or thing.Indulge your own deep love by knitting your Amortentia shawl with a favorite color or irresistible yarn. This shawl is cast on with many stitches at the ruffled edge, which is knit with optional beads for extra sparkle and weight. By the end of the ruffle, the number of stitches is reduced by 2/3, then like the twists and turns of love, the edging and body are divided by a garter ridge, and the stitch pattern reverses itself into a wide rib. The long and narrow body is knit with short rows to the top edge, and finished with simple garter stitch. Instructions for two sizes are given, and differ only in the frequency of the short rows.Irresistible looking from both sides, Amortentia is meant to be the embodiment of everything you love. Techniques & Skills Used: longtail CO, knit/purl, . . .

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