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| Copyright: Francoise Danoy |
Acces to the pdf file HERE
File contains shape details, charts and graph paper to print
Link to Stitch Mastery Tutorial HERE
Sunday 29 November 2015
3 most popular shawl shapes
Acces to the pdf file HERE
File contains shape details, charts and graph paper to print
Link to Stitch Mastery Tutorial HERE
Saturday 28 November 2015
Not enough yarn to finish the shawl
by Mabel-Mabel
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
I ran out of yarn and cannot get more of the same yarn. The second point is missing. The Mallory Hills Shawlette would be unusable without that point.
After a week of mourning, here is how I fixed it:
- Calculate how many stitches are missing from the non-existent point. This is pretty simple using the charts and Excel. Approximately 1,168 stitches are missing. That gives me a target for how many stitches to remove from the central, point-forming area of the design.
- Calculate how many rows from the middle of the shawl would give me enough yarn to knit at least 1,168 stitches. Think in pairs of rows; you need to take out one row on each side of the center. Again, use charts and Excel. This lace pattern has mostly-purl WS rows, and that is a real help here, My calculation takes into account that I want the last complete row remaining after ripping out to be a WS row. This is challenging enough — make it easier where you can. Ripping back to Row 32 and resuming on Row 9 gives me enough yarn for 1,670 stitches. About 500 stitches’ worth for added security! Looking at the charts for the number of rows repeated in the three separate lace patterns, I can see that going from Row 32 to Row 9 will keep two of the three lace patterns consistent. Good visually! The pattern with a 48-row repeat simply cannot be matched this time. (References to row numbers should make sense when you read the pattern in Interweave Knitscene, Spring 2014.)Small needle used as a life line. Ready to rip out.
- Run a circular needle through stitches on target row, for me Row 32 nearest the middle of the shawl. Use a needle several sizes smaller than your working needle to make it easier. Don’t worry too much about getting every stitch perfect, though the more attention you give this step, the easier it will be later.
- Rip and wind yarn.
- Pay special attention to stitches on the needle and stitches that should be on the needle. It is a good idea to slip all stitches around the circular so you can examine each stitch. Un-twist twisted stitches. Any stitches missed can be picked up with a crochet hook. Stitches picked upLife line was in row below target row for just 4 stitches. Easy to recover those stitches.one row below where you meant to be can be re-created from the floats or recovered in the air. Stitches picked up one row above will stop the ripping; pick up on the correct row and continue to rip.
- Weigh the ball of yarn. Does it weigh at least half (ideally a little more than half) the full skein? If so, you are fine. If it weighs too little, you may need to rip out another two rows. If you have the choice, weigh grams rather than ounces.
- If ripping out after knitted fabric has sat a long time, block the yarn to get the kinks out. My shawl rested for only a week, and I did not see the need to block the yarn.
- Before beginning to knit again, compare stitches on the needle and the fabric to the chart. Does it look right? Do you have the correct number of stitches between pattern repeats? Ah…Ripped to the good row, stitches checked, yarn wound, and ready to resume!
- Resume knitting with your working needle size at the row that you calculated in Step 2. Set aside your smaller, life-line needle after your first row; you should not need it again for this project.
How might this have happened? I did a gauge swatch and thought I was on target for gauge, although we all know that a swatch is a sampling for a larger piece, and samples do not always predict full-scale results with perfect accuracy. The designer noted in the pattern that her sample “used almost all of one skein of yarn,” labeled at 490 yards. My skein of yarn is labeled 500 yards. According to the labels alone, I had 10 yards to spare. Yarn producers use averages. The designer’s skein might have had more than 490 yards, and the skein of yarn I have might actually be less than 500 yards. This just happens. It is not a flaw or a fault.
How might I have prevented running out of yarn on this project?
- Weighing the original ball, without its label, then weighing again near and not beyond the center of the shawlette to be sure I had not used more than half the yarn by weight. Adjust before knitting on.
- Using a smaller needle size than I used in the swatch, even though my swatch measured to gauge and had the drape and hand I wanted. When each stitch is a tiny bit smaller, you can knit more stitches with the same amount of yarn.
- Choosing a yarn for this pattern with well over 500 yards, either already in hand or available for purchase.
Aside from the added drama of ripping out more than half a lace shawl, I like this pattern. The photography in the magazine may not do it full justice, nor do these images of the un-blocked work in progress. The number and size of charts will appeal to dedicated lace knitters. The edge treatment is definitive and easy to work. Good pattern!
The yarn I am using is Miss Babs Tarte, fingering weight, 4-ply yarn with 75% superwash Merino, 15% nylon and 10% tencel. The purple color is a Babette called “Bubble Bath.” What’s a Babette? One-of-a-kind skeins, which you cannot expect ever to see again. I bought one skein at a festival and have not spotted a Raveler with the same colorway with whom I might trade. I like knitting with it and look forward to seeing how it blocks.
This fix works for this project but may not apply to all cases of running out of yarn, and knitters without a geeky streak will not want to use it at all. A similar strategy may work on other projects, especially when there is an obvious middle to the design and you can work out from there to create a new mid-point suited to the amount of yarn you have.
Would you use this method to eke out a shawl with less yarn than called for? What would you do instead if you had a lace shawl missing its second point?
Maggie Shawl Calculator
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
This post has a calculator to create a customized pattern for this shawl shape. If you enter the width you want and the gauge you achieve, this program will provide specific directions and estimate yardage requirements that for you.1
Easy construction: This is a modified double triangle shawl; the knitter starts by casting on 1 stitch.
After that, she increases twice each row: once at the beginning and once near the center.
After knitting “a while”, the knitter begins to increase 2 stitches at the beginning; this causes the shawl to have long “tails” which curl and appear to require sophisticated shaping.
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| Copyright Lucia Liljegren 2007 |
Easy construction: This is a modified double triangle shawl; the knitter starts by casting on 1 stitch.
After that, she increases twice each row: once at the beginning and once near the center.
After knitting “a while”, the knitter begins to increase 2 stitches at the beginning; this causes the shawl to have long “tails” which curl and appear to require sophisticated shaping.
Triangular Shawl Calculator
(c) Bex Hopkins 2010
READ ORIGINAL POSTS HERE and
HERE
Here’s a little way to calculate the maximum number of rows you can work on a shawl (top down shawls only).
You need to have knitted at least 20% of your yarn to do get an accurate answer, though it will return a result with more than 10% yarn used.
READ ORIGINAL POSTS HERE and
HERE
Here’s a little way to calculate the maximum number of rows you can work on a shawl (top down shawls only).
You need to have knitted at least 20% of your yarn to do get an accurate answer, though it will return a result with more than 10% yarn used.
Shawl Anatomy
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
CONSTRUCTIONS COVERED IN THE POST:
Top Down Triangular Shawl
Bottom Up Triangular – shaped with decreases
Bottom Up Triangular – shaped with increases
End to End Elongated Triangular Shawl
Top Down Semi-Circular Shawl
Bottom Up Crescent Shawl – shaped with short rows
CONSTRUCTIONS COVERED IN THE POST:
Top Down Triangular Shawl
Bottom Up Triangular – shaped with decreases
Bottom Up Triangular – shaped with increases
End to End Elongated Triangular Shawl
Top Down Semi-Circular Shawl
Bottom Up Crescent Shawl – shaped with short rows
About the math of calculating your knitting progress on triangular shawls
by slowknits
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
Take your total numer of rows (in my case 204) and multiply by the total number of stitches at the longest row (471) and you get the total number of stitches your shawl requires.
Total rows = 204
Total sts at last (longest) row = 471
204 * 471 = 96,084
Divide that by 2 and you get the total number of stitches you need to knit to make the shawl.
96,084 / 2 = 48,042
Total rows = 204
Total sts at last (longest) row = 471
204 * 471 = 96,084
Divide that by 2 and you get the total number of stitches you need to knit to make the shawl.
96,084 / 2 = 48,042
Now take the number of rows you've knitted, say 165, and the number of stitches on the needle, about 385 (I may be off a couple of stitches but you get the idea) and do the same.
Multiply the current row by the current stitches, divide the result by two and you'll get the number of stitches you have knitted so far.
Multiply the current row by the current stitches, divide the result by two and you'll get the number of stitches you have knitted so far.
165 * 385 = 63,140 / 2 = 31,570
Now divide the current stitches by the total stitches to get your progress so far:
31,570 / 48,042 = 0.65 (65%)
To put this into a formula where CR = Current rows, Cs = Current stitches, TCs = Total Current stitches, Tr = Total rows, Ts = Total stitches, TOs = Total Overall stitches, P = progress:
(Cr * Cs) / 2 = TCs
(Tr * Ts) / 2 = TOs
TCs / TOs = P
Triangle Shawls and fun with algebra
by madorville
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
While knitting a triangular shawl where one starts with 7 stitches (ignore the set-up rows which use a trivial amount of yarn in the grand scheme of things) and increases four stitches every right side row, if N is the number of rows that have been knit then the total number of stitches done is N² + 5N. (now that I think about it, I am guessing one could derive this from a simple area of triangle formula.)
How does one use this delightfully compact formula? Well, I have knit 10 pattern repeats so far. With 26 rows to prepare for the main pattern, 10 rows per repeat, I have knit 126 rows. Therefore I have knit 126*126 + 5*126 = 16,506 stitches in total.
My scale says this weighs 55 grams, or about 300 stitches per gram.
Looks like plenty of yarn for another pattern repeat or two. Keeping in mind that the finishing will require 12 rows, how much yarn can I expect to use if I knit a few more repeats?
11 repeats: N = 126 (rows so far) + 10 (11th repeat) + 12 (border/finishing) = 148
148² + 5*148 is 22,644 stitches. At 300 stitches per gram, this will use 76 grams of yarn.
12 repeats: N = 158 Total Stitches = 25,754 or 86 grams
13 repeats: N = 168 Total Stitches = 29,064 or 97 grams of yarn.
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
While knitting a triangular shawl where one starts with 7 stitches (ignore the set-up rows which use a trivial amount of yarn in the grand scheme of things) and increases four stitches every right side row, if N is the number of rows that have been knit then the total number of stitches done is N² + 5N. (now that I think about it, I am guessing one could derive this from a simple area of triangle formula.)
How does one use this delightfully compact formula? Well, I have knit 10 pattern repeats so far. With 26 rows to prepare for the main pattern, 10 rows per repeat, I have knit 126 rows. Therefore I have knit 126*126 + 5*126 = 16,506 stitches in total.
My scale says this weighs 55 grams, or about 300 stitches per gram.
Looks like plenty of yarn for another pattern repeat or two. Keeping in mind that the finishing will require 12 rows, how much yarn can I expect to use if I knit a few more repeats?
11 repeats: N = 126 (rows so far) + 10 (11th repeat) + 12 (border/finishing) = 148
148² + 5*148 is 22,644 stitches. At 300 stitches per gram, this will use 76 grams of yarn.
12 repeats: N = 158 Total Stitches = 25,754 or 86 grams
13 repeats: N = 168 Total Stitches = 29,064 or 97 grams of yarn.
Calculating increases and decreases in excel
Copyright Lotta Breyer 2007
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
Here is what you need to type in into the cells to make your own spreadsheet.
If you start at the corner of a spreadsheet, your column for calculations will be C.
The First cell with a number is C3.
That is where I have the number 56 above for head circumference.
Enter into cells:
C3 enter your measured head circumference
C4 enter counted stitches from swatch, E4 enter width of the area of the swatch you counted the stitches from
C5 enter counted rows from swatch, E5 enter total height of the counted rows
C6 enter =C4/E4*10
C7 enter =C5/E5*10
C8 blank
C9 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C6*C3/10,0)
C10 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C9/2,0)
C11 blank
C12 enter size of entrelac square (7)
C13 enter =EVEN(C9/C12)
C14 enter =C13*C12
C15 enter =C14-C9
C16 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C9/C15, 0)
C17 enter =4-(C12-7)
C18 blank
C19 enter =C13*4
C20 enter =C19-(C22*(C23+2))
C21 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C19/6.28*C7/C6,0)
C22 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C19/C21,0)
C23 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C19/C22,0)-2 and E23 enter =C23
Yarn calculator
by katedaviesdesigns
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
To use the calculator you will need to have a recent version of Microsoft Excel.
CONCATENATE in Excel: combine text strings, cells and columns
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
In this tutorial, you will learn various ways to concatenate text strings, cells, ranges, columns and rows in Excel using the CONCATENATE function and "&" operator.
In your Excel workbooks, the data is not always structured according to your needs. Often you may want to split the content of one cell into individual cells, or do the opposite - combine data from two or more columns into a single column. Common examples that require concatenation in Excel are joining names and address parts, combining text with a formula-driven value, displaying dates and times in the desired format, to name a few.
In this tutorial, we are going to explore various techniques of Excel string concatenation so that you can choose the method best suited for your worksheets.
Set-in Sleeve Calculator
by Elinor Brown
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
Although raglan and yoke constructions (and even Elizabeth Zimmermann’s set-in model) are seamless, I regrettfully find them ill-fitting on my body.
Like it or not, traditional set-in sleeves just fit me better.
However, calculating the armhole and sleeve cap shape is time consuming and rather unwieldy for patterns with multiple sizes. This winter, I designed several garments for publication with set-in sleeves.
I created an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the armscye measurement, the perimeter of the armhole.
Still, the spreadsheet required tinkering here and there and was not a very good solution.
When I explained my frustration to Aaron, he decided there had to be a better way.
Using Jenna Wilson’s (girl from auntie) impeccably thorough armscye tutorial in Knitty as a guide, he wrote a web application that would take in the necessary information regarding gauge and armhole shaping to produce meaningful information about sleeve cap shaping.
The application can be found for free here.
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
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| Copyright: Elinor Brown |
Although raglan and yoke constructions (and even Elizabeth Zimmermann’s set-in model) are seamless, I regrettfully find them ill-fitting on my body.
Like it or not, traditional set-in sleeves just fit me better.
However, calculating the armhole and sleeve cap shape is time consuming and rather unwieldy for patterns with multiple sizes. This winter, I designed several garments for publication with set-in sleeves.
I created an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the armscye measurement, the perimeter of the armhole.
Still, the spreadsheet required tinkering here and there and was not a very good solution.
When I explained my frustration to Aaron, he decided there had to be a better way.
Using Jenna Wilson’s (girl from auntie) impeccably thorough armscye tutorial in Knitty as a guide, he wrote a web application that would take in the necessary information regarding gauge and armhole shaping to produce meaningful information about sleeve cap shaping.
The application can be found for free here.
INCREASE EVENLY ALONG A ROW USING EXCEL
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
Before we start, you need these figures:
SC: starting stitch count
DC: desired stitch count
IC: the increase count, ie difference between SC and DC.
Note: if working flat, make sure you don't include your edge stitches in these counts.
Example numbers:
SC = 56
DC = 78
IC = 22
First, understand the problem. In most cases of course your starting stitch count won't divide neatly by your increase count and you'll be left with a possibly large remainder – the extra stitches left at the end of the row if you rounded down your increase interval to the next whole number. (For instance, 56/22 gives you a remainder of 12.) With sleeve shaping, I spread those extra rows out over the bottom of the sleeve, slightly lengthening the decrease intervals and reducing the slope of that portion. But this time, I don't particularly want to have all my extra stitches lopsidedly spread out on one side of a single row – I want them spread evenly across the row.
To achieve this, I plan to alternate between two different increase intervals (the basic interval, and that interval plus one of the "remainder" stitches). Ie, my pattern will have an instruction to repeat "m1, kA, m1, kB".
So let's get started.
1. Halve IC (HC) to find out how many increase repeats we need – how many times we'll work that "m1, kA, m1, kB" repeat.
Excel formula: =IC/2
Example: 22/2=11
2. Divide the starting count by this halved increase count. This gives you the number of total stitches in each increase repeat; call it total repeat, or TR.
Excel formula: =SC/HC
Example: 56/11=5
3. Within each of these repeats you need to increase two stitches. So halve TR and round up and down to get your higher and lower increase intervals (HI and LI), respectively – ie the number of whole stitches between increases. If TR is an even number, HI and LI will be equal.
Excel formulas: =ROUNDUP(TR/2,0) and =ROUNDDOWN(TR/2,0)
Note: the 0 means that we are rounding to zero decimal points.
Example: 2 and 3
4. Time to see what's left over if we work this repeat along the row – the remainder (RM).
Excel formula: =MOD(SC/HC)
Example: 56/11 leaves a remainder of 1.
5. Stick this number at the very start of your row or round, and you're done!
Your pattern instructions will look like this (assuming a plain knit row):
K RM, (m1, LI, m1, HI) to end.
Example: K1, (m1, k2, m1, k3) to end.
Bonus tip: If you have a reasonably sized remainder, you could take a few of those stitches over to the end of your row, for better balance. It's not practical to include instructions for that in a multiple-sizes pattern, though.
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| Copyright: studio-miranda |
SC: starting stitch count
DC: desired stitch count
IC: the increase count, ie difference between SC and DC.
Note: if working flat, make sure you don't include your edge stitches in these counts.
Example numbers:
SC = 56
DC = 78
IC = 22
First, understand the problem. In most cases of course your starting stitch count won't divide neatly by your increase count and you'll be left with a possibly large remainder – the extra stitches left at the end of the row if you rounded down your increase interval to the next whole number. (For instance, 56/22 gives you a remainder of 12.) With sleeve shaping, I spread those extra rows out over the bottom of the sleeve, slightly lengthening the decrease intervals and reducing the slope of that portion. But this time, I don't particularly want to have all my extra stitches lopsidedly spread out on one side of a single row – I want them spread evenly across the row.
To achieve this, I plan to alternate between two different increase intervals (the basic interval, and that interval plus one of the "remainder" stitches). Ie, my pattern will have an instruction to repeat "m1, kA, m1, kB".
So let's get started.
1. Halve IC (HC) to find out how many increase repeats we need – how many times we'll work that "m1, kA, m1, kB" repeat.
Excel formula: =IC/2
Example: 22/2=11
2. Divide the starting count by this halved increase count. This gives you the number of total stitches in each increase repeat; call it total repeat, or TR.
Excel formula: =SC/HC
Example: 56/11=5
3. Within each of these repeats you need to increase two stitches. So halve TR and round up and down to get your higher and lower increase intervals (HI and LI), respectively – ie the number of whole stitches between increases. If TR is an even number, HI and LI will be equal.
Excel formulas: =ROUNDUP(TR/2,0) and =ROUNDDOWN(TR/2,0)
Note: the 0 means that we are rounding to zero decimal points.
Example: 2 and 3
4. Time to see what's left over if we work this repeat along the row – the remainder (RM).
Excel formula: =MOD(SC/HC)
Example: 56/11 leaves a remainder of 1.
5. Stick this number at the very start of your row or round, and you're done!
Your pattern instructions will look like this (assuming a plain knit row):
K RM, (m1, LI, m1, HI) to end.
Example: K1, (m1, k2, m1, k3) to end.
Bonus tip: If you have a reasonably sized remainder, you could take a few of those stitches over to the end of your row, for better balance. It's not practical to include instructions for that in a multiple-sizes pattern, though.
Sideways Edge Cast-On, a knitting unvention! plus, Swerve!
by Lee Meredith
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
So, start out by casting on the number of stitches in your edge – you may want to use a provisional cast-on so you can graft or 3-needle bind-off later if you’ll be working in the round. In this example, my edge number is 6 stitches, and after casting on I knit one row, then purled one row to get started (these starting rows can change depending on pattern specifics), followed by my first increase row, so the beginning goes:
Cast-on 6 stitches.
Knit 1 row.
Purl 1 row.
Kfb, place marker, k to end.
And now it looks like:
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
So, start out by casting on the number of stitches in your edge – you may want to use a provisional cast-on so you can graft or 3-needle bind-off later if you’ll be working in the round. In this example, my edge number is 6 stitches, and after casting on I knit one row, then purled one row to get started (these starting rows can change depending on pattern specifics), followed by my first increase row, so the beginning goes:
Cast-on 6 stitches.
Knit 1 row.
Purl 1 row.
Kfb, place marker, k to end.
And now it looks like:
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| Copyright: Lee Meredith |
Shawl design workshop
READ ORIGINAL POSTS HERE and HERE
FITTING IN YOUR STITCH PATTERNS
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
For our sample shawl I kept it relatively simple, using eyelet stitch patterning and garter stitch ridges, for all but one section.
Even though an eyelet stitch pattern is as straightforward as lace can get, always being a variation of (dec 1 st, yo), you still need to fit it into your stitch count.
For example, on Row 45 of Cornice you are starting with 171 stitches and aiming to increase to 175 stitches. (Errata for Cornice shawl HERE)
At this point you are working a 4-stitch eyelet pattern as (SSK, K2, yo) on the first half of the row and (yo, K2, Ktog) on the second half of the row to mirror it.
In fitting in your stitch pattern you need to discount the central stitch and the starting and ending stitch of each row.
So 171 - 3 = 168 stitches to work into pattern.
Then divide by 2 to give the number of stitches to work in pattern either side of the central spine = 84.
As the eyelet pattern repeat is over 4 stitches, you could fit 21 repeats into each side with no ‘spare’ stitches to work plain.
This would appear as: Row 45 (RS): K1, yo, (SSK, K2, yo) 21 times, yo, slm, K1, slm, yo, (yo, K2, K2tog) to last st, yo, K1. 175 sts.
However, there is a problem, as you would now have 2 yarnovers next to each other either side of the central marker.
One could change the order of the stitch pattern to get round this. This could appear as: Row 45 (RS): K1, yo, (SSK, yo, K2) 21 times, yo, slm, K1, slm, yo, (K2, yo K2tog) to last st, yo, K1. 175 sts.
However, I don’t want to change the stitch pattern around if I can help it.
This is not just for the sake of keeping the pattern the same.
It’s also about allowing the knitter who’s making the shawl to find a rhythm with the stitch pattern they’re using.
So, I ‘took back’ a 4-stitch repeat on each side and split it between the edge of the shawl and the centre.
As the pattern repeat ends with a yarnover on the first half of the shawl and begins with a yarnover on the second half of the shawl, I placed 3 of the 4 ‘spare’ stitches on each side around the central spine, to keep the pattern balanced.
This leaves the final instruction (with the extra stitches shown in bold) as: Row 45 (RS): K1, yo, K1, (SSK, K2, yo) to 3 sts before marker, K3, yo, slm, K1, slm, yo, K3, (yo, K2, K2tog) to last 2 sts, K1, yo, K1. 175 sts. (4 sts increased.)
Of course, you may wish to add in something more complex, such as the Lattice Stitch featured here.
As with the simple eyelet pattern, you will need to make sure you can fit your pattern repeats into the number of stitches available on each half of the shawl.
Remember that stitch patterns with a ‘central’ stitch, will be worked as a multiple of the repeated stitches ‘plus one’ (eg, multiple of 6 sts + 1) to balance out the pattern at the start and end of the patterned section.
This means that for each patterned section, you will need to allow an extra stitch in addition to the main pattern repeat, in order to create a perfectly balanced stitch pattern.
ADJUSTING PATTERN REPEATS FOR INCREASES
As you are increasing frequently when making any kind of top-down shawl, you will probably have to take these new stitches ‘into pattern’ at some point or you will end up with large expanses of stocking or garter stitch at the edges of your patterned sections.
When doing this, aim to keep the original alignment of the lace or cable patterning, and don’t add a new repeat before or after these stitches until you have enough to make a complete repeat.
For example, a shawl with a stitch pattern multiple of 6 + 1 might look like this:
Row 1 (RS): K1, yo, (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) work 1 stitch to balance pattern, yo, K1, yo, work 1 stitch to balance pattern (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats), yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl.
Row 3: K1, yo, K1 (inc from Row 1), (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) work 1 stitch to balance pattern, K1 (inc from Row 1), yo, K1, yo, K1 (inc from Row 1), work 1 stitch to balance pattern (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) K1, yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
Row 5: K1, yo, K2 (incs from Row 1 & 3), (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) work 1 stitch to balance pattern, K2 (incs from Row 1 & 3), yo, K1, yo, K2 (incs from Row 1 & 3), work 1 stitch to balance pattern (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) K2 (incs from Row 1 & 3), yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
Row 7: Row 5: K1, yo, K3 (incs from Row 1, 3 & 5), (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) work 1 stitch to balance pattern, K3 (incs from Row 1, 3 & 5), yo, K1, yo, K3 (incs from Row 1, 3 & 5), work 1 stitch to balance pattern (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) K3 (incs from Row 1, 3 & 5), yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
At this point you have now added 12 stitches: 4 stitches each for Rows 1, 3 and 7, which means you can add 2 repeats to your patterning - 1 for each side, as follows:
Row 9: K1, yo, 42 stitches in pattern = 7 repeats), work 1 stitch to balance pattern, yo, K1, yo, work 1 stitch to balance pattern (42 stitches in pattern = 7 repeats), yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
However, this will shift everything across half a repeat, so you could instead add half a pattern repeat or wait until you’ve increased enough stitches to add a full repeat without going out of alignment.
Whatever you do, check your stitch counts carefully before winging it!
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| copyright: theyarnloop |
FITTING IN YOUR STITCH PATTERNS
READ ORIGINAL POST HERE
For our sample shawl I kept it relatively simple, using eyelet stitch patterning and garter stitch ridges, for all but one section.
Even though an eyelet stitch pattern is as straightforward as lace can get, always being a variation of (dec 1 st, yo), you still need to fit it into your stitch count.
For example, on Row 45 of Cornice you are starting with 171 stitches and aiming to increase to 175 stitches. (Errata for Cornice shawl HERE)
At this point you are working a 4-stitch eyelet pattern as (SSK, K2, yo) on the first half of the row and (yo, K2, Ktog) on the second half of the row to mirror it.
In fitting in your stitch pattern you need to discount the central stitch and the starting and ending stitch of each row.
So 171 - 3 = 168 stitches to work into pattern.
Then divide by 2 to give the number of stitches to work in pattern either side of the central spine = 84.
As the eyelet pattern repeat is over 4 stitches, you could fit 21 repeats into each side with no ‘spare’ stitches to work plain.
This would appear as: Row 45 (RS): K1, yo, (SSK, K2, yo) 21 times, yo, slm, K1, slm, yo, (yo, K2, K2tog) to last st, yo, K1. 175 sts.
However, there is a problem, as you would now have 2 yarnovers next to each other either side of the central marker.
One could change the order of the stitch pattern to get round this. This could appear as: Row 45 (RS): K1, yo, (SSK, yo, K2) 21 times, yo, slm, K1, slm, yo, (K2, yo K2tog) to last st, yo, K1. 175 sts.
However, I don’t want to change the stitch pattern around if I can help it.
This is not just for the sake of keeping the pattern the same.
It’s also about allowing the knitter who’s making the shawl to find a rhythm with the stitch pattern they’re using.
So, I ‘took back’ a 4-stitch repeat on each side and split it between the edge of the shawl and the centre.
As the pattern repeat ends with a yarnover on the first half of the shawl and begins with a yarnover on the second half of the shawl, I placed 3 of the 4 ‘spare’ stitches on each side around the central spine, to keep the pattern balanced.
This leaves the final instruction (with the extra stitches shown in bold) as: Row 45 (RS): K1, yo, K1, (SSK, K2, yo) to 3 sts before marker, K3, yo, slm, K1, slm, yo, K3, (yo, K2, K2tog) to last 2 sts, K1, yo, K1. 175 sts. (4 sts increased.)
Of course, you may wish to add in something more complex, such as the Lattice Stitch featured here.
As with the simple eyelet pattern, you will need to make sure you can fit your pattern repeats into the number of stitches available on each half of the shawl.
Remember that stitch patterns with a ‘central’ stitch, will be worked as a multiple of the repeated stitches ‘plus one’ (eg, multiple of 6 sts + 1) to balance out the pattern at the start and end of the patterned section.
This means that for each patterned section, you will need to allow an extra stitch in addition to the main pattern repeat, in order to create a perfectly balanced stitch pattern.
ADJUSTING PATTERN REPEATS FOR INCREASES
As you are increasing frequently when making any kind of top-down shawl, you will probably have to take these new stitches ‘into pattern’ at some point or you will end up with large expanses of stocking or garter stitch at the edges of your patterned sections.
When doing this, aim to keep the original alignment of the lace or cable patterning, and don’t add a new repeat before or after these stitches until you have enough to make a complete repeat.
For example, a shawl with a stitch pattern multiple of 6 + 1 might look like this:
Row 1 (RS): K1, yo, (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) work 1 stitch to balance pattern, yo, K1, yo, work 1 stitch to balance pattern (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats), yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl.
Row 3: K1, yo, K1 (inc from Row 1), (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) work 1 stitch to balance pattern, K1 (inc from Row 1), yo, K1, yo, K1 (inc from Row 1), work 1 stitch to balance pattern (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) K1, yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
Row 5: K1, yo, K2 (incs from Row 1 & 3), (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) work 1 stitch to balance pattern, K2 (incs from Row 1 & 3), yo, K1, yo, K2 (incs from Row 1 & 3), work 1 stitch to balance pattern (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) K2 (incs from Row 1 & 3), yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
Row 7: Row 5: K1, yo, K3 (incs from Row 1, 3 & 5), (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) work 1 stitch to balance pattern, K3 (incs from Row 1, 3 & 5), yo, K1, yo, K3 (incs from Row 1, 3 & 5), work 1 stitch to balance pattern (36 stitches in pattern = 6 repeats) K3 (incs from Row 1, 3 & 5), yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
At this point you have now added 12 stitches: 4 stitches each for Rows 1, 3 and 7, which means you can add 2 repeats to your patterning - 1 for each side, as follows:
Row 9: K1, yo, 42 stitches in pattern = 7 repeats), work 1 stitch to balance pattern, yo, K1, yo, work 1 stitch to balance pattern (42 stitches in pattern = 7 repeats), yo, K1. 4 stitches added.
However, this will shift everything across half a repeat, so you could instead add half a pattern repeat or wait until you’ve increased enough stitches to add a full repeat without going out of alignment.
Whatever you do, check your stitch counts carefully before winging it!
Tuesday 17 November 2015
Sunday 15 November 2015
How to increase stitches in pattern - Knitting - Design
One of the most challenging things in knitting is how to increase stitches in pattern.
Understanding the technique will give you a clue to designing your own knitting patterns.
Look at the images carefully.
Understanding the technique will give you a clue to designing your own knitting patterns.
Look at the images carefully.
SOURCE HERE
Saturday 7 November 2015
Shawl Design Online FREE Course
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