31 Down…

Hi K.,

You know, there ought to be a knitter’s version of the song “100 Bottles of Beer on a Wall”. It would be useful to sing while working a project as large as the Princess.

With this being the Victoria Day long weekend and the weather being miserable, I put my nose to the needles and today I completed row 31 of the border. Here it is, roughly pinned out.

I thought this was fairly significant, being as there are 62 rows on the first of the 3 pattern pages for the border. I was feeling quite smug…until I looked at the picture of the shawl and realized just how much more there is to do in the border. Then I hooted with laughter at myself.

One thing that I’ve noticed and am feeling nervous about is that my gauge on the edging was looser than what I’m getting for the border. I think this is because the edging is much more open. The border, in comparison, has larger patches of plain garter stitch, and because there are proportionately fewer overs than in the edging, the gauge is coming in tighter. More thorough sampling on my part would have revealed that, I think. Oi: chalk it up to learning for the future. I hope that blocking the finished shawl into its curved shape will compensate for this difference, because, as I figure it, the only other thing to do is start all over. And if that's the case, I'll need to shelve the project for a couple of months before I'd be psychologically ready to do that.

The reason I’m pushing at working some rows now is that when I’m on vacation in June I won’t be taking the Princess with me – unless folks want to see it. (Even then I won’t work on it.) Between now and my departure, I’ll aim to work 1 or 2 rows daily.

It’s really been very enjoyable working this. As the motifs have developed on the fabric, it’s great to feel like progress is being made. It’s also been interesting to look at how some of the motifs have been built from simpler units. Useful learning for future projects.

That’s it for now: hope you’re knitting away on your Princess.

Comments

[Janice in GA]

I think I may see what you're talking about re difference in garter st gauge. But if I were you, I wouldn't start over. Trust the blocking gods on this one, and carry the experience over to your NEXT big lace shawl. :)

[Catherine]

Hi Ted -

Is it possible that the looser gauge is intentional on the edging to allow it to fall easily and not be stretched around corners of the border?

Just a humble offering ...

[k]

Mine's still sitting since the pick-up. I really have to get another needle, as I just can't move the stitches over the join.

But I've been sick as a dog the last week, and we couldn't go into the city. I'm hoping to go this Saturday -- especially as there's also a smart gathering in the Distillery district (ostensibly to celebrate the product placement in "The Da Vince Code").

I'm with those who vote to let blocking do its thing.

[ted]

I know what you mean about moving the stitches over the join. I've developed a callous on my right index finger at the spot where I grip the tip of the left needle so I can shove stitches over the join.

The thing about the edging is, if I'd cast-on the border stitches provisionally and then attached the edging to them, as I considered doing, this would be a reasonably easy matter to remedy by simply ripping back the edging and reworking it with a differently-sized needle. Still, more extensive sampling would have shown it up, and better knitting technique would have prevented it in the first place. (I've never claimed to be good knitter, though.)

[k]

So, are you saying I would have been better off knitting up my stitches with a slightly larger needle?

I'd actually thought about it. I don't think I can bear to do it again.

[Ted]

Uh... no, that's not what I'm saying. I don't think. For me, I should have worked a sample of the edging and a sample of the border, and one of the centre triangle, and compared the gauges of each. I may well have needed a differently-sized needle for each section -- which is something that Margaret Stove has noted in her book on lace. Your knitting is different to mine, so this might not be a problem for you.

[k]

I see what you're saying -- in fact, I was thinking it over last night and pretty much decided the same thing. I mean, that it's difficult to compare my knitting to your knitting.

It's the cold making me fog-headed, I think.

[Sherri]

It still looks beautiful, Ted - hopefully blocking will sort things out? I hope to start one of the HK shawls this summer - one of the less challenging ones. Is it a good idea, then, to swatch for each section? I hadn't thought of doing that before, but I'd almost bet there would be a difference for me, too. Consistency is still an elusive goal.

[kbsalazar]

Now you've done it. The Princess pattern is sitting in my stack of to-dos. I've been not peeking at it because there are so many must-do things on top of it. But reading your notes counts as peeking... I am undone.

Seriously - excellent progress! Looking good. I like the shape and tension of the patterning. Getting those spider whorls to pop that nicely is a real achievement.

On the gauge thing - you're not alone. Although (in theory) the differential rate of picking up should keep everything neat and flat, very few people have a garter stitch gauge that works precisely for the ratio described in the pattern.

I know my garter stitch is just a tad taller than average. If I'm working a printed pattern in which achieving a certain stitch count is imperative, I resign myself to the fact that my border will be a tiny bit ruffled compared to the center of the piece. If I'm designing for myself, I can take the ratio needed into consideration, and eliminate any potential flouncing.

My guess is that you also knit just a teeeennnyyy bit taller than what's expected. In most cases it won't make any difference at all. But in spots where row gauge is important (like picking up along a garter edge), we're both cursed.

Best wishes for project completion! -k.