Shawlography

I didn’t get my shawl finished but now that I see the finished shawl I am motivated to get back to it.

Take a look at some of the finished shawls on Instagram. They are amazing. There are some stunning colour combinations. A few people changed the last clue and have different edgings on their shawls. These are interesting.

Photos © Stephen West

If you think you’d like to make the shawl you can purchase the pattern on Stephen’s website.

I thought I was coming home for my zoom meeting with Rowan but Canada Post was late picking up parcels so I stayed in the store. I was able to knit a few rows while watching.

I can’t show any pictures of the new Rowan yet but I can tell you that there are patterns for everyone. Some are coming January 15th and the main magazine will be available on February 15th. Men, women, children and babies. Knitters and crocheters. Rowan has inclusive sizing in all their patterns. There is one new yarn and new colours in yarns that you are familiar with. 

Here’s a sneak peek at needle cases coming early next week from Knitter’s Pride. There are two different covers available.

This case is for your double pointed needles.

There will also be a case for fixed circular needles and another for interchangeable needles.

Spoiler

It’s Thursday night and I’m not finished Clue #2. Clue #3 comes out tomorrow morning. Yikes, I need to get knitting.

Right now it is long rows of knitting, purling and slipping stitches. Somehow this makes it feel like the shawl is growing faster than the wedges at the beginning.

The I-Cord loops took a long time. I can tell you that by the end of them I might have had a few choice words for Stephen but now that I’m looking at the shawl they look cool.

Now a few more rows before bed. I hope to get myself caught up over the weekend.

Spoiler

I wish I could show you pictures of Clue #2 but I haven’t finished Clue #1. I spent time this weekend and I’m close to the end of Clue #1.

The pattern is very well written. You will never go wrong knitting a Stephen West pattern. Watching the video helps if you are having a problem. I watched a few different sections of the video to make sure that I was doing everything correctly. 

I really love working with the Tough Love Sock. The yarn feels great in your hands.

Now a few more rows tonight. I’m heading to the store in the morning to pack boxes and should be home just after noon. I’m giving myself the afternoon to finish the clue and get start on #2.

Spoiler

I wish I was further but…

When you look at the pattern the wedges look daunting. There are a lot of rows. Don’t be afraid.

The pattern is well written and if you watch Stephen’s video as you are working you won’t have any problems. I watched the short row section just to make sure I was doing it correctly. It’s better to take a few minutes now so you don’t have to rip out later.

I love working with Sweetgeorgia Tough Love Sock. The yarn is so soft. If I was a sock knitter I would definitely be using it for socks.

Casting On

The new Mindful Sets arrived this morning. 

Have you seen Knitter's Pride's newest collection? The Mindful Collection's needles feature stainless steel lace tips with nylon-coated stainless steel cables. The cables have no memory, so they will not kink or curl, and they are marked at 1 increments so they can double as a tape measure.

It might be time to start your holiday wish list. Maybe drop some hints by leaving pictures on the breakfast table??

For the past few days I have been wearing one of my Nightshifts that I knit in Noro Ito. This is kit #1. I haven’t worn any of my Ito Nightshifts until this week and I really like the size of it. To hold it in place I have a Shawl Cuff on it. When I need to take the shawl off I leave the cuff on and pull the shawl over my head. Then when it’s time to put it back on it goes over my head again. I don’t have to fuss with it - it’s ready to wear.

There are new colours of Ito coming in November and I will be making another one.

I’ve cast on for Shawlography but didn’t get far.

I took a picture of the skeins wound but the colours are off so I’ll show this for now.

If you can't stand the mystery, Stephen has posted a video on YouTube. In this video he shows colour placement, the stitches and at the end Clue 1 finished.

Once you start watching a Stephen West video you can't stop. He is soothing and very encouraging. Stephen doesn’t have a lot of rules. Just have fun.

I don’t want to post spoiler pictures in my post so I’m going to do two posts on those days. The spoiler will be titled Spoiler (very original 😘) and you can look if you’d like. This will be the first picture of these posts.

Then I will show pictures of my knitting.

Speaking of knitting - it’s time to get back to the shawl.