Pattern: Clementine Shawlette, from Interweave Knits, Spring 2007
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk dk in Ruby, 3.5 skeins.
Needles: 3.5mm
Notes: I added two extra pattern repeats to make the shawl wider (I hate having a cold back!)
What you can’t see on these photos is that my hands and hair are covered in paint from spending the weekend decorating!
I’ve read quite a few comments while making my Clementine shawl about the difficulties of grafting. There are loads of tutorials on t’interweb about how to graft knitted pieces together. My favourite is the one on Knitty.com. It has great photos and a really clear explanation, and is the one I use whenever I need reminding how to graft. Like so much about knitting however, getting it right is not just about the technique. With grafting, I find that following the instructions is just the beginning:
The sample above, knitted in the Clementine lace pattern, has been grafted correctly, but looks pretty rubbish. The right side is much too tight, and the left is too loose. It’s hard to get the tension right while grafting; I find the key is to go back and fiddle with the tension afterwards to make the sewn-in yarn look just like the other stitches.
Spending some time fudging the stitches like this makes a huge difference:
Better, yes?
Blocking my Clementine Shawl. First I did this:
Then I did this:
Then this:
And finally this:
It should be dry by the morning…
Finished the knitting, just got the grafting to do. My favourite Kitchener grafting tutorial is the one on Knitty.com – it’s so clearly explained, and the photos are so great that it’s hard to go wrong with it.
Here’s the grafting I’ve done so far:
And here’s the lace pattern in detail. More on this tomorrow.
… nicely.
I’ve been knitting like a dervish today: on the train, during Alex’s cello lesson, all evening at home. One of the definitions of the word dervish is a devotional exercise involving bodily movements. Admittedly these traditionally consist of whirling dances – far more vigorous than my two hands with their sticks, but I like the idea of knitting as a repetitive, meditational set of gestures. It fits in well with the mindful way in which I am trying to make this shawl.
