Queen Conch Shawl - Body Done and Border Started!

Once I had finished the border on the Cindy Shawl, I transferred this project to my Della Q Hatbox and started working the border.

Finding a good color for the border was quite a challenge.  The yarn of the shawl is The Unique Sheep Verve, which is a fairly hard sock yarn, so I knew I needed a similar yarn for the border.  I searched in my stash for all of my sturdier sock yarns and made a list of likely candidates, and where they were stashed and then just went diving.  In the end I picked Sundara Yarn - HIgh Twist Sock in “Oh, The Places You Will Go”.  The next challenge was the beads.  It took me a while, but in the end I settled on Matte/Raku Teal/Plum.  The colors were not something that I originally thought of, but I’m very happy with how it is all coming out.

Pattern:  Over the Moon by Vicki Mikulak

Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve and Sundara Yarn High Twist Sock

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Queen Conch Shawl - Body Almost Done!

This shawl has been in my work bag and I’ve been making progress on it.  At this point I am almost done with the last of the six skeins, and am contemplating border colors.  The yarn is a bit firm, being a sock yarn with a fairly tight twist, so I want a yarn for the border with similar characteristics.  I’ve been diving in my stash and have come up with four alternatives, so far.

These are all Zen Yarn Garden Superwash Sock Yarn.

I still haven’t decided if I want to pick one of these, or go stash diving some more.

I also need to think about bead color.  This morning I’m going to finish knitting the rest of skein six, and then slip the stitches on to a Knitting Barber Cord so I can spread the shawl out to really get a sense of the colors, and then I will search my stash for all possible border skeins and see if I can come to a decision.

Pattern:  Over the Moon by Vicki Mikulak

Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

 

Queen Conch Shawl - Cast On!

After finishing up my Lock, Shock & Barrel Shawl I immediately caked up this set of yarn from another Unique Sheep Advent Calendar set.  This gradiance is called Queen Conch, and the rest of the skeins are also similarly themed.  This set is a bit different in that the other two gradiances are both 9 skeins.

The top photo is Sea Urchin, and the bottom photo is Exploring the Breakers.  All together they actually form a single gradiance, so the rightmost skein in the bottom photo is the transition to Sea Urchin, and the right most skein in the top photo is the transition to Queen Conch.  This was one of the 2020 Advent sets.  I am considering making tops out of the other two sets.  I have some good candidates in my Ravelry library.  Since casting on I have made a great deal of progress - lots of knitting at work while reading documents plus some car knitting on the way to and from my step daughter’s wedding last weekend, and I am on the 6th skein.  I will have to pick a border color and beads soon.

Pattern:  Over the Moon by Vicki Mikulak

Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Falling Leaves Shrug - Finished!

 

I finished up my Falling Leaves Shrug this week and finally got some beauty shots this afternoon.

Now I just have to finish writing up the pattern and release it!

Pattern:  Falling Leaves Shrug by Carolyn Blakelock
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Verdandi
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Falling Leaves Shrug - Knitting Done (mostly)

I finished up the knitting and the shrug is blocking before I join the edges and then bind off the rest.  I used up all of my yarn and the remains of skein 6 from my Verdandi test knit.  I'll scale things back a little when I finish writing up the pattern, but also put in some instructions for adjusting the size.  Now I have to get back to my sample knit and pattern write up for Biscotte.

Pattern:  Falling Leaves Shrug by Carolyn Blakelock
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Verdandi
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Falling Leaves Shrug - Skein 3 Side 1

I finished up skein 3 on the first side this week and have just started skein 4.  I'm getting some interesting pooling instead of the more typical striping that occurs when knitting a narrower piece.  It is a real challenge getting a good picture, the knitting tends to scrunch and I can't stretch it out too much for fear of the stitches coming off the needles.  This was the best that I could do today.

Pattern:  Falling Leaves Shrug by Carolyn Blakelock
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Verdandi
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Falling Leaves Shrug - Skein 2 Side 1

After finishing the central panel I continued on with the remains of skein 1, joining skein 2.  I worked the initial pick up and then my increase row, did some counting, did some math, and started working the Falling Leaves lace pattern.  I am not quite half way through the second repeat of the chart and am about to join the third skein.  I think I have figured out what I want to do to enable folks to make their own adjustments.  It will most likely mean that I will have several charts to choose from, depending upon how many stitches are picked up and how that works out with the pattern repeat.  I thought the rows would go pretty slow - after all, I am working across 235 stitches, but the lace pattern is simple and easy to memorize and it goes pretty fast.

Pattern:  Falling Leaves Shrug by Carolyn Blakelock
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Verdandi
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Falling Leaves Shrug - Central Panel Done

I finished up the central panel tonight.  Not the best picture, but I had to use flash.  I did 26 repeats of the Lattice Lace chart, which equates to 313 rows.  When I did the first pick-up in the side loops I picked up 157 stitches.  I still have a few feet of skein 1 left.  I'll join the second skein and work the increase row, and then figure out the numbers for the Falling Leaves chart.  I'm going to have to modify the chart to be adaptable depending upon the number of stitches picked up.

Pattern:  Falling Leaves Shrug by Carolyn Blakelock
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Verdandi
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Falling Leaves Shrug - Central Panel Started

After swatching on Friday I cast on the central panel on Saturday.  The lace pattern is from a stitch library, but it was only given as written directions, so the first thing I had to do was chart it.  This wasn't quite as simple as it sounds as the stitch count varies.  When I charted it just based upon the written instructions the chart didn't really look like what was coming out in the knitting.  After working the pattern for a few repeats I realized what was going on and was able to add in the non-knit stitches in the appropriate places to make the chart look like the knitting.  I was pretty well chuffed with myself for figuring it out.  My plan is to basically use up the entire skein for the center panel, but in the pattern I'm including directions for adjusting the size and figuring out what you can do with the yarn that you have.

Pattern:  Falling Leaves Shrug by Carolyn Blakelock
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Verdandi
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Falling Leaves Shrug - Swatching Lace

The really exciting development is that I'm working on a design.  The basic construction is inspired by the Traveling Shawl pattern, but I wanted to do it in lace, and a Unique Sheep Gradiance.  I've been looking for suitable lace motifs for a little while now, and finally found them this week.  Interestingly enough, I found them in the very first knitting book that I bought How to Knit by Debbie Bliss.  I pulled my copy out to give to a friend that wants to learn, and ordered another copy for myself after leafing through it and reminding myself what a nice book it is.  Last night I pulled out my bag of leftover balls of Verve yarn and knit up a sample.

There were a couple of things I was figuring out - the biggest was how to work the pick for the lace panels that come off the sides of the central panel.  The bottom panel was knit after picking up a stitch for every other row (one stitch per slipped stitch side loop).  That was obviously too tight.  When I started the top panel I initially picked up two stitches in each side loop - knit-front-back - but after working a couple of rows it was obvious that there would be too many stitches to block out properly so I frogged and redid the start.  This time I did an initial pick up of one stitch per side loop, then on the return wrong side row I increased every other stitch, but using the knit-front-slip-back.  I also played around with my double decreases.  I like the central-double-decrease as it gives a more distinct line.  I'm not sure if I'm going to include any beads.

The yarn I'm going to use is the first shipment for The Unique Sheep's Mythical Shawls Club.  I had done the test knit and didn't feel like knitting the shawl again, but I love the colorway, and it was, in fact, part of the inspiration for this design.

Pattern:  Falling Leaves Shrug by Carolyn Blakelock
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Verdandi
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

On the Spice Market - Sample - Finished!

I also finished up knitting the sample of the On the Spice Market shawl for The Unique Sheep, but I didn't get any beauty shots before I shipped it off to Laura, so you'll have to be content with a blocking shot.  I finished this one up on New Year's Eve.  Kits should be coming out soon.

Pattern:  On the Spice Market by Melanie Berg
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Luxe and Verve
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

On the Spice Market - Sample Knit - Section 3 Done

This was a slow section, mostly because of the make 3 from 3 stitch.  That row was a bit tortuous because you have to make sure you get all three stitches without splitting anything.  The sequence is pretty easy to memorize, after working it so many times, and it is easy to keep track of where you are in the sequence.

For each contrast color, I carried the yarn up along the side by knitting the second stitch with both the contrast color and the main color, on the right side only.  I didn't carry the main color through the color blocks in section 1, but I'm going to do that in section 4, just to have less ends to weave in.  Whenever joining a new contrast color I attached it to the main color with a square knot, and then wove the tail back into itself - sewing it through the main strand of the contrast color with a darning needle using a running stitch - to anchor it, that way I only have a single end to weave in for each color.

Pattern:  On the Spice Market by Melanie Berg
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Luxe and Verve
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

On the Spice Market - Sample Knit

Next year The Unique Sheep will be offering kits for several of the popular shawls that have come out recently.  If you want a sneak peak at some of the upcoming kits you can check out Laura's blog post here.  I am currently knitting a sample for On the Spice Market by Melanie Berg.  I actually have the kit in Miss Babs, the yarn originally called for, but haven't knit it up yet.  Because of the color changes there are ends to join and weave in.  I've been weaving in as I go.

At this point I have finished up the Section 1 and 2 knitting and am working on Section 3.  In Section 3 I am carrying the contrast color up by knitting the second stitch on the right hand side with both the contrast color and the white.

Pattern:  On the Spice Market by Melanie Berg
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Luxe and Verve
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Andromeda Cape - Finished!

I finished this last weekend, but was waiting for some good weather to try to get some outdoor shots in attempt to more accurately capture the colors.  While this shawl was actually very easy to convert into a cape, it was a little challenging to block.

Because of the asymmetrical increases there is a spiral element which introduces a bias into the finished fabric (similar to a skirt cut on the bias).  The front edges are always a little tricky because they have a tendency to stretch radially.  When I knit my Treasure Island and Snow Queen capes I was able to match up the front edges and make sure that I didn't stretch them more than the spines in the body of the shawl.  Of course once you start to wear them, they will tend to stretch.

Pattern:  Andromeda Shawl by Janine le Cras (converted into a cape)
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Magic Mirror
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Andromeda Cape - First Border Done

Slightly mysterious, emerging from the shadows, a little out of focus, but the colors are better than most of the other photos I've taken.  I finished up the first border earlier this evening and snapped a quick picture before picking up the stitches for the second border.  I used up all of skein 2 on the first border, and a little bit of skein 1.  I would have had enough for the border if I hadn't switched to skein 2 one row early.  It was a stupid mistake on my part, but I didn't feel like back tracking and fixing it.  The instructions said "end on a knit row", which is what I did.  Forgetting that in the original pattern a "knit row" equated with a purl row in my modified version.  Oh well.  The last repeat of the first border is worked with skein 1.  Not bad, and I doubt that anyone will even notice it, and who cares if they do.  The shawl is asymmetric on purpose.

I also screwed up the stitch count in my spreadsheet that I use for determining transitions because of an error in the pattern that I didn't catch until I was knitting that section.  The pattern says to repeat the first border chart 80 times, but in fact you repeat it 160 times - there are 6 rows in that chart, but you're only taking care of 3 stitches of the body with each repeat.  I doubled the rows of the original first border chart (12 rows as opposed to 6), so my border chart gets repeated 80 times.  In the end it didn't really matter because it wouldn't have changed when I did my transitions between skeins.

Pattern:  Andromeda Shawl by Janine le Cras (converted into a cape)
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Magic Mirror
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Andromeda Cape - First Border One-Quarter Done

I've been working pretty steadily on the first border.  I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with knit on borders.  I do love the way they look, but they get so boring and I can't read while I knit them.  I have to have something on the television to keep me from going completely bonkers with boredom.  As I mentioned in my previous post I modified the border pattern by putting plain wrong side rows between all of the lace patterning rows.  It really opens up the pattern, and cuts the repeats in half.  It's hard to see without blocking.  The original has a string of tight little rosettes.  I like the way they look, but I also really like how this extended version is turning out.  I still wish that I could get a good picture of the colors of this yarn.  It is so reach.  The skein I'm working with right now is like velvet teal.

I discovered an interesting glitch in one of the charting programs that I use (Stitchmastery).  When I was putting the clues together for Once and Future King I noticed that the chart for clue 1 had been created as if it were knit in the round instead of flat.  I noticed this when I was increasing the font of the row and column numbers because all of the row numbers were on one side of the chart.  So I edited the chart diagram properties and changed it to be knit flat.  The row numbers re-adjusted themselves accordingly.  What did not change, however, was the key.  The original key had only the right side definitions, but when I made the change to knit flat the wrong side definitions did not appear.  The key did not change at all.  And I didn't notice that when I was increasing the font size of the key prior to exporting it as a jpeg.  I always find it interesting what the brain does and does not notice.

In the end I actually had to create a dummy chart with the symbols just so I could output a key with both the right side and wrong side instructions.  And then I forgot one of the stitches.  Sigh.  Needless to say confusion resulted.  I always feel terrible when I screw up like that.  Even though my test knitting and tech editing is not being done as a paid professional, I still take it very seriously and want to get everything just right.  I think my drive for perfection has been accentuated by my job as a safety engineer for the Navy.  In my job the details matter and so does getting it right.  The down side is that I often come home mentally exhausted, and so I miss things in my vocational activities.

I have also come to realize that the best way to tech edit a pattern is to test knit it.  Janine asked me to proof read an early draft of this pattern and I missed a number of things that I have found since I have been knitting the pattern.  It is interesting the different ways that the brain engages the material depending upon what you're doing with it.

Pattern:  Andromeda Shawl by Janine le Cras (converted into a cape)
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Magic Mirror
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Andromeda Cape - Fourth Transition

I took a break from my test knit today because I ran into a little issue that I need to work out with the designer before I can continue, but I'm enjoying a little down time and working on my Andromeda Cape.  I finished up the body today and have started on the first border.  I switched to skein 2 on the last row of the body (row 120).  You can actually see the join in the picture.

Because I'm doing this as a cape I had to tweak the first border a little.  I started out with 6 rows of garter stitch, slipping the first stitch on the right side rows and working the last stitch together with one of the edge stitches.  I also modified the border pattern - stretching it out - so that I don't have to work lace patterning on the wrong side rows because I just wasn't up for that.  In essence I pretended that all of the rows in the chart were right side rows and the wrong side rows just weren't being shown.  I am also not working the yarn over, k2tog at the beginning of the right side rows.  Instead I'm slipping the first stitch.  I ended up recharting the border just to make it easier on my brain (which has to work hard enough during the week).

I also got an email today that my Solar Flare yarn has shipped, which is very exciting.  I worked out the modifications to make that shawl into a cape and recharted everything.  I think it will be very cool.  I still need to get beads for that shawl, and also for my Evenstar Cape.  It looks like lots of folks will be joining me for that knit along, which I figure I will start over the Labor Day weekend.  It is very exciting for me to be leading a knit along.  I'm planning on making it a teaching opportunity for me to teach folks how to go about doing a cape conversion.  I've helped a few people to do that (I seem to be getting a bit of a rep), but have never done something on this scale before.  I'm looking forward to it.

Pattern:  Andromeda Shawl by Janine le Cras (converted into a cape)
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Magic Mirror
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Andromeda Cape - Third Transition

I finished up one of my test knits last week and have started on another but took a little break to work on my Andromeda Cape.  The photo does not capture the colors well at all.  There are some lovely subtle shadings that are lost and it is too yellow.  I tried to do some correction on it, but I couldn't make it any better.  I am almost to done with the easy knitting and to the first border.

The Unique Sheep Once and Future King Mystery Knit Along starts in just under two weeks, and that was the test knit that I just finished up.  I assembled all the clue files yesterday and just took my finished shawl off the blocking mats.  It is a really lovely design and it is always so much fun seeing all the different colorways being knit up.  The test knit that I just started is for the Inspired by Art Club, also by The Unique Sheep.  I almost didn't do this test knit because the shawl shape is not one that I enjoy working, but I really like the designer so I let her talk me into it.  I'm glad that I did.  I really like the design.

And speaking of cool designs, a fellow Raveler contacted me about converting a circular shawl into a cape (word is getting round that I do that sort of thing) and the shawl that she wants to convert is one that I've been eyeing as well.  It is Solar Flare and it is going to be a bit of a challenge to convert.  There is a place where the beginning of the round marker shifts 12 stitches, which isn't really possible when you're knitting it as a cape.  I think I have figured out how to do it, but won't know until I actually try it, so I ordered the yarn to make it.  It was designed to use Unique Sheep yarn, and there is even a special colorway, called, appropriately enough, Solar Flare.

And speaking of capes, I am finally going to tackle Evenstar.  I have had the yarn in my stash for a while now, and there seems to be a fair bit of interest so I'm going to do a Knit Along and post the modifications for the conversion to a cape.  I'm thinking about doing an I-cord cast on for the neck, and I-cord edges, just to give it a little something special.  If you're interested in joining, I started a discussion thread here, and The Unique Sheep sells kits here.  We won't be starting until after the Once and Future King MKAL is done, so probably sometime around the Labor Day Weekend.

Pattern:  Andromeda Shawl by Janine le Cras (converted into a cape)
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Magic Mirror
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Andromeda Cape - Second Transition

For the drive home I worked on my Andromeda Cape.  I made it through all of the skein 5 section (I started with Skein 6), and part way through the skein 4 section.  This photo does not do justice to the colors in this yarn, I'll have to try to get one outside so you can really see the subtle colors and the richness.  When I knit with it I feel as if I'm going to dive into a tropical lagoon.  I'm hoping that I have enough yarn left over to knit a top.  Now I need to get back to my test knit for Once and Future King.  I'm almost finished.

Pattern:  Andromeda Shawl by Janine le Cras (converted into a cape)
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Magic Mirror
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Andromeda Cape - First Transition

I've been busy working on my test knit for Once and Future King, the latest Unique Sheep Mystery Knit Along, but I was feeling a bit brain dead today so I took a break and went back to this project, which at this point is pretty mindless.  I'm just past the first transition, which I did on row 61, at which point I have 31 stitches per section, just past the halfway point to the 60 stitches per section that I need before I start working the first of the two borders.

Pattern:  Andromeda Shawl by Janine le Cras (converted into a cape)
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Verve in Magic Mirror
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)