Stylecraft Blog Tour 2017 - The Learn To Knit Shawl

Hooray! Hooray! 

It's another day of the awesome STYLECRAFT blogstars blog tour and it's my turn.

If you've been keeping track of the tour, then you'll already know that yesterday it was the talented Sandra from Cherry Heart and tomorrow it's the fabulous Lucia from  Lucia’s Fig Tree (I cannot wait to see what she's been up to).

This year's brief was to work with a 10-ball yarn pack, which contains 4 balls of the-new-kid-on-the-block, Batik Elements (a gorgeous variegated yarn) along with 6 coordinating colours from its sister range, Batik.

Lagoon: 4 x Krypton, 1 each of Lupin, Sage, Teal, Storm, Silver and Indigo

There are four colour packs available and I chose Lagoon: I'm always drawn to these kinds of colours.

But what to make?

Now those of you who regularly read my posts will know that something is very wrong here...

... These photos clearly show a knitted thing and I am not really a knitter. 

And you're right, but that's where the Batik came in - because I'd seen an idea for a shawl using a simple combination of garter stitch and stockinette stitch and thought the yarn would be absolutely perfect. 

I had decided THIS would be the shawl that would teach me to knit.

I changed the pattern - the original created an isosceles triangle, with increases on both sides, but I wanted a right-angle, with the increases on just one side and with larger bands of increasing colours, too. 

And do you know what, I love it; Sure enough, my stitches were decidedly dodgy to start off with and my needle hold was awkward, but as I progressed through the shawl, so my tension improved and the yarn fed through my fingers more smoothly and everything neatened out.

 

And the yarn?

It's lovely to work with. I've crocheted a shawl for Inside Crochet Magazine (Issues 92, 93, 94) with it and it's bouncy and soft and warm - (that's the 20% Wool content). And the same can be said for knitting with it; Simply gorgeous.

 

But before we get to the pattern, how would you like to win a Lagoon yarn pack??

Simply enter the competition HERE for your chance to win.

(Giveaway open from 10am GMT 20th October 2017 and closes 10am GMT 21st October 2017. Winner drawn at random and notified by email.)

So let's get to it. The original pattern is called 'Sonnensegel' by Ulrikestrickt and can be found for free HERE.

A note about my pattern:

It is not perfect; It is not meant to be. I forgot to use one of the colours in Part One and I reckon on some of the rows, I forgot to increase, too.

This pattern is easy and forgiving:  Perfect for learning to knit.

The Learn-To-Knit Shawl

 

If you're a beginner knitter, then here's what you'll need to know:

How to cast on

How to knit

How to purl

How to increase (kfb)

How to cast off

Size: 88cms x 145cms (longest edge)

You will need:

The Lagoon yarn pack

Size 4.5mm / 100cm circular needles

Increasing stitches. 

Increasing is carried out (as a Knit Front and Back) on the right-facing side of every knit row in both Garter and Stockinette sections, starting at the first section A*, EXCEPT on every first row where you have changed colour.
To increase: simply K1, increase 1 (kfb), then knit across the rest of the row.

Pattern

Part One:

All sections are 6 rows

The Garter stitch rows (B) will always be in Krypton. 

The Stockinette stitch sections (A) will repeat the same colour twice.

Cast on 3 stitches with Krypton

Knit 6 rows

A*: Change to Teal and knit 1 row, purl 1 row for 6 rows (Stockinette Stitch) *Start the increases

B: Change to Krypton and knit 6 rows (Garter Stitch)

A: Continue in Teal and Stockinette stitch for 6 rows

Work in pattern (Section B, Section A), changing to Indigo, Storm, Lupin, and Silver for 2 sections each, ending with a section of Garter stitch in Krypton

Part 2:

All sections are 8 rows

The Garter stitch rows (B) will always be in Krypton. 

The Stockinette stitch sections (A) will repeat the same colour three times.

Work in pattern (Section A, Section B), changing to Teal, Indigo, Sage, Storm, Lupin, and Silver for 3 sections each, ending with a section of Garter stitch in Krypton.

Cast off loosely and block lightly.

Oh goodness, I hope that makes some degree of sense. If it's your first knitted shawl, then good luck and I hope you enjoy making it. If you're a pro, then please excuse my novice knitter's mistakes and enjoy the pattern, too.

If you'd like to see what my Stylecraft blog pals are up to, then you can find them here:

Crafternoon Treats, The Twisted Yarn, Patchwork Heart, Hand knitted Things, Keep Calm and Crochet on; Catherine’s Crochet Corner,  Zooty Owl, Attic 24, Janie Crow, Crochet Between Worlds, Get Knotted Yarn Craft, and Crochet Between Worlds.

Have a fab weekend,
Sarah xx

The one where she learns to knit ...

I still consider myself relatively new to the whole world of yarn. I taught myself to crochet just over 2 years ago and I am still learning.

 

 

And I love it, I really do.

But I felt the urge to learn something new. A challenge. Something to keep the ol' cerebral pistons and cogs turning and stop the rust from taking hold. Feeling reassured by the whole adventures-in-yarn so far, I decided knitting would be the way to go.

 

Knitting?

I recall that childhood memory of squeaky yarn on needles and triangle-shaped pieces of 'knitting', no matter how hard I tried to make rectangles.

But I had been reassured by the well-lush ShabbyChicSarah (on our recent Instagrannies knit-and-stitch meet-up) that I would, indeed be able to knit. Sarah told me matter-of-fact that not only would I be able to knit, but that I would love it.

Game on, I thought.

And so, armed with some freebie needles (thanks to the also well-lush County Rose) and a book (see below) I began my knitty journey:

Lesson 1: Casting on

 

Hey, I can do it!

 

Lesson 2: Making the knit stitch

 

 

Oh, blinkin' 'eck! MAJOR disaster.

This is actually terrible. I felt a terrible sense of doom and disappointment.

(Naturally I blamed the glass(es) of wine which accompanied me on this lesson.)

 

Lesson 3: Try again with bigger needles, chunkier yarn and TEA, not wine.

 

 

Ahhh, a bit more successfull and I have something which actually resembles knitting.

 

A bit more and I'm trying the purl stitch too.

 

 

 

Buoyed by my new-found yarn-confidence, I try this:

 

 

And this:

 

And this:

 

And I feel genuinely chuffed with my efforts.

I don't really know what to make for real yet; I'm searching out Ravelry and Pinterest for something very easy to get me started (any suggestions gladly appreciated) but I'm really pleased that I've tried.

It may come to nothing and I may decide that it's not really for me, but who knows, eh?

 

Have a great week!

Xx

PS the book I learned to crochet with was this:

'Stitch and Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker' by Debbie Stoller:

 

 

And for knitting:

'Stitch and Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook' also by Debbie Stoller

 

 

I would recommend them both! And I bought them from Amazon.

X

 

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