A pause for Elly

 

I am taking a break from our 2011 KAL to show you the progress on the Elly Shawlette and launch the "beading challenge" we spoke about.
You will remember that I sketched the basic math for the shawl during a layover at Denver airport. I had just heard that one of our co-workers had major surgery involving her neck and face, to remove some deep-seated tumors. As expected, she has been very self-conscious of the scars and the damage caused by the surgery, so I thought a pretty little scarf may help cheer her up. And, if I can make some other people happy as well, all the better!
Elly is a short and long crescent type shawl, began at the border and shaped with short rows in the style that Susanna IC has made famous with shawls like Annis, or Oslo Walk.
The beauty of this is that once I started working from my sketches and numbers, I did not have to make a single correction, and it came out just like I thought it would! Some patterns are just meant to be.

You will recognize the edge as a modified version of Egypt. Months ago, while swatching for this, I noticed how the swatch tended to form a point in the lower border, and I thought it would make a pretty edging. So I recycled and modified that swatch.

Here is Elly laid out to block. The lower edge is pinned down, leaving the straight edge free; It curves naturally forming the crescent. This shape, long and shallow, can be worn like a scarf, wound around your neck, or like a light shawl gently draped over the shoulders. The slight curve helps keep the shawl on your shoulders, and it is long enough to set with a pin.
(Oh, yeah, the other stuff... are the pieces of my sister's summer top waiting to be finished. It is going to be a LOT of finishing!)

The border is pinned, the straight edge is free

The yarn is Wollmeise Sock in Spina de Pesce colorway, knit very loosely on size 7 needles. I used just a bit over 300 yards, so it is a great pattern for lace remnants. If you are going to use it as a scarf, you can probably go all the way up to DK weight (or even worsted, but it may turn out to be enormously long) and tighten the gauge somewhat for more dense fabric. The lace edge will still show very well in thicker yarn. It will also show well yarns with some variegation (let's face, nearly nothing shows well "clown barf" yarn).
Yup, no pictures wearing it or on the dress form. If you have not heard yet, we are having some massive dust storms (don't miss the video on the link!). Everything is covered in lunar dust, and the light outside has just not been right for pictures.

Here is the swatch!

I am going to experimentally place the swatch here. You can click on the picture and download it, then enlarge it for printing, we will see how this works.
*please note that this chart is set to be knit "as written", no need to flip stitch meaning in the WS* However, if this hurts your eyes and would much rather have the usual, RS view of the chart, let me know and if there is significant support I will change the chart in the final pattern. Nothing is written in stone!
Have fun experimenting with beads on this pattern. Post your swatch with beads in the Ravelry group (2011 KAL), and hopefully we can use one of them for a beaded version of the shawlette - The "Dressed Up" Elly. The one you saw in the picture will be the "Everyday Elly", and probably I will also include a "Lazy Elly" (wrong side all purled). Does it sound like fun? Once this is done, and I have gone through test knitting, it will be a free pattern for everybody to enjoy :)

USA Spoiler

It seems like giving some "heads up" on special issues pertaining the upcoming clues has been helpful. So here is something I want you to know about USA: It has a tendency to pull the fabric a little bit, so you will probably need to go up one or two needle sizes for the USA clues. By the time we go back to the edge, we will revert to the previous, smaller size. So start looking for the needles! I do give some instructions for a small swatch so you can judge for yourself. I am almost through both USA clues, and I have moved up one needle size.

Off to Iowa!

Next week I will be visiting some family in Northern Iowa, maybe a short hop to Minnesota. I know my husband has vision of dancing sweet corn and big beefy steaks, and temperatures under 100F. I am looking forward for some green, nonthorny vegetation. I do miss the lovely outdoors we used to enjoy in Minnesota, but I do not miss one bit of the endless snow and cold winter.
Also dreaming of some peace and quiet to get some serious knitting done! Life here has been so hectic; We finally closed on our project rental home, and we have been very busy tearing it apart and evicting the cockroaches. I volunteered to do some "light manual labor", but my husband's definition of "light" was rather loose, so I spent two backbreaking hours removing a stubborn glued wood floor (he manning a rotary hammer, me picking up all the pieces and manually unglueing the stray bits). I am hurting in places I did not know could hurt. My husband is loving it. So I am glad not to have to feel guilty about not doing construction work for a few days.
Ask me later about the flight with the two little ones. I have an ace on my sleeve. God bless Pokemon.