Of course the quizzes are bogus. There are a few, though, that are perhaps a bit more based on the old Myers-Briggs test (which I am not convinced is bogus, though it may hold some "Barnum statements") and may actually reveal something about a person. (Though I think some people take their "type" a bit too seriously and do tend to use it as a badge of identity)
But whatever. I thought it was especially silly that a test could (potentially) come up with statements like "you are a total rebel" and "you are a rule-follower."
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I started the Bird's Nest shawl from Folk Shawls the other night. (For those who don't have this book: it's a shawl "inspired" by the cultures of the Himalayas. I guess the design is loosely based on a design used in some woven shawls from that region. The name comes from the (legend? fact?) that people living in that part of the world - where cashmere goats live - will sometimes find bits of the wool worked into bird's nests, and after the birds are done with the nest, pick it apart, wash the wool, and spin it. [I suppose the idea is that these are peasants who have no access to the cashmere other ways].) I'm using a camel yarn for it though and am greatly perplexed because the gauge listed on the ball-band is approximately double-knitting weight, but everywhere I've looked at descriptions of this yarn (Elann Far East Pure Camel), it's described as "fingering weight." Which means by rights I should be doubling it, but I'm not...it seems thicker than fingering weight to me because it's kind of lofty.
I don't know. I'm going to be unhappy if, after working the 12 rows of garter stitch (over 346 stitches!) and start the main pattern if the gauge is too small. But. I have it on my longest (like 44") size 6 circular needle and it's all bunched up, probably gathered almost double...so maybe gauge won't be an issue. (Yes, I should have swatched, but it's a shawl - as long as it's "long enough," it's OK.
I think this is the first "linear" shawl I've made where it's knit the long way rather than end to end. 346 stitches makes for a long row, even in just plain garter stitch. (Fortunately, when I get to the lace pattern, it's one where I can use stitch markers, so I don't need to keep careful notes of where I am in a row.)
1 comment:
I knit this shawl a few years ago. I made one small but significant change: I reversed the chart so that the majority of the decreases were k2tog's instead of ssk's. I think that made it a much faster knit.
The repeat is as follows:
Row 1: k5, yo, k4, k2tog
Row 3: ssk, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, k2tog
Row 5: ssk, k2, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k2, k2tog
Row 7: ssk, k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k1, k2tog
Row 9: ssk, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k2tog
An easy way to reverse a chart is to photocopy it onto a transparency, then flip the transparancy, and photocopy that back onto paper. Or just rechart using Excel.
MIne worked out just the right size. More luck than much else. But I do know one lady who knit it three times because it came out way too big, so she ripped the whole thing, and then too big again. I'd put it onto a string once you work a repeat or two and check.
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