As soon as I can bear to get around it it, I’m going to post an update on the progress of my wedding shawl. Maybe I’ll it The Shawl that Scragged Me.
The wedding shawl has been in timeout for over a month. I fussed with it this weekend, but it’s now on timeout again. I can’t find any evidence that anyone on Ravelry has had the same problems I’m having. Everybody is all ga-ga about how clear Romi’s instructions are. So it must be me…
When another project is giving me fits, what I usually do is start another project. Even if I really don’t have time for it. Even when doing so will cause me many more time management fits later. Like right now, when I have one month in which to complete my final project for my master’s degree and only two months in which to finish my wedding shawl.
When my wedding shawl and I started having “issues” back in February, I flung it (carefully) into a corner and ran screaming. I ran all the way to the Stephen West Rockefeller shawl. It’s bold and linear. It’s art deco and a bit masculine.
Overcompensating for the feminine lacy-ness of Fiori Di Sole? Youbetchya.
Rockefeller was balm to my soul. I loved almost every minute of knitting it. I have it wrapped around my shoulders right now as I write this, cat in my lap. He’s only gotten his claws caught in it once, with no discernible damage.
Thus fortified, I feel I might have the courage to rip back to chart F of Fiori and try again. This is, seriously, like take 5.
All She Wants To Do Is Knit 
Two Words: Life Lines.
Saved me more times than I’d care to admit. I was on take 6 of the Icarus Shawl before I figured this out and it was driving me BATTY.
Loving your Stephen West shawl! Good luck with the wedding shawl…
Pretty! Don’t let the wedding shawl make you too crazy!
Take a deep breath and go back to it. I find there are many things I have to put away for awhile but always come back to and finish. I’m a stickler like that. I have to finish things. But both shawls are gorgeous. It will be worth the frustration when you finish it!
Oh that turned out great! I love Stephen West :).
That is crazy beautiful!!! I love it!
Have you tried knitting the wedding shawl when you’re with other knitters? Their support, encouragement, and, when necessary, advice/help may make it a bit easier … hopefully?!
That’s really inspiring perseverance, I wouldn’t be able to get to Take 5!
Q – I did have problems with knitting a Romi pattern, so did sister Barb on the one she knit. After ripping back a few times, I found I needed to place markers for each repeating pattern, which wasn’t noted in the pattern. That helped immensely! I found I had to do a lot of pre-pattern reading and note taking to make sure I had the pattern correct. Barb had me help her with the pattern, it took both of us to figure out some of the instructions on the Romi pattern she was knitting. I had knit mine first and gave her the heads up to place markers so it was easier to figure out what the pattern wanted.
LOVE the deco shawl! Stunning!
My issue right now is this: I’ve been putting in lots of markers, I put them in between each pattern repeat. But oftentimes the pattern wants me to jump the markers and I’m not always sure if this is happening because I’m supposed to jump the marker or because I messed up. This next time around I’ve been prepping my going in and circling all the transitions on the chart that look like they should involve a jump and a move of the marker, based on stitch count. I wish I didn’t have to move the markers because that makes me so nervous.
Q – The same problem I had. I actually had to make my own chart. I’d count how many stitches I had in between the markers, write it down, then count the next line to see how many stitches, write it down, and count out loud as I knit. Then I’d count again after each section to make sure it was knit properly. It really was a pain so I can feel your frustration! There were marker jumps. I’ve never had to count and re-count so much for a shawl pattern in my life! My starting problem was I hadn’t knit a shawl pattern before that didn’t include “pm” instructions so without using my gray cells, I just kept knitting and what a mess! Started over using markers. 😎 Labor intensive patterns!
IT”S NOT JUST ME! IT”S NOT JUST ME!
I was using markers judiciously, but yeah…a mess. I wish there was some commentary on this in the pattern…at least a head’s up. I suppose more experienced lace knitters would take the whole jumping around the markers thing for granted. But it would alleviate so much anxiety if there was something there to help me know whether or not I was making correct assumptions. Some way to make sure I was still on track, with markers in all the right places and everything hunky dory. Something to let me know this BEFORE I had knitted on something for hours.
Also, I’ve started tying my lifelines to each other, each one to the one below. That way they’ll stop pulling through the ends. I detest long dangling lifelines on the ends of my work.
Q – LOL! I thought it was just me when having problems with the shawl pattern. 😎 I restarted that d*%& shawl three times! It is so totally not just you. I’m just lucky that mine was a smaller sized shawl meant for my 9 year old granddaughter so if there were odd mistakes it wasn’t end-of-the world. I’ve never has a shawl that caused so much pain! 😎 I totally love her shawls, but the way the patterns are written…..
Your Rockefeller is beautiful. Good luck with your wedding shawl…
Thanks. Fingers are crossed.
Q – Had to come visit Rockefeller again today! LOVE that shawl! Art Deco is my fav art form.
Aww. I love Art Deco too. Or pretty much anything from the 20s.
good luck with the wedding shawl, the rockfeller is gorgeous
Thanks. It’s cling along much better now. There’s still a crochet bind off I’ll need someone to tutor me on, but the rest is finally sorting itself out.
Love this shawl! I am just about a third of the way into the second section (first time knitting a Stephen West pattern but I have been an admirer of his for some time), and it has been an absolute dream. Curious though – which yarns did you use? I am using Madelinetosh Merino Light in Fathom and Glazed Pecan, and it looks so rich and imperial. Your colors look very similar, so I was wondering if we were using the same yarn. 🙂
Thanks. The brown is just Cascade heritage. I don’t recall the colorway. The other was wollmeise. Once again, I’m not sure of the colorway.
Cascade was one of the first wool yarns I was introduced to in my LYS and I LOVE it. I have a gorgeous peacock color in my stash waiting to be turned into a cabled scarf, and I am eager to knit it! I haven’t heard of Wollmeise, though, so I will check it out – love learning about all the different fibers!