Great Daystar In The Mornin'

 Daystar will have her public reveal this weekend.  And she is ready!

Daystar is my first attempt at writing a shawl pattern.  I knit a lot of shawls for myself, as shop samples and to gift.  Shawls fit without all of that fiddly fitting.  Know what I mean?

Daystar is named for the star stitches that fall down the center spine.  Those same stars offer a break in the field when changing stitch patterns.  And by increasing within the stars a soft wavy edging - just perfect for beads - ends the bottom of the piece.

One skein of fingering/sock yarn is all that is needed.  By working on a US 8 needle, the stitches really open up during blocking.  This first effort is made in a bamboo yarn and thus the drape is really flowy and summery.  

The open work and drape make it easy to scrunch and wrap and otherwise wad up the thing and still it shakes out into a shawl shape.

I really enjoyed putting together stitches and figuring out the increases to make the triangle grow and become a real life "designed by me" shawl.

Now - on to the pesky precision of turning notes into an actual pattern that has no mistakes.  And finding a few willing souls to test knit the thing.  Any takers? 

The Idea Moves Forward

The sweet smell of success looms on the horizon.  There is now beading taking place near the bottom edge of the idea of a Daystar shawl.

For this first version beads are placed in near each other in groups of three.  It is a tad difficult to see in the photo, but my favorite steel hook allows me to load up three #6 beads at a time.  This is a good thing for two reasons.

First reason I like loading up beads three at a time is that I don't have to chase the little buggers every time a bead is needed.  Yes, the same total number of beads must be picked up on the hook, but I chase them down less often.  This might not be a rational reason.  It is my reason and works for me.

The better reason that loading up three at a time works is this specific pattern.  As noted above, the beads are placed in a triad.  So I know when I'm done (all three on the hook are placed) and can move on before chasing more of the little  roly poly sparkly bits.

Soon, very soon, a photo of the completed Daystar will be coming your way!

PS - Notice how I totally skipped posting about that stitch taking up most of the photo.  Research is taking place.  I know how to do it, but the name and background is proving to be elusive.

The Idea In Action

Thanks to the holiday weekend, there was progress on the project.  After more fiddling, it was obvious that the center spine needed to be a four row repeat and not my original idea.  But that is the thrill of allowing the creative juices to meet the eye of the beholder.

This is the reverse of the spine.  The top portion of the shawl is simple stockinette:  practical, increases are easy, approachable by even a beginning knitter.

What is not showing here is a lace band that may or may not make the final cut.  Thanks to the use of a life line, this fiddling around can easily be frogged back to a great transition point.


More to come - - after more fiddling around.

Fiddling Around

A design idea for a summer shawl has been twirling through my thoughts for quite a few weeks.  Planning is always a good thing.  Research is near and dear to my heart.  But there comes a moment when thought becomes talk.  Or in this case thinking becomes twisting and the yarn is cast on.

There are stitches on the needles.  This is a bamboo sock yarn being worked on a #8 needle.  The beads are just being looked at.  Lately I am finding that adding beads toward the bottom edge of most any shawl gives a little sparkle and the weight helps blocking to stay put throughout the wearing.

And yes, actual notes are being written down.

Will all this fiddling around become an actual pattern?  That is to be determined.  For now, seeing a dream on the needles is enough to keep my internal motivation ramped up for the next little while.