Brackenhill Shawlette Progress

January 08, 2016

Brackenhill Shawlette Progress

Here is the progress shot on my Brackenhill Shawlette from earlier in the week.

I was still doing fine with a 24" circular, but soon I would need to upgrade. This yarn is the most exquisitely spun and so soft! I am also encountering very few guard hairs. The yarn was made from Ravenwood Cashmere goats who live near Spokane, Washington and spun by Going to the Sun Fiber Mill near Kalispell, Montana.

It's a very meditative project and this time I am using only the written instructions. I haven't looked at a single chart, and that's saying a lot for me. I am so strongly visual that charts are usually my best friends. This time, however, I wanted to check the written for any pesky errors. So far I have found none, thank goodness. Pattern errors are no one's best friends.

I indulged a little more during the week and now I am about to start section three.

I had to jump up to a 48" circular because I have no 36" one, but I must seek one out today because all this extra nylon cord is fussy. It's great for fanning the WIP out for a picture, but not so much while knitting, since all the stitches stay positioned near the working tip, leaving lots of cord free to spiral itself all about and trip me up.

A major trick I have for keeping the knitting managed is to count the stitches every wrong-side row. That way I can get ahead of a problem pronto. I just fixed a problem when I found I had an extra stitch. Turns out I forgot to work one of the "psso" maneuvers after a k2tog in the SK2P thingy. Too entirely easy to do, right?

This is all why lace shawl knitting is such good meditation. I can't think about anything else while doing it or I'll mess up. Being present is required. Such a good thing.

And working with lovely yarn just makes it all the best.