Newest Prayer Shawl

Here's Johnny...

Well, not Johnny, but another prayer shawl. This is number five. It's very similar to the "Bat Wing Shawl" but I think it's significantly better, in my opinion. I used the same Sensations Boucle yarn by JoAnn's. It's a combination of pink, gray and black and this yarn is self-patterning.

The main difference between this shawl and the other is that I tried a different stitch combination. The Bat Wing Shawl was very haphazard and not well thought out on my part. Although, it is an interesting design.

For this shawl I started with 3 stitches cast on and increased each row by three - a yarn over at the beginning and end and one near the center of the shawl. I cast off at 175 stitches. It's knitted on size US 17 needles and utilizes the standard knit stitch. (The stockinette stitch wouldn't show up well with this yarn stitched on so large a needle.) This particular yarn comes on a massive roll and I used about 1/3 of a skein for this project.

The interesting thing about this design is the fact that the shawl was knitted as a triangle and once off the needles rounded itself out. If you look at this picture closely you'll notice the circular pattern radiates from the top center of the back. This was a completely unexpected effect that I do enjoy. (The yellow dots are on the models shirt and not part of the design.)

Well, mom says it's okay...

Here's one of the latest in prayer shawls. It is the first I've tried from the triangular angle (haha!) I have this bad habit that I developed with recipes several years ago. Sometimes I read cookbooks for inspiration, never truly trying a specific recipe, just making things up from combinations of other recipes. Or I read over the recipe and then rethink it as I throw it together.

Now I find that I've been doing that with my knitting. At least I don't have to worry about whether or not it'll rise!

So, this little number came from a legitimate pattern and I butchered it. This is the result - I call it my Bat Wing Shawl.

Here's the story. I cast on three knit stitches and yarned over one stitch at the beginning of each row thereafter. Several rows in I realized that if I continued at that rate I would have a shawl taller than most people and it would be more of a bathrobe than a shawl.

Thus began my bright idea of going up 3 stitches every row. 10 rows later I went to increasing 5 stitches every row. I'm still not sure if I was just impatient or hadn't thought it through completely.

I happened to be at my mother's when I determined it was completed and cast off. I was dismayed but good ole mom, she said "I think it's cute. It kind of reminders me of something my grandmother used to wear. You know, just a different color..."

Since mom gave her blessing I refuse to unravel it. I just pray that the person that gets it enjoys it!