In my previous post I wrote about the reasons for creating a swatch for my lacey shawl project worked with Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed – Ochre.
The Arum Shawl pattern has row by row written instructions for the lacey pattern and as well as a chart for the same pattern.
For me it’s easier to follow the chart.
I use the row counter to keep track of the pattern row I’m working on.
Arum Shawl lace pattern chart and row counter
The pattern is worked over 18 rows, and I’ll reset the counter every time I start a new pattern repeat.
The pattern also asks to decrease one stitch every 4 rows. Oh, how I wished the number of the lace pattern would be divisible by 4! But it’s not, so I must track the chart rows and the decreasing rows (every 4 rows).
I carry a strand of yarn to count the decreasing rows marked in blue in the following picture.
After completing a few repeats of the lace pattern, I make sure I insert a lifeline marked in green in the following picture.
If you look carefully, you can see I inserted a lifeline 2 repeats below and I inserted it through the stitch markers as well (my mistake). As a result, I had to leave the stitch markers on the lifeline and replace them with new ones. Lucky for me, the Mindful Collection stitch markers have 20 stitch markers of each kind, I can replace them all. For the following lifelines, I paid more attention.
Arum Shawl in progress with highlighted lifeline and row counting thread
The pattern also leaves it to the knitter to figure out how to handle the decreases in lace pattern.
“Note: When working decreases in lace, maintain stitches in pattern as established. If there are not enough stitches to work decreases and corresponding increases in the pattern stitch, work these extra stitches in St or rev St instead (i.e. knit the knits and purl the purls).”
This makes the work challenging and interesting at the same time. I try my best to keep, as much as I can, the lace pattern on the decreasing edge!
Arum Shawl in progress with lifeline and row counting thread
Join me again tomorrow in my adventure of knitting the Arum Shawl in Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed yarn.
This is part 3 of 5 in this series
Go back to part 2: Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed | Swatching for the lacey Arum Shawl
Go to part 4: Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed | A lifeline for knitting lace
