Date: Thu, 25 Sep 97 12:40:20 GMT From: XSNRG@ix.netcom.com To: knit Subject: knit: Oat Couture Petal Shawl/help in counting these rows Oat Couture Spiral Petal Shawl Based on posts from this list saying that the shawl comes out small, I did it on US size 13 needles (pattern suggests size 11), with a Red Heart variegated (pattern suggests mohair, but I wanted it to be washable). It still came out small--25 in by 55 in wide, compared to the 32 x 72 in the pattern (which gives no gauge anywhere, as has been previously noted). This is large enough to drape on the shoulders, but I intended it to be a nursing shawl, and it is not wide enough at all. All I can figure is that you are supposed to block the heck out of it, not mentioned in the directions, and not feasible with acrylic. But--it is a lovely pattern, and fairly quick to do. It would take massive charting to lengthen or widen it, given the shape, though. And I don't think another row of border, even if you could figure out how to make it go around the petals, would help--there are 3 border sections already. (I got this pattern from my LYS--the address on the pattern is Oat Couture, PO Box 967, Jacksonville, OR 97530. I think it has been in some of the mail order catalogs, too.) I found it a big help in counting to use markers--the first 63 rows then become virtually mindless. I use ring markers, by the way. Here is how I did it: Row 2: put a red ring marker after every YO (6 markers). Then on the plain rows, no counting, just put a YO before every marker. On the YO K2TOG K1 rows, you just do that until you get to a marker, add a YO. Virtually no counting until you get to row 64. By the way, this helps to tell if you are on a right or wrong side row--if you are beginning a wrong side row, there will be 3 stitches before the first marker, but 4 stitches after the last one. On right side rows, there are 3 stitches before the first and after the last marker. Row 64: Do the YO K2TOG K1 sequence until you are 3 stitches from a red marker. Do YO K2TOG, place a blue marker, do YO K1 YO (first three stitches of the repeat), and you are now at the red marker. Now until row 74, you do a K2TOG before the blue marker, and then a YO after it, knit until you get to a red marker, put a YO before it. Note that after the red marker, you always do a SKP. Also note that the beginning of the "4 times" repeat section is always just after the blue marker. Row 74 to end: the sequence between the blue and red markers changes a bit, but is easy to memorize as you go. Note that at the blue marker, it always starts YO K4 K2TOG, and there is still a SKP after the red marker. I found the markers to help even at the most complicated rows--it reassured me that I was on the right count. For the points of the petals, it is easy to see if the first S2KP2 is in the right place--look at the knitting, you can see if it is centered on the pattern--and then just make sure the others line up with it. I got something wrong on the Last Point--I was one stitch off somewhere and couldn't find it, and all the other petals came off as given. But by noticing my S2KP2, I figured out where to put the extra stitch so that it stayed centered. Happy knitting, -- Mary Lee Herrick xsnrg@ix.netcom.com --- This pattern downloaded from Wool Works: the online knitting compendium http://www.woolworks.org/