Everybody wants a rock...

Incremental advancement in the tectonics shawl

Jamieson's DK 187 Sunrise
Originally uploaded by thomasina.

LYS had enough skeins of Jamieson's DK 187 Sunrise for the continents and lacework after all, so I've gone ahead and purchased them. Now I am waiting on the 726 Prussian Blue for the ocean. I might use the 147 Moss for the now-planned border.

Specs:
Jamieson's Shetland Double Knitting
100% Shetland Wool
2 oz / 170 yds
4 in swatch: 22-26 sts by 26-30 rows
needles: US 4-6
Color: 187 Sunrise
Lot: 122802
Dry Cleaning Recommended
Status: 3 skeins purchased for continents and lace connection in tectonics shawl.

New layout for tectonics scarf

New layout for tectonics scarf
Originally uploaded by thomasina.

The outermoust top ovals will have sea serpents in them -- an homage to hic dracones. With my typical tight knitting (7 sts / in on #5 for DK!), the spread with just ovals would be only about 50". LYS owner suggested a border. Duly added; wavy lines will be a pattern picking up the wavy lace around the ovals.

Yarn ordered for tectonics shawl

LYS owner looked at the swatches on #4 and #5 needles, and pointed out that #4s were too small -- the swatch curled badly. So I will just have to accept the ~15% pattern elongation on the #5s. This is why books are good, but experienced knitters are better.

Yesterday, I measured the swatch area, then I put stitch markers at the beginning and end of the swatch, and pulled it out and measured the length -- 125 in for a 13 by 13 swatch. The ovals are about 70 by 35 stitches, or about 1925 stitches total. For 14 ovals, this turns out to be only about 3 skeins of yarn (Jamieson's is 170 yds). I've put in an order for the Jamieson's DK: 3 skeins of 726 Prussian Blue, and 2 of 187 Sunset. I am excited about getting the yarn in!

Lace scarf (also not mine)

Lace scarf (also not mine)
Originally uploaded by thomasina.

Once I sketched out the arrangement of the ovals, I remembered this lacework scarf that might make a good joining lace if it were elongated to an oval.

Award winning afgan (not mine!)

Award winning afgan (not mine!)
Originally uploaded by thomasina.

This is where I got the idea of knitting up individual ovals and connecting them with lacework.

Swatches for tectonics shawl

Swatches for tectonics shawl
Originally uploaded by thomasina.

While knitting up a swatch on the #5s, I realized that while the overall size doesn't matter as much, the ratio of stitches to rows does matter. To follow the charted pattern, I want the st and row count to match as nearly as possible.

Zilboorg, from Knitting for Anarchists: "...changing needle size is far more apt to change the number of rows per inch than the number of stitches per inch."

So my answer was to go down a size, to the #4s. This knit up as 1.5" x 1.5" at 13 by 13; once again, I knit about 75% of the printed guage.

Planning notes for tectonics shawl

Planning notes
Originally uploaded by thomasina.

I thought it might be interesting to document the planning process. I'm as big a newbie to knitblogs as to knitting itself, so I'm sure there are lots of people who document this online.

Also, I am a lot less likely to lose my flickr address and knitblog address than this piece of paper.

This was written in the LYS, after the realization that even knit in Spindrift, a scarf with the worlds in N-S orientation would be monstrously large. There are a lot of detailed notes on the photo; if you want to see them, click through and and see it on flickr.

Tectonics shawl yarn choices

Tectonics shawl yarn choices
Originally uploaded by thomasina.

These are gorgeous colors, but I still like the Jamieson's better. I feel like such a dork -- I can't help feeling that the albedo of the Jamieson's DK wool is closer to the true thing.

Brown Sheep Company Prairie Silks
Ruble Red PS400
Real Royal PS600

Silky Wool possibilities for Tectonics shawl

Silky Wool possibilities for Tectonics shawl
Originally uploaded by thomasina.

Another possibility, but somehow the Jamieson's seems like the right choice (in spite of them apparently dumping all of their DK colors)...

Silky Wool 21 bilberry and Silky Tweed 06 rust.

Yarn for tectonics knitting

Yarn for tectonics knitting, originally uploaded by thomasina.

Here are the colors I would like to use for tectonics shawl: Jamieson's DK Sunrise 187 and Prussian Blue 726. I would like to knit up the 12 patterns as ovals, and connect with some sort of lace. I am probably insane, since this will be my first real project. I might also make an afgan, which might be more practical, but not as challenging.

Apparently Jamieson's is discontinuing most of their DK colors, so I need to figure out how much I need to buy quickly. Fortunately, the owner of the LYS is encouraging me in my insanity, and is going to special order direct from the distributer.

Credit for the tectonic charting goes to fisheggs and her incredible tectonics scarf.