The Sox Shawl

I admit that miles of repeats and stockinette bore me. Then my overachiever nature kicks in and I obsessively knit until the project that is boring me is completed. When I started this shawl, I knew I wanted to knit it for any mom whose child is in the ICU at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. (The nurses present shawls where they see a need.) But the mitered squares lost their appeal after just three were completed. So I crocheted for a while. When that wasn't fun anymore, I tried stockinette. And so on. Miraculously, the shawl turned out to be quite nice and has drawn oohs and aahs from non-knitters who have seen me compulsively knitting on it for the past week or so.

So here's my latest pattern:

The Sox Shawl!
A knit and crochet pattern

Note: gauge, stitch count, etc. are highly flexible in this pattern.

Finished Size: 60" wide at widest points; 30" deep from neck to middle point.

6 skeins Bernat Sox, Hot Tamale (40713) (any similar weight sock yarn can be substituted)

Size 8 (5mm) straight needles

F5 (3.75mm) crochet hook

Section 1

Knit 3 mitered squares in stockinette as follows.

Knit and decrease on the right side.

Purl across on the wrong side.

Cast on 70 stitches. Knit 35, place market, knit 35.

WS: Purl across.

RS: Knit to 2 stitches before marker. K2tog. Slip marker. K2tog. Knit across to end of row.

Continue in pattern until 4 stitches remain.

K2tog. K2tog.

Last row, K2tog and fasten off.

Join three mitered squares with single crochet. The center square will become a diamond, with squares to the right and left. The single crochet chain creates a ridge between the squares.

Section 2
Beginning with a slipknot and the WS of the mitered squares and using an F5 crochet hook, work single crochet pattern along bases of three squares. As you get to one of the points created by the mitered squares, work three single crochets in one stitch to enhance the corner. Work back and forth for approximately 5 inches. Fasten off. Note: starting with the WS helps correct the curling nature of the stockinette.

Section 3
With WS facing you and using size 8 needles, pick up stitches along the side section of the shawl, from the edge to the first point. On my shawl, this was 60 stitches. Picking up stitches on the WS creates a nice ridge between the crocheted section and the knitted stockinette section that follows.

In this section, with the RS facing, you will knit straight on the right edge of the shawl and add a stitch on every knit row on the left edge, creating an angle that follows the angle of the point and which will be grafted to the next section later on.

RS: Knit across to last stitch; knit front and back to increase 1.

WS: Purl across.

Continue in pattern for 32 rows. Bind off.

Sections 4 & 5
With WS facing, pick up stitches along base of section 4 (see schematic) – Section 4 section is located directly to the left of Section 3; Section 5 is located directly to the left of Section 4. Sections 4 and 5 are the largest segments of the shawl.

In this section, with the RS facing, you will add a stitch at the beginning and end of every knit row.

RS: Knit front and back to increase 1; knit across to last stitch, knit front and back to increase 1.

WS: Purl across.

Continue in pattern for 32 rows. Bind off.

Repeat for Section 5.

Section 6

With WS facing, pick up stitches along the left side section of the shawl.

In this section, with the RS facing, you will add a stitch on every knit row at the beginning, then knit across to the edge.

RS: Knit front and back in first stitch, knit across.

WS: Purl across.

Continue in pattern for 32 rows. Bind off.

Single crochet to join the edges between Sections 3 & 4, 4&5, and 5&6, creating a raised ridge in each section.

Section 7
With the WS facing and beginning with a slipknot and using an F5 crochet hook, work single crochet pattern along bases of Sections 3-6. As you get to one of the points, work three single crochets in one stitch to enhance the corner. Work back and forth for approximately 1 inch. Fasten off. Note: starting with the WS helps correct the curling nature of the stockinette.

Finishing

Single crochet at least one row around the entire shawl to help any curled edges lie down. I single crocheted two rows all the way around. Fasten off.

SCHEMATIC

Section 1: Blue
Section 2: Yellow
Sections 3-6: Green
Section 7: Purple

The long straight lines indicate the general angles of the shawl. Note that this schematic is NOT an accurate reflection of the shawl's proportions.

Knitty gifties!

Wow. One of my favorite blogs, Knitty, has just hit 50 million visitors. To celebrate, Amy Singer is holding an amazing contest. If you're a subscriber, you're entered! Check out the largess at http://knitty.com/blog/2008/04/biggest-contest-knitty-has-ever-had.html.

I finished Hot Cotton. Not so hot results, but I'm thinking about a deliberate shrinking to see if I can reduce some of the bagginess in the back area. I'll post a pix if I like the results. I cast on a mitered square Prayer Shawl using the Bernat Sox I picked up at Goodwill. It's my carpool project, so it'll be hit-and-miss for the next few weeks. (I like a memorized, easy to handle pattern for carpool and waiting rooms. Who wants to try to remember repeats and decreases/increases when you have to drop a project at a second's notice?.)

Spring break, cleaning, and knitting

This week is Spring Break for AG and AM. Since AM had a Remicade treatment scheduled Monday, we stayed in town (we never know whether he'll take the treatment well or be wiped out for awhile). Monday was pretty much Remicade Day, with AG and I waiting in the tiny airless waiting area and AM getting his three hours of infusion. (Our fearless leader and nurse extraordinaire Cathy came breezing in shortly after the infusion started with her latest load of munchies from Costco. The lab always has a tray of snacks for the kids. Crohn's is all about stoking the body with enough fuel to keep going - most of it doesn't stay in the system long enough to do any good.)

Tuesday was sleep-in day for the kids while I started on a long-deferred project: clearing out, de-cluttering, and organizing the basement storage area. They awakened in time to haul stuff to the curb.

Argh.

The pile by the curb was embarrassingly huge - and those were the rejects. We took a load to Goodwill as well (my favorite treasure-hunting place). I HAD to check the household area. A few weeks ago I scored a huge bag of fuzzy Patons Divine in an assortment of pinks, purples, creams and grays for just $4. So I made 2 prayer shawls, one in purples and pinks, and the other in white and pastels (for a mom in the neonatal ICU).

Purple Prayer Shawl Pattern:

• 4 Balls Patons Divine in Light Pink, Dark Pink, Purple, and Cream
• Size 13 circular needles
• Finished size: 18" deep x 68" wide (without fringe)
  

This is a self-fringing pattern in that you break the yarn at the end of each row of knitting. By tying two ends together, you add fringe as you knit.

Cast on 120 stitches on size 13 needles loosely, using long tail method. Knit across. At end of row, break yarn, approximately 9" from edge of shawl. Insert needle into first stitch (preparing to knit across the next row), carefully looping yarn as if to start a new ball. Leave 9" tail. Tie strand to previous strand. Knit across.

Continue knitting in garter stitch, adding new colors on the right side as you stripe in any pattern you like.

Knit until shawl is approximately 18" or more deep. Trim fringe so it's even (I trimmed this one about 6-7").

During this most recent visit, ostensibly JUST to drop off those donated goods, I scored another bag of yarn: 8 balls of Bernat Sox in a cheerful rainbow of pink, teal, line, brown, and orange for $3. That's enough to create a mitered square prayer shawl, the next design I'll put together. When yarn just falls in my lap, it seems meant for a prayer shawl!

Wednesday was the day of the Big Reveal. I redid AG's bedroom, taking out one of the twin beds and making it more tween-friendly for her gatherings. We found a huge butterfly chair with a deep, feathery cover that she proclaimed "yummy" for her room. AG and BFF D were playing Dance Revolution on the Wii in the basement rec room while I worked. When I was finished, I called them up for the Big Reveal. Squeals and a prompt slamming of the door in my face after a heartfelt "Thanks, Mom!" were proof of the successful results.

Today is all about fun. The weather is beautiful, the temp warm enough for shorts, and we're headed to the Island Ford part of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area nearby. It's just a ten-minute drive, but it feels like the middle of a natural nowhere. We'll picnic, take a hike along the river, and then go to a movie (Nim's Island).

Tomorrow, we'll head to the Atlanta Zoo.

Happy Spring Break!