Pi for the New Year
Long have I loved colorway 100 of Trekking XXL.
When I saw multiple skeins at a LYS, I had to snatch them up. Since I had two, I felt drawn to to make something other than socks. Mid-December (in the throws of gift knitting) I cast on for a Pi shawl. I liked the idea of the long color repeats mirroring the concentric circles of yarn over rounds. However as I started I went back and forth between wondering if I was making a shawl I would love or just knitting rainbow craziness.
Knitting Pi is so absolutely zen - nothing but a row counter and knit, knit, knit.
I think that is why it went so quickly. I wanted to pick it up instead of other more "thinky" things.
This is the first knitting I have pinned out to block.
Mr. 5 (D's new online moniker thanks to Nuttnbunny!) had a big square piece of insulation that seemed to be waiting for this task. Covered with a sheet, it was a perfect blocking board.
The Bud was very interested in what I was doing. He did a nice job of leaving things be, and made a perfect helper when it was time to pull out the pins.
In this shot you can see my one modification - the edging. I debated on what to do. I wanted the color to keep rippling out in the same direction. All of EZ's edgings are perpendicular to the shawl. That would have put blocks of color around the edge, which may have looked fine, but was not what I really wanted.
Instead, I knit to the increase of 576 stitches, continued in the concentric circle pattern through 4 more repeats, and then did the YO round every other round for 12 rounds and cast off.
You can also see in the picture that I left my end to weave in until after blocking. I was not quite sure how much it would block out, and I wanted to make sure I was not weaving in too tightly.
Other than the center, this was the only end to weave in. To join the skeins I used a Russian join
- all I can say is... amazing! I will definitely do that again. I made sure the color matched at the point of the join, and you can't even see it. Plus - no ends to weave in Love it!
Pattern: Pi Shawl by Elizabeth Zimmerman from Knitter's Almanac
Needles: US 6 circs
Yarn: Trekking XXL #100
Ravelry
It's not quite big enough to fold over a "collar" and drape over my arms like some Pi I have seen, so I will probably pull it up around my shoulders a bit more and pin it with my favorite fibula clasp. Also, then it doesn't look quite so much like I have a target on my back.
Looking at the back like that makes me inspired to make a fair isle yoke sweater.
Hmmm....
When I saw multiple skeins at a LYS, I had to snatch them up. Since I had two, I felt drawn to to make something other than socks. Mid-December (in the throws of gift knitting) I cast on for a Pi shawl. I liked the idea of the long color repeats mirroring the concentric circles of yarn over rounds. However as I started I went back and forth between wondering if I was making a shawl I would love or just knitting rainbow craziness.
Knitting Pi is so absolutely zen - nothing but a row counter and knit, knit, knit.
I think that is why it went so quickly. I wanted to pick it up instead of other more "thinky" things.
This is the first knitting I have pinned out to block.
Mr. 5 (D's new online moniker thanks to Nuttnbunny!) had a big square piece of insulation that seemed to be waiting for this task. Covered with a sheet, it was a perfect blocking board.
The Bud was very interested in what I was doing. He did a nice job of leaving things be, and made a perfect helper when it was time to pull out the pins.
In this shot you can see my one modification - the edging. I debated on what to do. I wanted the color to keep rippling out in the same direction. All of EZ's edgings are perpendicular to the shawl. That would have put blocks of color around the edge, which may have looked fine, but was not what I really wanted.
Instead, I knit to the increase of 576 stitches, continued in the concentric circle pattern through 4 more repeats, and then did the YO round every other round for 12 rounds and cast off.
You can also see in the picture that I left my end to weave in until after blocking. I was not quite sure how much it would block out, and I wanted to make sure I was not weaving in too tightly.
Other than the center, this was the only end to weave in. To join the skeins I used a Russian join
- all I can say is... amazing! I will definitely do that again. I made sure the color matched at the point of the join, and you can't even see it. Plus - no ends to weave in Love it!
Pattern: Pi Shawl by Elizabeth Zimmerman from Knitter's Almanac
Needles: US 6 circs
Yarn: Trekking XXL #100
Ravelry
It's not quite big enough to fold over a "collar" and drape over my arms like some Pi I have seen, so I will probably pull it up around my shoulders a bit more and pin it with my favorite fibula clasp. Also, then it doesn't look quite so much like I have a target on my back.
Looking at the back like that makes me inspired to make a fair isle yoke sweater.
Hmmm....
Labels: knitting
posted by Orinda5 at 8:33 PM
10 Comments:
Oh man, how gorgeous did this turn out?! Incredible!
Wow, Laura! That's amazing. Beautiful! Rock on!
OMGoodness!! I LOVE it!!!!!! I especially like how you have it around your shoulders with the pin!!
Did I tell you how much I LOVE it!!! I LOVE it!!!!
hmmm--very very interesting, and very lovely!! Now you've got me thinking . . .
Wow! Beautiful work.
That shawl is wonderful! I like the looks of it, and I like that it is made of a yarn that can take some wearing...very nice job! You may have started a Trekking Pi Shawl trend!
It's very beautiful!!
Such a great call with this yarn!! Lovely.
WOW, its beautiful. Have been looking for that yarn . Any idea where i might find it ? Judy
Oh, I like it! I've been thinking about knitting a Pi shawl for one of my next projects.
Post a Comment
<< Home