Mom's Shawl from The Knitting Fiend!

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The stitch gauge is 4.4 st/inch.  The row gauge is 12.4 carriage passes an inch. (Actual number of knit rows is 6.2 rows/inch.)  The shawl itself measures 86" long and 32" wide.

Note: This fabric is beautiful, wonderfully soft and warm enough for a Chicago winter.  However, using this yarn double stranded for double bed work on a standard machine is challenging. It's almost too thick for double bed work.  I had to push hard on the rows with lots of stitches knit on the front bed!  Obviously, I succeeded because I knit 1156 rows in 6 hours. I did not experience any jams or knitting catastrophes.  I did take regular breaks.

I recommend using Jagger Spun Zephyr Wool-Silk single stranded for double bed work and single or double stranded in single bed work.  If you have a motor, or don't mind pushing the carriage, you can use the yarn double stranded for some double bed techniques.

A swatch of this shawl fabric knit single strand also looks beautiful.  So, I'm planning to repeat the shawl single stranded to give to my sister in California.  Sis doesn't want her shawl too warm!  If you live in the southern United States, you will want the shawl knit single strand.

The stitch pattern also knits up beautifully in Jagger's Super Lamb used double stranded. 

• Do practice knitting on a swatch. 
• Practice steaming the swatch to make sure you know what you're doing.
• Transfer all stitches to the back bed at the beginning of the lace stitch pattern.
• LX/BX<- (Slip, Slip)
• Pushers on both beds. 
• Handle down. 
• The first two carriage passes are knit with yarn in the feeder.  The third and fourth are knit with no yarn in the feeder. 
• 1st pass, the machine knits all stitches on the back bed.  On the front bed, the machine forms a stitch for each black grid on the reader card.
• 2nd pass, the machine knits all stitches on the back bed. It slips all stitches on the front bed. (Don't worry if the front bed stitches drop!)
• 3rd pass, the machine slips all stitches on the back bed; the back bed stitches remain on the needles! The machine "knits" the stitches on the front bed.  Because there is no yarn in the feeder,  the front bed stitches drop off.
• 4th pass, all stitches are slipped.  (Basically, nothing happens!)
• If the swatch is difficult to knit, switch to orange strippers and or try using weights.
• If it's still difficult to knit, use the yarn single stranded.  The shawl will still be beautiful, but not quite as warm. 

Lace stitch gauge: 

• 12.4 carriage passes/inch. 
• 4. 4 st/inch

Cast on 141 stitches in 1 x 1 rib following console directions.  (This is every other needle rib.)  Tension 5/5. When cast on is complete, change to tension 6/6.  Knit to row count 10, including cast on rows. 

Transfer all front bed stitches to back bed.  Change to lace technique 256 using reader card stitch patter.  Tension 7.5 / 5.5. (The low front bed setting is to prevent the front bed stitches from falling off.  If the front bed stitches drop, reduce front bed tension!) Knit 1156 rows in lace stitch.  (Total row count 1166 rows.)  Transfer every other stitch to front bed.  Knit 8 rows rib.  Bind off. 

Weave in all strands.  If desired, trim edges with single crochet.  Steam lightly using a pressing cloth.

Drape shawl around your shoulders and waltz around the house admiring yourself in a mirror!  Be sure to bury your face in the shawl and feel how soft it is! (I kept doing this all last night!!)

Notes: 

• Using this reader card, I knit between rows -71 and +70.  This makes both edges identical.

• You may wish to change the row count to make the shawl shorter or longer.  To make both ends of the shawl look the same, make sure the number of carriage passes used for the lace pattern obey the following formula: 

The 4 is required because there are 4 passes per reader card row when the pattern is knit on a Passap.  The 36 represents the number of reader card rows.  The +1 is to make the final row look like the first row!

Hey! I know what you're thinking.  Why didn't you write me a program to calculate the number of passes? Well, I haven't had time to write it yet!  You know it's coming!  I'll have lots of time in January 2001.