Description: Pansy Triangle Shawl – This is an all-over design of pansy-type flowers in a diagonal lattice pattern. There is a gusset in the center back that is shaped using Short Rows. It is constructed from side to side so that you may adjust the size as you knit: If you are in love with the pattern, continue on to make a voluminous shawl.

Yarn Requirements: The shape is a triangle, with all three points nipped off, and a wedge-shaped gusset in the center back. Lean towards “gutsy lace” (medium weight wool on a 9 or 10 needle), but you can certainly use a gossamer yarn and any needles you’d like. I am using Satakieli in color 534 (I like purple). For a 5-foot wide triangle, I’d recommend 900-1100 yards, depending on the size you want to make. For a finer scarf/shawl, I’d recommend either Shetland Laceweight or the Spun Icelandic Laceweight. For a full-sized shawl, you’ll need 1400-1500 yards, again, depending on the size you decide upon.

Gauge/Needles: Again, I’m going to cop out and say “Knitter’s Choice”. If you want lots and lots of knitting, restrain yourself and use a smallish needle (aka “gutsy lace”). If you want an airy, floaty finished product, go crazy and use really large needles and a loose gauge.

Techniques:
Centered Eyelet – This pattern was designed specifically to showcase the Centered Eyelet, which allows two diagonally lines of eyelets to cross with a hole that leans neither left nor right. When I first tried to design in lace, I was surprised to learn that there was no way to make a nice little hole that didn’t lean. It makes sense, of course, that a k2tog before, or an ssk after a Yarn Over makes the hole slant one way or another. With the help of Robert Powell, Meg Swansen, and Nancy Robinson we were able to unvent a method I call the “Centered Eyelet”.

Short Rows – I’ll show you all three methods of performing Short Rows – the traditional Barbara Walker method, aka Wrap and Turn, the Yarn Over method, and the Japanese method. We’ll also discuss the merits of each.

Basic Lace Tips – I’m hoping to attract some new lace knitters to this Knit Along, so I’ll spend time discussing ways to read your knitting to help you keep your pattern in tact, and ways to fix mistakes from above, without needing to rip back rows and rows of knitting.