TIPS:
You can use ANY yarn and either the needle size given
on the wrapper or a size or two bigger if you want a lace look.
If you have lots of scraps of yarn, you may want to do stripes and
leave the ends of the ball hanging off the edges for fringe :-)
"If
I use a baby weight on large needles and just do the garter stitch,
will that look alright?"
YES - the only thing you can do wrong is to use needles that are
too
small, producing a stiff, tight fabric.
"How do knit alongs work?"
The knit along starts - members read the instructions and start
digging
in their stash for needles and yarn. Furious swatching ensues. The
ultimate yarn is chosen (or the yarn you most want to get rid of
without
throwing in the trash), and the pattern is printed out. AT YOUR
CONVENIENCE, knitting begins. You can join anytime (the last time
we did
this was a couple of years ago), You can quit anytime YOUR shawl
is the
size YOU want. You don't have to play - feel free to watch us :-)
"I am thinking about unknitting it, and using the wool
for this shawl."
True confession - I am the world's laziest knitter - when I am reusing
yarn, I unravel and knit directly from the item I am unraveling.
Right
now I am making a pair of socks for CIC that I am unraveling from
a
sweater I started and decided I didn't want to finish. While the
yarn is
curly when you unravel it, it looks just fine knitted up.
To
do a yarn over (YO):
If you are knitting, put the yarn in front of the needle (like you
were
going to purl), now knit the stitch.
If you are purling, put the yarn in back (like you are going to
knit),
now purl the stitch. Observe - your yarn is laying over the needle
behind the stitch you just completed. When you meet it again on
the next row, treat it like a normal stitch even though it is only
Yarn Over the needle :-)
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Becky suggested
donating your shawl to charity after you finished if you just wanted
to practice but had no use for a shawl.
"A group
I'm involved with is making gifts for the Elders of the Lakota
tribe at the Cheyenne River Reservation. If anyone would like to
make
their shawl for these people, let me know. It's cold on the rez
in
the winter. These people live in as much poverty and hardship as
the
people from Iraq and now Iran do. I also have addresses for new
mothers in Iran that do not have blankets for their babies. These
shawls would serve double duty in that respect.
One can always be sure that these people appreciate all the work
and
warmth in home made gifts! :)"
Items
for the Elders can be sent here:
Cheyenne River Elderly Nutrition Services, Inc.
Iyonne Garreau, Director
PO Box 784 - East Lincoln Street
Eagle Butte SD 57625
Also
consider donating it to a shelter or charity in your local area.
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