This will be a larger one. 60/2 silk, 00 needles. I just found the third skein of the Phoenix, and might well use that instead, probably with 0 needles. I hate to use anything other than pure silk for this, since moths destroyed my first attempt using phoenix. OK, I’m using that white silk. It is a very bright pure white. I really wanted to do this in black, but black silk seems to be out of style this year, and I don’t have enough on hand. I could dye it after I’m done. Maybe not.

Ha! Finally found a source for the black silk! Now I get to wait until it arrives, in holiday season mail, yet. I’ll start when it gets here.

Modifications first. I don’t see a reason to do all those increases during picking up the stitches from the side. That would just make the border and edging ruffle a bit, which would not stretch out in the blocking, since this is silk. I think I’ll increase the number of repeats of the center motif to square this up. Yes, more stitches.

I’ll use the alternate center, and the alternate edging.

There are some inconsistencies in the pattern. Here is how I plan to knit it:
I’m using the alternate center. Page 20: Beware that the side stitches are included in the repeats. That is how she came up with 19 repeats. What I actually want to do is change this anyway so I won’t have that huge increase to do later. I will cast on 299 stitches, do the side stitches plus 19 repeats of the 14 stitch repeated section, and then increase 2 stitches at the end to get the 301, counting the corner, that is needed for the border. Furthermore, I will knit the 46 stitch motif 13 times, not 11. This, plus 4 garter stitch rows, gives me 602 bumps for 301 stitches. The stitch count is 179,998.

I’m using the alternate edging. This is a wide edging, and really needs doubled attachments for at least 12 stitches on each side of the corner. Also, the way it is written, I don’t think it will give a centered point at the each corner, either, though I could be wrong about that.

Starting 13 stitches before the corner, until 13 switches after the corner, attaching 2 returns to each stitch:
2x6 -> 6 (2 points)
2x6 -> 6 (2 points)
1x6 -> 3 (one point, with the center of the 3 being the corner)
2x6 -> 6 (2 points)
2x6 -> 6 (2 points)

1x6 -> 6 73 times

736 = 438
438+13+1+13 = 465

(73+9)4=328
328336=110,210 stitches

I will actually start in the middle of the increase, 1 stitch back from the corner.

The total stitch count for the shawl is
179,998 + 6020 + 257,268 + 110,208 = 553,494

Now for the percent done estimates:
27675 5%
55349 10%
83024 15%
110699 20%
138374 25%
166048 30%
193723 35%
221398 40%
249072 45%
276747 50%
304422 55%
332096 60%
359771 65%
387446 70%
415121 75%
442795 80%
470470 85%
498145 90%
525819 95%
553494 100%

Total stitches in that part, stitches at end of repeat, repeat number, and percentage done:
179998 13846 1 Center
27692 2 5%
41538 3
55384 4 10%
69230 5
83076 6 15%
96922 7
110768 8 20%
124614 9
138460 10 25%
152306 11
166152 12 30%
179998 13
6020 186018 Break
Border percentages: Row, %
4, 35%
26, 40%
46, 45%
65, 50%
84, 55%
101, 60%
118, 65%
135, 70%
150, 75%
257268 443286 80% Border complete
1 side edging, 85%
2 sides edging, 90%
3 sides edging, 95%
110208 553494 100% Edging

OK, that should help keep me honest!

Note: the end result of 140 grams and 4592 yards on 00 needles with 2/60 silk says these yardage calculations are way high. 120.53223 stitches per yard. 2/60 silk, US00 needles.

Swatching 2/60 silk with 0 needles first. Then will try with 00 needles. Then 2/120 with 000 needles. This is for yardage calculations.

2/60 silk US0 83.43 st per yard, 6635 yards, exactly, no fudge factor. 10% fudge gives 7298 yards. This swatch is too loose for my taste.

2/60 silk US00 96.30 st per yard, 5747 yards, exactly, no fudge factor. 10% fudge gives 6322 yards. This swatch is about right for my taste.

2/120 silk US000 125.17 st per yard, 4422 yards, exactly, no fudge factor. 10% fudge gives 4864yards. This swatch is about right for my taste. I know from previous knitting that 2/120 silk US000 looks very good.

2/60 silk US000 119.76 st per yard, 4622 yards, exactly, no fudge factor. 10% fudge gives 5084 yards. This swatch is too tight for my taste.

Cast on complete! I’m using some 2/60 gold silk for the waste yarn, and maybe for lifelines if I decide I need them.

Center, rep 10, row 9. Need to tink this row, as you left out the double decreases at the stitch markers. Hard to tink. dropped some stitches, and caught them a few rows down. Then the air in my house got bad enough my eyes were watering, so I could not see well enough to tink the next few rows. I’ll do that when it is possible. I’m now at rep 10 row 8 and working back. I think that row 6 will be the next one before I work forwards.

Tinking done and moving onwards…
Center, rep 12, row 8

Got to row 11 and dropped a couple of stitches. Need to go back to about row 6. Could not work the problem out, so may need to tink back. Dropped more stitches while tinking. I’ll probably end up at row 1.

I was able to restart on row 2.

Center complete 2/10/19. Now to start picking up the stitches. The “bumps” are too small to see. I need to figure out some other way do this. I’m using magnification and bright light. Will try stronger magnification. OK, I’m making progress on the pickup. One more side to go.

Now working the break rows. Break rows complete. Now time to tape together those border sections.

My cat has taken to assisting me in knitting. In one place, her claws pulled the thread, then turned it into a fuzz that could not be pulled back into place. She really does think this lump of fabric feels wonderful, and I have to fight her off to get her to just sit in my lap without destroying the knitting. Not to mention what happens if she rolls on the fabric just when I’m at a difficult stitch.

Oops…another KAL is going to interfere with work on this…Simurg KAL…it has been on my queue, I have the pattern and the special yarn I ordered, so a good time to do it.

OK, ready to continue on, 9/8/2019.

Border complete.

The edging will be 20% of the total knitting, so it will take a while.

There appear to be errors in the chart of the alternative edging. I’ll try to figure it out. If I can’t, I can switch edgings. At first look it appears that there are rows that consume 1 more stitch than exist in the previous row. At first glance, it appears to be all rows, but I see there is a k2p2 in a single stitch in some rows and that may change the matter. The first row is certainly wrong. Cast on 27, use 28.

OK, I have several different versions of this which should work. I need to knit them to be sure, though.

Well, the first version does not work. I shall try the simplest version next.

OK, I have a simplified and corrected version of the alternative edging, and have starting knitting it.

Here is a text version:
(Note: the last k st of the even numbered rows is a k2tog with a stitch of the border.)
Chart Final Fixed Alternative Edging
Row 0 (RS): Co × 26. (26 sts)
Row 1 (WS): P2, p2tog, yo, p2tog, (yo, p2tog, p1) × 2, yo, p2tog, (yo, p2tog, p4) × 2. (25 sts)
Row 2: K3, k2tog, yo, k1, (yo, ssk, k4, yo, ssk) × 2, yo, k3. (26 sts)
Row 3: P3, yo, ssp, yo, p2, yo, p2tog, (ssp, yo) × 2, p4, ssp, yo, p3, yo, p2tog, p2. (27 sts)
Row 4: K4, yo, sl2, k1, p2sso, yo, k7, (yo, ssk) × 2, k4, yo, ssk, yo, k3. (28 sts)
Row 5: P3, yo, ssp, yo, p2, yo, p2tog, (ssp, yo) × 2, p1, yo, p2tog, p6, yo, p2tog, p4. (29 sts)
Row 6: K3, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k3, k2tog, yo, k3, (yo, ssk) × 2, k4, yo, ssk, yo, k3. (30 sts)
Row 7: P3, yo, ssp, yo, p2, yo, p2tog, (ssp, yo) × 2, p5, yo, p2tog, p1, ssp, yo, p3, yo, p2tog, p2. (31 sts)
Row 8: K4, yo, sl2, k1, p2sso, yo, k5, yo, ssk, k1, (k2tog, yo) × 2, k4, (k2tog, yo) × 2, k2tog, k2. (30 sts)
Row 9: P2, p2tog, yo, p2tog, (yo, p2tog, p1) × 2, yo, p2tog, yo, sl2, p1, p2sso, yo, p7, yo, p2tog, p4. (29 sts)
Row 10: K3, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k5, (k2tog, yo) × 2, k4, (k2tog, yo) × 2, k2tog, k2. (28 sts)
Row 11: P2, p2tog, yo, p2tog, (yo, p2tog, p1) × 2, (yo, p2tog) × 2, p3, ssp, yo, p3, yo, p2tog, p2. (27 sts)
Row 12: K4, yo, sl2, k1, p2sso, (yo, k4, k2tog, yo, k2tog) × 2, yo, k2tog, k2. (26 sts)

I’ve put the chart of this in the pictures. The orange squares are the ones knit together with a stitch from the border to attach the edging to the border.

Each 12 row repeat takes me about 30 minutes. I’m now 1/8 of the way through the edging, I think. Not measured, but just eyeballed.

Around the first corner. Stitches 2, 2, 3, 2 on corner, 3, 2, 2. This is a count of the number of stitches on a single stitch going around the corner. Once I get a bit further, I can stretch it out and see how it worked. Hope it is good! It took 2 days to get around the corner. I am getting a bit faster on working this edging. So far the eyeballing of that corner says it will be good.

That corner looks good. Spread by hand, and it is about right. Should block out fine.

Around the last corner. My cat decided to assist by biting through the yarn. I was counting on it being one continuous strand, but now it is not. He sure was fast about it, too. Jumped in my lap, reached over and bit it.
Well, soon it will be done.

All done except for the grafting. I’m being utterly chicken about that. Putting it off. I even have the stitches on a pair of needles in preparation, and maybe I’ve gotten them all on the needle that I had to pick up stitches with. However…this is grafting in lace. Not just kitchener. It really scares me. One of these days I’ll get up the nerve to try it, but it probably won’t be today. I finished the knitting on 2/10/2020, and have been putting off the grafting since then. After that, it will be a matter of trying to pick some of the cat hair out of it, washing it, and blocking it.

I finally got up the courage to do the graft. It looked pretty messy while I was doing it, but when it was done, I could not find it. The lace looked continuously knit. This is on 3/17/2020.

Weight 140 grams, so 4592 yards.

I pinned it out today. It is 5’ square. There are a few holes to be repaired. I think it is a bit on the dense side. I should have used needles one size larger, or thinner yarn. Photos later.