Using up lots of little leftovers in DK/worsted weight, and fingering used doubled.

I’m taking the designer’s advice and sewing in ends on each piece as I finish it. Also I used Kitchener joins instead of 3 needle bind off. I blocked each bow tie after knitting and then blocked each 9 bow-tie piece. Also blocked each circle.

I did make a slight modification to the bow ties so that there is not such a sharp angle between the fan and the center panel. and also changed the decrease rows so that the edges were symmetrical.

In the end I did put a backing on it so I probably didn’t need to sew in all those ends after all!

Changes from pattern
Row 8: K1 tbl, P1, (P2tog P2) 3X, P3tog, (P2, P2tog 3X, Sl1p = 23 stitches.
Row 14: K1 tbl, (P2tog, P1) 3X, P3tog, (P1, P2tog) 3X, Sl1p = 15 sts
Row 20: K1 tbl, (P2tog 3X, P1, P2tog 3X, Sl1p = (9 st)
Row 25: using col 3. K2tog tbl, knit to end
Row 26: K2tog tbl, purl to end

BORDER CIRCLES knitted in the round.
Slip the 1st st of the second round of each color change.
Color 1 cast on 70 stitches, join into round and garter 3 rounds starting with purl
(K2tog, K5) around
purl
Color 2: Knit
(k2, k2tog) around
Color 1: garter 2 rows starting with knit
(k2tog, k1) around
Purl
End color 1
Color 3: Knit
k2tog around
Color 4: garter 2 rounds starting with knit
Color 5: k2tog around, k1
Break yarn and pull through sts.

Joining Bows
With col 1 knit up 32 st on concave side (inward curve on side of bowtie) of unit 1. (12, 8,12)
Work 2 rows in garter st. (3 rows including knit up row)

With col 2, work the next 4 rows as follows:
Row 1 (wrong side) k 1 tbl, p2, sl2 purlwise (p2, sl2 purlwise) till 3 st remain, p2, sl1 purlwise.
Row 2: k1, (p2, yrn back, sl 2 purlwise, yrn fwd) to last 3 sts, p2, k1.
Row 3: k1, k2, (yrn fwd, sl 2 purlwise, yrn back, k2) to last 3 sts, k3
Row 4: k1, (p2, yrn back, sl 2 purlwise, yrn fwd) to last 3 sts, p2, k1
Break off colour 2.

With colour 1, knit up 29 sts on convex side (cast on edge) of unit 2.
Knit 1 more row. K1, Kfb, k12, kfb, k12, kfb, k1
Kitchener closed

Add 4 extra sts for each curve crossing.
When picking up on opposite side, KCO4 to span the gap. Sew in place after curve is finished.

Joining Circles
On bow tie, PU 4 for each RR track leaving a 15” tail, 32 across bow tie. If no RR track KCO4 (40 sts)
Knit 2 rows
With col 2, work the next 4 rows as follows:
k1 tbl, p2, sl2 pw (p2, sl2 pw) till 3 st remain, p2, sl1 pw.
(p2, yb, sl 2 pw, yf) to last 3 sts, p2, sl1.
k1 tbl, k2, sl2, k1 w&t
P1, sl2, p2, sl1
k1 tbl, k2, (yf, sl 2 pw, yb, k2) to last 3 sts, k2, sl1
Repeat short rows on other side

Exception!! Do not do the short rows to flare the end on the corner circles where there is no RR track. Instead, narrow the end and pull the 4 CO sts across to the circle to end the track.

On circle, PU 4 for each RR track leaving a 15” tail, 32 across circle. (40 sts) (4,sp,16,sp,16,sp,4)
Knit

Kitchener closed.

With 15” tails, PU 4 sts across the end of each RR track
Knit
BO

Joining groups of 9
Col 1 Pick up as for bows, Knit 1 row
Col 2. Knit 3 rows
Col 3
work the next 4 rows as follows: do not break col 2
Row 1 (wrong side) k 1 tbl, p2, sl2 purlwise (p2, sl2 purlwise) till 3 st remain, p2, sl1 purlwise.
Row 2: k1, (p2, yrn back, sl 2 purlwise, yrn fwd) to last 3 sts, p2, k1.
Row 3: k1, k2, (yrn fwd, sl 2 purlwise, yrn back, k2) to last 3 sts, k3
Row 4: k1, (p2, yrn back, sl 2 purlwise, yrn fwd) to last 3 sts, p2, k1
Col 2 purl 2 rows, leave sts on needle
Break yarn leaving enough for Kitchener.

Repeat on other side
Substitute
Col 2 for col1
Col 1 for col2
new col 4 for col 3

Kitchener closed

Border
PU 1 st on the circle, 4 sts on the RR track, 31 (36) sts across bow tie, 4 on RR track, 1 on circle
On bow ties with double RR track PU an extra 5 sts
Break yarn. Put 5 sts at ea end onto yarn holders.
K2tog and SSK includes 1 st from the holder on each side.
Join in yarn at bow tie RS facing
For single RR tracks
K2tog, Kfb, K27, Kfb, SSK
K33
K2tog, Kfb, (K14, Kfb) 2X, SSK
K36
With Col 1, K2tog, Kfb, K32, Kfb, SSK
P38
With MC, K2tog, Kfb, K20, Kfb, knit to last 2 sts, Kfb, SSK
K41
K2tog, Kfb, K13, Kfb, knit to last 2 sts, Kfb, SSK
BO kw including last 2 sts from holders.

For double RR tracks, no inc on the double side
K2tog, Kfb, K33, SSK
K37
K2tog, Kfb, K17, Kfb, knit to last st, SSK
K39
With Col 1, K2tog, Kfb, K36, SSK
P40
With MC, K2tog, Kfb, K20, Kfb, knit to last st, SSK
K42
K2tog, Kfb, K13, Kfb, knit to last st, SSK
BO kw including last 2 sts from holders.

Edging
Using a separate ball of yarn and long circular, PU approx 44 sts from a bow, then 25 from a circle. Cont until circular id full. PU more sts on circular when needed.
With dpn, CO 4 sts
Work in Icord
K3, SSK with st from circular
Work all around border this way. Fudge rows if it doesn’t work out exactly.
SR: short row – knit the 4 sts without including a st from the circular.

On the bows
Icord 12X
(SR 1, Icord 2X) 9X
SR1
Icord 12X

Between the bow and circle, Icord 1 row with SSSK

On the circles
Icord 4X
(SR1, Icord 2X)
(SR1, Icord 1X) 10X
(SR1, Icord 2X)
SR1
Icord 4X

Adding a Backing
This is rather time-consuming….
I had to use the floor because I didn’t have a table big enough. If you haven’t blocked the quilt, better do it because it may expand after blocking. The backing could shrink after washing so best to wash it too.
Lay out the fabric over the knitting and mark the edges. You will probably have to piece the fabric to get it big enough. Cut fabric leaving an inch all round for hemming.
If you want to hang it, cut 2 strips to go across top and bottom to hold the rods. Mark on the backing where these will go. Since the quilt has a wavy edge this may not go to the edge of the backing at this point. Sew them onto the backing.
Lay out the quilt again, WS up, and pin the backing on with RS up using quilting pins – lots of them.
With short (about 6”) pieces of yarn in a matching color, make 1 st from back to front through the center of each bow tie. Tie on the back side with a surgeon’s knot. Trim the ends to about 1”. It will not show on the front side.
Now flip it all over and trim the edges of the backing to the same width as the quilt. Sew bias binding around the edge. (I was so tired of this by then that I just used the thread that was on the sewing machine, which was obviously not the best color). Pin the edges thoroughly and hand sew in place.

October 12th: All bow ties finished and starting to join them. Instructions are somewhat vague. Made a plan for joining them in an arrangement of the ‘railroad tracks’ that I liked.

October 30th: All 9 sets of 12 bow ties joined together.

November 21st: All circles joined and the 9 sets joined together with double RR tracks.

November 27th: First section of border finished. Beginning on edging.

November 30th: All knitting finished. Thinking about putting a backing on it.