Swallowtail Started

I just wanted to say hello y'all! I learned of this KAL through Opportunity Knits, (who doesn't have a swallowtail shawl...yet...) and I had to join! I started my Swallowtail on September 25th with Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud (Tide Pool) and am currently a little over 1/4 done with 11 full budding lace pattern repeats completed.


I look forward to picking your brains and gleaning helpful hints from all of you, as well as seeing all the completed shawls!

Fingering Weight?

I am casting on for Swallowtail today and need some advice. I have decided to knit this lovely shawl in Brown Sheep Fingering in Lilac, but I am concerned about being able to do the nupps in this heavier yarn. Has anyone used fingering weight for this? If so, were you happy with the results? I would like a larger, heavier shawl-hence the use of fingering weight. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much, and I have loved seeing everyone else's progress and completed shawls.
Sue J

The Wedding Shawl Challenge: 15 days left!

I've been knitting furiously on my Swallowtail. So far, I've completed 14 repeats of the Budding Lace chart! Now, I'm planning on knitting a *big* shawl, not a "shawlette" as per the pattern. Since I'm using the recommended yarn (Misti Alpaca) and the recommended needle size (US 4), I know I'm going to knit more repeats. The question is, how many more?

So, I tried blocking on the needles:
You can see that I knitted 10 repeats, blocked, then knit 3 more repeats. Ah, the magic of blocking! Each repeat measures 1.1" x 1.1".
Here's a full shot of what I've knitted so far:
Now, there's been a discussion already on how to increase the size of this shawl:

• Sia from Finland used larger needles and knit the recommended 14 repeats. Her blocked shawl measures 85 cm x 177 cm (33.5" x 70"). Look at her gorgeous pictures of the shawl in a storm! (She did calculate that if she had wanted to make the shawl bigger, she'd need an extra 120 st, that is 195+120=315 st of Budding Lace. Ouch).
  
• Risa is using the same exact yarn I'm using, and 14 repeats. I'm waiting for her to block and measure her shawl. We need pics, Risa!
• The blogless Mary Tess used her calculus skills and realized that 19 repeats of Budding Lace would lead to 11 repeats of the Lily of the Valley chart. Jeri independently came up with the same numbers. Mary Tess also figured out that if you work 16 repeats of Budding Lace, then 4 decreases, you can fit in 9 repeats of the Lily of the Valley chart.

Call me crazy, but I'm shooting for 19 repeats!

The Swallowtail Challenge!

So here's the deal: I bravely offered to knit a wedding shawl. I don't know if this makes me crazy or the best friend ever. But this is *the* occasion to get carried away, right? And I wasn't the only one, others were volunteering to do things for the bride ("I can do the invitations!" "I'd love to make the cake!" "you could get married in my garden!" etc). I think we overwhelmed the bride a little... In a good way, of course. :)

Anyway, my words just sunk in this past weekend, when the bride realized that she did, in fact, want a lace shawl. I emailed her a list of links: the Flower Basket shawl (which I've made), Icarus, the Lotus Blossom shawl (which I also made) and the Swallowtail shawl. She picked Swallowtail! Smart bride.

Now, I didn't tell you that I cast on for this shawl before I even got my issue of IK (I begged Iraida to loan me the pattern). In fact, I bought the yarn --Misti Alpaca Lace in a dark sage green-- when the preview went up on the IK website! And I even cast on for this project. And then.... Well... Other projects were calling to me, see?

But now, it's going to be all Swallowtail, all the time. The wedding is in 18 days!! I'm going to post pics so you can monitor my progress. And make bets on whether or not I'll make the deadline.
(Oh, and did I mention I wanted to make the shawl larger?).

Veronique

Page layout

I finally figured out how to post member names/blog sites on the side bar. Later on tonight I'll be adding everyone's name and site. If for whatever reason I don't have your site I'll be emailing you. I think knitalongs are more interesting when you can see member blogs. I can't wait to see more shawls. I'll be wearing mine today. Oh yeah I almost forgot, there's something wrong with this page's rss feed. Anytime I update it doesn't show up on my bloglines. Does anyone else noticed this prob?

Lace Newbie

Hello all. First let me say thanks to Bronxie for starting this KAL and getting me to confront my misgivings about lace. I actually started mine a couple of weeks ago. I just grabbed some sock yarn out of my stash because thats the closest I can come to "lace-weight" yarn. I ended up picking Koigu in a blueish varegation. Right now I am on the last row of the 14th repeat of the first lace chart, then it's on to the nupps that I've been hearing so much about.

I thougth I'd be brave so I didn't use a lifeline but I did make a big boo boo. When I started, I used an unmarked ball of Koigu from my stash. I ran out of that ball last night somewhere on the 12th repeat so I had to go back to my stash to get the other hank I had. Well, I'm in the process of moving so of course all my sock yarn is boxed up. I wanted to continue knitting so badly that I just picked up the first hank that resembled the yarn I was using. Well guess what, it's not the same color and I didn't firgure this out until I had done a complete pattern repeat.
I'm not ripping it out so I guess I'll have a two tone shawl which doesn't bother me one bit. Here are some crappy pictures taken with my camera phone (sorry). Hopefully my next post will be an FO so I can wear my shawl to the Knit Out this weekend.

Chante

Swallowtail finished

Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark, Interweave Knits Fall 06
Yarn: Løve Kido Multi (71% mohair, 29% polyamid, 25g/240m). Alltogether 44 g.
Knitting needles: 5 mm
Measurement: 85 cm / 177 cm

Some more pictures in my blog www.kadentaidot.blogspot.com

Count me in

I started the Swallowtail shawl too. I'm using the Misti Alpaca laceweight in a moss green color. I'm about halfway through the second chart and getting ever closer to the nupps that I just don't want to do. I don't have any pictures of it yet, but will post when I get one.

Risa
http://crazyfiberlady.typepad.com

Another new

Hi there, I also have already started knitting on Swallowtail using Multi Kido mohair yarn from Love Garn (71%mohair, 29% Polyamid, 25 g / 240 m, the yarn is pretty much like Kid Silk Haze from Rowan). Shawl will be quite a small. Do you have any idea of if the shawl gan be made bigger by making more repeats of some pattern? I still would like the pattern changes to "mach" (each pattern have different amount of repeatable stithes). I hope I made myself clear while English is not my strongest language.

New Here

Hi, all,

I'm new! I've started the Swallowtail Shawl using Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace in Aslann.

I'm making it for a friend (and co-worker) who's getting married on November 18. She's wearing a champagne dress, so the Aslann is a perfect choice for color.