STS with 3 lilies

Sorry to be absent for a while. I've been missing you.

There are many excuses -- too much work (6 days a week), feeling sniffly, more interest in knitting than "playing" on the computer... Maybe the knitting qualifies me for an "excused absence"... Well not really but here's an update on the Swallowtail shawl.

First, I'll say that I am really enjoying knitting this one. And the knitpicks gloss is nice to knit too so the combination is good and has been keeping my attention. I finished the 14 bud repeats and gave her a stretch (it was about 22 + inches, which is two sheets of standard paper, a handy measuring device when you don't want to get up and get the tape measure or yard stick), and I said to myself, looks like it might be big enough so I proceeded to the lily of the valley chart 1. Then on to lily chart 2. Well, about this time, Angeluna (who did the extra five repeats of the bud chart, and her STS is done) called, and as we talk, I'm reconsidering my choice and wondering if mine will be big enough... Well, back in the beginning, I had talked to one of my sisters of the wool, who is quite a shawl/lace expert, and she said she might do an extra lily repeat, if she knits STS.

So I start running some counts about how one might best add in another lily chart repeat. It seems with a 10 stitch repeat and adding on a chart with a 10 stitch repeat that one could just give lily chart 2 another go. And one could. But I'm not positive about the counts so check this, if you decide to try it. But I pulled her out and checked how lily chart 1 and lily chart 2 work together and found that the double decreases were stacked and the swath of nups/lilies were stacked and it looked like simply repeating lily chart 2 would not stack. However, my counts revealed that going back to lily chart 1 would stack the double decreases and who could tell what the lily nups would do (I couldn't tell what the lilies in chart 2 were doing relative to the lilies in chart 1 until I was a few rows in to lily chart 2) but it looked promising, so that is what I did. Well, close. I am repeating lily chart 1, leaving off the plain transition rows 1 and 2, after lily chart 2. I'm ready for row 9 and so far so good.

I did not realize this post would be so long so congratulations and thank you if you're still with me and here are the pics. Full out, well, as full out as lace will lay, not yet blocked, and staying on the circ. And close up, showing the lily borders with lily border 3 half done with the double decreases lined up and the lilies lined up.





Oops, almost forgot to say, I did a modified nup. Instead of knit yo knit yo knit in one stitch at nupp time, I did knit yo knit. The on the purl round, I had a purl 3 together to do instead of purl 5 together. I like it. Not quite as nuppy but easier to execute and nuppy enough for me.