Autumn in New York, take one!

Our project for November is called Autumn in New York. I am using Noro Silk Garden Sock, in color S245. I am using most of two balls (600 meters.) I am working with a US 4 32 inch circular needle, but I am a loose woman (I mean knitter...) I said in my previous post that the gauge was 5 stitches to the inch (whihc was not blocked), but the actual gauge will be 4 stitches to the inch, blocked, in stockinette stitch. It is not critical, but will impact your yardage and finished size.

There are several good ways to start this piece. I posted a tutorial earlier, and that is a very fine way to start. You can also review the provisional cast-on post from The Summer Sampler, which discussed various options, including some excellent links. Finally, you can take a look at the suggested resources on page five, coming up, for another take on a Turkish cast-on.

Please review the following notes carefully, because they won't get repeated and they apply to the entire project!

Feel free to check these excellent link out. You actually have to type them into you browser! Horrors...

This is the chart key for the entire project. This, along with the notes, should allow you to work each chart without confusion. Feel free to join my Yahoogroup (link on the left side of blog) if you want to discuss your progress with other knitters on a focused list.

Chart A might look familiar! I thought it would be fun to pick up where we left off, so I took a chart from The Summer Sampler as a starting point. Fireflies! It looks very different in this yarn. I modified it to expand with the triangle, but otherwise it is the same motif. I did not offer bead placements on this chart, because I didn't think I would want them up by my neck. I am offering a second chart for each up-coming motif, that includes suggested bead placements. If you use a textured yarn like Noro, and you use multi-colors, I am not suggesting you use beads. It is just too much for my aesthetic. On the other hand, if you are using a solid color without texture, beads will be a really nice addition to this piece, though totally optional.

Chart A has a repeat for the rows, and if you want to keep things really simple, you can just repeat those rows until the shawl is a size you like. I am not suggesting you do, but I am just saying you can...I only knit through chart A once, without any row repeats. Chart B is a transition chart, to move us smoothly from the motif in Chart A, to the motif in Chart C. As we work, I hope you will appreciate the flow of the design. My concept was a trip into New York Harbor and up the Hudson River, ending past the George Washington Bridge and along the Palisades. If you know the landscape, try to imagine with me and see if you get a feeling for my New York in Autumn.

I will be back next week with Chart C and more chat. Until then, knit on!