Traveling Woman by L Abinante

Traveling Woman

Knitting
August 2009
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
20 stitches and 29 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette
US 6 - 4.0 mm
US 7 - 4.5 mm
US 8 - 5.0 mm
US 9 - 5.5 mm
250 - 600 yards (229 - 549 m)
Multiple, ranging from 14"/35.5cm–24"/61cm deep with 48"/122cm–72"/183cm wingspan
English
This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download

Errata: paid version, Chart B, row 11: the yarn overs are off and don’t align correctly. The written instructions for this row are correct.


Being an indecisive individual, this shawl is named after two things. First, the song “Travelling Woman” by Bat for Lashes (she’s British, hence the extra “l”). “Travelling Woman” is a song about a brilliant woman with a promising future, who loses it all because she fell in love with a man who had too much potential, and not enough substance. She sings:

Hang on, travelling woman
Don’t sacrifice your plan
Cause it will come back to you
Before you lose it on the man.

The edge of the shawl represents the dangerous web of love, as well as its highs and lows. Along the bind off edge, the shawl can be blocked to subtle points, or straight.

Second, the character Angela Montenegro on Bones. If you’re familiar with Angela’s character, I think the song selection makes sense: she’s artistic, a believer in love, and just the type who might get in a little too deep before she can find her way out (she did get married in Fiji to a complete stranger, afterall). This is the second in a series of patterns based on the characters from the Bones television show.

And finally, the yarn used for this shawl traveled from California to London: it’s only fitting that the pattern be named Traveling Woman.

This is the pattern that started it all. The original. The first. The crazy idea that exploded into a series of four patterns. This new version of Traveling Woman contains instructions for 11 different sizes in 5 yarn weights: lace (medium, xlarge), fingering (xsmall, small, medium, large), sport/dk (xsmall, small, xlarge), and worsted (large, xlarge). Instructions are divided up based on yarn weights. Yarn informa- tion, gauge, and needle sizes are provided with each in- dividual set of instructions. All of the instructions use the same charts except for lace weight. Lace weight instructions have their own charts.

I may or may not have gone a little overboard when I decided to re-vamp the original Traveling Woman pattern. It includes a lot of upgrades! Row-by-row stitch counts are included for all of the sizes listed in the pattern. Instructions are given for common repeat sizes, as well as a formula for custom sizing.

Note that when purchased separately from the Traveling Woman Collection, this pattern includes 2 PDFs: one with the pattern, and one with the legends.

Traveling Woman includes:

  • Individual instructions for each yarn weight
  • Written and charted lace instructions
  • Row-by-row stitch counts for stockinette, Chart A, and Chart B for all sizes
  • Custom sizing formula
  • Invisible center spine
  • Working the body with eyelets (shown in lace version)

Size, Gauge, and Yarn information

Gauge and needle information applies to all sizes for each yarn weight unless otherwise specified.

Lace

Gauge: 24 sts and 26 rows per 4”/10cm, stockinette stitch
Needle: US 6 (4.0mm)

Size: Medium, 16”/41cm deep, 57”/145cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 430 yards lace weight.

Size: XLarge, 23.5”/60cm deep, 70”/178 cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 500 yards lace weight.
Yarn shown: Little Red Bicycle Penny Farthing Lace (80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon. 580 yards/115 grams), shown in Seaglass.

Fingering

Gauge: 20 sts and 29 rows per 4”/10cm, stockinette stitch
Needle: US 6 (4.0mm)

Size: Xsmall, 15”/38cm deep, 48”/122cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 320 yards fingering weight.
Yarn shown: The Plucky Knitter Merino Cashmere Nylon Fingering Weight (80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon. 385 yards/115 grams), shown in Queensway.

Size: Small, 17”/43 cm deep, 56”/142cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 380 yards fingering weight.

Size: Medium, 18”/46cm deep, 58”/147cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 440 yards fingering weight.

Size: Large, 24”/61cm deep, 75”/190.5cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 600 yards fingering weight.

Sport

Gauge: 17 sts and 26 rows per 4”/10cm, stockinette stitch
Needle: US 7 (4.5mm)

Size: Xsmall, 14”/35.5cm deep, 50”/127cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 250 yards sport weight.

Size: Small, 16”/41cm deep, 54”/137cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 335 yards sport weight.

DK

Gauge: 16 sts and 24 rows per 4”/10cm, stockinette stitch
Needle: US 8 (5.0mm)

Size: Xlarge, 24”/61cm deep, 72”/183cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 520 yards DK weight.
Yarn shown: Femme Fatale Fibers Lilith DK (100% super- wash merino. 260 yards/115 grams), shown in Mystic.

Worstsed

Gauge: 16 sts and 20 rows per 4”/10cm, stockinette stitch
Needle: US 9 (5.5mm)

Size: Large, 18.5”/47cm deep, 60”/152cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 390 yards worsted weight.
Yarn shown: Malabrigo Rios (100% superwash merino. 210 yards/100 grams), shown in Pearl Ten.

Size: Xlarge, 20”/51cm deep, 62”/157cm wingspan
Yarn: Approximately 500 yards worsted weight.


About the Traveling Woman Collection

Traveling Woman is a part of the Traveling Woman Collection, which contains 4 patterns and one chapter on general customizations.

The four patterns include: Traveling Woman, Traveling Scarf, Traveling Socks, and Traveling Cowl.

Each pattern is available for $6 individually if you do not wish to purchase the collection. Discounts or credits cannot be given towards the eBook purchase price after purchasing individual patterns. Individual patterns do not include the chapter on general customizations.


Errata

Error in: ebook v6 (page 10), pattern v8 (page 2)
Corrected in: n/a

Error “Size Medium only”
Instructions should end with 191 stitches, not 189 stitches.

Error: “Size XLarge only”
Instructions should read:
Next row: k3, yo, p2tog, p to last 5 sts (removing both center markers as you come to them), p2tog, yo, k3. (217 sts)


Free version

The original version of this pattern was free. This included instructions for size x-small knit in fingering weight, using approximately 320 yards.

The is an error on row 12 of Chart A: there are 2 extra stitches on each side. This will not impact your knitting if you work the stitches as established.)