Charms Owl - Spring 2015 (Proposal in Post #441)

1/1: Starting my swatch and having problems with figuring out the change to the 3 into 3 star that was described on many project pages. Got 6 1/2 stitches per inch. I’m running with it. I rarely get gauge on the first try, and because this is a shawl, I’m not stressing too much.

Found this thread very, very helpful!! Very clear instructions if you look at post #28.

1-11-15: Officially casting on!

2-1-15: Finished with the Transition Chart. What a booger it was!!! Started the Blossom Chart. Row 1 - Reversed 3/9 and 2/9 stitches on the left side of the center stitch…just as I did in Row 9 of the Transition Chart…to maintain symmetry.

2-22-15: Finished the Blossom Chart. I officially hate Rows 1 and 2 of that thing. What boogers! I will say that I quite trying to count stitches early on, making me have to read my knitting more. I’ve learned a lot with this chart and got better at picking up and fixing dropped stitches…simply because the thought of tinking back hundreds of stitches was too much. Going to post my progress in the OWL forum.

To this point, I’ve used 70 grams of yarn (70%). I’m not happy that I might have to dig into the pink simply because I’m worried about the color looking good beside the purple. Sigh.

3/27: FINISHED! I did not do a double-stranded bind-off because I didn’t want to run out of yarn.

My overall impression of this pattern is okay. It wasn’t my favorite because of the issues with symmetry in the first charts. The second half of the pattern seemed to flow better, and I quit counting stitches. That was scary, but I was able to read my knitting and diagnose issues that way.

The shawl is more dense than I like, but it will be warm on cool evenings.

Ultimately, I’m glad I’m finished. :)

My OWL Proposal:

Name: AuburnChick

House: Hufflepuff

OWL and Option: Charms, Option 1

Description of Proposed Work:

Dear Professors,

This term, I am proposing the Laminaria as my Charms OWL. I will be making the large (Shawl) version of the pattern. The pattern is comprised of primarily lace work, as is common with Estonian stitches.

I will be using the Indigo Malabrigo Yarn you pictured below. My intent, based on research and gauge (6.5 stitches/inch), is to make the entire shawl with the indigo; however, I will use the pink Malabrigo if, when I reach the edging, I determine that I do not have enough indigo yarn left. Pattern notes warn that the edging requires 32% of the total yarn estimated.

The only modification that I will make from the original pattern is to change the direction of the double decreases on the left side of the center stitch, as advised in many posts I read. This modification will make the pattern more symmetrical in nature. It will not affect the length of the shawl.

Sequence & Points of Consideration:

I am a Muggle high school teacher, in the throes of preparing my students for the yearly reading exam they must pass in April. As such, my knitting time tends to be somewhat limited. I have created a new routine for myself, though, in which I get most of my lesson planning done early in the week, leaving the rest of the weeknights and weekends free to indulge in non-teaching related activities. This is when I’ll be working on this project. I’m confident that I will finish on time because I’ve been able to complete my other OWLs despite crazy work hours.

Proposed 50% Mark:

My proposed 50% mark will be when I have knit through the Blossom Chart. This is the third chart in the pattern. When I finish this row, I will have twenty eight rows to knit (the edging). Because the stitch count will be crazy-high by that time, the edging will probably take me a while to complete.