Go to the project called “Verna Beadle Needle” for notes on the beading needles.

Work a gradiance from the center. It is 7 panels. 1200 yards. Center 1 color, 2 panels per color for the rest. 172 yards per panel. 344 yards for 2 panels. You also can interfinger the colors between adjacent panels for a few inches to get better blending. This does not affect yardage. Two rows from one side, then two from the other, back and forth. 4 oz of EOS would work, but only if you got an extra ounce for the front color, so 5 ounces. With 8 panels, you need 1372 yards. The amount of yarn in each panel is balanced if you use 4 colors. 344 yards for each pair of panels.

And Ellen at Earthfaire got some 4 skein gradiance sets of Aurora Borealis and I was a goner! They are ordered, as are some appropriate beads. Two sets, of course, so I will have yarn left over for another shawl of slightly smaller size. I will increase to 8 panels on this one, and work each panel from a separate skein, interfingering the edges. The beads are Higher Metallic June Bug, 8/0.

Now I’m working on the first scallop at the green end of the gradiance. It will go in front. I used a 16” circular needle rather than the double pointed ones. No problems.

I hate the long tail cast on. Instead, I cast on 3 using the knitted on cast on. then knit back to get both strands together. String beads on the long tail I left. After every 50 beads, tie a square knot to keep the loop tight, use crochet hook to pull up a loop through a stitch on the needle using both yarns, and drop that stitch from the needle, putting the loop on the other needle. When all loops are done, snug up, wrap tail 3 times, and knit with both strands for a row and a half, then drop the tail and continue. Make sure the loop is snugged properly. I use a 16” needle and knit to row 48 with it, then knit row 49 onto a 47” needle that holds all the scallops.

I’ve decided to do 7 panels and have enough yarn left over for another project Put the dark skein 4 on the outside of a semicircle or triangle. I’ve ordered extra June Bug beads, too. OK, can’t get the beads. That makes 7 panels the max for that reason, too.

I assembled the table and set up the yarn feeds so I can manage knitting 7 skeins in parallel. I’ve now knit row 51 and part of row 52 using this setup, and it works really well. The only drawback is that the cat has trouble getting into her usual place to sleep on my feet, and gets tangled in the yarn. She will learn pretty quickly not to do that. I do have to remember which way to turn the knitting at the end of the row to avoid twisting the yarns around each other. They are in order on the right side, and crossed on the wrong side.

Once I turn the knitting, I check the yarns to make sure they are not crossed, or tangled with the tassels. Then I can knit to the other end without worry. If they are crossed, it is easy to pick up one of the skeins at a time and uncross or untangle them as needed.

And here is where I started using experimental models of the Verna Beadle Needle:

I’m now using a long experimental beading hook. It is very long, about 7 inches, and has a rubber slide to push the beads up to the working area when needed. The needle itself is fairly thick, but thin enough to go through an 8/0 bead. The hook does not properly accomodate even a slightly fat lace weight yarn. I can use Ling and Marici with it, though. Most of the 8/0 beads I’m using have a large enough hole. Easy enought to remove the few that are not. I’m doing about a half row per load of beads. I like it, but have not been able to persuade the person who made it for me to make more. He thinks he has an even better idea, which I’m eager to see.

The joins between the panels are looking great. I decided to emphasize them by making a single stitch with both yarns at the join point and not trying to blur it. Well, it blurs a lot anyway, though the thicker stitch column shows a little, nicely, as intended. The yarns is doing the work of the blurring for me. Very often there is an exact match of colors at the join. Or the colors are the opposite of what would be expected. This is going to look good.

I could get a bit more of a merge between the panels by occasionally picking up the “wrong” thread at a join, work it across the next panel, and then return it on the return pass. Do something similar in the other direction with the thread I should have picked up. Do this every few rows on each pair of panels. That would pretty well blend the edges of the panel changes.

I am about to get some free time to work on this. Could be as much as 5 whole days. I hope to make some real progress on it.

Now that I have the ultimate Verna Beadle Needle, the work is flying! About 8 rows a day, and I’m doing plenty of other things as well as knit.

I have finally learned how to turn the knitting so I don’t get tangled threads. That helps a lot.

I am also now using a pin/hook to carry the yarn to my left shoulder and tension it in my left hand. It keeps me from having to regain my grip on the yarn in the feeding hand, which is my left hand. This will be even more useful when I’m not having to change the yarn all the time.

This project has been great for learning new techniques and new tools.

She’s off the needles! Lots of ends to weave in, blocking yet to do, but almost there.

Next time there is a way to smooth out the transitions and not create that ridge.

1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,1,2,3,4,3,2
1,1,2,3,4,3,2
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
2,3,4,3,2,1,1
2,3,4,3,2,1,1
repeat…
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,1,2,3,4,3,2
1,1,2,3,4,3,2
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
2,3,4,3,2,1,1
2,3,4,3,2,1,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1
1,2,3,4,3,2,1

At the changeovers, just use standard intarsia technique to avoid holes. Make sure the yarns cross, in other words.

I’m putting this here to make sure I remember this when I do this again.