I am using German Short Rows-so that means at the beginning of each row after a turn I will do a double stitch and then one less of the count…For example, if it says w&t k5 I will NOT wrap and turn, I will turn, double stitch and then k4. The only time I change the count is if I am about to do a double stitch on top of a double stitch-then I just add one extra (or two depending on the placement of the next) and then an extra stitch (or two) for on the way back to make it match. Much easier for me that way-and quicker.

Overall I love the pattern, I love the yarn…but I do not love the yarn with this pattern…I will make this again…but with a different yarn.

For a long time I have stalked Svetlana Gordon’s patterns. I have been most intrigued yet very scared. I’ve only been knitting for a little over a year-but feel quite confident in my knitting at this point to finally attempt one. I had the darndest time choosing which pattern to buy first. :) She is truly genius in her designs-I adore them-and the nature parts of them are right up my ally. ♥

I did my first half leaf and I can tell this will be an effective pattern so long as it continues in this way-I may have written a bit differently to make it easier to keep track of where I am at…the many counts per ‘row’ combined with the small font is making it a little tough on my eyes, but it really isn’t the end of the world at all.
July 26-15: after a quick peek at the pattern, I wish the font were a bit larger and the photos at the end…But it looks as if a lot of care has been given to this little gem. I’m stoked!

When I printed this pattern, I was running low on color ink-but I figured since the written was all in black-it didn’t matter. Whoops…I missed a few portions of it (the cast ons that are in color at the beginning of each leaf-doh!) on my first attempt…All is well now, thankfully! :)

I wrote this poem the first fall we lived in our new house-the road has so many amazing trees and fall is just brilliant here.

7-27-15: So I decided that ten leaves gives me a pretty long shawl-my gauge is probably totally whacko-it usually is, and guess what? I didn’t check it-I never do for shawls…ain’t no thang! I also think I am going to make this a different shape…haven’t decided yet how I want it for sure-I just know I am not a big fan of the teardrop shape shawl…

I am struggling a little on the second half of the leaves….I am torn about the color changes-I want them to be similar colors-not perfect, but not completely different…I have been ripping apart my skein…ugh.

8-2-15: Had a four year old nephew get dumped on me for four days. This greatly restores my conviction that I am all done having kids. wee doggies! Doesn’t help that of course this kiddo is quite spoiled so he isn’t really sure what the word no means…I must say I still have it though-and I was able to evade a few meltdowns while still keeping a bit of sanity in my house. THRILLED he is gone though. :)

I’ve decided I am going to attempt to end the leaves at just the first whole leaf-I don’t really like the look of the half leaves…I have no idea how I am going to do this yet, I just know that that is how I am going to do it. :)

8-3-15: A tragic thing happened today. I had to take my daughter to band camp so I packed up my knitting and headed out the door. Once I got there, I pulled out my knitting so I could work while I waited for her-but alas, my lovely project and needles were nowhere in my bag! I KNEW I had packed them! I had heard a sound hit my car as I had been driving-I panicked, knowing full well that it must have been my project flying out of the car and it was being run over repeatedly-torn to shreds as it lay on the road! I hysterically called my son and begged him to search the house-where he could not locate it….so he very nicely drove down the road in search of my project…Nothing. frown emoticon
Upon coming home I realized it had caught on the doorknob and was patiently waiting for my return. My heart skipped a beat and I was able to breathe again!

Later that day…I finished the leaves-so I have one row of full leave…I then started to pick up stitches (and cast on between pick ups) so that I felt it would work iwth the leaf points…I am going to use short rows and shape the shawl now…and pray I don’t destroy all my work-this yarn doesn’t frog well, so it’s a lot of praying now. haha!

8-4-15: I feel I can now rate this pattern, even though I am not totally finished and I did change it up. I changed it up due to personal taste, and not a pattern flaw. This pattern is well written and easy to follow with great photo tutorials-very clever and lovely!

So I’ve never used short row shaping to shape a shawl in this manner so I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing…I started 10 stitches ahead of the center, then k2tog, k5, k till 10 stitches after center then ssk, k5…then on the next rows I just did k until 1 stitch before last turn- k2tog, k5, turn k to one stitch before last turn, ssk, k5 and repeat those two steps until I used all the stitches-then I decided to do it all again but instead of k5 I did k4…

Later later that day…so I finished it…I wound up ending it with a yo, k2tog then one more knit row then bind off…I steamed it and am sort of happy with it….not quite how I’d hoped it would be, but it actually lays quite nicely along my shoulders. I’ll try to get some pics in the morning! :)

Final Dance.
..by Shawn aka Dbird

Barren and awash with despair
Gloominess has lasted forever
But the leaves have a message to share

They burst forth even when life seemed so distant
Trees awash with life-excitement renews
The deadness forgotten in an instant

They dance in the wind they sing life’s joyous song
Moonlight twinkles between their fingers
They dance in the wind for they know they’ve not long

Listen, can you hear them sing?
Look, can you see them smile?
Do you know the joy they bring?

Their time is short they feel the burn
They show their inner beauty at last
For they know it is almost Winter’s turn

Feel the greatness of life’s one chance
Listen for their very last song
Watch as they make their final dance

The wind assists this final tune
Playing the strings of nature’s harp
The final dance will happen soon.