update to add Anomelea’s chart for the strawberries to be lined up if you prefer this look to the original. She did a lovely job and it comes out beautifully. Hers is the hand-drawn lighter graph.

Large Diamond Border chart: 5/40x5/5 = 210 sts.

Errata:
row 19, ^ is green. To end left edge I k8, yo, \, k4.
row 21, can make ^ be green and include yo to its left
row 50, 54, 56, right edge ^ should be green
row 68, replace k,yo,^ at right edge with \, yo, k
row 72, left edge / in red, right edge /, k4
row 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 83 ^ green on right edge, end with \, k4 on left edge19 March 2013- UPDATE: The Pattern is now up in the Ravelry Database for free. Just go to patterns and do a search for The Williamson Stole!
The bottom 2 photos are of mine, the others are of the original. I have only half of the edging left to do.

Pattern Notes: It is still being cleaned up and finished but all the charts and main directions are there as well as here on this page. Test Knitters Very Welcome! We have decided that the best way to knit this is the traditional border inwards method. One begins with a provisional cast on, knits the first border and centre panel leaving the stitches live. Then knit a second border and graft it to the centre panel. If you prefer you could knit a border and half of the centre, repeating this and then grafting in the centre of the stole. That is what I am doing. The edging is then attached at the end. ( see below for more info on how to attach the edging.)

Also, please remember that these charts are read from left to right on odd number rows and right to left on even rows, as they are in Sharon Miller’s patterns.

** Pattern: Soon, I hope that the finished pattern will be released. Meanwhile, if you wish to test knit what we have please do. And please let us see your progress on the Williamson thread in the Heirloom Knitting Forum. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to pm me and I will try to answer your question to the best of my ability.

Garter stictch background although of course you can do stockinette if you wish.

I am using a 2mm needle but if I were to do it again I would go up a needle size 2.25 for the HK cashsilk which is around 2/65. Mine is much denser than the original. I knew that I should have swatched :P

Cast on 211 stitches with your favorite provisional cast on method. Begin by knitting the flower chart. There is 1 plain knit stitches between each flower and 10 plain knit stitches at each end of the stole. 211 stitches. At the end of the flower chart knit one plain row decreasing one stitch. Then I suggest 4 more plain rows making a total of 5 plain knit rows before beginning the grid chart. 210 stitches

Begin 2nd chart with shellgrid/large diamond beginning and ending with 5 plain stitches. (40 st. repeat). This is now in the test stages. For the actual shawl there will be 5 plain stitches at either end.
For the stitches coloured in red - omit these at the edges. For those central decreases in green make them a / at the end of the row. I think this should work.

Knit strawberry chart finishing with 2 plain rows and then a break pattern. The strawberry chart should have 2 plain stitches between each in order to continue the top berries in pattern and have 7 plain knit at beginning and at the end of each row. 210 sts. Finish with your 2- 5 plain rows.

Break pattern is as follows. K1, (yarnover, K2tog…) K1.

Knit one plain row and continue on to:

Centre Hexagon Panel chart once then Peerie Flea (small diamond looking chart) once continuing with these two charts until desired length beginning and ending with a hexagon panel. My estimate is that it will be between 7.5 - 9.5 repeats depending on desired length.
The hexagon pattern can be made with either 7 plain stitches at the beg and end of each row (although make a K2tog where there is a red triangle-central decrease of 3) , or you can knit the stitches shown on either side of the repeat line. I think that leaving 7 plain might make more sense since it matches the 7 plain for the Peerie Flees. And you can use either chart depending on your preference. They are the same - it is just where they end on the edges. I would suggest the first. ( 4th chart down).

2 plain knit rows between each hexagon and peerie flee charts.

The Peerie Flea chart should have 4 stitches between each P.F. and 7 at each end. Again giving 210 stitches.

Make sure that you begin and end with a hexagon chart so as to be balanced. Knit these 2 charts until you get the length that you want. I think this will be around 11.5 - 14.5 times.

Knit one row plain, 2nd break row, Knit another plain row leaving the live stitches in preparation for the second border.

Knit second border and graft to the central panel.

Edging. See edging chart. The edging is attached at the end by provisionally casting on and working first down a long side. (Generally best to begin about a third of the way down and going counter-clockwise). On each return attach to a side loop of the main body for the sides and the live stitches on the top and bottom. Make sure to take care to ease the fullness around the corners. Finish by grafting the two edging ends together.

A suggested method of grafting the edging would be to cast on 28 stitches and begin the edging on row 15 knitting it first with a coloured waste yarn. Continue in pattern knitting the edging until you reach the last row. Knit the last row with a differently coloured waste yarn from the first. With a blunt needle, carefully follow the path of the waste yarn with a nice long length of your working yarn. This will make a new row from the the two rows of your waste yarn neatly grafting your two edge ends together in pattern.

The v with the 2 on top in the edging chart means to knit in the front then to purl in the back of that particular stitch thus adding a stitch. Also a the large V that means to slip a stitch is in the edging chart.

A Very Big Thank you to all of the wonderful people involved in re-creating this lovely pattern.

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just some little side notes.

An Important Reminder to those of you interested to knit this, that these charts are read from left on odd rows and right to left on even number rows as in Sharon Miller’s Heirloom knitting. I know that there are a lot of other patterns out there (i.e. Hazel Carter’s Sampler Stole where everything is left to right). There are many rows where there is not a lot of difference but some rows that this is VERY important to remember.

This stole shows the difference between a cottage knitter and a “Lady of the Manor” piece such as Miss Hamilton’s Gift.

The Williamson centre panel has Peerie Fleas rather than the true diamond and there is a slight
difference. You can see a good example in Sharon Millers Heirloom Knitting pg 152 for the Peerie Fleas as opposed to a regular diamond. The peerie flea pattern is unique to Shetland, I think and an interesting variation. I find it a bit softer almost like a watercolour as opposed to an oil painting. I have always liked all the variations of diamond motifs in Shetland work. The bead diamond is a particular favorite of mine.

(Note: The flower chart has now changed and the one at the bottom is an early version. That flower is one used by Sharon Miller although not the one in the stole. I may go with this one myself since I like it or use one of each on either end. )

Technical Notes: In order to minimize the bulk along the join and more easily pick up evenly in the same place when attaching the edging, carry a length of fine, smooth thread of a different colour along the straight edge of the lace as you work. At each turn at the end of the row, wrap this thread around the first stitch prior to knitting. When the stitches for the border are ready to be picked up, insert a fine lace needle exactly alongside the thread, which puts a strand of the edging yarn on the needle ready to form the stitches for the border.

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One can really see that this is a piece that came from someone experienced with patterns and used to working motifs directly from experience and from her head - not written charts. She seemed to have a ‘library’ of stitch patterns in her head and as soon as she finished one motif would immediately choose another and start right in. Thus, although each pattern is beautifully centered widthwise, it does not flow as organically lengthwise as far as charting goes, at least compared to modern terms. But then again, their charts were in their heads, not on paper. One can see this in looking at the centre panel The peerie fleas don’t fit neatly into a chart repeat because although they are beautifully centred, lined up widthwise across the stole, they are not centered lengthwise directly from the tree / hexagon motifs. Thus, we will have to have one chart with the tree / hexagon and a second for the peerie fleas .
You can see this clearly if you look at the picture of the original from the museum, showing the centre motif.

edithcone and NitaBruce took many beautiful photos of knitted lace while in Shetland Isles which you can see here and here. I am going to try some charting and have begun with the edging for the Williamson Stole. If anyone would like to join in the recreation of this please check out the Heirloom Knitting Forum, The Williamson Shawl thread and jump in. The more the merrier! The shawl that we are working from is in the Unst Heritage Centre. There is a also a square shawl, almost the twin of this but with a border change on the top half that can be seen in the Shetland Museum Archives. They also have a picture of a third shawl, another stole that can be seen The Shetland museum is a separate museum in Lerwick than the Unst Heritage Centre further north. Both well worth visiting and I really hope that I will someday have that privilege. The square shawl in the Shetland museum, of which there are several pictures in their archives, looks to be of a later date to me and I think a more polished, finished piece. I am wondering if Ms. Williamson also knit this or if it was someone in her family or someone else entirely who just admired the pattern as much as I do and copied it. I would really love to know more.

Il va falloir mettre les bouchées doubles si je veux boucler le projet avant Septembre.