Update 12/23/22
Finally frogged.
A) Cotton yarn isn’t the best choice for lacy shawls that need to be aggressively blocked to open up the fabric, and
B) I’ve learned that as much as I love knitting complex lace shawls I have no use for them…and I don’t have anyone in my life that would appreciate such a gift. The only use I’ve found for them is as lampshade covers. Hard to explain but I kinda just drape/wrap them over the shade (see example of a different shawl used as such here)…but i only have so many lamps and I’m at max capacity with shawl-turned-cover, so….
No more lace shawls.

Overview:
ElGotlib’s adaptation of Deckchen 085/32.

I could not be more excited about this pattern and KAL…my latest obsession is lace shawls, and specifically Niebling’s designs-turned-shawl.

Re: repeats:
The instructions in the pattern are pretty straightforward (just trust them) but I was a bit confused about the “repeats”; both instructions and posts in the group mention Elena’s yellow sample shawl as having 9 repeats (called “centers” in the pattern), but the math (for starting on row 27, with a 21st repeat) is for eight: 21 x (# of repeats, in Elena’s case, 8) +2 = 170. Others mentioned wanting more repeats (11 or 13) but again, their math was for even numbers (10 or 12).

After studying the chart, finally realized that “centers” is mentioned because a repeat is from the middle of one motif to the middle of the next…so if looking at Elena’s shawl (also on last page of the pdf) and counting the # of motifs (including the two incomplete ones on the sides), you get nine…but if you count from the middle of one to the middle of the next, it’s eight.
In short: Think about how many motifs you want in your lace (including incomplete ones on the sides); Elena recommends an odd number for aesthetic reasons so that you have one centered in the middle (and less confusing as this is how the pattern is explained, but an even number is totally doable--the center of the shawl will be directly in between two of them and you would ignore the bit in the instructions that tells you to make sure your LT is above the center stitch).
Subtract one and use this number to get the number of stockinette stitches you need (doesn’t include edge stitches) before starting the lace.
So if I wanted to increase to 11 motifs: 21 x 10 +2 = 212.

Buuuuut…I decided to start on row 21 (which is a 15st repeat) to keep as much of the original pattern as possible, as well as increase to 13 motifs to use up all of the gradient, so:
15 x12 +2 = 182
This would have left me just one st short after the last increase row (a WS row) so I added a pfb to the center st of that row.

• Mods:
• moved center increases of stockinette body to the edges of WS rows. Not a fan of spines and prefer a smooth stockinette body; this will change the shawl into a crescent (original shaping is a double triangle, but blocks crescent-y due to increases in the lace) and not sure how that might affect the lace border so we’ll see…
• moved RS increases one stitch closer to the edge (so first increase is right after last edge stitch).
• used directional increases
• to keep a loose edge and counteract my tendency to knit tightly: added yo’s on each side (after the first/before the last edge stitch) on the RS, which get dropped on the WS

So, after the garter tab (well, row 1 is the garter tab) with edge stitches italicized:
Rows 1 and 2: as charted
Row 3: k1, yo, k2, m1L, k2, m1L, k2, m1R, k2, yo, k1 (this row only has three increases so I left them all on the RS)
Row 4: k1, drop yo, k2, p7, k2, drop yo, k1
Row 5: k1, yo, k2, m1L, k1, m1L, k5, m1R, k1, m1R, k2, yo, k1
Row 6: k1, drop yo, k2, m1L, p11, m1R, k2, drop yo, k1
And so on.

Yarn:
Really difficult to find gradient yarn in the US that comes in colors I actually wear (so many gorgeous earth tones being produced in the UK! but I’m impatient and need it yesterday) so I dyed my own for this pattern--far from perfect but hoping it’ll knit up without obvious striping.

Notes:

• Use alternate k5tog pilfered from Geekay’s notes: ssk, k3tog, pass ssk over. I really like this version--looks nice and even, and fewer steps than the one suggested in the pattern.
• Row 29: Don’t forget about the yo hanging out by itself on the left (forms half of double yo, k then p on WS). Repeats have sts to the left of the LT beginning on this row (easy to miss after getting in the groove of going to the righthand side of the chart directly after LT).
• Row 53: Red outline is repeat within a repeat (forms the petals).

108g to start (800y/100g)
Beads Miyuki size 6 silver lined dark topaz from Chevron Trading Post downtown.

4/9: Started on US 1.5 needles but switched to 2s at 31sts…I prefer a denser stockinette but this was too firm even for me. Might go up again, and definitely for the lace.
Didn’t get very far, ~49sts of stockinette body.

4/10: Switched to US 2.5s at 61sts.

4/11: Finished stockinette body (used 9g) and started lace, switching to US 3s. Knit several rows and hated it--too loose, open and sloppy. Ripped back to stockinette and will reknit on 2.5s, paying closer attention to results to adjust tension (st before the LT was too loose, as was the yo before the k5tog).

4/12: Decided to add two more repeats while I’m back on the stockinette…a lil worried I might run out of yarn but will try to dye a darker chocolate if I have to.
Plugging away at lace, looking much better.
Forgot to weigh the skein minus two extra repeats before starting lace, oh well.

4/13: Have had a house full of kids sleeping over all weekend (spring break, yay!) so little time to knit; up to row 34 tonight.

4/14: Not loving the fabric…wish I’d stuck with a smaller needle and seriously considering starting over. But so painful to rip out a week’s worth of knitting, so putting it aside for some distance before I frog it all.

6/11: Officially hibernating while I finish up other commitments and tests. Will reknit, likely using a different yarn as well--I’ve since finished another shawl with this yarn and the cotton just doesn’t hold the hard blocking I like for shawls; will look for something with silk.