Adventures in Designing Lace!!

As I've mentioned before, I didn't like the plain bind off on this shawl as designed. So I determined to add a small edging and knit the edge off in lace. The pattern finally settled on was Barbara Abbey's "Narrow Pointed Edging" #10 in Knitting Lace. It echoed the diagonal faggotting in the body of the shawl and is done on a 7 stitch base, so not overpoweringly large.

All was good, until I realized that the yarn overs were doubles, so that the holes in the edging were TWICE AS BIG as the holes in the shawl. But it was so perfect otherwise.

Out came the graph paper and I actually redesigned it to be in scale.

I've been knitting for a LONG time - over 40 years, off and on. So by now, I SHOULD be the boss of my knitting, but it never ceases to amaze me when I get away with something like that.

I was hoping that putting the edging right up against the last lace panel would make it look like a larger, more complex panel. That's only partly successful - you can still see the grafting line of SSK (the heavier row in the center of the panel). But over all, it's not bad, considering that the 'grain' of the knitting is at right angles to itself there. In the photo, the body of the shawl has the rounds pictured vertically. The edging has it's rows pictured horizontally.

I'm hoping when it's blocked that the points will be slightly 'point-ier' and the valleys between them less rounded, too. That's going to take some serious pinning. And I just realized this thing is going to be bigger than my largest blocking board. And I have hardwood floors, so no handy carpet to block on! THAT's something to ponder as I knit off endless repeats of this edging. 3 down, 81 to go.