Desperate for help on Elann.com Victorian Lace Shawl

#1

Hello! This is my first time posting, but I’m a longtime lurker. Since everyone here is so kind and helpful, I thought this was the best place to post my question.

I am doing the Victorian Lace Shawl pattern from Elann.com

I am doing fine, until I get to the part where I need to start the English Mesh Lace. I am able to do my first increase row, but then I am completely confused about what to do after that, which is when I need to start absorbing the increases into the pattern. Everytime I think I have it figured out, I make some sort of obvious mistake and have to frog the whole thing. Can someone explain the whole “absorbing increases into a lace stitch pattern” thing for me? The instructions are soooo confusing!

I’m hoping someone here can explain this to me in the simplest way possible because I’m about to tear my hair out from sheer frustration! Thanks in advance!

Tanya

#2

Welcome!

This is kind of confusing. What I’m getting from that is that you keep the stitches that you’ve increased plain until you have enough to make a pattern repeat. Could that be all there is?

#3

Ingrid,

Wow! Thanks for your quick response!

I do understand that, the stitches being knitted plain until I have enough for another pattern repeat. Somehow though, I keep ending up with an uneven amount of stitches on either side of my center marker.

I guess what I’m asking is if I’m doing the pattern correctly. I do my lace repeats until I get to a point where there aren’t enough sts left for another repeat. I then knit all those stitches plain until the center marker. After the center marker, I knit those same amount of plain stitches and then begin my lace pattern again until the end of the row. Is that right?

Here’s another question while I’m at it. The pattern starts out with a yarn over and they instruct you to start with one knit stitch in order to do that. I assume I’m also supposed to end the entire row with one knit stitch as well, right?

Oh geez, I’m sorry if this is too confusing! But thank you for your time!

Tanya

#4

I get that you’ll have your ‘queue’ marker, plain stitches, and that you’ll increase in the last one of these which will be right before the marker.

Then after you slip the marker, you’ll increase again and knit plain until the next queue marker.

More simply said, you’re increasing before and after the increase marker, so that should keep your stitches even on each side.

I don’t understand that one stitch at the beginning, though. I’ve done yo’s at the beginning of a row without a stitch. Basically your bring your yarn around the needle in such a way that you create a loop at the edge before you knit your first stitch, which in this case would be your ssk. But since they call for that k1, and only that one, maybe the ssk takes care of it. Sorry I can’t be of more help here. :thinking:

#5

Thank you for your help and time, Ingrid! Hopefully now I’ll be able to make sense of the pattern!

Tanya

#6

There’s an error in the pattern:

Correction to English Lace Pattern

English Mesh Lace (Multiple of 6) Barbara Walker, First Treasury, page 193
R1 (and all odd rnds): knit (When knitting back & forth in rows, odds will be WS rows and should be purled)
R2: *yo, ssk, K1, K2tog, yo, K1, rep.
R4: * yo, K1, sl1-K2tog-psso, K1, yo, K1, rep.
R6: * K2tog, yo, K1, yo, ssk, K1, rep.
R8: * (K1, yo)x2, K1, sl1-K2tog-psso, rep. to last 5, end: (K1, yo)x2, K1,ssk.
:wink:

#7

Thank you so much, Rebecca! I’m sure that will help a lot! :smiley: