Discover fascinating techniques and stitch patterns in our new issue! Kristin Blom showcases the Invisible Stranding method with her elegant shawl on
This lovely shawl with cable details explores a range of fascinating techniques
“THERE’S SOMETHING pleasing about geometric shapes. On this half-circle shawl, you add cables in between cables at regular intervals - starting with five cables, and ending with 65,” says Kristin Blom. “It uses the Invisible Stranding technique to make cables that radiate like sunbeams from the centre top. Invisible Stranding is a colourwork technique to avoid ugly puckers when you have long floats. In this case, this also means that the texture of the shawl becomes light and airy. The pattern is easy to remember once you have mastered the Invisible Stranding technique.”
SPECIAL TECHNIQUES WORKING IN COLOUR
Throughout, where a stitch has a capital letter, this refers to the colour used to work the stitch. For example, P1tblA means to use yarn A to work a P1 through the back loop.
EXTRA STITCHES
Make all new stitches by lifting a strand of yarn in the same colour as the stitch you’re making. Extra stitches are not included in the stitch counts.
Work es on RS: Bring both yarns to RS of work, purl es with colour indicated, bring both yarns to WS of work again.
Work es on WS: Bring both yarns to RS of work, knit es with colour indicated, bring both yarns to WS of work again.
M1es: Make 1 stitch by picking up the strand (in colour indicated) from the previous row, knit into its back loop.
INVISIBLE STRANDING
Invisible Stranding (also called Laddered Jacquard) is a term and technique developed by Susan Rainey, and involves carrying long floats in colourwork knitting with a nice result on the front. Invisible Stranding allows you to carry yarn across any number of stitches without catching the floats (i.e. twisting the yarns on the wrong side). Catching floats creates a visible pucker in your knitting and often allows the other colour to show through. Invisible Stranding eliminates both of these problems. You make extra invisible stitches that you work with your contrast colour yarn, and you make sure you place your main colour yarn in between this extra stitch and your work – thus the extra stitch is not noticeable at all from the RS.
WORKING CABLES WITHOUT A CABLE NEEDLE
This shawl offers a good opportunity for trying to work cables without a cable needle. You basically rearrange stitches first before you work them.
To work C4B, right-leaning cable: Work to the point where the next 4 sts are the cable sts. Slip all 4 sts to RH needle, then insert LH needle in the back of the first two sts of the cable (stitches 3 and 4 when counting from tip of RH needle), then removing RH needle from the cable sts and leaving rem sts of cable to hang in the air, catch only the two free sts with RH needle and slip them back to LH needle. These are now in the order that the cable shows (see Row 1 of Chart for reference). Knit these 4 sts in order as they sit on LH needle.
To work C4F, left-leaning cable: Work to the point where the next 4 sts are the cable sts. Slip all 4 sts to RH needle, then insert LH needle into the front of the first two sts of the cable (stitches 3 and 4 when counting from tip of RH needle), then removing RH needle from the cable sts and leaving rem sts of cable to hang in the air, catch only the two free sts with RH needle and slip them back to LH needle. These are now in the order that the cable shows (see Row 3 of Chart for reference). Knit these 4 sts in order as they sit on LH needle.
GERMAN SHORT ROWS
After turning, you create a double stitch (DS) where instructed at the beginning of the next short row. To create a double stitch, bring the working yarn to the front, slip the next stitch as if to purl, bring the working yarn from front to back over the needle and pull on it enough to bring the legs of that stitch over the needle. The stitch on the needle looks like a double stitch. When working the DS the next time, work into both legs as if the DS is a single st.
PATTERN NOTES
Always twist both yarns at each end of the row.
Make all new stitches by lifting a strand of yarn in the same colour as the stitch you’re making.
If you want to make the shawl longer and wider, you can continue in pattern at the end of Cable Section Four to work the cables at the edge, but do not add more than 2 or 3 repeats of the Chart or you will need to start increasing between cables again.
SHAWL SHORT ROW TAB
Using 3.5mm needles and yarn B, cast on 10 sts.
Next row (WS): Knit.
Row 1 (RS): K8, turn.
Row 2 (WS): DS, K7.
Row 3: K6, turn.
Row 4: DS, K5.
Row 5: K4, turn.
Row 6: DS, P3.
Row 7: K2, turn.
Row 8: DS, P1.
Row 9: Knit to end, remembering to work all DS as a single st.
Row 10: Purl.
Row 11: K8, turn,
Row 12: DS, P7.
Row 13: K6, turn.
Row 14: DS, P5.
Row 15: K4, turn.
Row 16: DS, P3.
Row 17: K2, turn.
Row 18: DS, P1.
Row 19: Knit to end, remembering to work all DS as a single st.
Row 20: Purl.
Rows 21-30: Rep Rows 11-20.
Row 31: K2, turn.
Row 32: DS, P1.
Row 33: K4, turn.
Row 34: DS, P3.
Row 35: K6, turn.
Row 36: DS, K5.
Row 37: K8, turn.
Row 38: DS, P7.
Row 39: Knit to end.
Row 40: Knit.
Cast off.
Weave in one of your yarn ends. Use the other end to gather the top of the shawl (the narrow end) and then weave in that end too.
CABLE SECTION ONE: 5 CABLES
Using yarn B, pick up and knit 30 sts along the half circle of the short-row tab. 30 sts. Next row (WS): Using yarn B, purl.
Join in yarn A. Chart is always worked with yarn B as set in Row 1. All other sts are worked in the colour indicated.
Row 1 (RS): (Work Row 1 of chart using yarn B, yoA) 4 times, work chart using yarn B. 34 sts.
Row 2: (Work chart, P1tblA) 4 times, work chart.
Row 3: (Work chart, M1LA, K1A, M1RA) 4 times, work chart. 42 sts.
Row 4: (Work chart, P3A) 4 times, work chart.
Row 5: (Work chart, K1A, M1LA, K1A, M1RA, K1A) 4 times, work chart. 50 sts. Row 6: (Work chart, P5A) 4 times, work chart.
Row 7: (Work chart, K1A, M1LA, K2A, M1esB, K1A, M1RA, K1A) 4 times, work chart. 58 sts (do not count extra sts).
Row 8: (Work chart, P3A, esB, P4A) 4 times, work chart.
Row 9: (Work chart, K1A, M1LA, K3A, esB, K1A, M1RA, K1A, M1RA, K1A) 4 times, work chart. 70 sts.
Row 10: (Work chart, P5A, esB, P5A) 4 times, work chart.
Row 11: (Work chart, K1A, M1LA, K4A, esB, K4A, M1RA, K1A) 4 times, work chart. 78 sts.
Row 12: (Work chart, P6A, esA, P6A) 4 times, work chart.
Row 13: (Work chart, K1A, M1LA, M1esB, K5A, esB, K5A, M1esB, M1RA) 4 times, work chart. 86 sts.
Row 14: (Work chart, P2A, esB, (P5A, esA) twice, P2A) 4 times, work chart.
Row 15: (Work chart, K1A, M1LA, knit using yarn A to 1 st before next cable and working es as set and adding a new es every 5 sts when needed, M1RA, K1A) 4 times, work chart. 8 sts inc’d.
Row 16: (Work chart, purl using yarn A to next cable working es as set) 4 times, work chart.
Rows 17-18: Work in patt.
Repeat Rows 15-18 another 6 times until you have 28 sts between the cables. 142 sts. Rep Rows 15-16 once more. 150 sts.
CABLE SECTION TWO: 9 CABLES
This section adds 4 new cables in the middle of the yarn A sections, ending with 9 cables in total. The increases all fall on a
Row 1 of Chart (a right-leaning cable row). Chart is always worked with yarn B.
All other sts are worked in the colour indicated.
Row 1 (RS): *Work chart, (K5A, esB) twice, K2A, K3B, K2togB (next st and the es), K2B, K2A, (esB, K5A) twice; rep from * to last 6 sts, work chart.
Row 2 (WS): Patt to end.
Row 3: (Work chart, K1A, M1LA, K10A working es as set and adding a new es every 5 sts when needed, M1RA, K1A) 8 times, work chart. 166 sts.
Row 4: Patt to end.
Rows 5-6: Patt to end.
Row 7: *Work chart, K1A, M1LA, knit using yarn A to 1 st before next cable and working es as set and adding a new es every 5 sts when needed, M1RA, K1A; rep from * to last 6 sts, work chart. 16 sts inc’d.
Rep Rows 4-7 another 7 times. 294 sts, with 30 sts in yarn A between cables (do not count es).
Next row (WS): Patt to end.
CABLE SECTION THREE: 17 CABLES
Chart is always worked with yarn B. All other sts are worked in the colour indicated.
Next row (RS): (Work chart, K12A and work es as set, K6B and remove any es as you go, K12A and work es as set) 8 times, work chart.
Next row (WS): Work in patt. Row 1 (RS): (Work chart, K1A, M1LA, knit using yarn A to 1 st before next st in yarn B and working es as set and adding a new es every 5 sts when needed) 16 times, work chart. 32 sts inc’d.
Rows 2-4: Patt to end.
Rep Rows 1-4 another 7 times until you have 28 sts in yarn A between the cables. 550 sts.
Rep Rows 1-2 once more. 582 sts.
CABLE SECTION FOUR: 65 CABLES
Chart is always worked with yarn B. All other sts are worked in the colour indicated.
Next row (RS): (Work chart, K12A and work es as set, K6B and remove any es as you go, K12A and work es as set) 16 times, work chart.
Next row (WS): Patt to end.
Row 1 (RS): Removing all es as you go, *work chart, (K3A, K6B) 3 times, K3A; rep from * to last 6 sts, work chart.
Row 2 (WS): Patt to end.
Row 3: (Work chart, K3A) 64 times, work chart.
Row 4: Patt to end.
Row 5: *Work chart, K1A, M1LA, K2A; rep from * to last 6 sts, work chart.
646 sts.
Row 6: Patt to end.
Row 7: (Work chart, K4A) 64 times, work chart.
Rep Rows 6-7 twice more.
Next row (WS): Using yarn A, (P6, K4) to last cable, P6.
EDGING
Using yarn A, work 3 rows in garter stitch (knit every row).
Cast off.
FINISHING
Weave in ends.
Wet block as follows (following any specific yarn care instructions on the ball band): soak gently in lukewarm water using a yarn-friendly detergent, squeeze gently (don’t wring!), put the shawl inside a big, dry towel and squeeze out any extra water. Then block the shawl by first laying it flat and securing the short-row tab at the top, then stretching out the shawl so you see how it lays flat. The upper edge will not be fully straight, but rather the outer edges will point upwards like a happy mouth. Stretch out the edges and try to make sure the cables are as straight as possible. Secure with blocking wires and/or pins, and leave to dry fully before unpinning.