How To
Hot Tips for the Bliss-Bloss Shawl
In my past life as a trial lawyer, someone once referred to my colleague/bestie Diana and me, or perhaps to cases we were citing, as “venerable workhorses.” We were about 30 at the time, but litigation is a young person’s game, so we were well on our way to wizened wise woman status. It was a badge of honor. We still refer to ourselves that way, even though we no longer remember who said it or any other part of the story. Time is fun! At some point you just have words in your head!
Just when I thought I’d achieved venerable workhorse status as a knitter, a pebble got stuck in my hoof: the mysterious one-stitch repeat in Ambah O’Brien’s darling Bliss-Bloss Shawl.
Since that pebble has puzzled others, I thought I’d show off my adorable Bliss-Bloss Shawl—in the Mini Cooper size—and share my tips for getting that pebble out of your foot.
The 1-Stitch Repeat
The chart for one of the flowers on the Bliss-Bloss Shawl looks like this:
The symbol that gave trouble was the “rep”—repeat—symbol—one stitch with a bold black line on either side.
Since you have 36 stitches on the needle at the start of the chart, but the chart itself only shows 34 stitches, that 1-stitch repeat stands in for one stitch that gets repeated two more times. This is not spelled out in the pattern, and was the subject of speculation in our Bliss-Bloss Shawl workshop with Ambah. It was a comfort to me that I was not the only one who was puzzled!
Here’s how I’ve worked it out:
When you get to that repeat marker on the RS—one stitch —it just means to continue working knit stitches to the last 2 stitches of the row, which you slip with the yarn in back. You don’t need to count the repeats. You just knit to the last 2 stitches. Don’t think about it, just do it.
Then, on the WS (even numbered rows), when you get to that repeat marker again (after purling the 2 i-cord stitches) you work knit stitches until you get to the charted area of the flower. You will have established the placement of the chart already (since the chart begins on a RS row), so this works very easily. Knit until you’re in the chart; once you’re there, follow the chart.
As I worked, I only counted stitches on the shaped edge of the shawl. On the non-shaped (straight edge) side of the shawl, I just worked knit stitches without counting, until I got to the last 2 stitches (on the RS) or the chart itself (on the WS).
My Bliss-Bloss is in MDK Atlas, in the most Orla Kiely-esque colorway I could muster. The main color is Pebble (all but a few yards of a full skein); the blossom is in Shale and Pear.
Why is it charted this way? If you’re just knitting the small, single-flower version of the shawl, those 3 stitches could have just as easily been charted as 3 stitches. But if you’re knitting multiple blossoms, all of which are placed with reference to the shaped edge of the shawl, the number of knit stitches represented by that 1-stitch repeat will change with the placement of each blossom.
It’s really true that there’s always something new to learn in knitting. That’s the fun part!
Thanks for this, Kay. I’ve not yet run into this “rep” symbol, but surely I will – and you’ve saved me a lot of future head-scratching and confusion. Here in Maine it feels like Fall today (though of course we will have some more hot days to go). Hope it’s as beautiful today in NYC.
Thank you! I didn’t quite know how to ask about that part, as I am a newbie to intarsia.
This was a first for me in my long intarsia journey! It’s a clever way of placing the motifs without a huge chart but it wasn’t intuitive to me at all.
Well that helps me! I am just about finished my small version and am proud of my first intarsia. Ambah created a wonderful design and was a patient teacher.
First intarsia: congrats, Elaine!
Thanks so much for this! Game changer for me. Never would have thought!
This is brilliantly explained, Kay, and yr shawl is fab!!!
I was very happy that the topic was discussed in the session with Ambah. It’s my fist intarsia and after knitting one flower the inking is just make the mini shawl, I decided to rip it out and go back and make the medium version for extra flower power and practice. Happily, I’d already learned about the repeat!
Live your Orla color scheme!
That’s love!
I tried to type Orla’s full name and it went to Orlando something, the wonders of auto-correct!
Well that helps me! I am just about finished my small version and am proud of my first intarsia. Ambah created a wonderful design and was a patient teacher.
Very helpful, Kay…thank you! I’m starting the chart portion of the small version of the shawl and wasn’t worried about the repeat marker, but I can see how it would be important in a multi-flower version. Such a happy flower!
Such a clever idea! Although i am not an intarsia knitter, it’s a useful concept.
I found that it really helped to put a marker on the first row at the black line—after 34 stitches. Then I knew for sure on the wrong side that I had the right number of stitches. Purl the two first stitches then knit to the marker, then look at the chart. Sometimes the wrong side row is not exactly the same as the right side row.
Cathie this is such a brilliant refinement! Yes, a marker! On the small version, I got away without it because I was into the chart so quickly again on the WS, but as that “repeat” gets longer, a marker would definitely be useful.
Thank you! I took the class, but found myself very confused. This could help solve the problem.
Had to look up “Orla Kiely”…
Thought I might be missing an inside joke…
but nope!
Just a very “Orla Kiely” color scheme on a lovely Ambah (inspired by Orla?) graphic design!