Letters
Twining Wrap: Tips and Tricks
Dear Kay,
I am at journey’s end! I made a thing!
With a modified Irish jig not ready for Tik Tok, I bound off the final stitch of Carol Feller’s Twining Wrap.
It began here, with four stitches and a dream.
And it came to a thrilling conclusion here, a triangular swath of 20 panels of stitchy glory.
It’s time for a post-game wrap up. Things I learned along the way:
Stitch patterns. I haven’t knit aran sweaters or multiple-pattern projects before (incredible but true) (shocking actually) (what is wrong with me?), so this pattern gave me a lot to chew on. In particular, I loved the moment when the stitch patterns made sense and I could let the charts go. The three stitch patterns are each different enough from the next that it was eventually easy to keep them separate in my mind.
Stitch markers. Essential for knowing when to start the next stitch pattern.
The right edge. This is the trickiest part of this pattern: as you knit, you have three different stitch patterns blooming out of the right edge. And you’re adding those new panels along the right side as you are increasing the width of the wrap. This means that the right edge is a Thing To Pay Attention To. I never got the hang of it completely, which meant checking the pattern every few rows.
Spit felting. There are 8 skeins in this project, and I didn’t want to disturb the lovely i-cord edge by having to weave in ends at the edges, so I spit-felted. Nua is nonsuperwash, and the linen content is low enough that I went for it. I will let you know if it all falls apart, but it looks unlikely. I spit-felted the heck out of those joins.
The picot edge. A thrilling moment to arrive at, after a long project. The picot bind off here was new to me.
Cable cast on 2, bind off 6. Look what happens!
Imperfections. There are tons of them in here. But I’m not going to tell you where, because it doesn’t matter.
This yarn. Nua Sport has been a 100% joyfest for me—the mix of merino, yak, and linen is new to me, and I love it like a baby. Carol Feller created this yarn as a showcase for cables and textures, and it does not disappoint. This color, Mosquito Coast, is one of 17 colors that Carol drew from her Irish landscape. It’s one of the loveliest palettes we’ve ever carried. Have a look!
Refreshalong Is Coming to a Close
It has been great fun watching all the projects coming out of Refreshalong, our knitalong for Field Guide No. 14: Refresh. Carol Feller’s designs have made for a lot of good knitting, and we’ll be winding up at the end of next week. If you’re on the verge of greatness with your Carol Feller design, share it on Instagram #refreshalongmdk or in the MDK Lounge.
Finishing a Thing
I have to say, it felt really good to have started and finished this project during these past months. I haven’t baked bread or grown a melon, but this sort of project, full of new things for me, was extremely satisfying. Starting something is an act of optimism. And finishing it is a reminder that life rolls on with opportunity for us if we leave ourselves open to it.
In other words: maybe think about starting something. It feels great.
Love,
Ann
It’s lovely. Well done!
So beautiful! I’m impressed;)
Ann, I am proud and happy for you, and eagerly excited to start mine, after 2 sweater projects are completed!
Thanks so much, Lisa Veronica! Starting something is So Fun.
Oh lordy, the last thing I need to do is start something else! But imma do it anyway. I’m having a little two girl KAL with a friend who got evacuated from the California fires. She already got evacuated from Spain due to Covid so we’re going to have a little fun.
Wow Karen, that’s such a load of moving around for your friend. I hope she lands safely! And I hope this wrap is a good puzzle for you.
Beautiful!
Nice! And what about needle felting those ends…might try that one myself if spit splicing seems iffy.
I can vouch for spit splicing. I always do it and have completed many projects, none of which have come apart!
Now that is some next-level thinking, would never have thought of that. Maybe it’s a belt-and-suspenders thing where I spit felt, needle felt, who knows what else!
FWIW, I have successfully spit spliced even superwash wool yarns. If you rub hard enough, you can do it. 🙂
Yup, I’ve done superwash too! Then machine washed & dried the FO. It held;)
Deepa, I should have guessed that you would break through the wall of superwash! You’re always blowing my mind.
Beautiful! Great job Ann! Can we see a photo of you modeling it? Looks nice for fall & winter wear.
Hi Laura! Will get my photographer aka hubbo to take a picture. It’s such a swath of texture, and the asymmetrical triangle shape makes it a different sort of shawl to wear.
Love it. Do you think Nua sport is too warm for Florida?
You know, if you live with a lot of air conditioning like I do in Nashville, it’s the sort of thing I use to warm up when watching TV. I think wraps and shawls are great in warm climates because you can adjust them easily. But at the moment, outside? Wearing this Nua wrap outside would be a hot thing indeed.
Beautiful shawl, Ann! I love it!
I almost choked myself on a brisk inhale when I read the words “I didn’t want to disturb the I-cord edge with weaving in ends…” because (although I am sure you did an *exemplary* job of spit-splicing) I-cord doesn’t even need ends woven in, in a nice sticky yarn like Nua! You can actually just twist the old and new yarn together and carry the tails up *inside* the I-cord.
I wrote a blog post on it here, in case you want to try the technique the next time you make this or a similar shawl:
http://www.deviousknitter.com/tips-tricks-for-devious-knitters-how-to-knit-an-i-cord-edge-as-you-go-and-why-you-might-want-to/
Thanks for sharing this lovely project with us.
Thank you for this link, Devious Knitter. Very useful!
I so love this wrap …How do I buy the pattern?
Hi Sandra–The Twining Wrap appears in our MDK Field Guide No. 14: Refresh, with four designs by Carol Feller. It’s available in the MDK Shop, in a print edition that includes a Ravelry download code for the PDF ebook edition.
https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/shop/mason-dixon-knitting-field-guide-no-14-refresh/
Really interested in acquiring this wrap pattern and wool
Hi Sandra–You can find Field Guide No. 14: Refresh and the Nua Sport yarn here in our One-Stop Shop:
https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/field-guide-14-popup/
Gorgeous. Cant wait to start my Carol Fellers sweater from the book. I chose broken tile for my color. It will be challenging but, I am up for it after a simple shawl almost finished. Also an easy sweater wip.
Congratulations on another fo, Ann.
Thanks so much, Madeline! Broken Tile is gorgeous. All I can say is if you Respect The Right Edge, you’ll do fine. I took my time, made some mistakes, slurped up some more coffee, and it all came together.
Gorgeous piece. I’m also loving the pattern and am over halfway with my own wrap. Seeing that beautiful edge is just the motivation to keep going!
Yes, Renee! I was highly motivated to get to that edge! We’re pretty hardcore if a picot edge is all the motivation we need to keep going . . . ; )
OK I had a DREAM about this project last night, not kidding!!!! So you guys are either in my subconscious or you read my mind, or both. 🙂 I am definitely going to cast on this baby.
Too funny! I had a dream last night about missing a train. I had too much baggage. Is that a metaphor or WHAT?
Oh my gosh, SO MUCH METAPHOR.
Lovely! And good for you on the spree spit splices. May I let you in on a little secret about the i-cord edges, though? They make perfect little tubes for hiding ends. You can either just form the i-cord around the ends as you knit, which means very little finishing at the end (your bind off end), or you can thread them through the tube after knitting with a tapestry needle.
Congratulations Ann! Way to go. I’m working the last 18 1/2 pattern rows then the border. I can hardly wait to get there but real life in the form of an imminently due family baby is slowing me down a little. Because every new baby needs something knitted even if it might only be a bib or maybe 2 right now.
A baby! How thrilling! Wishing you great joy in the days to come.
Love this!!!!! Well done!
Ann, love yours and inspired me to finish mine .. I am nearly there but distracted by urgent socks needed for sister’s bday. Loving Nua yarn – in Rolling Bales! Bring on that picot edge that looks cool without being ‘cutsie’…. thanks to MDK for introducing me to Carol Feller, and the best knit blog.
Kermit would like to remind you that he is also a “Thing To Pay Attention To.”
It’s beautiful Ann. Congratulations on a fabulous FO.
Carol Feller has a Youtube video for this pattern and I found it very helpful.
Fantastic shawl. I just started receiving your newsletters a couple of months ago, and I’m learning so much about projects and yarn. Plus getting to know all the beautiful ladies that put these together.
I am so excited to start my shawl, which will be after knitting up a baby blanket for my new great-granddaughter. Thank you for all the helpful hints. And I do have to say, I have never heard of spit felting.
I have the yarn and you have inspired me to tackle this (after I finish a few other projects…LOL). It is beautiful!