June 2018 Membership Knitting Tips

Cashmere, we got cashmere! Not to mention 874 wonderful yards of it. Ok, ok, it’s a blend, but let me tell you, it goes a long way to make each skein of Vidalana Sumptous feel like a cloud. Yes, you can use this 75% superwash Merino, 15% nylon, 10% cashmere yarn for socks–but it’s excellent for shawls, too!

I’m a fringe gal, so I immediately fell for the included knitting pattern, Minty Fresh
by Taiga Hilliard:

And do you see those fab leaf motifs, too? They’re actually one of the simplest
versions of a knitted leaf – a brilliant design, really. BUT there’s definitely some
things that are important to know about the stitches used in this motif and the rest of the shawl.

Tip 1: The Centered Double Decrease (CDD)

There are a few ways to decrease two stitches at once, such as CDD, or the centered double decrease. Make sure to check your CDD after you do it to make sure it looks right. It’s critical that you slip the first 2 stitches at the same time, because if you don’t you won’t get that perfect leaf “rib” that really shows off the motif. Let me show you what I mean in this video:

Tip 2: Wrap 2 vs. Wrap 1 Yarn Overs

Like many lace patterns, the Minty Shawl uses yarnovers for a decorative way of
increasing stitch count. A normal yarnover wraps the yarn around the needle once, but did you know you can wrap multiple times for a different effect? Let’s try it out.

Tip 3: M1L vs. M1R

Many patterns suggest a Make 1 (M1) increase, but not all of them specify whether they should cross to the left or the right. If they don’t, my default is to cross left… but do you know which way you naturally do them? In the Minty Fresh shawl, you’ll need to learn how to do a M1 both ways… so here’s how.