A Great Start

My Yahoo group just got started on Norwegian Woods yesterday, and since I have confused some poor knitters with my description of the beginning rows of this shawl, I would like to present a little picture tutorial of the process.

The upshot: we make a tiny garter stitch rectangle and pick up stitches on two sides to make a vaguely horseshoe-shaped piece of knitting, which forms the center back of the shawl.

Here we go...

1. Cast on 7 stitches using your favorite cast on method. I used long tail cast on.

2. Knit 5 rows, creating a little garter stitch rectangle.

3. Keeping the same side facing you, i.e., without turning the piece onto its back, turn it 90 degrees clockwise, so the needle points upward.

4. The picture doesn't actually show me doing this, but next you pick up and knit three stitches from the narrow side of the rectangle (the one closest to the point of your needle). You are welcome to fudge these three stitches in any place you can. Now you can see 7 + 3 = 10 stitches on the needle.

5. Now turn the piece onto its back and get ready to knit across the 10 stitches.

6. I have now knit across the 10 stitches.

7. Keeping the same side facing you, i.e., without turning the piece on its back, turn the needle 90 degrees clockwise. Sound familiar?

8. You guessed it... we are now going to pick up 3 stitches from the other narrow side of the rectangle. 10 + 3 = 13 stitches.

9. I have turned the work over (actually the right side of the shawl) and I have worked across the 13 stitches, placing markers as the pattern asks. The markers show the beginning 3-stitch border, the first panel, the center seam stitch, the second panel, and the last 3-stitch border.

That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, go forth and knit...

10. The little start will form the center back of the shawl.

Happy shawl knitting, everyone!