Winding up . . . or down . . . or something

I finished the right wingtip of the Tree of Life shawl!! Now I just have one more wingtip to go, and frankly they're not that intimidating now that I'm into them. If I have enough yarn and time, I could very well finish the second one this weekend. Then I just need to do about 15 - 20' of the leaf edging from Barbara Walker's 2nd Treasury, and turn it all over to Tammy for her magic crochet seaming technique, and then move on to the next thing!






Recipe for a right wingtip:

Cast on 64 stitches

1. knit 2 stitches stockinette (first stitch will be seam allowance when tip is joined to wing), then two full repeats of Row 1 of the Orchid Lace stitch (omitting the last two stockinette stitches of the first repeat), then k2, p1, k1.
2. k1, p1, k1, purl across.
3. k2, knit two full repeats of Row 3 of Orchid Lace (omitting last two stockinette stitches of the first repeat), then k2, p1, k1.
4. k1, p1, k1, purl across.


Continue in this way, leaving out those two middle stitches of stockinette so that center column of stockinette is only 2 stitches wide instead of 4. The seed stitch on your left will become the right edge of the shawl, since you're knitting the section top-down. I made the wingtip a total of 30" long, since that was the height of the shawl wing - but don't use my measurements, since your mileage may vary.

For left wingtip,

1. p1, k1, p1, k1, then two full repeats of Row 1 of the Orchid Lace stitch (omitting the last two stockinette stitches of the first repeat), ending with an extra k2.
2. purl across to last 2 stitches, the k1, p1
(You get the idea. Its the same as the right wingtip, just with the seed stitch and the seam allowance on opposite sides.)

My thought is to consolidate all of these bits of instruction for the shawl when I'm done, so I can share a .pdf version with anyone who asks. I will NOT be selling this pattern, because (a) I have no intention of testing the instructions, once written, and (b) I'm basically just using other people's stitches and ideas in a slightly different way, and I wouldn't feel justified in calling it an original work of design.

In other news, Tasha is leaving for a summer at camp in less than a week - that is, assuming she can wrap up her school responsibilities in time. For the sin of missing a week of gym (to go to summer camp, for goodness sake!!) she is being required to do hours and hours of documented aerobic exercise at school. She has been up at 5:00 a couple of mornings this week so as to get a full hour of lap swim in before her "zero hour" early class, and the strain of all that exercise is really starting to show in her personality. At least it will get her in shape for the summer. But, grumpy mood aside, I'm taking her out for a pedicure and haircut tonight to give her a little pampering before she heads out.

Luc finished his college class, and thinks he did fairly well on the final. The jury is still out, but if nothing else the class allowed him to "dip his toe" and get a better understanding of the organization and personal responsibility required for college. He's also pleased to report that he sold his book back to the school for a reasonable amount, despite it having been through a car wreck and God knows what else during the semester.

And it's a good thing Rick mentioned it to me before he helpfully chopped down "that big thistle" growing in my septic garden. He was minutes away from taking out my poppies! Okay, they need to be divided after they bloom, but still!
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