kiri: it’s really done!

And I’m in love. It’s exactly what I wanted.

the full kiri, done!

Pattern: Kiri, from All Tangled Up
Needles: Addi Turbo size 5, 8, and 10
Execution: 14 main pattern repeats; I counted the first leaves too, so I had 15 leaves down the center line and I called it “15 repeats” while I was working on it.
Yarn: Knit Picks’ Alpaca Cloud in peppermint, single strand throughout
Skeins: 1.5. I had to take out the previous, failed Kiri to have enough yarn, and that one used about 3/4 of a skein.
Preblocking size: 19″ from center top to point
Postblocking size: 27″ from center top to point
Started: Saturday, April 8 (I’m not counting the first one)
Finished: Friday, April 14

Notes:
Needles: I used 5s because I don’t have size 6 Addis, and after the first Kiri I made on my ill-purchased Crystal Palace bamboo circs, I knew I needed the smooth join and fast needles of Addis. People warned me that Addis are not sharp enough, but sharpness was a complete nonissue–I had no trouble getting the needle into the stitches. They were soo fast, too, they were worth it. Slipperiness was also not an problem.

Cast off: The first Kiri suffered a far-too-tight cast off, despite using a size 10 needle. To do it this time, I purled the last row (row 12 of the edging) using a size 8 needle, and then I cast off using the 10. I also cast off in what can only be described as full-on sloppy. Not just loose: I was sloppy. It took so much concentration to keep it sloppy, and I was a big ball of tension the entire time. And how long did it take me to cast off? Just to cast off?? It took me at least 50 minutes. When I hit halfway, I joked that it was going to take me an hour, but I wasn’t entirely sure what time I’d started. So I timed how long it took to cast off the second half of the shawl, and it took 25 minutes. Assuming I did perfectly even splits, it took me 50, but it was a while before I got into a good groove for my sloppy cast off, and so I might say that the whole row did take about an hour. Egads. It was exhausting. But! I have pretty scallops, so it’s all worth it. My recommendation for anyone seeking to do this shawl and get the scallops is to do it super slowly, super sloppy, and on gigantic needles. It’s the only way. Reading other peoples’ accounts shows that there are many straight-edged Kiris out there, much to the chagrin of their creators.

Blocking: I read through the directions and realized that they’re written wrong: It says to pin out the sk2p (slip one, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over) stitches out to make the scallops. That would look like this, which I only did in order to take the photo in order to tell you all about this error:

kiri points as the pattern recommends

Everyone, and I mean everyone (every finished photo I can find does it this way, except maybe one in the yahoo knitalong (sorry, must be a member to see anything)), pins out the yo, k1, yo combo instead, like this:

kiri points the way everyone does them

It’s obvious why no one does it the way the pattern says (not even the pattern writer! look at the pictures in the pattern!). It’s because the piece naturally falls into scallops the other way, and the effect is a whole lot prettier. The other key reason is this:

why it makes no sense to do it the other way

The very bottom of the shawl comes naturally to a point. Why screw with that and create two points on either side of the center? It seems unnatural, and it’s not the way anyone chooses to execute the pattern. So if you’re reading the pattern and can’t make sense of the blocking directions, well, that’s probably a big reason why.All in all, it was a pleasure to make this. Probably because I’d never done lace before and it is so fun, and because the yarn is so delightful. For the photo shoot, I’m wearing the bridesmaid dress I picked out (that needs a wee bit of alteration, to make the straps a bit shorter). You can’t see it in the photos, but the lining of the dress is baby pink—a perfect match to the “peppermint” colorway. I made this shawl to go with the dress and for the event, which will be Memorial Day weekend in the mountains of Virginia, which I assume get chilly in the evening (outdoor wedding). Of course, today it’s 80 degrees out and I was boiling with the shawl wrapped around! Alpaca is so nice and warm, despite the openness of the pattern.

I also got my hair chopped off on Thursday, so I’m in those first few days of really great hair. I ordered new glasses yesterday; they should be here next week! It’s going to be a whole new Minty.

18 Responses to kiri: it’s really done!

  1. julia says:

    oh, wow! your shawl is going to be so much prettier than mine is for the wedding! tho EP said mine was very nice so far when she saw it this week in Portland. Congrats on finishing it. Mine is only halfway done :)

  2. Stitchy McYarnpants says:

    Really great work! You make it seem so easy, even the ripping out of the whole thing. Maybe I’ll take another whack at it. I do have this pattern and puh-lenty of yarn to fit the bill.

    Also, love the haircut!

  3. Laura says:

    Wow! It’s beautiful! I’m so glad that you are happy with it. The pink is beautiful.

    Looking forward to seeing those new glasses, too! :)

  4. Rachel says:

    I can’t believe how quickly you cranked that beauty out! It is just gorgeous, and I know you will get use out of it for YEARS beyond the wedding in May.

    That bridesmaid dress is one hot ticket too, by the way. And you can’t say that about bridesmaid dresses very often!

  5. Laura says:

    It’s perfect Minty! The dress is cute, too. Congrats on getting it right.

    (I knit lace with Addis all the time. I ignore all the nonpointiness warnings.)

Leave a Reply to candsmom Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *