My First Knitting Pattern -- Threes Triangular Shawl

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This is exciting to me! I designed this months ago, but due to other things haven't had a chance to try knitting it until this week. The project is still on my needles, so no photos yet, but I'll add them when it's finished.

I've always liked the look of the original K3P3 Prayer Shawl, but I prefer a triangular shawl to a rectangular one. I kept thinking that there had to be a way to incorporate the pattern into a triangular shawl, but couldn't figure out how to start. Then I started knitting a scarf from the book "101 Designer One-Skein Wonders" and realized I'd found the start for my shawl. From there, it was trial and error until suddenly things started working. Once I had the pattern, I set it aside and got distracted by other things. This past week, I found the paper it was written on and set out to test knit it. After a few false starts, and some corrections, I got it working. As of now, I'm the only person to test knit it -- I welcome any and all comments, especially if you find mistakes! I'll be putting this on Ravelry as a free pattern once I've got my shawl finished and some pictures taken. Enjoy!

Threes Triangular Shawl

by Beth Bowles

Abbreviations:
kfb -- knit into the front and back of the stitch
s1wyif -- slip one stitch purlwise with the yarn in front
yb -- put yarn to back of work
yo -- yarn over
k -- knit
p -- purl
co -- cast on

Gauge -- not vital. This shawl can be knitted with any weight of yarn, using the appropriately sized needles. I'm using an aran weight cotton, on size 10 needles.

CO one stitch
Row 1) kfb
Row 2) s1wyif, yb, kfb
Row 3) s1wyif, yb, kfb, k1
Row 4) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, knit to end
Rows 5-7) Repeat Row 4 -- 8 stitches on needle
Row 8) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, k3, p1, k2
Row 9) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, p1, k3, p1, k2
Row 10) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, p1, k3, P2, k2
Row 11) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, p2, k3, p2, k2
Row 12) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, p2, k3, p3, k2
Row 13) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, p3, k3, p3, k2
Row 14) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, [p3, k3] to end
Row 15) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, k1, [p3, k3] to end
Row 16) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, k1, p3, k3, p3, k4
Row 17) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, k2, p3, k3, p3, k4
Row 18) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, k2, p3, k3, p3, k5
Row 19) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, [k3, p3] to last 5 stitches, k5
Row 20) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, [k3, p3] to last 6 stitches, k3, p1, k2
Row 21) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, p1, [k3 p3] to last 6 stitches, k3, p1, k2
Row 22) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, p1, [k3, p3] to last 7 stitches, k3, p2, k2
Row 23) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, p2, [k3, p3] to last 7 stitches, k3, p2, k2
Row 24) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, p2, [k3, p3] to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 25) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, [p3, k3] to last 5 stitches, p3, k2
Row 26) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, [p3, k3] to end
Row 27) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, k1, [p3, k3] to end
Row 28) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, k1, [p3, k3] last 7 stitches, p3, k4
Row 29) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, k2, [p3, k3] to last 7 stitches, p3, k4
Row 30) s1wyif, yb, k1, yo, k2, [p3, k3] to last 5 stitches, k5

Repeat Rows 19-30 until shawl is desired length. For the most even appearance, end on Row 19.

Bind off.

Copyright 2009 by Beth Bowles

Pain

I have fibromyalgia, for those of you who didn't know it, and that means that I am constantly, incessantly, in some degree of pain. I'm on a couple of pain meds, and they dull it, but they don't get rid of it. Today, for example, my lower back hurts and my upper legs are screaming. If you've never experienced chronic pain, count your blessings. It steals your energy, your willpower...well, really it steals your life. Everything you do becomes an evaluation of your pain level and how much you can really handle doing before it exhausts you. Every day is an exercise in what degree of tired you're feeling right now. And I am, as the saying goes, sick and tired of being sick and tired.

So today I took the first steps to, hopefully, get some actual function back and gain a bit of control over my life. I called the local pain management center. Apparently, it's not as easy as calling and getting an appointment. They wanted some of my records, so I called my primary doctor (who I love -- he spent two years testing me for everything under the sun before we got a diagnosis and never once told me it was all in my head!) to arrange for that, and set up an appointment for my regular checkup while I was at it. They'll fax the records to the doctor at the pain management place, he'll look at them, decide if he wants any other tests or things like x-rays, and then they'll call me to set the next step in place.

Fibro has also stolen my long term memory, which means I can't be trained for any job (we won't get into my opinion of Social Security and what they think disability is). I don't expect learning to manage my pain to bring that back. I've (mostly) come to terms with the fact that this is who I am these days. But having the energy to do more around the house would be a blessing, both for me and my partner. Sometimes, I think she has to be a saint to deal with my frequent uselessness. Then she get pissed at me and the illusion vanishes. :)

Anyway, I'm hoping that this is the first step to a better quality of life. I'll try to keep things updated here.

In knitting news, I've been working on chemo caps for my partner's cousin. I've finished 4 of them, and will be sending them out tomorrow. I've got 2-3 more I want to do, but she started chemo last week, so she needs them.

Added about half an hour later: Just got a call from the pain management center! I have an appointment July 21! That's a lot faster than I was expecting. They wanted to offer me a chance to come in tomorrow at 10 AM, but we've got a ferret having babies either today or tomorrow, and it looks like it will be tomorrow, so I had to wait. But there's a light in the distance....

Elegant Essentials Is Open!

Right now, there are only two items in the shop, but keep checking back -- that will change over the next week. The photos are not the best -- it's a little glary today, and I'm not used to taking pictures of shiny silk, so they blurred a bit. But you should be able to get the idea! Let me know what you think!