2 Sweaters and A Swatch

Sweater 2 is done, too. Well all except for having the buttons sewn on.. That will happen tonight. It should have happened last night, but I got distracted—Some one on Ravelry had posed the question, “Do you recognise this stitch?”

The stitch in question, (this one) was just lovely..I didn't know it, (or at least, its never caught my eye before) but I had no doubt I could reproduce it. I went off to swatch, and didn't quite get it right at the first go—so slowly, I made some changes.  (I would have gotten it faster if I sat at my computer desk instead of trying to reproduce from memory!--still I didn't do to bad.)

Can you see the changes I made as I worked the swatch? The beginning of the swatch the leaf motif is 9 stitches, with 3 purls between each motif—It evolved to a 7 stitch leaf pattern, with just 2 purls between each pattern repeat.

I am using a partial ball of some left over yarn (Patons Lace, to be exact) and I have some other partial balls of this yarn. I don't know if if I am going to continue the swatch and make a scarf of it or not. I think the stitch pattern would make a very lovely sweater. For a shawl or scarf, I'd start with a provisional cast on and work both ends to keep the leaves the same in the front.

The pattern is simple, a basic leaf with a simple change: all the decrease are done on one side of the leaf, (rather than symmetrically on both sides). This change requires decreases on both the right and wrong sides of the work.

So begin with a single stitch between columns of purls, P2 YO, K1, YO, P2—followed by the second half of the leaf pattern, SSK, K5. (at the end of all the pattern repeats, add another purl border (or not)

On the wrong side row, K the border stitches, and P4, P2tog, K2, Purl 3, K2...

With each row, the one leaf motif grows with YO (either side of center stitch,) and the other tapers off, with decreases (front and back)

Finally, one leaf has grown to seven stitches, and the other leaf has been reduced to a single stitch, and the process starts over. I love how the pattern makes soft undulating waves. But I am not sure this yarn is the best choice for the pattern. Its OK, but I think a smooth yarn would be a better choice. But then, this is why we swatch, right? To learn a pattern and see how it look in a specific yarn.