Saturday 14 July 2018

Vertices Unite

One of my favourite makes so far this year has been the Vertice Unite shawl by Stephen West. In today’s post I thought I would share a little more about the project.


The Vertices Unite shawl falls into the category of projects I really wanted to make but just didn’t think I had the skills too. On reflection, this was very silly. It was a relatively straightforward and relaxing make - I could knit garter stitch forever!

I first came across the project when my friend Emma made herself a Vertices Unite and shared it on her Eldenwood Craft podcast. Emma always makes really beautiful yarn choices and her finished shawl is stunning.

Yarn
Yarn choice felt like a really big stumbling block for me with this project. I had all kinds of advice from friends but in the end I decided to stick with what I love - a largely blue colour palette. I picked up my yarn from this year’s Unravel festival which gave my shopping list at the festival a real structure and coherence. I’d definitely prepare for a yarn festival again with one big project in mind.


With the exception of the teal which is a CoopKnits merino yarn, the other four skeins I used were 4-ply Blue Faced Leicester from RiverKnits and Ainsworth and Prim (The Knitting Shed). I really enjoy knitting (and crocheting) with 4ply BFL, it has a real crispness and structure that you don’t necessarily get with softer yarns. Plumping for blues and BFL meant that knitting up my Vertices Unite was a real pleasure. I was genuinely sad when I wove in the last ends and I can’t always say that about my projects.

The pattern and construction 
Being completely honest, I didn’t like the way the pattern was written up. I assume it was written and laid out for someone with more experience than me. But that said, I didn’t come unstuck at any point and it turned out how it should have done!

I had been concerned about picking up stitches and really shouldn’t have been as it was very easy. Next time though I will have more spare cables handy because you do end up with a lot of stitches on hold and it’s much easier to leave them on cables than waste yarn.

I needed to search out Stephen West’s You Tube videos for help with the I-cord bind-off but I think that is just because I hadn’t undertaken that particular technique before. I actually found it really satisfying and started to wonder if I could use I-cord bind-off for everything!

The finished object 
I love my finished shawl; it’s beautiful, blue and very wearable (when the temperature reduces!). If you’re having a wobble about making one, I urge you to be brave and give it a go - just as long as you like garter stitch!

Please ignore the crumples. I had to unpack the shawl which had been hibernating for the Summer in order to take this photo!.

I made the small shawl and it turned out to the exact proportions. I would have liked a slightly bigger shawl but I knew that I would ‘drown’ with the larger size. Now I’ve made one, I would be very confident in making myself a medium-sized shawl with some pattern adaptions.

Added bonus
An unexpected bonus has been the leftover yarn. I have been able to whip up a Bombini Cowl for my Mum - the project I mentioned last time with the dreaded ‘knit into the stitch below’.
I have also been able to use the rest to make my Skimming Stones shawl as part of The Crochet Project’s ongoing MCAL.
What colours next?
In idle moments (!) my brain is starting to wonder what colours should be in my next Vertices Unite. I can’t tell you how satisfying it was to knit the stripes, pick up the stitches and create a piece of knitting patchwork.

I hope you have a happy week of crafting planned! x

2 comments:

  1. Fabulous shawl Helen. The colors are very you and Stephen West designs always look so contemporary. I felt the same way about his Exploration Station Shawl - loved every stitch and didn't want it to end.

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