Semele
photo copyright: knittimo
Semele is an elegant shawl, knitted sideways in one piece from one tip the other.
I’m particularly pleased with the unusual cast on and beginning of this shawl.
It took many trials and errors…
The first leaf is knitted in one direction, then everything gets turned and you knit the rest of the shawl in the other direction.
The lace pattern is a traditional stitch pattern – Great- Grandmother’s edging – often used as a border around blankets or table cloths.
I shouldn’t write that, for it is my nightmare… and why I rarely wear lace. I don’t want it to look as if I swiped the table cloth just as I was stepping out the door!)
-
- photo copyright: knittimo
-
- photo copyright: knittimo
-
- photo copyright: knittimo
-
- photo copyright: knittimo
I charted and reworked this edging to make it into this elegant shawl. The leaf motif along the upper edge echoes the generous and billowy lace border along the bottom (and they keep pace with each other in the pattern repeat).
The pattern is charted and also written out line by line.
(You may find the photo tutorial on the provisional Winding Cast On helpful.)
Want to know what’s up my knitted sleeve? Sign up for the occasional Åsa Tricosa Newsletter.
16 Comments
I purchased the semele shawl pattern in Oct. 2012 and had great difficulty with the charts. I understand there are new – easier to use charts. How do I go about getting these?
Hello Gretchen!
Thank you for buying Semele and thank you for writing!
Yes, the English version of Semele was indeed updated (January 2013).
You should have received a notice with a new download link via email and/or Ravelry message (these are automated by Ravelry and go out to all knitters who have bought the pattern, however long ago).
By the way, even if you didn’t receive or have lost the update message your original download link to the pattern should still work and you should be able to download the latest version.
In case it doesn’t or in case you can’t find it, I’m resending the pattern to you also via email.
Oh, and if you run into trouble while knitting, you can find help in the Semele thread in the Åsa Tricosa Group on Ravelry (here).
knitting with abandon
Åsa
I need some better instruction on RCO. I purchased semele Shawl and in the very first chart or written instruction you need to rco3 but i do not understand the picture or the written instrucation on how to do this. I have searched on a video on you tube but i cannot find one. Please help?
Hello!
I’ll try to explain but I’m not sure how to better explain it than in the photo on the last page. If you are a Ravelry member, you can also find more help on the Semele page in my group, a page with links to various Semele questions.
The RCO is discussed here. You can also pose new questions. Other knitters often jump in with better answers than mine – I think they have better imagination…
This is the explanation I wrote in the linked post:
If you look at the photo on the final page, you’ll see a RCO3 – for the first leaf.
You lift and pass each numbered stitch over and off the needle – over the left-most, unnumbered stitch – one at a time, and in the order numbered.
Written out step-by-step:
I hope this helps!
åsa
That really helped! I was also having a lot of problems. I think it would be very helpful if you could include the above instructions in the pattern. Thanks.
Good suggestion. Thank you!
Help! Please.
on page 5 of the pattern — do you work row ii on the second half of the winding cast on or do you continue on the same side as row i.
thanks!
Nancy
Hello Nancy!
Sorry for the late response – your question was hiding in a heap of spam…
You leave the provisional sts alone until later.
So you continue on the same side as row i.
For more, often faster and not least smarter help (because there friendly knitters weigh in and they have often knitted a pattern more recently than I have so they have a better sense of things), you are very welcome to stop by the Åsa Tricosa Group on Ravelry.
Good luck with your Semele!
Bonjour
I don’t speak english very well, so I prefer to write in french.
J’ai fait plusieurs fois le semele que j’adore et l’ai offert à des amies qui l’ont apprécié.
Depuis peu je suis inscrite sur A little market.
J’aimerais savoir si vous m’autoriseriez à en mettre en vente un de temps en temps? Le tricot est ma passion mais en aucun cas je ne commercialise à grande échelle.
Je vous remercie de votre réponse et dans cette attente, cordialement, S Toussaint
Bonjour
You English is a thousand times better than my French… I hope I may reply in English.
Thank you for writing and thank you for asking permission!
Yes, you are welcome to sell any Semele shawls you knit by hand from my pattern – I’m only worried that you will not be able to ask a fair price for your hard work. Make your customers pay what it’s worth!
Cordialement, Åsa
Hello! Can’t wait to start knitting this one. In the photo, is that the shawlette or the shawl size and what yarn/make did you use for that example?
That’s the shawl – it’s a floating concept… 1 skein of lace weight yarn (approx 800m) makes a shawl. The shawlette can be made from 1 single skein of sock yarn (approx 400m).
I dont understand.how to pick up and knit the initial leaf, with it facing rs with out twisting it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hello there! Thank you for writing.
You are picking up from left to right – as illustrated in the photo.
(Normally you would pick up going from right to left.)
For more assistance, please visit the Semele thread in the Åsa Tricosa group on Ravelry.
åsa
I’m struggling with the 2 into 2 instruction.
Do you kfb into 2 stitches together or separately and then k2tog?
I don’t see how there are only 2 stitches to knit into the back of when placed back on LN.
Sorry if this is a complicated comment. Please help.
Here’s a photo tutorial for you: link
(Yes, you knit the 2 stitches together – twice: once through the front legs, once through the back legs.)