Of Nupps and Bobbles

Until you get the hang of them, nupps are difficult. That’s the bottom line. There are a lot of nupps in the Swallowtail and a lot of discussion among Swallowtail knitters about easier ways to make them. But I struggled through them, doing them exactly as Evelyn Clark wrote them and it wasn’t long before they were slipping easily off my needle and most of them turned out pretty well.

If you stick with Evelyn Clark’s method, here’s some advice:

· Give yourself some extra yarn for the purl 5 together. Don’t be afraid to stretch out the stitches in the k1 yo k1 yo k1 stitch. This allows you to get the right needle under all 5 strands and pull them off easily without losing one.

· When you insert the right needle under the 5 strands for your purl, pull the needle out just a bit to put a little tension on the 5 strands and smooth them out. Getting them all neat and orderly at this point will give you a nice neat, orderly nub. At this point you can also clearly see whether or not you have 5 strands on the needle and when they are all lying neatly together you are not as likely to lose one.

But now that I know I can do them Evelyn’s way, I wanted to know if there is an easier method that looks just as nice. And I wanted to know if the bobble used in the Lily of the Valley pattern in the Stitch Dictionary in Vogue Knitting would work just as well. It is done all at one time on the right side of the fabric. If I didn’t like how it turned out, I’d know right away and could redo it without having to unknit a row or more to fix it.

I made a swatch with three ways of making nupps. Reading from right to left, the first column are the nupps as written in Evelyn Clark’s pattern, that is purl 5 together; the second column are made by Slip 2, K3 tog, pass slipped 2 over; the 3rd column are Slip 3, K2 tog, pass slipped 3 over. The left most column is Vogue’s bobble, K1P1K1P1K1 in same stitch, then pass the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st stitches over the last stitch made.

There isn’t a lot of difference in the first three columns. I do think the purl 5 together, when done well, is the most attractive. However, the other two are significantly easier and for me that means more likely to be done well. My overall best results were from Slip 3, K2 tog, pass slipped 3 over. The parallel threads lie neatly over the top of the nupp and are supported by a nice fullness underneath. This will be my method of choice for next time.

I rejected the Vogue bobble although it was easiest of all. It opens up in the middle, giving the button a quite different look.

Swallowtail Shawl: Blocked and Beautiful

It’s done! Although I’ve done lace before, I’d done nothing more difficult than neatly aligned yarn overs and knit 2 togethers. The Swallowtail was a challenge. I devoted many hours to knitting and unknitting.

I struggled through the three patterns, the budding lace, the nuppy lily of the valley border and the relatively easy peaked edging. After the bind off I looked at the heap of knitted yarn that was the shawl with mixed relief and dismay. This wavy, unruly thing did not look at all like the shawl I wanted to make. Had all been in vain after all? What made me think I could do this?

I knew every fiber of the yarn needed to be fully saturated if blocking were going to tame this mess. I put the unblocked shawl to soak with a little shampoo and left it in the sink and left for the hairdresser. A haircut could only help. After dinner I was ready. I squeezed out the water, stretched the damp shawl on a large towel, pinned carefully and the pattern began to pop. Success!

I should sit back, relax and enjoy the satisfaction of a challenge met. Take a walk, clean the house, read a book maybe. But there is never a time I want to knit more than I do right after one project is done. A second Swallowtail is already taking shape on my needles.