MUSE FOR JUSTICE: A Rectangular Lace Shawl Paying Tribute to Justice Rose and Her Cats

"“MUSE FOR JUSTICE"

A Rectangular Lace Shawl Designed by Priscilla White Tocker.

While you might think that this shawl was named to evoke a political or philosophical ideal, the reality is actually quite different! This shawl is the seventh pattern of my Family of Women series and is a tribute to my lovely and very talented stepdaughter, Justice Rose, an artist and illustrator whose favorite muses are - her cats! Justice's beloved gray tiger cats, Tally and Christopher, are represented in this shawl through the stripes of cat's paw lace in different shades of gray with a hint of brown. The roses which are her namesake make up the center column of yellow rose clusters which match the yellow of the cat's eye lace. The ends of the shawl are bound off with a decorative picot edging (little cat's ears, anyone?) while the longer edges of the shawl can be blocked as either straight or pointed to accent the cat's paws (as shown in the photo). with any weight/gauge of yarn and any size needles to whatever measurements you desire. This pattern can be a great stash basher, as you can knit the shawl in just one color or as many colors as you like. The suggested materials and gauge provided in the instructions were used to create the shawl in this photo, which is a smaller shawlette or stole and measures 40" X 15 % ". The center column is knit first and then stitches are picked up down its length on both sides and the shawl is worked from the center outward. You can customize the size of your shawl by knitting the center rose cluster column to whatever length you would like your shawl to be, and you can adjust the width by widening or repeating any of the motifs shown in the charts. This pattern assumes that the knitter has experience working all of the types of stitches in this shawl, particularly yarn overs, and is also comfortable using charts. If you would like additional instruction on how to work any of the stitches, there are excellent instructional videos on www.knittinghelp.com Before starting to knit, please review these general instructions for the charts: Starting with Row 1 of each chart, the right side (Rs) rows are the odd numbered rows that are read from right to left. Wrong side (ws) rows of charts are the even numbered rows and are read from left to right. Charts are written to show all of the stitches as they appear on the RS; so, for example, when you are knitting the WS rows the K stiches are done as P, and vice versa (see Legend). ·The blue shaded areas in Charts B, C and D indicate the sets of stitches that are worked multiple times per row. The gray shaded areas in Chart C indicate where there are no stitches, so you will skip across these areas and work the rows as if they were not there.

KNITTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SHAWL

Materials (used for shawl in the photo):

Yarn: Color A - Knit Picks Stroll Solids, Heathers and Twists - 1 skein (231 yards, 50 grams) in Dandelion; Color B - Knit Picks Palette - 1 skein (231 yards, 50 grams) in Gosling; Color C - Knit Picks Palette - 1 skein in Silver; Color D - Knit Picks Palette - 1 skein in Mist Needles: Us# 4 circular, at least 16". Round stitch markers to mark off sections of the pattern Waste yarn (optional) - several yards, if you wish to add lifelines Blocking board and rust resistant pins for blocking

Legend:

K=knit P= purl YO= yarn over K2TOG=knit 2 stitches together (creates a right-leaning decrease) SSK=slip two stitches knit wise and separately to the right needle, then knit both together through the front of the stitches (creates a left-leaning decrease) K3TOG-TBL= knit 3 stitches together through the back loops RS= right side of shawl, or the side meant to be worn outward Ws=wrong side of shawl BO=Bind Off

Legend for the Charts

on 19 stitches in Color A. Knit 4 rows, slipping the first stitch of each row purl wise Chart A (Rose Cluster Chart), continuing to slip the first stitch of each row purl wise

CHARTA-ROSECLUSTERPATTERN

3. Repeat Chart A until you reach your desired length, making sure that the number of times you repeat this chart is a multiple of 2. For the shawl in the photo, I knit Chart A a total of 14 times. I recommend that you fasten stitch markers to the first and last stitch of Row 1 for each repeat of the chart (this will make sense in Step 5.) 4. K4 more rows, and bind off. 5. Place this Rose Cluster strip in front of you lengthwise with the RS facing you. Switch to color B and begin picking up stitches on the upper edge as follows: Pick up 3 stitches , then pick up 10 stitches between each of the stitch markers you have used to mark the repeats of Chart A, then end with 3 additional picked-up stitches (This will be easier to do if you pick up the new stitches just beneath the slip stitches along the edge , and use the stitch markers as a guide for the placement of the 10 stitches you are picking up per each repeat of Chart A.) Remove the stitch markers as you go and place them between each set of your 10 picked-up stitches. The total number of stitches you pick up along this edge should be a multiple of 20, plus the 3 additional stitches on each end. 6. Knit 1 row (this will be a WS row). For this row and all subsequent rows (with the exception of the rows for which you are starting a new color)s you, continue to slip the first stich of every row purl wise. 7. Switch to Color C and knit Chart B (Single Row Cat's Paw), repeating the blue shaded area as many times as necessary down the length of the row.

CHART B- SINGLE ROW CAT'S PAW

8. After knitting Chart B once, switch back to Color B and knit two rows. 9. Now switch back to Color A and knit Chart C (Single Row Cat's Eyes). As this pattern is actually a four stitch repeat (plus the two yarn overs) you may want to move and add additional stitch markers to mark the repeats as you work your way down the row.

Chart C- SINGLE ROW CAT'S EYES

10. After knitting Chart C, switch back to Color B and knit two rows. 11. Now Switch to Color D and knit Chart D (Multi-Row Cat's Paws). Again you may wish to adjust your stitch markers down the length of the row, as you are back to a pattern that repeats every 10 stitches.

Chart D-MULTI-ROWCAT'SPAWS

12. Switch to Color C and bind off loosely, either by using a needle that is 2-3 sizes bigger or by using a stretchy bind off of your choice. Break off yarn and weave in ends. 13. Turn your work so you now have the other long edge of the Rose Cluster Column at the top, with the RS facing you. Repeat steps 5-12. Now you willfinish off each of the other two edges of your shawl (in the photo, these are the shorter edges)asfollows: 14. In Color C, pick up a multiple of 4 stitches along the edge. For the shawl in the photo, I picked up 64 stitches. 15. Knit one row. 16. Knit rows 3-6 of Chart C (Single Row Cats Eyes), however this time you will be eliminating the extra three knit stitches at the beginning and end of each row. Also, the last time you knit the blue shaded area of Row 3 you will eliminate the two yarn overs so that the row will end with 4 knit stitches, and you will purl these stitches on the reverse side. 16. Bind off this edge with a picot bind-off as follows: A. Knit the first two stitches and bind off 1. B. Transfer this stitch from the right-hand to the left-hand needle and use a knitted cast-on to cast on 2 stitches. C. Bind off 4 stitches (which will include the 2 you just cast on, the stitch from step A, and one more). D. Repeat steps B and C until one stitch remains. Cut your yarn and pullit through this last stitch, weaveinends. 17. Repeat steps 14-16 on the other edge of the shawl. Then weave in any leftover loose ends on the wrong side of the shawl. Block, wear, and enjoy!