Old Shale: Exploring Variations of a Beloved Lace Stitch Through Detailed Knitting Patterns and Samples

OLD SHALE

VARIATIONS OF AN OLd And MUCH LOVEd LACE STITCH ① Copyright 2015 Mary Spanos, Mary Kaiser, Janice Weinstein, Karen Ford, Nancy Clemmons, Jennifer Justiss, Deb Kattus, Nancy Lavender, Terry Martin, Victoria Moore, Susie Strauss; each owns the copyright of their contribution. Thanks to Patricia Donald for her kind assistance with proofreading. This booklet may be shared freely by sharing the URL to the e-book. Do not post the fle on a web site or blog. This e-book may not be republished in whole or in part. It may not be sold in whole or in part.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Old Shale Pattern...4 Stitch Pattern Names and Knitting Writers...6 Variations of the Old Shale Lace Stitch Pattern...Z Symbols and Abbreviations...9

THE SAMPLES

4 holes, directional decreases, Jennifer Justiss..12 6 holes, directional decreases, Victoria Moore...16 8 holes, directional decreases, Susie Strauss...20 10 holes, directional decreases, Terry Martin...26 4 holes, centered decreases, Deb Kattus...31 6 holes, centered decreases, Janice Weinstein...35 More 6 holes, centered decreases, Nancy Clemmons...38 8 holes, centered decreases, Nancy Lavender..44 10 holes, centered decreases, Mary Spanos...47 No holes, centered decreases, Mary Kaiser..54 10 holes, purled decreases, Karen Ford...58

A PATTERN

A Baby Blanket Old Shale Sampler...63 An explanation of the terms directional decreases and centered decreases may be found on page 7.

THE OLD SHALE PATTERN

Lace patterns in knitting date back to the late Middle Ages, not long after the development of bobbin lace. Textile historians speculate that knitted lace may have developed as a homemade alternative to costly and rare bobbin laces, restricted to nobility. Unlike bobbin lace, in which an open-work fabric is created using a number of bobbins, knitted lace gets its delicacy from openings in the knitted surface created by yarnover loops. Since each new loop adds a new stitch, the yarnover is always paired with a decrease to keep the total number of stitches the same. Most knitted lace patterns place yarnovers and decreases close to each other, so for every yarnover, we expect to find its matching decrease in the neighboring stitches. However, in one group of lace patterns, called Delayed Decrease Patterns, the yarnovers are clumped together, and then the decreases are clumped together. The best-known of these patterns is Old Shale or Old Shell, said to be one of the few true Shetland patterns found in knitted lace shawls on the Shetland Islands from around 1836. The Feather and Fan pattern is often confused or conflated with Old Shale. Both patterns involve delayed decreases, but in the case of Feather and Fan, the decreases are done in two steps, in each of which instead of knitting two stitches together, four stitches are decreased together. The resulting pattern is more linear than in Old Shale, with the decreases forming a strong vertical spine. In addition, Feather and Fan variations use a series of lace rows followed by several garter stitch rows. In Old Shale, one lace row is followed by a series of plain rows. Similar patterns can also be found in Germany and elsewhere in continental Europe, but according to Sharon Miller, a Shetland lace expert, patterns migrated wherever Shetlanders travelled, and they travelled widely from their island homes. The following chart, “Stitch Pattern Names and Knitting Writers,” indicates some of the many variations in Old Shale, but all the variations share the characteristic of grouping yarnovers and decreases together, thus creating a beautifully undulating pattern. In Shetland "hap" shawls, the wavy Old Shale lace surrounded a central square, and gave the shawl a feminine curvy outline. It was common for knitters to use a graduated series of shades from dark to light in this border, thus emphasizing the beauty of the undulating pattern that seems to mirror the ocean waves surrounding these remote islands where the shawls were made. Nineteenth-century examples of other garments made in the Old Shale pattern include socks and stockings, baby garments, and jackets for women, taking advantage of the Hattering drape of the Old Shale waves. The Old Shale pattern is easy to memorize, with just one pattern row and several plain rows in every variant. It is also one of the most intriguing patterns to explore, since each variation produces a different wave rhythm, while the placement of garter stitch ridges highlights the undulations in fascinating ways. In our group project, each knitter will ry a diffeent variant of Old Shale and knit a panel. It will be up to the knitter's choice whether or not she wants to try varying the number of plain rows between the lace rows, the placement of garter stitch rows or other variables in her pattern. The goal is for the knitting study group to assemble a collection of Old Shale variations that we can use in our own future projects, and to better understand the soul of this fine old pattern, and feel a link to those wind-swept islands and the people who lived there. Mary Kaiser

STITCH PATTERN NAMES AND KNITTING WRITERS

The following table attempts to compare the names used by knitting authors, some matriarchs of the handknitting world and some new designers, for the lace stitch patterns referred to as Old Shale, Old Shell, and Feather and Fan. This list is a small sample of knitting writers and designers. The only portion of the stitch pattern that is compared here is the lace row, and these have all ben tranlated into the same knitting abbreviations.

DNS OF THE OLD SHALE LACE STITCH PATTER

For this project we looked at the ways that the Old Shale lace stitch pattern can be altered while still maintaining the appearance of being Old Shale. To create some sort of control in our experimentation, we created two main groups of variations (and then added two unusual variations that we really liked). First, there are many ways that the lace row can be knit that will affect the appearance of the lace fabric in such a way that a lace kniter i stil see the Old Shale pattern. Second, the background rows, or all of the rows other than the lace row, can also be knit in many different ways and the resulting knitted fabric willstill appear to be Old Shale. In our collction of Old Shale samples, each knitter used one particular variation of the Old Shale lace row and then knit that lace row with a variety of backgrounds, such as allstockinette, all garter stitch, a purl ridge following the lace row, etc. as described in the following paragraphs.

VARIATIONS ON THE LACE ROW

The most obvious characteristic of the Old Shale lace row may be the number of yarn-overs, but there are many details of the lace row that can be varied and stillproduce a fabric that is identifiably Old Shale. The lace details that are varied in the following patterns are: The number of holes: 4, 6, 8, 10. . The form of the decreases: all k2tog, or half k2tog and half ssk. A final k1 in the YO section. Some knitters use “(yo, k1) 6 times" for a 6 hole Old Shale and some knitters use “(yo, k1) 5 times, yo." A central k1 in the decrease section. Some knitters think that the authentic Shetland Old Shale would have a decrease section as “k2tog 3 times, k1,ssk 3 times" and many Old Shale patterns are written without a central k1, as “k2tog 3 times, ssk 3 times." We have included two non-traditional variations on the lace row in our collection. One from a family heirloom, a baby blanket knit in the early ^80's that uses p2tog for the decreases. This may sound radical, but it still appears to belong to the Old Shale family. A second unusual variation uses increases that do not create holes, producing the characteristic Old Shale wavy fabric, that is warmer than traditional Old Shale lace. We found it helpful to create shortened names for the two basic groups of Old Shale stitches that we used. The first 4 samples, A through D, use one type of decrease (k2tog) and we have named those the Directional group because the decreases all slant in one direction. The second group of samples, E through H, use two different types of decreases that slant toward a central knit stitch and we have named those the Centered Decrease group. This does not, in any way, suggest that all variations of Old Shale could fit neatly into such a limited number of categories.

VARIATIONSBEYONDTHELACEROW

Along with creating different Old Shale variations by changing the way the lace row looks, there are many options for how to knit all of the other rows. In the following charts, a 4-hole Old Shale lace row has been used as an example, but these variations in the background rows can be used with any version of an Old Shale lace row.

VARIATION 1,ROWS PER REPEAT

Any Old Shale variation can be altered by simply increasing or decreasing the number of plain rows that are worked between the lace rows.

VARIATION 2, ONE PURL RIDGE

Knitting a purl ridge (by knitting on the wrong side when knitting fat or purling a row when knitting in the round) is a typical Old Shale variation. Knitting this purl ridge before or after the lace row can effect the look of the yarn overs.

VARIATION 3, ALL STOCKINETTE

The variation at right is all stockinette, so when knit fat all wrong-side rows are purled.

VARIATION 4, GARTER STITCH

The knitted fabric can be worked in garter stitch.

SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS

st stitch sts stitches k knit on right side, purl on wrong side JP purl on right side, knit on wrong side yo yarn over k2tog knit 2 stitches together ssk slip as to knit, put slipped st back on left needle, knit 2 sts together through the back loop, or whatever left-slanting decrease you prefer inc increase, pick up and knit the bar between the stitches p2tog purl 2 stitches together

THE SAMPLES

Some knitters/designers created five different variations on their Old Shale samples, while others experimented with combining two or three variations. Both perspectives provide much food for thought. The charts and instructions that are provided with each variation describe one repeat of that variation. We hope that you will find it easy to insert these into your own designs. The samples were knit with KnitPicks' Simply Cotton Organic yarn, sport weight.

DIRECTIONAL DECREASES

Directional decreases and centered decreases are two terms we developed to help us talk about the two variations of lace rows that we used. This section presents the samples that were knit with directional decreases. Directional decreases all slant in the same direction. They are all knit with k2tog.

4HOLES DIRECTIONAL DECREASES

JENNIFER JUSTISS "I enjoyed knitting the 4-hole version of Old Shale because it has a strong 4/4 rhythm, like all the music I have fun dancing to. My favorite variation was the center section which was actually my husband's idea. The purl stitches define the lace section, and the stockinette sections in-between create vertical stripes."

4 HOLES,DIRECTIONAL DECREASES LACE ROW

12 stitch repeat

STOCKINETTE WITH A PURL RIDGE AFTER THE LACE ROWFOURROWREPEAT

12 stitch repeat

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 2 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 4 times, k2tog 2 times. Row 4: Knit. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 2 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 4 times, k2tog 2 times. Row 4: Purl.

12 stitch repeat

3 GARTER STITCH FOUR ROW REPEAT

12 stitch repeat

Rows 1 and 2: Knit. Row 3: K2tog 2 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 4 times, k2tog 2 times. Row 4: Knit. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 2 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 4 times, k2tog 2 times. Row 4: P2, k8 p2. 12 stitch repeat

6HOLES DIRECTIONAL DECREASES

VICTORIA MOORE "This has been a fascinating study of the Old Shale stitch using 6 holes with directional decreases. When knitting my assigned sample, I chose to add one extra 18-stitch repeat for a cast-on of 40 stitches. There were seven repeats of the pattern for each of the five sections. For the first section this six row pattern undulates with a ribbed row beneath the holes of the lace row. While this pattern was simple to knit and easy to memorize it begged to be modified. I used several variations in rows and stitch types to complete my panel. The first modification I made was to knit the background rows. This modification increased the ridges on the front and seemed to camouflage the lace row. The second modification I made was to knit rather than purl the background row, which resulted in a ridge above and below the lace row. This modification highlighted the lace row making it stand out. I completed my panel with a repeat of the first modification and then a repeat of the original six-row pattern. I enjoyed playing with the modifications and this experience has definitely sparked my interest in exploring more opportunities to modify this stitch in my knitting designs.

6 HOLES,DIRECTIONAL DECREASES LACE ROW

Repeat, 18 sts

STOCKINETTE WITH A PURL RIDGE AFTERTHE LACE ROW SIXROWREPEAT

Repeat, 18 sts

Rows 1 and 3: Knit. Rows 2 and 4: Purl. Row 5: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 6 times, k2tog 3 times. Row 6: Knit. Rows 1 to 4: Knit. Row 5: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 6 times, k2tog 3 times. Row 6: Knit. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Rows 3 and 4: Knit. Row 5: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 6 times, k2tog 3 times. Row 6: Knit.

Repeat, 18 sts

Repeat, 18 sts

8 HOLES DIRECTIONAL DECREASES

SUSIE STRAUSS “When our knitting group talked about its next project and the idea of doing a group study of feather and fan, I thought - UGH, this is one of my least favorite knitting patterns! But I thought about the creativity and because I love being part of our knitting community, I declared I was in and so I headed to the group meeting. Fast forward to having completed my 25" strip and the realization that I had so much fun in the whole experience. I asked for a pattern that wasn't too easy or too difficult, as I wanted a bit of a challenge. A pattern that would not take a long time to knit and yet wouldn't result in having to be redone over and over. So I was given the 4 K2tog/8 YO's pattern. Easy to commit to memory and enough of a challenge to create variety in its execution. Following Mary Spanos' suggestions for variations, I enjoyed picking one and then knitting for the first 5 inches and then change to another. It was fun seeing how an extra 2 rows between pattern rows (or 2 rows less) could truly change the overall visual effect. And by adding a knit row on the purl side, a raised row was created giving the knitted piece some additional definition. The all-knitted sample was my least favorite, as the pattern row seemed to get lost amidst the garter stitches. Looking back, I would have probably knitted the pattern row every 4rh row, instead of 8th. And maybe even try another sample, doing the pattern every other row while knitting on the wrong side. Lastly, my favorite was the last one knitted with the pattern row every other row, purling on the wrong side. There were two vertical spines that gave the sample a different pattern distinction. A lacier look, with gently fowing slopes.

8 HOLES, DIRECTIONAL DECREASES LACE ROW

Repeat, 24 sts

STOCKINETTE WITH A PURL RIDGE AFTER THE LACE ROWEIGHTROWREPEAT

Repeat, 24 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 4 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 8 times, k2tog 4 times. Rows 4, 5, and 7: Knit. Rows 6 and 8: Purl. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 4 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 8 times, k2tog 4 times. Row 4: Knit. Rows 1 to 6: Knit. Row 7: K2tog 4 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 8 times, k2tog 4 times. Row 8: Knit. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 4 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 8 times, k2tog 4 times. Rows 4 and 6: Purl. Row 5: Knit. Row 1: K2tog 4 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 8 times, k2tog 4 times. Row 2: Purl.

Repeat, 24 sts

Repeat, 24 sts

Repeat, 24 sts

Repeat, 24 sts

1OHOLES DIRECTIONAL DECREASES

TERRY MARTIN "When the idea of an Old Shale project came up I was honestly not that thrilled. To me the Old Shale pattern reminded me of my grandmother knitting an afghan. Not very exciting and not really very pretty. But I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I ended my 25-inch sample. It was fun, interesting and really lacy. I love lace! And, while I enjoyed knitting the sample with the organic yarn, as I was making the yarn overs all together and then the decreases all together I found myself thinking about how different yarns would react to the treatment. How would a fingering lace yarn drape? Along with adding holes, I was knitting a textured piece with lots of interest. So this is what others saw in Old Shale! The sample was not just a fat piece that sat there wasting my time. The whole project had turned into a seductive rather addictive process."

1O HOLES,DIRECTIONAL DECREASES LACE ROW

STOCKINETTE WITH A PURL RIDGE AFTER THE LACE ROWTENROWREPEAT

Repeat, 30 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 10 times, k2tog 5 times. Rows 4, 5, 7, and 9: Knit. Rows 6, 8, and 10: Purl. Rows 1 and 2: Knit. Row 3: K2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 10 times, k2tog 5 times. Rows 4, 5, and 6: Knit. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* 10 times, k2tog 5 times. Row 4: Knit.

Repeat, 30 sts

Repeat, 30 sts

CENTERED DECREASES

Directional decreases and centered decreases are two terms we developed to help us talk about the two variations of lace rows that we used. This section presents the samples that were knit with centered decreases. Centered decreases all slant toward the center of the decrease section of the lace row. They are k2tog on the right of the center and ssk on the left. All of the centered decrease variations include a single knit stitch between the k2tog's and the ssk's. Like many of the choices a knitter makes when knitting Old Shale, there can be a center knit stitch or not. We chose to have one for this project.

4HOLES CENTERED DECREASES

DEB KATTUS "I knitted the 4 holes, centered decreases pattern. Liking symmetry, I decided to knit sections 1, 3, and 5 in the original pattern and variations in sections 2 and 4. I really like the undulations in the original pattern. It was easy to memorize and felt like a mantra after knitting a couple of repeats. When I knit the second section, I decided to knit the right-side rows and purl the wrong side rows thus taking away the prominent undulations. The holes were still defined but I did not like the fatness of pattern. Then I knit section 4 by purling all the rows except the lace row. There was so much texture that there was no definition between the repeats and hard to see theholes. In retrospect, I decided that I really like the original pattern the best. However, this activity did help me understand how choosing whether to knit or purl affects the final look of the piece."

4 HOLES,CENTERED DECREASESLACE ROW

Repeat, 12 sts

STOCKINETTEWITHAPURLRIDGEAFTERTHELACEROWFOURROWREPEAT

Repeat, 12 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 2 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 3 times, yo, ssk 2 times, k1. Row 4: Knit.

2 STOCKINETTEFOUR ROW REPEAT

12 stitch repeat

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 2 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 3 times, yo, ssk 2 times, k1. Row 4: Purl.

3 GARTERSTITCHFOURROWREPEAT

12 stitch repeat

Rows 1 and 2: Knit. Row 3: K2tog 2 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 3 times, yo, ssk 2 times, k1. Row 4: Knit.

6HOLES CENTERED DECREASES

JANICE WEINSTEIN "1 have always been drawn to the Old Shale pattern because the undulation reminds me of the ocean waves I love so much. This is the first time I have used more than one variation in the same piece. By alternating the two variations, an interesting stripe pattern was formed. 1 think the stripes would be beautiful in the body of a sweater, in a shawl or even in a skirt. So many possibilities!?"

6 HOLES,CENTERED DECREASES LACE ROW

Repeat, 18 sts

STOCKINETTEWITHAPURLRIDGEAFTERTHELACEROW SIXROWREPEAT

Repeat, 18 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 5 times, yo, ssk 3 times, k1. Rows 4 and 5: Knit. Row 6: Purl. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 5 times, yo, ssk 3 times, k1. Row 4: Knit.

Repeat, 18 sts

MORE 6 HOLES CENTERED DECREASES

NANCYCLEMMONS "This project turned out to be far more enjoyable, interesting, and educational than I expected. One of my first knitting projects was an Old Shale scarf with a variegated yarn. I did not like the results at all! It was interesting and educational to see the results of five different variations of Old Shale. Changing just one or two rows made a big difference in the fabric and appearance. My favorite variations were the ones with more stockinette rows. My least favorite was the heavily garter stitched variation. I enjoyed knitting the easily memorized patterns. The solid colored yarn, which worked with the pattern better than variegated, was much more pleasing to my eye. My verdict: Yes, I would knit again in a solid or tonal color---maybe a scarf or cowl."

MORE 6 HOLES,CENTERED DECREASES LACE ROW

Repeat, 18 sts

STOCKINETTEWITHAPURLRIDGEAFTERTHELACEROW SIXROWREPEAT

Repeat, 18 sts

Rows 1 and 3: Knit. Rows 2 and 4: Purl. Row 5: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 5 times, yo, ssk 3 times, k1. Row 6: Knit.

2 GARTER STITCH SIX ROW REPEAT

Repeat, 18 sts

Rows 1 and 2: Knit. Row 3: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 5 times, yo, ssk 3 times, k1. Rows 4, 5, and 6: Knit. Rows 1 and 3: Knit. Rows 2 and 4: Purl. Row 5: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 5 times, yo, ssk 3 times, k1. Row 6: Purl. Rows 1 and 2: Knit. Row 3: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 5 times, yo, ssk 3 times, k1. Rows 4 and 5: Knit. Row 6: Purl. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Rows 3 and 4: Knit. Row 5: K2tog 3 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 5 times, yo, ssk 3 times, k1. Row 6: Purl.

Repeat, 18 sts

Repeat, 18 sts

Repeat, 18 sts

8HOLES CENTERED DECREASES

NANCYLAVENDER "My initial pattern had 8 holes with a garter ridge. For my variation I knit garter rows instead of stockinette rows. I did just the two variations for my strip. I much preferred the stockinette rows as it showed off the pattern better. It was a great project. I enjoyed working with this cotton yarn and loved the color, Marshmallow!

8 HOLES,CENTERED DECREASES LACE ROW

Repeat, 24 sts

STOCKINETTEWITHAPURLRIDGEAFTERTHELACE ROWEIGHTROWREPEAT

Repeat, 24 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 4 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 7 times, yo, ssk 4 times, k1. Rows 4, 5, and 7: Knit. Rows 6 and 8: Purl. Rows 1 to 5: Knit. Row 6: Purl. Row 7: K2tog 4 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 7 times, yo, ssk 4 times, k1. Row 8: Knit.

Repeat, 24 sts

1O HOLES CENTERED DECREASES

MARY SPANOS "Before we began this project, I thought I knew and understood this lace stitch. I was certain that it was called Feather and Fan and that the Old Shale name referred to some other stitch. I was certain that the way that I knitted it (with centered decreases) made a noticeable difference in the look of the finished lace. Neither of those ideas is correct! Another interesting thing that I learned is that the number of holes and decreases that a knitter chooses to use may simply be a way to scale this lace stitch up for a larger piece of knitting, such as a shawl, or scale it down for a narrow scarf or a lacy pair of socks. The number of holes and decreases do not affect the wavey-ness of the lace. If you want to make the waves more dramatic, place the lace rows closer together. In knitting there is always more to learn and more assumptions that should be challenged. That is the second best thing about knitting. Holding yarn and needles in my hands and making cloth and useful things is the best thing.

1O HOLES,CENTERED DECREASES LACE ROW

Repeat, 30 sts

STOCKINETTE WITH A PURL RIDGE AFTER THE LACE ROWTENROWREPEAT

Repeat, 30 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 9 times, yo, ssk 5 times, k1. Row 4: Knit. Rows 5, 7 and 9: Knit. Rows 6, 8 and 10: Purl.

Repeat, 30 sts

Rows 1 and 2: Knit. Row 3: K2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 9 times, yo, ssk 5 times, k1. Row 4: Knit. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 9 times, yo, ssk 5 times, k1. Row 4: Purl. Row 5: Knit. Row 6: Purl. Rows 1 and 2: Knit. Row 3: K2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 9 times, yo, ssk 5 times, k1. Rows 4, 5, and 7: Knit. Rows 6 and 8: Purl. Rows 1 and 2: Knit. Row 3: K2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 9 times, yo, ssk 5 times, k1. Row 4: Purl. Row 5: Knit. Row 6: Purl.

Repeat, 30 sts

Repeat, 30 sts

Repeat, 30 sts

OLd SHALE AND INNOVATION

The final two Old Shale samples push the boundaries of the stitch design. One combines the decreases with the purl ridge by using p2tog and one explores the question of whether it is still Old Shale if there are no holes.

NO HOLES CENTERED DECREASES

MARY KAISER "The first challenge in knitting my pattern was finding an increase method that would be invisible and also fit the pattern. After some experimenting, I found the “make-one” increase where you knit the bar between stitches was the best, but I twisted the bar stitch so that the increase would not create anything that looked like a hole. As I knitted along, I enjoyed watching the undulations develop under my needles after each pattern row, and I loved the garter stitch row following each pattern row, so I decided to vary the number of rows between pattern rows, and leave everything else the same. When I was finished, I found it fascinating to compare the stages of my variations. At each stage, I could see a different wave pattern, depending on how frequently the pattern rows occurred, and the final effect was like looking at a beach at low tide, where you can see the traces left by the waves as they recede. This was a quick exercise, but much longer than I usually spare for swatching. I found that knitting a 25-inch length, and trying variations on a stitch, can be enormously informative. Long swatches like this will definitely be coming in my future as a knitter. Now I'm curious about all the other pieces in the Old Shale study project. I can't wait to see them all together."

NO HOLES,CENTERED DECREASES ROW

Repeat, 24 sts

STOCKINETTE WITH A PURL RIDGE AFTER THEINCREASE ROWEIGHTROWREPEAT

Repeat, 24 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2:Purl. Row 3: K2tog 4 times, \*inc 1, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 7 times, inc 1, k2tog 4 times. Rows 4, 5, and 7: Knit. Rows 6 and 8: Purl. make an invisible increase, Mary picked up and knit the bar between the stitche

Repeat, 24 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2:Purl. Row 3: K2tog 4 times, \*inc 1, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 7 times, inc 1, k2tog 4 times. Rows 4 and 5: Knit. Row 6: Purl.

M STOCKINETTE WITH A PURL RIDGE AFTER THE INCREASE ROWFOURROWREPEAT

Repeat, 24 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K2tog 4 times, \*inc 1, k1\* repeat from \* to \* a total of 7 times, inc 1, k2tog 4 times. Row 4: Knit.

1OHOLESPURLED DECREASES

KAREN FORD I really enjoyed participating in this project. The idea of taking a lace pattern and doing variations was intriguing to me. I especially loved my pattern since it was one knit often by a very special lady, my godmother, Grace K. Strongman. I usually do not enjoy knitting with cotton but this yarn was a pure pleasure! My first variation reproduces Grace's original stitch pattern, 4-rows and 10-holes. So, with the second variation I decided to see what a 10 row, 10 hole pattern looked like! In the third variation, I alternated a lace row with a purl row...unexpected and beautiful! I would love a scarf out of this pattern! In the fourth variation, instead of purling after the lace row, I knit the row.

1O HOLES,PURLED DECREASES LACE ROW

STOCKINETTE,EXCEPTFOR PURLEDDECREASESFOURROWREPEAT

Repeat, 30 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: P2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\*, repeat from \* to \* 10 times, p2tog 5 times. Row 4: Purl. Row 1: Knit. Row 2:Purl. Row 3: P2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\*, repeat from \* to \* 10 times, p2tog 5 times. Rows 4, 6, 8 and 10: Purl. Rows 5, 7 and 9: Knit.

Repeat, 30 sts

STOCKINETTE,EXCEPT FOR PURLED DECREASESTWOROWREPEAT

Repeat, 30 sts

Row 1: P2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\*, repeat from \* to \* 10 times, p2tog 5 times. Row 2: Purl.

STOCKINETTE, EXCEPT FOR PURLED DECREASES, WITH APURL RIDGE AFTER THE LACE ROWTWOROWREPEAT

Repeat, 30 sts

Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: P2tog 5 times, \*yo, k1\*, repeat from \* to \* 10 times, p2tog 5 times. Row 4: Knit.

A PATTERN

With the samples all finished, the photographs taken, and the charts checked and double-checked, we decided to turn the long swatches into baby blankets. Working together, we came up with a plan for which samples should go together and then Mary Kaiser and Janice Weinstein took on the task of assembling the blankets. Mary Kaiser assembled her blankets by crocheting them together, easing in any differences in length. This made a pleasant ridge between the different lengths of Old Shale variations. Janice Weinstein joined the pieces together with an invisible mattress stitch, also easing longer swatches to fit with shorter swatches. The mattress stitch made the seams invisible. Mary and Janice left the outer blanket edges untouched, the outer garter stitch edges of the original swatches provide a lovely, understated edge. It is surprising how beautifully these swatches turned into small baby blankets, the perfect size for car seats and carriers.

OLD SHALE SAMPLER BABY BLANKETS

The Old Shale Sampler Baby Blankets were created by knitting multiple 25” strips of Old Shale stitch pattern samplers and joining those strips to create small, useful blankets. You can knit the sample strips in the previous pages or you can make up your own sampler strips.

MATERIALS

Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Organic Sport. Gauge: 6 stitches per inch measured over an Old Shale pattern. Gauge is not critical. It is more important to create a knitted fabric that feels and looks the way you want. Needles: Given that there were 10 knitters, some of us had to adjust the size of needles that we used in order to get the gauge we were shooting for, but U.S. size 4 was a common needle size used.

Blanket 1 is 22 inches by 29 inches and weighs a little more than 8 ounces (less than 5 balls of yarn).

Blanket 2 is 24 inches by 24 inches, weighs 7 ounces (less than 4 balls of yarn).

Blanket 3, is 28 inches by 23 inches and weighs a little less than 7 ounces (less than 4 balls of yarn). Calculate the total number of stitches that you will need to cast on, which is the number of stitches in a repeat (that number is given at the bottom of the chart you have chosen to knit) multiplied by the number of repeats that you want to do (which should be at least 2 but can be more if you want). To that number add 4, for the 2 edge stitches on both sides. For example, for Sample A, if you want to do 2 repeats of the lace pattern, your cast-on number would be 2 x 18 + 4, or 40. If you wants to do 3 repeats, then your cast-on number would be 3 x 18 + 4, or 58. ti ron your number of stitches using theast ill allow the shape of the curyy edge to show un, better is wortr the errort bel

A backward loop cast-on is made by twisting a loop in the yarn and placing it on a needle. Don't pull too tightly.

Knit 4 rows, slipping the frst stitch as to knit on every row. This will create 2 garter ridges. Now that you have cast on and knit 2 garter ridges, knit one or more Old Shale variations until the piece measures 25 inches minus the length of the first 2 garter ridges and the cast-on. Knit 2 garter ridges (as in, knit 4 rows, slipping the frst stitch as to knit on every row). Bind off loosely. Knit as many strips as you would like in order to create the size baby blanket you want. Place the strips in a lingerie bag and wash them on a gentle cycle in your machine, following the care instructions on the yarn label. Dry them gently or lay them out to dry. Then join the strips together using a mattres stitch, as Blanket 2, or by crocheting, as Blankets 1 and 3. Finish all loose ends.

Old Shale, Variations of an Old and Much Loved Lace Stitch is a stitch dictionary of variations of a single lace stitch. The Old Shale lace stitch has been knitted and modified for ages. It works well on baby blankets, socks, sweaters, shawls, afghans, and anything else that can beknitted. Members of the Wednesday afternoon knitting study group (members of the Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild in Birmingham, Alabama) came up with the idea to knit 25-inch samples of 10 different versions of Old Shale to explore and record some of the possible ways to knit this lovely, old lace stitch. They share their results through photographs, charts, and row-by-row instructions in this book.