Brahmaputra
By Rik Lain Schell The Brahmaputra is a braided river that carries the snowmelt of the Himalayas to the Ganges River. It flows through Assam, an eastern state of India. Its constantly crossing channels and silt-bar islands inspired this shawl design. Muga silk is the product of the Anthreaea assamensis silkworm, which lives only in
Assam. Due to its low porosity the Muga yarn takes dye poorly, but its natural golden color increases with each washing. It is the strongest of all silks, and is famous for its reputation of the silk outliving its owner. Muga is a cottage industry in Assam, generating additional employment and increasing income while protecting traditional knowledge and cultural expressions for the advancement of indigenous women and rural people in general.
Yarn:
1 skein fingering/lace weight Muga Silk (Cadence, by Vijay Fibers) 100 g., 547 yards
Needles:
US 6 straight needles (I rarely use straight needles, but circs just won't work for the multiple wraps of the Indian Cross-Stitch pattern. The wraps tighten on the cord and won't slide back onto the needle.) The pattern name “Indian Cross-Stitch'" goes back at least to 1943, in Mary Thomas's Book of Knitting Patterns, published in London (reprints available from Dover). Knitting is not exactly a traditional craft in India, so I'm guessing the stitch was named for its “exotic"" effect during a period of popular "Orientalism." Even if we dispel its authenticity, it's a pretty stitch and fun to execute. It sometimes goes by the name of \*Interlaced Stitch,” which is a little more descriptive.
Indian Cross-Stitch Pattern (multiple of 8 sts)
First Row: Insert needle in the next stitch (as if to knit), wrap the working yarn around the point of the right-hand needle 4 times, then knit the stitch, pulling the 4 wraps through. Repeat.
Second Row: Slip 8 stitches purlwise onto right-hand needle, dropping the extra wraps (this will give you 8 extra-long stitches). Insert left-hand needle into the rightmost 4 of these. Pull these 4 stitches over the next 4 long stitches. Slip all 8 stitches purlwise (in their new order) onto the left-hand needle. Knit all 8 stitches. Repeat. 1. CO4. 2. Kfb, knit across until 1 stitch remains, kfb (6 sts). 5. Knit across. 6. Repeat Row 2 (8 sts). 7. Purl across. 8. Repeat Row 2 (10 sts). 9. Knit across. 10. Kfb, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 1 stitch remains, kfb (12 sts). 11. K2, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 2 stitches remains, k2. [1 ICS pattern] 12. Repeat row 2 (14 sts) 13. Knit across. 14. Repeat row 2 (16 sts) 15. Purl across. 16. Repeat row 2 (18 sts) 17. Knit across. 18. Kfb, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 1 stitch remains, kfb (20 sts). 19. K2, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 2 stitches remains, k2. [2] 20-27. Follow rows 12-19 (22, 24, 26, 28 sts). [3] 28. Kfb, m1, knit across until 1 st remains, kfb, m1, co4 (with knit cast on) (36 sts). 29. Knit across, then co4 (with knit cast on) (40 sts). 30. Kfb, k4, ml, pm, kfb, k28, ml, pm, kfb, k4, kfb (46 sts). 31. Purl across. 32. Kfb, \*(knit to marker, m1, slm, kfb), repeat from \*, knit across until 1 st remains, kfb (52 sts) 33. Knit across. 34. Kfb, \*(follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern to marker, m1, slm, kfb), repeat from \*, follow Indian Cross Stitch pattern until 1 st remains, kfb (58 sts) 35. K2,\*(follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern to marker, k3),repeat from \*, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 2 sts remain, k2. [1-4-1] 36. Kfb, \*(knit to marker, m1, slm, kfb), repeat from \*, knit across until 1 st remains, kfb (64 sts). 37. Knit across. 38. Kfb, \*(knit to marker, ml, slm, kfb), repeat from \*, knit acros until 1 st remains, kfb (70 sts). 39. Purl across. 40. Kfb, \*(knit to marker, ml, slm, kfb), repeat from \*, knit acros until 1 st remains, kfb (76 sts) 41. Knit across. 42. Kfb, \*(follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern to marker, m1, slm, kfb), repeat from \*, follow Indian Cross Stitch pattern until 1 st remains, kfb (82 sts) 43. K2,\*(follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern to marker, k3),repeat from \*, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 2 sts remain, k2. [2-5-2] 44-51. Follow rows 36-43 (88, 94, 100, 106 sts) [3-6-3] 52-59. Follow rows 36-43 (112, 118, 124, 130 sts) [4-7-4] 60-67. Follow rows 36-43 (136, 142, 148, 154 sts) [5-8-5] 68. Kfb, \*(knit to marker, m1, slm, kfb), repeat from \*, knit across until 1 st remains, kfb (160 sts). 69. Knit across. 70. Kfb, \*(knit to marker, m1, slm, kfb), repeat from \*, knit across until 1 st remains, kfb (166 sts). 71. Purl across. 72. Kfb, across (removing markers) until 1 st remains, kfb (168 sts) 73. Knit across. 74. Follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern across. 75. Follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern across. [21] 76. Knit across. 77. Knit across. 78. Knit across. 79. Purl across. 80. Knit across. 81. Knit across. 82. K4, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 4 sts remain, k4. 83. K4, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 4 sts remain, k4. [20] 84-89. Follow rows 76-81. 90-91. Follow rows 74-75. [21] 92-99. Follow rows 76-83 [20] 100-107. Follow rows 84-91 [21] 108-115. Follow rows 76-83 [20] 116. K48 (you can put these on a stitch holder or leave them on your needle), BO72, k48. 117. Knit across (48 sts). 118. K2tog, knit across until 2 sts remain, k2tog (46 sts). 119. Purl across. 120. K2tog, knit across until 2 sts remain, k2tog (44 sts). 121. Knit across. 122. K2tog, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 2 sts remain, k2tog. (42 sts) 123. K1, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 1 st remains, k1. [5] 124. K2tog, knit across until 2 sts remain, k2tog (40 sts). 125. Knit across. 126. K2tog, knit across until 2 sts remain, k2tog (38 sts). 127. Purl across. 128. K2tog, knit across until 2 sts remain, k2tog (36 sts). 129. Knit across. 130. K2tog, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 2 sts remain, k2tog. (34 sts) 131. K1, follow Indian Cross-Stitch pattern until 1 st remains, k1. [4] 132-139. Follow rows 124-131 (32, 30, 28, 26 sts). [3] 140-147. Follow rows 124-131 (24, 22, 20, 18 sts). [2] 148-155. Follow rows 124-131 (16, 14, 12, 10 sts). [1] 156. K2tog, knit across until 2 sts remain, k2tog (8 sts). 157. Knit across. 158. K2tog, knit across until 2 sts remain, k2tog (6 sts). 159. Purl across. 160. K2tog, knit across until 2 sts remain, k2tog (4 sts). 161. BO4. Break yarn and weave in. Join yarn to 48 sts held on needle or stitch holder and repeat rows 117-161. Block the shawl by dampening it, stretching it, and pinning it as tautly as possible for 24 hours. It will feel a little stiff afterward, but the stitches will look much better, and it will soften again with wear.
Rik Lain Schell is co-owner and head dude at Purl's Yarn Emporium in Asheville, North Carolina. He's only been knitting since 2010, but he's making up for lost time. You can find him on Ravelry as Purlinsbeard or online at rik@purlsyarnemporium.com.
Purl's Yarn Emporium 10 Wall Street Asheville, NC 28801 828-253-2750 purlsyarnemporium.com rik @ purlsyarnemporium.com
