Myrtle Leaf Shawl ... Finished!

Just in the nick of time! I'm on my way to Ottawa for my cousin's wedding ... with the completed Myrtle Leaf Shawl from Victorian Lace Today!

I don't have time for long descriptions, and no, I didn't even measure it. But it's longer than my blocking board and not quite as wide (about 22" x 70" I'd estimate).

The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Cascade Lace (100% silk). The color is Moody Blues, which lends itself well to lace - soft, watery blues with just an occasional hint of teal. Contrary to other silks I've used, this color did not run at all when I wet it before blocking.

When I get back from vacation, I'm off to the San Mateo County Fair to visit my entries: the Lyra doily, another Niebling doily, and the Swallowtail Shawl. Wish me luck!

Victorian Lace Today: Myrtle Leaf Errata

My cousin is getting married in Canada this August, so I began to knit the Myrtle Leaf shawl pattern from Victorian Lace Today as a gift for his fiancee. After the first repeat, I noticed something was wrong.

The Myrtle Leaf is a 12-row, 11-stitch repeating pattern. The center of each leaf is somewhat open, and then it should tighten up and come together with a K2tog on the last row of the repeat.

My leaves were not properly formed.

I thought that I must have missed a decrease somewhere, so I tinked back one row, and made a second attempt. The second attempt was as funky as the first.

I pressed on and knit another 12 rows, just to see if the error was mine or the pattern's.

On the second repeat, it was obvious that something was definitely wrong with the chart. Indeed, I had made a careless mistake by not checking for errata.

Most first printings of knitting books have errors. I didn't think to look for the errata on the publisher's website before beginning, which would have saved me time and a headache.

Victorian Lace Today now has three pages of errata. Knitting Universe has the errata in PDF here.

The Myrtle Leaf pattern and chart have been corrected. The instructions now include a special note for the last row of the repeat.

The first K2tog symbol on that row is to be read as K1 at the start of the row and is indicated in red on the chart, and then K2tog for every 11-stitch repeat thereafter. This unusual instruction allows the subsequent K2tog's to line up properly and close the bottom of each leaf.

In addition, another K2tog symbol has been added at the end of this row. This final K2tog compensates for that red K1 at the beginning of the row.

Now that I've completed two repeats with an accurate chart, the difference is quite noticeable. I'm sure I'll flow along smoothly and have a lovely shawl to give as a gift.