Re: fishtail pattern


"aspidistra" wrote in message ...
I was hoping that a long time knitter who is familiar with this pattern
could advise me on a few things.

I started making an afghan from a kit I was given 25 years ago.I don't
know why I never made it as it really isn't hard. It does require keeping
close track of what row you're on. The pattern is lacy and it looked very
familiar. I found it in my book of patterns; it is called Fishtail. I
also found many instances of people making things with it (sometimes
calling it Fishtail Lace) with photos of their work on the web. It's
definitely the same pattern. My questions are:

1) In no case does anyone ever say to slip the stitch as if to purl or
knit. So, I slipped them as if to purl since that is the rule of thumb I
learned. I thought it looked awkward and lumpy so I did a test piece
slipping them as if to knit, and they actually look pretty much the same.
So does it not matter which way they are slipped, or is there a subtle
difference I don't see? Or is it my too-loose tension that is making them
lumpy?

In the fishtail stitch I found, the sl 1 is followed by k 2 tog, psso. In
this case, you should slip the stitch knitwise. Otherwise, the slipped
stitch will be twisted when you pass it over. That might explain the
lumpiness.

2) In some of the instructions (people's skirts, scarves etc.) using this
pattern, the wrong side is purled all the way in every row. But in my
afghan pattern, and certain other instances on the web, the instruction is
k1, p9, k1 and repeat to the end of the row. I examined these k1s; they
form a purl bump on the right side in the row between two patterns. If
purled, there is no purl bump on the other side. I am wondering why the
variation? Does it not matter?

It's just a designer's choice of which to use so choose whichever looks
better to you.

BTW this is knitted in strips of varying widths which I thought was
curious. Casting on 31 stitches, 41 stitches and 71 stitches (3 shades of
yarn - 3 strips of the white and two each of the other colours). I am
trusting that it will look nice when they are sewn together symmetrically
with the widest one in the middle.

3) The knitted piece forms points as you work. But the finished photo of
the afghan has a straight edge. Their instructions are to do single
crochet twice around each piece and then sew them together, then crochet
again around the whole thing. Presumably this forces the pattern to
straighten out? But to my eyes (and almost every instance I find on the
web), the pattern looks prettier with the natural points. So I don't
understand why they instruct you to straighten the points by making a
heavy crocheted edge. Something has to be done to finish the edges or they
curl, but I wonder if there is a way to do it and preserve the points.

If you want to preserve the points while crocheting the border, increase at
the points and decrease between them. Again, do whichever looks better to
you.

--
Jan in MN


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