Triangular garter stitch edging notes

Triangular garter stitch edging.


When you have 145 stitches on each side and 1 centre stitch on your shawl 291 total), break the yarn leaving a 5 – 6 inch tail. Thread about 300 beads onto the remaining yarn. I used a looper thing from my serger – it’s like a giant needle threader. It works well. I can get about 30 beads on the tool and then I pop them onto the yarn.

Try to be random about the order in which you string them – having them in some sort of order doesn’t show when the border is knit. Trust me. You can’t tell I strung the beads as follows: fushia, pink, green, gold, repeat until you go crazy. I even unstrung some when I got the order wrong. And it doesn’t show! I’m digressing again though. ADKD (attention deficit knitting disorder).

So, you have those 300 beautiful beads strung onto your yarn. Now, with the right side facing (but it doesn’t matter), cast on 5 stitches, turn and knit 4 stitches then knit the last stitch on the right needle with the first stitch on the left needle. Turn, knit 5 (or to the end of the needle) turn. If you are beading the edle, slide a bead up close to the needle and:

Row 1: Knit 2, yo, k2, k2tog. Turn.
Row 2: K6, turn. (If beading, slide a bead up close to the needle )
Row 3: K2, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, k2tog, turn
Row 4: K7, turn (Slide a bead up close to the needle )
Row 5: k2, yo, k2tog, yo, k2, k2tog, turn
Row 6: k8, turn (Slide a bead up close to the needle )
Row 7: K2, yo, k5k2tog, turn
Row 8: k9, turn (Slide a bead up close to the needle )
Row 9: Bindoff 4 stitches, k4, k2tog, turn
Row 10: knit 5, turn (Slide a bead up close to the needle )

Repeat these ten rows. If you don’t make any mistakes, the pattern will line up beautifully at the centre point and the right edge.

Just to clarify what is going on here is that you are eating up one shawl edge stitch every other row. I find it much easier to knit with one double pointed needle, and leave the shawl on the circular needle. But, that’s just my preference.