I’ve been working away… well, playing away, really… with my shawl.  Here are a couple quick updates.

I’m on row 14 of a 16 stitch sample of rippled rib.  I may extend it past this current spot because I like how it’s shaping up and one repeat of the pattern is a little too little to see.
I’m learning to read charts now, which is getting easier the more I play with them.  I’m using post-its to track the row I’m on and I numbered the stitches on the post-it, which helped me to keep track of them.  I found that to be a lot more helpful than trying to count in the middle of the row.  As long as I kept count of what stitch I’m on in the knitting itself, then I know what stitch I’m on in the diagram.

The stitch in the middle is the cross-stitch pattern that I mentioned in my previous article on this project.  It has less give than other patterns, and would be good for a jacket or something that needs to hold its shape.  I love the look of it, but it’s less loose than I would like for a shawl.  I may continue with it for this project anyway, simply for the practice.

The wavy ribs that I’m working now are at the top of the photograph and in the detail below; I like them in the book but less so on this project so far because it’s only one pattern repeat.  That’s why I think I might continue the pattern through several more repeats in order for it to establish itself on the piece.

This shows the lace in the pattern, but it’s hard to see the rows of wavy ribs that go up vertically along it.  I’d love to try it with a worsted-weight or heavy yarn in a scarf with a couple of repeats width will allow the pattern to really shine.  (This yarn is a lace weight, maybe a DK, but very light.  Worsted-weight is more traditional, what Americans think of when they think ‘skein of yarn’ in the store.)