Double Refraction Shawl

      Yet another triangular shawl came off my needles for October's Knitaway in the Studio.  The Double Refraction Shawl, now up in the Ravelry shop, is one amusing piece of striped knitting fun.

     I might be prejudiced, but the pattern has gotten "thumbs up" from a great knitter (Maggie R you know who you are!) and I think you'll find it is pretty satisfying to watch it take shape.  Yarn overs and short rows are the techniques for this one, and while I like to think the variations in the Dancing Colors yarn helps (Double Refraction is a great showcase for hand dyed yarns), the shift of the angles is what gives it the visual bang.
      The name, Double Refraction, comes from a term used in optics to describe the visual "bending" of light as it passes through certain substances.  We've all seen refraction when a stick (or cooking spoon) looks like it has been broken or bent when stuck into water; pull it out, it's straight.  That's refraction in action.

         If you wear glasses, your prescription has a "refraction index" as part of it to account for the bending of the light rays as they pass through the lenses.  Glass is a liquid after all.  Refraction is everywhere!

Double refraction equals double vision!

        Now here comes the cool stuff.  Double refraction happens when light is passed through a specific crystal, optical calcite, for example, which actually bends the light in two different directions.  Why? because light is made up of two rays, a vertical ray and a horizontal ray, and the molecular structure of calcite forces the two rays to pass through it at different velocities.  Two different velocities, two different angles.  Double Refraction!  The angles in the shawl (to my eye at least) are very similar in appearance to this optical sensation. 

 

       The above photos are of my own personal piece of optical calcite (which has been recently mistaken, most humorously, for an ice cube) purchased right before October's Knitaway, when I visited the Rock Hut in Leadville, CO.  I got it simply because I like the way it makes rainbows.  I hadn't a clue about the Double Refraction link at the time.  Serendipity!

        All this explaining is just by way of indulging my inner geek and for that I beg your pardon.  To make a Double Refraction Shawl, no scientific knowledge (beyond your already wonderful knitting skills) is needed.  Its all garter stitch, change colors every two rows, remember your yo's and short rows...done!  One thing I'll tell you now, though.  The second "wing" is worked in purled garter stitch.  Has to be done so to get the "wings" to mirror each other.  Knitting has it's mysteries too.
      And for those of you who also have inner geeks, check out this great, and geeky, video.
      Double Refraction indeed!

Restart, Revisit

     There is something about this autumn that makes me want to restart things, revisit favorites, and finish up projects.  The summer's rush and activity has calmed down, the farmer's market harvest is done, the weather begins to encourage indoor activites, and there sits the knitting basket with it's yet-to-be-finished treasures.  Last week I took a look in my basket.

     The first thing out of the knitting basket was a Dancing Colors sample scarf, started for a show display last winter.  It is a rather Tom Baker era, Dr. Who-vian, piece that I'm pretty pleased with now that it is done.  It is a great way to show all the hues of my hand-dyed Dancing Colors yarns.  Warm, too!   Here's how: cast on 30 stitches on size 7 needles, *knit 40 rows of garter stitch, change to the black contrast yarn and size 6 needles, knit 10 rows, change back to the larger needles and the next color; repeat from*.  Simple and fun.  My husband wants one... in the more subdued shades.

 

 Next out of the Basket was the Shetland wool Long Collared Coat from Elizabeth Zimmermann's collection, Knit One Knit All.  As you can see, it is already quite large...and rumpled.

 
     I stopped knitting on it when it got too warm for my lap this spring.  Then also, in my excitement to get the sleeves on the needles, I saw that I had forgotten to turn the corner on the right hand collar.  I put LCC away with a note to rip out the sleeve cap and shoulder seam, and turn the collar.  Sigh.
      Leaving a project in that state of discombobulation is not something I would recommend a knitter do as it is a tendency then to never get back to it.  However I have knit this project before, in fact I knit the very purple model in the book, loved knitting it, and definitely wanted to finish it.  Leaving a note to myself was an extremely encouraging trick; I appreciated having a clue about what needed to be done.  It made me smile when I read it.  And then, after taking another look at the knitting last week, I smiled even more to realize I had been wrong in the spring; I did not need to rip out anything at all.  The genius of the design allowed me to leave all work intact, pick up the collar stitches sitting on the yellow string and knit on, turning the corner like it had never been forgotten.  I'll be wearing this one by Thanksgiving, I think.
      Next in the basket was some lace that I put down to focus on the projects for the autumn Knitaway.  Always a joy to get back to the lace knitting.  This piece will be out as a new shawl pattern soon. The shawl incorporates some favorite lace knitting patterns with a favorite lace yarn,  Brown Sheep Company's Nature Spun Fingering, and I'm using my favorite needles, ChiaoGoo Red Lace needles.  Nope, not paid to say this; I just like to share my favorite things with you.

 What's in your basket?  We've got an ongoing Finishing KAL for any Cheryl Oberle patterns/kits you are working on in the Knitaway group on Ravelry.  Join us there is you'd like some companionship as you finish your beautiful "basket" projects.  'Tis the season...