Short Rows

My knitting guild is starting a knit-along in January to make this purse by Just One More Row. Gorgeous and interesting. And I am so, so torn on fiber and color. More on that some other time.

I love doing short row shaping. Most of us first encounter it in sock heels, but it has tons of uses: to add ease to a bustline, to shape a shoulder without steps, to make beautiful scarves, and more. It's definitely not boring.

Last year I made two diagonal short row scarves using Kureyon and another Noro yarn whose name totally escapes me at the moment and any record of whose existance seems to have vanished from any Noro-selling website. The self striping yarns lend themselves really well to short row shaping. I got the pattern for free at one of my LYS, but a PDF version with a lovely photo is here.

I've also used short row shaping to make 4 of these halter tops, believe it or not. I found the pattern in Knitty and thought it was great for costuming. Alas, it made the late, great You Knit What shortly thereafter.

I, of course, am totally aware of how weird this pattern is. I mean who goes around with a furry chest and bare back? I would also add that the stripes tend to make the wearer look dump chested.

On the plus side, a stripper I knew at the time asked me to make her one. I suppose that's the plus side. They're also surprisingly warm.

Well, Mardi Gras is the perfect excuse to whip up one or two of these little puppies in the appropriate colors. So is Summer Solstice or Burning Man. Take your pick. Want to scandalize your local sports team? Whip up one in team colors!

I needed to make another one quickly because we're supposed to bring in things we've made with short row shaping to our guild meeting next week. The knitting part took a total of three hours with the help of a gripping PBS documentary on monk seals. All that's left is to put on the clear elastic and some ribbons to hide any imperfections in the midriff.