It is done!
This is a Wonderball Wrap knitted in Rico Melange Aran Wonderball, shade 004.
Wonderball is a BIG 200g ball of a lightweight and airy yarn that knits to an aran tension. It comes in a range of self striping shades.
The Wonderball Wrap is a long rectangle measuring approx 30cm wide and 180cm long.
It features a lace pattern worked over 18 stitches and 12 rows using knit and purl stitches. The holes and lace shaping are made using yarn overs (called yarn forward in the pattern) and one double decrease using K3tog (a knit 3 stitches together).
It's a relatively simple lace pattern and is a good beginner lace project:
- The number of stitches on the needle stay the same. You are not incorporating the lace pattern into increasing or decreasing.
- It's a simple geometric pattern with holes forming a diagonal pattern. This makes it easier to predict what's coming next.
- You repeat the same pattern over and over. Lace knitting becomes easier through repetition so you'll learn to recognise what you should be doing without constantly checking the pattern. It will also be easier to spot mistakes earlier, like a missed yarn forward, before they become more complex to fix.
- The lace pattern is written and charted. You can choose which format you're most comfortable with. You can also confidently learn to use the chart because you can refer back to the written instructions if you need to double check you're getting it right. If you'd like more info on how to read lace charts check out this tutorial from Tin Can Knits.
- The self striping colour in the Rico Melange Aran Wonderball is subtle enough to let the lace patterning show but it's busy enough to hide any rogue or missing yarn forwards!
- It's a free pattern, available in the shop or with any purchase online.
The lace pattern does feature a stitch pattern on the wrong side.
Many lace patterns have all the complexity on the right side, where you make all the holes in knit stitch, and then on the wrong side you simply purl across the row.
This is the case in our Glenallen Shawl and Horseshoe Lace Cowl.
For the Wonderball Wrap you do use a combination of knit and purl stitches to create the contrast of garter stitch bumps and smooth stocking stitch on the right side.
This is not difficult at all, but it does mean you have patterning on both sides. You can't switch off on the wrong side row.
Some tips on:
- using stitch markers
- blocking and
- making modifications to the pattern
The wrap has garter stitch (knit every row) up each side. You repeat the 18 stitch lace pattern 3 times across the row in between these edge stitches. You can use stitch markers to mark the edge stitches and each 18 stitch repeat. This will remind you to treat the edge stitches differently and let you know if you've made a mistake within the 18 stitch repeat and not when you're at the end of the row.
I use stitch markers on my needle in between the stitches. I do not attach to the stitches. It means the markers stay 'current' and visible rather than moving away from my needles as the wrap grows.
I used 2 types of Simple Solid Stitch Markers.
After finishing, lace knitting benefits from a wash as it relaxes the yarn fibres and allows you to shape and dry flat, opening up the holes and straightening stitches and edges.
For the Wonderball Wrap I simply handwashed in Eucalan, squished excess water out in a towel then dried flat. I made sure to straighten the edges and smooth out the fabric. I only pinned the short edges to pull out the natural wavy shape created by the stitch pattern. I then left it to dry completely.
You can use this pattern with a different thickness of yarn. You could experiment with different needle sizes to give different effects:
- For a 4ply yarn I would try a 3, 3.25 or 3.5mm needle.
- For a DK yarn a 4mm or 4.5mm needle would give a drapey fabric.
- In a Chunky yarn a 6.5mm would be good.
Using the yarn and gauge mentioned in the pattern you could make the scarf approximately 10cm wider by casting on 72 stitches (4 pattern repeats + 9 edge stitches). Or 10cm narrower by casting on 45 stitches.
I didn't use the full 200g ball of Rico Melange Aran Wonderball. I have 50g left over and so could easily knit another 50cm of length.
Although it took me long enough to knit just 180cm.😆
I started this wrap back in September 2022. I want to reassure you that the length of time it took me to knit it says more about my knitting habits than the pattern.
I'm easily distracted. I always have multiple projects on the go. These are some of the projects I've worked on or finished in the past 10 months.
And I'm even more easily distracted from rectangles. Or rather straight up and down shapes. In anything less than chunky.😆
Looking at the projects I have worked on or completed in the past 10 months, there's only one lace (Melody - which also took me ages to finish) and only one (chunky) rectangle (Simple Blanket XL).
To get over my rectangle resistance and finish the Wonderball Wrap I recently committed to doing at least one repeat of the chart each day. Based on the pattern gauge each repeat gives me 5cm of length. To knit to 180cm I needed about 36 pattern repeats. If I had started the project by knitting one repeat a day the project would have been finished in less than 6 weeks!
Hopefully I'll remember these lessons the next time I attempt a long scarf.😆
Perhaps it might help you approach a long rectangle project!
To recap:
You can get a copy of the free Wonderball Wrap pattern in the Pittenweem shop or with any purchase online.
You can see our selection of Rico Melange Aran Wonderballs. You will also need a 5mm needle (you are knitting back and forth so you can use a straight or circular needle)
If you'd rather a different aran weight yarn check out our selection here. But remember Rico Melange Aran Wonderball are big 200g balls with 600m of yarn so you'll need to check the meterage of any substitute yarn to make sure you get enough. It's also a light and airy yarn so any substitute may make a heavier wrap.
If you're looking for another simple lace project - check out our Horseshoe Lace Cowl. It uses 3 different types of decreases but has a smaller pattern repeat and simple wrong side row.
