Westward from Stephen West

I have been distracted away from my UFOs. Work towards finishing some garments deserves a reward.
I've labelled this year, a year of learning. I actually started late last fall. This has included knitting other designer's patterns if I see something really interesting that I would like to try. I am really interested in shawlettes or scarves to wrap around my neck. Not the big ones which would swallow me whole but the smaller ones I can roll up and keep in my purse.

I find it works best to learn by doing so I signed up for the Shawlscapes class by Stephen West which I really enjoyed. This class is based on his older shawls, which are still very popular as they should be, but I see from Ravelry that he has definitely moved on from this material into brioche and other things. I am working on my own rendition of a shawl according to his rules. He begins in a fairly standard manner with a garter stitch tab and increases at the edges and centre.

Then he shifts to, what I am calling a second tier with added increases. He has several ways of proceeding at this point and it's all great fun. It means before you have a chance to get really bored and wondering how long this flippin' shawl is going to take, you get to shift into something else. Fun, fun, fun.

 Since I am really fond of reversible scarves, so much less twiddling when you get dressed, I chose a  1x1 rib based pattern that looks different when it's knit across the side or purled.This side of the shawl is the rib where it's ribbed on one side and purled on the other.

 This side of the shawl is the same 1x1 rib which is knit across on the return row.

I've also worked it out so that the RS and WS rows are exactly the same. I loved working out this little knitting nerdy idea.
Stay tuned I've started a 3rd Tier with two more wings on the sides just to see what would happen.
-Deb
T_a, thanks for the suggestion for a tutorial on Cables from the Top Down. I'm working on it.