Have You Tackled Your Nupps Today?

I have, and I am a better person for it.

Prior to seeing the Swallowtail Shawl pattern, I had never heard of a nupp. I am still not sure what it means, but I know that it is like a bobble. On the right side row, the nupp requires a YO and then knit into the same stitch 3 times. On the wrong side row, the pattern states to purl 5 together over that same spot. I thought I would have an easier go of it with my KnitPicks Options needles, which have a sharper point than my regular Addi Turbos, but that was not the case, despite the fact that I try to knit a looser gauge with lace. So, on the purl side, I just used a crochet hook and put the 5 stitches onto the hook. Then I did a YO, and pulled through all the loops on the hook. I also did another YO to close the bobble, and add a slight dimension to the height. Yes, indeed, it slows me down to a screeching halt, but it looks great, and is not at all difficult. Perhaps on my next Swallowtail I will use the sl2,p3tog, pass 2 slipped stitches over technique. I love Aran stitches, and I love bobbles. Added to the lace pattern, it gives it great character. This is an easy and fun pattern so far, although I did make some mistakes, and had to frog a couple of rows.

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