Toyota Slip-Stitch Rectangular Shawl — Beginner

A generously sized rectangular wrap knit on a standard-gauge Toyota knitting machine using the slip stitch (part/skip) setting. Slip stitch gives you rich vertical texture and a firm, drapey fabric from a single worsted yarn — no lace carriage, no ribber, no transfers required. Perfect for a first patterned project.

Finished measurements: 20 in (51 cm) wide × 60 in (152 cm) long, before fringe.

MACHINE_SETUP

• Machine: Standard-gauge Toyota (e.g., KS-858 / KS-901 class), single bed (main bed only). No ribber and no lace carriage needed.
• Carriage settings: Use the slip / part-knit setting. On Toyota carriages, set the Change Knob to the slip (skip) symbol and press the left and right Part buttons IN so needles reading a blank card cell slip rather than knit.
• Pattern source:
  • Punchcard Toyota: Load a 24-stitch punchcard with a simple slip motif (see PATTERNING). Lock the card on Row 1 and pre-select before you begin patterning.
  • Electronic conversion: If using an electronic bed, program the same 24×N motif; set the pattern to slip and center it on the bed. Black cells = knit, blank cells = slip.
• Needle bed: Bring 100 needles into work (Working Position B), arranged L50 to R50 around center 0.
• Cast-on: Waste-yarn cast-on. Hang the cast-on comb and even weights; knit several rows of waste yarn, then 1–2 rows of ravel cord, then begin main yarn.
• Tools at the machine: cast-on comb, claw/edge weights, latch tool (for bind-off), transfer tool (for fixing dropped stitches), tapestry needle.

MATERIALS

• Yarn: Worsted-weight (Medium / #4), approx. 900–1,000 yd (825–915 m) total. Slip stitch uses less yarn per row than plain knit, but the long shawl needs volume.
• Waste yarn: smooth contrast worsted, small amount.
• Ravel cord: 1 length.
• Tools: cast-on comb, claw weights (4–6), latch tool, single transfer tool, tapestry needle, blocking pins/wires, crochet hook (optional, for fringe).

GAUGE_AND_TENSION

Always swatch in the actual slip pattern — slip stitch pulls in width-wise and lengthens rows.

• Main tension: T7 (dial 7) for worsted on standard gauge in slip.
• Waste yarn: T8–T9 (looser, easy removal).
• Target gauge over slip pattern: 5 sts per 1 in (2 cm) and 6 rows per 1 in (2 cm), measured after light steaming.
• Swatch: Cast on 40 sts, knit 60 rows in pattern, remove, steam, measure the center 4 in.
  • Check: 40 sts ÷ 5 = 8 in wide is not required here — measure your center inches directly. Adjust tension ±1 to hit 5 sts/in.

Math check: 100 sts ÷ 5 sts/in = 20 in wide ✓ · 360 rows ÷ 6 rows/in = 60 in long ✓.

PATTERNING

• Stitch repeat: 24-stitch punchcard, worked in slip. A reliable beginner motif is a staggered pindot / mock-rib slip: on odd rows slip every other needle offset, on even rows offset by one. Any pre-punched "slip stitch texture" card in the 24-st family works.
• How slip works here: With Part buttons IN and the Change Knob on slip, needles under a blank cell skip (yarn floats behind) while needles under a punched (black) cell knit. This makes the vertical texture.
• Card position: 100 sts spans just over 4 pattern repeats (100 ÷ 24 = 4.17). This is fine — slip patterns tile continuously across the bed; the motif simply continues past the last full repeat and the selvedges stay balanced.
• Pre-selection: Before each patterned pass on a punchcard machine, the card advances one row as the carriage crosses; make your first patterning pass a pre-select pass so the needles are correctly set. Keep the card released and advancing for the whole body.
• Resetting: No manual reset needed — the card loops automatically. Only reset (relock on Row 1) if you stop mid-project and restart.
• Electronic note: If converting to electronics, load the identical 24×repeat chart, choose slip, and center the motif. No further conversion math is needed.

ROW_PLAN

Work COL = Carriage on Left, COR = Carriage on Right. Slip is symmetric, so direction does not change the setting.

• RC000 — Setup: With 100 needles in work (L50–R50), waste-yarn cast-on complete, ravel cord in. Hang cast-on comb and weights. Carriage at COR.
• RC000 → begin main yarn: Thread main yarn, tension T7. Knit 6 plain rows (Part buttons OUT, plain knit) as a stable starting hem edge. Hang claw weights at both selvedges now.
• RC006 — Engage slip: Set Change Knob to slip, press both Part buttons IN, ensure punchcard is released and reading Row 1. Make one pre-select pass.
• RC006 → RC354 — Body in slip pattern: Knit in slip pattern for 348 rows. During the body:
  • Advance the claw weights up every ~30–40 rows so the fabric feeds evenly and selvedges stay tidy.
  • At RC100, RC200, RC300, pause and gently tug the weights down to keep tension even; check for any dropped or split stitches and repair with the transfer/latch tool.
  • (Optional contrast stripes:) to add stripes, break at any 12-row boundary, knit 6–12 rows in contrast worsted at the same T7, then resume main yarn. Weave the color-change tails at finishing.
• RC354 — Slip off, end plain: Set Part buttons OUT / Change Knob to plain and knit 6 plain rows to match the starting hem. RC ends at 360.

Math check: 6 (start hem) + 348 (slip body) + 6 (end hem) = 360 rows = 60 in ✓.

• Bind-off: At RC360, work a latch-tool bind-off across all 100 sts for a firm, non-curling edge: use the latch tool to pull each stitch through the next along the row. Keep it loose enough to match the fabric's stretch.

FINISHING

• Side edges (selvedges): Slip fabric can loop at the edges. For a clean finish, run a single crochet chain down each long side with a hook, catching each edge stitch — this stabilizes and neatens the selvedge. (Alternatively, if you kept the first/last needle in plain knit as a slipped-edge guard, edges will already be tidier.)
• Remove waste yarn: Unravel the ravel cord and pull out the waste yarn from the cast-on edge; you can leave the live loops as a decorative edge or crochet-chain them closed to match the bound-off end.
• Weave in tails: Thread all yarn tails on the tapestry needle and weave into the fabric back for 1–1.5 in; trim.
• Blocking: Lay flat and steam gently (hover the iron, do not press) to relax the slip texture and set the final measurements. Pin/wire to 20 in × 60 in. For extra drape, you may hang the shawl with light weights briefly to open the pattern, then let dry flat.
• Optional fringe: Cut yarn into 12 in (30 cm) lengths, fold in pairs, and use the crochet hook to attach a fringe tassel every 1 in along both short ends. 20 in ÷ 1 in = 20 tassels per end (40 total) ✓. Trim even.

ABBREVIATIONS

• RC — Row Counter
• COL / COR — Carriage on Left / Carriage on Right
• T — Tension dial setting (e.g., T7 = tension 7)
• B / WP — Working Position B (needle in work)
• Part buttons — Toyota carriage buttons that engage part/slip knitting
• Change Knob — Toyota carriage selector for knit / slip (skip) / tuck settings
• Slip / skip / part — needle holds its stitch and does not knit; yarn floats behind
• sts — stitches
• Ravel cord — smooth cord knit between waste and main yarn for clean separation
• Cast-on comb — weighted comb hung under the first rows to tension the cast-on
• Claw / edge weights — small weights hung at selvedges to keep edges feeding
• Latch tool — hooked tool used for latch-tool bind-off and stitch repair
• Transfer tool — tool for moving/repairing stitches