Year of Projects #2 - Extreme Double Knitting

 

I have wanted to knit the wilderness shawl for a long time and finally chose the colours and wool and so I began this week.  It became apparent as I reached the second repeat of the chart that this shawl was going to be heavy - more like worsted weight because of carrying the second colour along.  In my mind I imagined the shawl to be more light - and so on Saturday night I frogged the whole thing.  

before the frogging...

I am glad I stopped myself from continuing the pattern.  It does look cool, and I will find a lighter yarn and start again some time in the future.  

I was brave enough to finally cast on my 52 pickup.  I am calling it 54 pickup because I am including the two jokers.  I did as the designer suggested and took a deck of cards and randomly shuffled them and intermixed them face up and face down to create a truly random and unique layout.  

my chart for 6 x 9 lap blanket
Alasdair has calculated that the chance of someone else knitting the same order as I have randomly chosen is 4.16 x 10 to the power of 87 to 1.

And here is my progress as of last night. 

Side One
Can you see the King, Jack and 4 emerging?

Side two
Can you see a Jack, Joker and 6 emerging? 

Each row involves carrying three colours and double-knitting each pair of k1p1 stitches to create the double-knit effect of the front of the card on one side and the back of the card on the other.  There are 135 pairs of stitches so each row is 270 stitches.  I use 6 charts for each row and have to remember that on every even row I must arrange the charts in the reverse order. I missed that instruction the first time and had to think back the 270 stitches. Phew. Definitely a mindful knit!

No wonder Alasdair calls it Extreme Double Knitting!

So today some time I will cast on some socks to have some mindless knitting on the go as well. 

Hopefully this week brings less frogging and more progress.