Year of Projects Update #6 - Yarn Chicken?

 

I am on line 36 of 43 and I am hoping my yarn makes it....stay tuned for next weeks update.  (and I thought the steeking of this shawl was going to be the exciting part) 

I am on the 2nd row of cards on my 54 pickup.  It is exciting to see it coming to life:

This week I need to cast on something simpler for TV binging.  (didn't I say that last week?) It is very hot here at the moment so working on the blanket or the shawl is too much in this heat. 

That's it for this week's late update - Now I will go check on what the other Yoppers are doing.  

Year of Projects #3 - A little progress is still progress

 

This will be a short and sweet update as I have been battling (and losing) with a migraine.  

I have made a little more progress on my 54 pickup lap blanket. 

and I started on my Contrapunctus socks.  It was a new shortrow heel construction and I really liked how intuitive it was. Now I am just knitting to the toe - which will be a shortrow  toe construction that is also new to me. 

I did take a 'me day' on Friday and was able to buy some yarn to try with the Wildernesse shawl. 

And yes, I did buy some more stitch markers....I used to have 60 of these little coloured rings, but while working on the 54 pickup I used what I had and couldn't find any more....Really, I do have a problem with buying stitch markers that you can read about here. 

I did the smallest amount of spinning - I am on the 2nd bobbin so I will have enough to ply, but it is slow going.  I just don't seem to have much spinning mojo these days. 

So that is my week.  I wasn't able to read everyone else's posts last week, so as soon as this migraine settles I will get caught up with everyone. 

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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.