A Rolling Gnome, by guest blogger Kelly Lightbeam

Hello there!

Getting this ball rolling, a rolling river, rolling stones gather no moss, you get the idea.  I've gotten a healthy start on this little knitalong, and I'm really pleased!

The river pattern on the edge of Ashby is definitely out of  my comfort zone.  It's the cables!  They're not difficult, it's just that knitting them has a different rhythm, and I'm not quite there yet.  Purling, knitting and crossing the stitches over, sometimes purling one of the crossed stitches, and sometimes knitting them, sometimes crossing one stitch, and sometimes crossing two stitches, and all in a particular order, and moss stitch in the middle of it all...OH MY GOSH. 

I've been cabling without a cable needle, which seems to be the least fiddly option. While I've dropped a stitch or two, I find that it's the right choice for me at this time.

I've knit five repeats of the river pattern, but since I'm knitting with DK yarn, and using size 6 needles, my strip of knitted fabric is falling far short of the mark needed for more than a kerchief sized finished project.  I'm planning to knit 3-4 extra repeats on each side to get a decent sized shawl that I can curl up with to keep me cozy.  I'm pretty sure that I have enough yardage, with six skeins, but if i have to buy more yarn, it's not a big deal.

 

I overlaid the knitted edge of Ashby on top of my finished Sandness, which is knitted at the same gauge.  Since I wouldn't want a smaller shawl than Sandness, I think it's a good comparison for finding the right size for the current project.  I've been trying to knit one repeat of the river pattern every day, so I'll post again this weekend with an update!

Parting wisdom:  If a piece of knitting is laid out in a window, getting lots of attention, and there is a camera nearby, the knitting must be jumped onto, and preferably, laid upon.  This is very important.  Never mind that the human who lives in your house seems irritated or exasperated by your actions, since you are the cat, your intentions are the only ones that matter.  Your human will eventually come around, and invariably document this momentous occasion.



Happy knitting everyone!
Kelly Lightbeam