KALvin Floodlow says Hello! ~ By guest blogger Kelly Lightbeam

Hello, my friends!  Long time, no post, huh?  I needed a little break from the cables in Ashby, but I've passed the halfway mark, and I'm still in it to win it!  (Meaning that I'll finish this baby, for sure)

I've taken a short hiatus on my Ashby to finish up a different project, in order to meet my goal of three finished knitted items per month.  I know this sort of breakneck knitting will not last throughout the year, but I did make my January deadline, with the Gaptastic Cowl, a lengthwise knitted scarf, and an asymmetric shawl called Line Break.

I've also got another little project in the works ~ On Friday, Chloe came home without her hand-knitted scarf.  It turns out that one of her friends had stolen it. 


The girl's Mom gets major kudos, for bringing her over to return the scarf, and apologize for taking it.  Now, as a knitter, I'm hugely flattered that this kid liked the scarf enough to take it.  I wanted to knit her a scarf, to encourage her that there's power in the truth, and that it's always best to be honest.

I hope everyone is having fun knitting their Flood's Flock project!
Kelly Lightbeam

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