Damn That Ravelry!

Perhaps if I didn't spend so much time on Ravelry I'd actually get some knitting done.

Projects:
Panel 2 of Sudoku is almost finished. I only have nineteen rows left... What's taking me so long? Oh yeah.. That damn Ravelry.

Three Cornered Shawl in Clover Leaf Pattern is still sleeping. I'm missing some stitches and because I'm stupid and don't believe in lifelines, it takes me about an hour to undo one row of knitting.

I really want to start the Hanami Stole by Melanie Gibbons, but I promised myself I wouldn't buy the yarn until I've finished Panel 3 of Sudoku.

Back to knitting I'd like to see if I can get five rows finished before bed.

Goal: Finish Panel 3 of Sudoku before Monday.

Must Knit

No posting tonight, I've got to make some headway on this damn Sudoku. My Ravelry queue is going to keep me busy enough for the next decade and I want to sketch my next double-knit project. I'm going to knit J a Notre Dame scarf. It's going to have the N/D logo on the ends and say IRISH in the middle and the flip side will have the leprechaun done in three colors. My lys has some beautiful Galway yarn in just the right colors. I think a skein and a half of each color will be sufficient.

Double Knitting Love - Introduction

As promised in the Double Knitting group on Ravelry, here's the beginning of my Double Knitting Pictorial Tutorial.

In the Beginning
When I first embarked on my Sudoku project I thought about using nine different colors or nine different stitch patterns in place of the numbers. But as I started plotting my design I realized I was either going to have come up with a control pattern or color and that I would have to either knit two sides or somehow line the wrong side of my afghan. Neither of these options appealed to me. First I hate seaming and having to knit two whole afghans only to have to seam them together was out of the question. As for lining it, YUCK! I didn't see how that would look appealing and leaving it a one side afghan seemed like a cop out. I thought about double-knitting, which got me to thinking about a two-sided sudoku afghan with one side being the unsolved puzzle and the other side the finished puzzle.

Two Problems

1. When you double knit an image on the right side the image on the wrong side is a mirror image.
2. Even if I correct for the mirror image with the numbers I realized if you flip a Sudoku puzzle over, the layout of the puzzle is a mirror image of the puzzle itself.
   

Unsolved Puzzle


Solved Puzzle - The bold numbers are the ones
that need to be reversed in the pattern.

All the numbers are now where we need them, but the fun has only just begun. Tomorrow I'll show you how to go from these images to this one.


Reversible Number Six

Panel 2

Panel 2 is on the needles.
Five rows down
Twenty left.

106 stitches x 20 rows = 2120 stitches left.

That's depressing...

Sudoku Panel 2

I've charted out Panel 2 and will cast it on tomorrow. Perhaps I'll have it finished by Christmas???

First Panel

016
Originally uploaded by tesalc

1,248 Stitches

Yesterday I cast on 624 stitches not once but twice. My mother and I went to Rosie's Yarn Cellar on Saturday where I bought some lovely Jaggerspun Zephyr in an aubergine color. I have about 2300+ yards to work on a shawl from Victorian Lace Today. I'm in love with the the Three-cornered shawl in clover pattern and am determined to knit it.

The first time I used the loop cast-on as suggested in the book. Well I've never liked that cast-on and this did nothing to change my mind. The second time around, I used a cable cast-on which made it much easier to begin the first row. However while knitting the first row, just before I reached the middle marker I lost about 10-15 stitches and could not get them back on the needle in any way I liked.

Tomorrow will be 1,872 stitches and counting. Perhaps I'll try a crochet cast-on, just for fun.

You have new Picture Mail!

Bramble Leaf Scarf with French Trellis Border

I recently finished knitting the Bramble Leaf Scarf with French Trellis Border from Victorian Lace Today. Interesting stitch work and lots of fun to knit. I had never done a knit on border before and loved it.

No. 10 Crochet Cotton - Ecru
Size 2 Needles.

Notes

I finished Wrapped in Tradition - Disappointed, it's okay, everyone else liked it but not a pattern I would choose to do again.

Victorian Lace Today - Amazing book! I want to knit it cover to cover. The best knitting book, not for beginners.

Sudoku - Staring at me waiting for me to pick it up. Probably next week now that holidays and Secret Pal are over.

Mercerized Crochet Cotton No 10 is my crack and I love it.