FLAK - the saddles and ......

Yup, I got my saddles done:

Five inches each, ten inches in total, and the yarn was protesting all the way. My hands actually hurt when I was done. I looked at them. And then I looked at them again. And I started to think.......

Since I always seem to think best with needles in hand, while I was thinking, I did this:

Yes, it's another Multi-Directional Diagonal Scarf. It's a fun little knit, and I used Noro Silk Garden, Col. No. 234 -- two and one-third balls (sigh). This yarn is heavenly to work with. This yarn also gets knots in the most annoying places. When the ends are joined up, they don't seem to care where they are in the colourway. Instead of a nice gradual transition, boom, there you are, somewhere else. But still, it's heavenly. And because it's heavenly, it's worth another shot: Goes nicely with my brown leather jacket, doesn't it :-) And since you may have noticed in the photo above that we still have some snow, I'll still get some use out of it this year.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Saddles. I realized this yarn does not want to FLAK. The cables don't really show the pattern to true advantage, and it will not be an enjoyable knit. I do still want a brown Aran, but I think this stuff needs something with a bolder pattern. I don't have the energy or inclination to start all over from scratch right now, soI'll lurk and learn on the list. It will be back later, but for now, say goodbye to FLAK:

Do not fret lest you think I might be without cabley goodness. I can, and should, ressurect this:

My Garter Stitch Aran Cardigan has been patiently waiting ... for a little less than two years ... for my return. The pattern from Tara Jon Manning's Men in Knits, and the yarn is Briggs & Little Regal in Col. No. 48, Turquoise. The sides and back are knit in one piece, and it sits at the point where I had just bound off the underarms and was about to work up from there. I just have to figure out where I was in the pattern.It is yummy, and it has replaced the FLAK on my active WIP list.

FLAK - le Swatch

This is the swatch I ended up with for the FLAK, after a fair bit of experimentation. I wanted to simplify it a bit, perhaps make it appear a bit more solid.

Besides re-arranging the cables just a little bit:

1. The filler stitch is now Seed Stitch. The two-row pattern will be easier on my brain, especially when we switch from back and forth to in the round.
2. The wave cable is gone. In previous swatch incarnations, I had tried various subsitutions but I finally decided to just use another horseshoe instead.
3. The rope cable is now a left crossing instead of right. I knit continental, and left crosses, particularly without a cable needle, seem to be easier.

The yarn is Briggs & Little Regal, colcour 23, Forest Brown. And it's really hard to get a picture of it. I tried about 20 times, and this is the best I could get. I apologize -- I know it's a crappy pic.

The centre panel is the same three horseshoes, but I've surrounded each of them with a rope. On each side of the centre panel, there will be a rope, honeycomb, braid, honeycomb, rope. On the outer edges will be another horseshoe.

One major benefit so far is that I finally learned how to cable without a cable needle!! It is great for the rope and the honeycomb, especially since each of them is just one stitch crossing. It goes much faster without the cable needle, and I seem to make fewer mistakes without it. I'm still using a cable needle for the braid and the honeycomb, but I can live with that.

All righty then, I guess that's it for today. February socks are started and well on their way. Time to knit some saddles, I guess :-) .