Kimba - Finished!

I finally finished up my Kimba shawl on Halloween.  I was really hoping to get some better beauty shots, but it has been overcast this weekend.  Blocking was an interesting challenge.

The blocking photos in the pattern show the top portion going straight across and the wing tips curving up, but I couldn't do that without stretching the shawl very aggressively, and I am just not an aggressive blocker.  I did mush the top part down - garter stitch can really stretch out when you block it.  This has got to be the oddest shaped shawl I've made yet, but I love the colors that I used and it is fun to wear.  I gather the fabric at the top into a shawl collar.

Pattern:  Kimba by Ambah O'Brien
Yarn:  Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20
Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Kimba - Color Two Finished

I finished up color two this afternoon with 1.9 grams left.  Here you can see my design solution to my yarn limitations.  You can see the middle set of eyelet lace is the light yellow.  Sometimes I am good at planning ahead, and it is fun to come up with a solution that works with the design.

Pattern:  Kimba by Ambah O'Brien
Yarn:  Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20
Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Kimba - Color Three Done

I've been working pretty steadily on my Kimba and made it through the third color yesterday.  I don't think the picture quite does justice to the red, it is very red, juicy red, candy apple red.  I did a quick stitch count spread sheet last week because I was worried about running out of color two (based upon the required yardages in the pattern).  Based upon my calculations I am right to be worried.  Yesterday as I began working the final color two section a solution occurred to me.  I had about 5 grams of color one left over so I used it for rows 19 and 20 of the Chevron Chart B.  It was just the right amount - I had about two feet of yarn left over - and that should give me enough breathing room on color two so I won't lose my game of yarn chicken (having lost that game on Goldwing).  I could have waited and used color one at the end if I ran short, but then it would look like exactly what happened, I ran short and had to substitute another color.  By inserting color one in the middle of the eyelet section it looks like an intentional design choice, which it was, albeit one driven by necessity. 

Last night before I went to bed I finished the first row of color four, so I'm hoping to have it finished this weekend.  Despite the fact that the pattern is repetitious I am not finding this pattern as boring as I found Goldwing.  The color changes help, the yarn helps (Serenity 20 is a dream to work with), and you do have to pay attention to what you're doing, mostly by counting.  It is also really nice to be using up some of my voluminous stash.

Pattern:  Kimba by Ambah O'Brien
Yarn:  Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20
Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Kimba - Second Color Introduced

Once I finished my Goldwing I picked up my Kimba, which I started back at the end of June.  I was close to the introduction of the second color when I put it down.  I took a quick progress picture showing the second color before I lost the light yesterday.  I powered through that section quickly and have actually done two rows with the third color.  I wasn't sure about my color choice when I went to start the third color, which is the red, but I think it will work out - it will be against the lighter green and the darker green will be the fourth color.  Originally I thought that I would use the dark green as the third color, but as I was working the pattern I realized it would look better with the red as color three and the dark green as color four.

Pattern:  Kimba by Ambah O'Brien
Yarn:  Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20
Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Kimba - Making Progress

Now that I've finished up the sample knit for Biscotte I've been focusing on some of my other projects.  I haven't quite gotten to the point where I bring in the second color, but I am only 5 rows away.  I have been using the written instructions instead of the charts on this one, in part because the charts are rather garishly colored.  I understand the reason - showing when to change colors in the pattern, but the selections are just a bit too intense for my tastes.  Fortunately the stitch patterns are pretty easy to memorize.  I am going to have to do some modifications on the color switching because I probably don't have enough of color 2, and I would like to use up more of my colors 3 and 4, so I think I will add some rows.

Pattern:  Kimba by Ambah O'Brien
Yarn:  Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20
Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Kimba - Cast On

I've had this set of yarn sitting out for at lease a month.  I pulled the colors when I was re-organizing my stash by yarn weight.  All of the colors are from the Flavour of the Month Club that Zen Yarn Garden did with Woolgirl.  I loved Woolgirl's clubs.  I don't know what has happened to her.  Her website no longer appears to be active.  The colors are, from right to left, Lemon Meringue, Celery, Minty Tea and Candy Apple, and that is the order that I will be using them in.  This past Friday I finally caked up the Lemon Meringue and cast on.  I haven't gotten very far in the short row section, which at this point in the pattern is not really an apt description, as the rows are pretty long, but each row they get a little shorter.

Pattern:  Kimba by Ambah O'Brien
Yarn:  Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20
Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm)