3 Jan 2012
Buying the wool
I bought this book to learn about color knitting and I have decided to tackle the Kilim Sampler Throw.
This pattern is made for Worsted wool with a gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rows for 10cm. Unfortunately I live in a place in South Africa where there is only one shop in more than 100km! There was not many choice of colors in the “Chunky” department so I choose DK. I bought one skein of each color.

Doing my maths
I sit with my computer and started the calculations. The measurements are very important as the squares combine into a big square. The finished measurements (129cm x 172 cm ) is not a problem for me but as each piece must fit in each combined square, everything must be calculated in advance based on the gauge.
The first thing I did is to verify the pattern measurement and there , surprise one piece (panel 1) is completely wrong. I am attaching 2 drawings (the arrows indicate the direction of knitting..
Drawing 1: 2 measurements :first, the one announced by the book, second in italics the one I calculated with the gauge of the book (18 sts X 24 rows for 10cm).
Drawing 2 : the measurements I estimated with my DK gauge (22st x 30 rows)
I am also attaching the excel sheet (in png format) I did for all the calculations.

Planning the work
As you can see there are some gaps between the different panels. The only way to change the measurements is to add to the length of the piece as the width is very dependent of the pattern.
I am going to start to knit the panel 2. As it is too long , I can skip some plain rows in the middle of the pattern between rows 21 and 26. After measuring its width I will adjust the panel 3 by adding “empty” rows at the bottom and top. I will then put 3 and 2 side by side, measure and adjust panel 4. I will knit panel 5 and adjust panel 6 as I did for 2 and 3. I will putt all the panels together and adjust panel 1.

Knitting at last
I am starting panel 3: the Butterflies.

10 Jan 2012
Panel 2 is finished!
You can see from the photos that I did it in 2 steps: first in intarsia with a bit of stranded for the big patches of color and in duplicate stitches for the border and the lines.
If I could comment on the book, I would say that if I buy a book like that, I expect to find a real tutorial with the pattern. The notes states “…for the color work, use a combination of intarsia, stranded and duplicate stich techniques…”. I did struggle a bit to find how to manage the color work and I am not convinced I found the best way. A drawing showing how to distribute the yarns (intarsia and stranded) with color code would have been helpfull.
Anyway, I will find my way…I hope.
I measured the piece, adjusted my gauge in the calculation as I found I was working 19 stitches and 20 rows for 10 x 10 cm.
I am starting panel 3, I will have to add 5 cm to be able to assemble it with panel 2. That is 12 rows (6 at the beginning, 6 at the end) to add to the 16 of the pattern.
WARNING :The book says to works 16 rows with color B. It is color H.

12 jan 2012
I have finished panel 3 but I have just realized that I have made a mistake: I used the dark green (Olive green) instead of the light green (lime green). Well it will have to do. I am certainly not starting all over again. Tomorrow, I block the piece and sew the 2 panels together.
When I started the panel I thought “This one is a piece of cake, comparing to panel 2. I was wrong because it is very easy to make a mistake. I would say that you have to study the change of color before you start because they never occur on the same line as I thought .I was going up 5 rows and going down 6 rows! Another thing ,you have to watch what is happening in the next row so you can carry the color to the right spot to avoid loose strands.
I upload some more photos : panel 3 before duplicating stitches and panel 2 & 3 sewn together. I am happy, my calculations were right, they fit nicely together!

13 January 2012
I am starting panel 4. Once again I would have liked to know which technique to choose. Intarsia or stranded with 3 colors?

17 January 2012
I have finished panel 4 and sewn it to the already assembled panels. I found that panel 4 was the easiest to knit so far. I used 2 stands of white to do the left and right parts in intarsia, 1 black and 1 claret. The center was worked in stranded. The Claret points at the end of each black branch was done in duplicate stitches.

I am starting panel 5. Once again there is a mistake in the book. You have to start with color E not B.

18 January 2012
Very heavy rains. Better stay home and knit.
I have finished panel 5 : no duplicate stitches, only intarsia and stranded. I am not happy with the way I handled it. I had two green E yarns : one stayed on the left, one stayed on the right. That ‘s OK. Then I had one C yarn for the yellow in the middle. I think that was wrong. I ended up with a a big packet of 3 stranded yarns behind the light green (B yarn). As I have to knit 4 of each panel, I will learn my lesson : every time one color divide in 2 branches, I will have 1 yarn in each side. The next picture shows my “yarn” plan for the next one.
I am starting panel 6. I will knit 3 colors only (H,C,E) the lines (G,D) will be done in duplicate stitches after.

21 January 2012
Knitting panel 6 in intarsia was very easy and quick, duplicating the black and white stitches was easy but very time consuming.
Intarsia : I started each “line” of pattern with one claret strand adding the yellow strand and the green strand and stranded yellow/claret and green/claret for 2 rows then I left the claret yarn for one side, added another one for the middle and the last one for the other side , continued in intarsia, stranded again for the last two row stopping two claret strands.
As I knew the panel was too long I only put 3 rows between the pattern. The problem is that it is also not wide enough and too long.I needed 4 more cm. I had to cheat when I blocked but it does not look so nice than the others. I will add at least 5 stitches on each side for the other 3.
This morning I assembled panel 6 and 5 then added it to the rest.
I am going to start the very long panel 1.

23 January 2012
Pffft… That was long. 3 times the pattern.
And AGAIN a mistake in the book. It does not state that you have to knit 6 rows between each repeat of the pattern and 6 at the end.
I knitted 8 rows between the patterns because when I measure the first one, I found that it was going to be too short.
I knitted the pattern in intarsia, replacing all black stitches by yellow. I had 3 colors : marron, yellow, claret. I tried to avoid stranded as much as possible but as I worked with only one strand of yellow, I had to do a little bit of stranded. Each flower was worked with 3 strands of marron (one for the left, one for the right and a short one for the piece between the flower and the stem) 1 strand of yellow and 1 of claret.
All the black stitches are going to be done in duplicate stitches and that is going to be a long work.

24 January 2012
Not easy to follow the pattern for duplicate stitches. I am still on the first pattern out of 3. I think I am going to follow the yellow border and do for the best other I will still be on it in one month!

25 January 2012
Early this morning I decided to do some duplicate stitches. The light was good, it went like a charm. One flower is entirely done, and the yarn tails behind are weaved in. I think I must avoid black duplicate stitches at night. 2 more flowers to go.
As I am nearly finished with the first quarter of the throw, I have been able to work out exactly how many skeins of each colorI need and I updated the different yarn quantities above.

27 January 2012
I have finished and assembled the 6 panels of the first block.

28 January 2012
I have decided to change my project and make something useful : a winter throw to cover the seat of my sofa. As you can see on the photo, I need to add on the width and just a narrow rectangle on the front. I am going to think about it and see what I can add.

29 January 2012
I have changed my mind (again). I am going to do half of the throw and it will be perfect for my sofa.
I will take the two bottom rectangles. I have already started panel 6 again with some modifications.

23rd February 2012
Long time, no write…
But I am nearly finished: one panel to go.
Let us say that if the first part (panel 1 to 6) of my Kelim throw was about the book mistakes the second part was about tackling my own mistakes.

As I am doing only the lower two parts of the assembly illustration (p127) I started with panel 6. I knew that I had to streched to its limits to make it fit in part 1 so I decided to be clever and add stitches and rows…but I add to many and I was now facing the inverse problem. And I came with a solution. In fact, my iPad came with an application that could help me : Touch and Go Knitting HD (http://www.touchandgoknitting.com/). A very useful iapp that help you to do all sorts of calculations for your knitting.
My problem : calculate the number of stitches and rows of panel 5 with new length and width because my panel 6 was to long and to wide and panel 6 and 5 had still to fit in the length of panel 4. First I went in the “Swatch” part of the application: I entered the width and length with corresponding stitches and rows of the finished panel 5. It gave me a gauge. Then I used that gauge into the“Scarf” part of the program and put the finished measurements of the new panel 5. It gave me how many stitches and rows I needed. (See the screen captures).
I must say I was very proud of myself. Even the blocking showed me that the pieces fitted together. That was until I assembled the 2 pieces: panel 6 length was too long when assembled with panel 5 width. I tried to fiddle with it but it looked awfull. As Panel 6 was the most time consuming panel, I did not feel to start again. I surfed the net for “knitting shorten knit bottom” and found a way: very dicey. Snap with my scissors. It started to unravel well until I reached the point where I had weaved a tail end. Big mess: I jumped down a row. Now I was in the middle of my duplicated stitches that I had to undo. I just gritted my teeth and repaired. Once I had the right number of stitches of the same row, I knitted 2 rows and cast off. The result was very good at the end.

Panel 4 went without a glitch.

I often knit while watching TV. That is why panel 3, one of the easiest one, went up, down a few rows repairing a mistake, up again, down again… When it was finished, an overview showed me that I had forgoten a big chunk of light green (see photo). Thanks to duplicating stitches noone will notice.
I knitted it differently than in the first part. I tried to work it as much as possible in intarsia to avoid stranded parts that look a bit untidy in an intarsia knit.

Same thing applied to panel 2, the one I call “Buterfly panel”. Avoid stranded. Knit yellow, white and red. White and maron in duplicated stitches (very time consuming). If you want to organise your strands, this how it works once you reach the first line of the pattern from left to right:
LY,LR,SY,LY,LW,SY,SW,LY, LR,SY,LY,LW,SY,SW,VLY
VL: very long - L:Long (4 meters for DK)- S: Short (80cm)- Y: Yellow - R: Red - W: White
On row 8 and 34 you will leave the red and white short strands to continue with the long one.
On row 21 you will continue with the very long (I use a butterfly) yellow abandonning the other yellow.
I have just started panel 1, the one that I CANNOT knit while watching TV as I really have to follow the pattern and this one is looonnng…

26 February 2012
I have finished knitting panel 1. It went very well.
I must now do all the black duplicated stitches.

4 March 2012
Yesterday I finished my throw.
After having assembled all the pieces of the second part, I saw it with part 2 and started the border in color E (olive green). To pick up the stitches I followed the instructions of “The Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques” by Nancie M. Wiseman (a very good book):
“In general, the formula for picking up stitches is to pick up every stitch or row on cast-off edges or edges that have shaping, and pick up three out of every four stitches on straight edges or against edges with rows.”. The border of the assembled pieces is made of cast-off edges (pick up every stitch) or edge with rows (pickup 3 out of every 4).
I used 1 ball and 1/2 to do the border and took 11 mins per row on the longer side. But it was easy to do watching tv!

A last word
I am proud of what I have accomplished and wish that these notes will help anyone who wants to undergo this beautiful work.