http://www.reformedurbanist.com/citron/citron.xls

This spreadsheet will help you determine how much yarn you need if you’re using different weights, and also what percentage you’ve knit already.

To determine gauge, measure 50cm from needle on working yarn, make a slip knot at that spot, and knit counting stitches until you reach the slip knot. Do the same on the purl side, and add those numbers together.

Included are stitch counts to 10 repeats, and ruffle calculations. Feedback welcome!

20100404

Started tonight when I realized I had both the right yarn and the right amount of yarn. I love this pattern, it’s so delicious looking. It appeals on a textural basis.

20100405

Almost finished the second section. Already I can see that this will ultimately be a LOT of knitting…and purling.

But pretty well perfect knitting for a conference.

20100410

After some great conference knitting, I discovered two stitches got inadvertently severed and I’ll have to frog back a bit. So sad I put it aside until I can handle doing that.

20100418

Finally fixed the problem yesterday, and got back in action. Finished the third and almost the fourth repeat this weekend in Peterborough. It’s actually really good movie knitting.

20100420

A little optimistic about almost finishing the fourth repeat, lol, I was actually only halfway through. But! Done now! :D

It is going really well, actually. I tried backwards knitting and it was a little slower (I don’t mind purling, I kinda like it and am pretty fast at it), but doable.

Still not finished the partial ball.

20100422

Almost finished the rouching section of the 5th repeat. The partial ball is showing some use finally, but I may finish the 5th repeat before having to go to the full ball! It’s shaping up really nicely and will definitely fit me as a shawlette at 5 repeats + flouncy edging.

With 7 repeats + flouncy edging it will be a smaller shawl, but definitely not tiny on me. This is all unblocked, there is quite a lot of stretch in there that could be blocked out a bit. Unblocked will be about 50cm (20”) with 7 repeats.

Currently, without stretching, it’s 25cm (10”) deep.

I may not have enough to do 7 repeats, if the yardage amounts are accurate, I’ll be about 100 yards short. We’ll see, I guess. I wonder if I have something that would be a nice finishing bit for the final flouncy edge?

20100423

Worked out the stitch count for up to 10 repeats, and yardage requirements for my gauge. It’s a really interesting spreadsheet.

I don’t think I can do 7 repeats.

later

Reworked the spreadsheet and found a few errors in thinking, I can definitely do 7 repeats, perhaps 8. Set up the spreadsheet so that it takes into account my gauge (and yours) and the meterage of the yarn to give you how many skeins you’ll need.

Very exciting!

http://www.reformedurbanist.com/citron/citron.xls

later

With the partial skein, I have knit exactly 18580 stitches.

A full skein has, according to my spreadsheet for my gauge and this yarn, 30960 stitches. So I had 60% of a ball and it got me all the way through 5 repeats and part of the way through the next Row 1 row.

So, again according to my spreadsheet, I should be able to complete 7 repeats and the ruffled edge with the amount of yarn I have in my gauge, which appears to be slightly small compared to others.

I do not, definitely not, have enough to do 8 repeats + the ruffle edge.

20100428

I knit so much yesterday. A lot of waiting around, apparently, between long drives. And a brief little meeting that yielded three rows itself.

These aren’t even short rows right now! Not the super long ones, but still.

Zipping along to the end of the 6th repeat now, which means I have, of course, 45% left, heh. LONG ROWS AHOY!

I’m getting really fast with those purl-back rows.

20100501

Knit a few rows while watching Karate this morning. It’s really coming along, I’m in the home stretch for the 7th repeat (5 more rows) and then the ruffled edge and I’ll be done. Of course the ruffled edge is an additional almost 9000 stitches, so it won’t be tonight.

20100502

75% complete! I’m doing the last increase row before the ruffle, the second last row of the 7th repeat. I find it difficult to really comprehend that I have 25% left when it’s only two rows and the ruffle, but that ruffle has a lot of stitches in it!

This is, despite the endlessness of it, a really pleasant knit. The hard rows aren’t too hard and even with more repeats it’s not that bad.

Very nice knitting for movie watching!

20100503

The nice thing about the ruffle is a few rows nets you 5% of the project completed… Granted they are hella long rows, but whee!

Final kfb row and final purl back after kfb row are final. Finally! Done.

Now it’s knit or purl forever, then eventually a bind off. I’ll go until I have 10m left for the bind off, then stop the ruffle. Or until the 12th row, whichever comes first.

later

I am trying to wrap my head around needing 10m per row…

20100504

I knew I had enough yarn, but I still got nervous about it and measured out what’s left. I have more than enough to finish the 7 repeats plus ruffle, which means my spreadsheet works. Hurrah!

I should have trusted myself!

later

95% finished. Only a few more rows to go. I’ll have some yarn left over - to continue the ruffle or stop knitting?

20100505

I like math.

I have enough yarn.

I will have the size (unblocked) that I predicted.

I am finished the last purl back row, and am now starting to bind off.

I really do like math.

20100507

FINALLY FINISHED! Goodness, those last few rows just didn’t end. The bind off was the longest. None were tiring or upsetting, just didn’t end so I couldn’t “finish this row”, I had to keep putting it down without finishing.

But done and blocking now! Hurrah!

I bound off purlwise, but I think if I were to do it again, I’d try an icord bind-of, it’s a very nice edge and would help with the curl.

Also, the finished dimensions: 1m x .47m or 39”x18.5” blocking. That’s just a really big cat.