Fiber Arts Friday: Modified Sandbank

According to Ravelry, I first saw this pattern in June 2017, nearly 6 years ago.

In the most recent December (2022) an image of this project kept popping into my head.  So I had started looking for it in my queue and list of favorites.  It took a while to find because the image I had was of my intended version, not the published version. lol.

Then, a couple of weeks later, on NYEE, I saw a note from the publisher of Knitty Magazine that said Shibui Knits was discontinuing their yarn brand.  So I went straight to their website, looked around and happened to find the exact color and weight that I had in mind for this project.

It's a Merino+Silk blend, with 40% being Silk.  So the result should have lovely drape.

So I bought the pattern, printed it out, promptly made the notes of the modifications I wanted to make, and ordered the yarn.... and THAT is how easily my actual queue/active project list gets too long.  This project had been percolating in the background for nearly 6 years and then came together in about 10 minutes on New Year's Eve Eve 2022.

The yarn arrived as our remodel was starting.  So I set it aside in the tiny office of our temporary housing, thinking I would get started within a few weeks.

In early-February, I decided to wind the first ball and swatch the project.... but since my winding tools were packed away, I improvised with my knees...

Gauge is not important for this wrap, so my swatch is just a few rows to ensure I was getting the fabric I wanted...

I am using the same US0 needles as the Clown Fish Socks and I ordered a couple of longer ones for the later stages and set everything aside again.

After finishing what is hopefully my last urgent project for a while, completing my Yarn Fest Homework, and winding down on my Save Our Sheep Sweater, I finally cast on in mid-March 2023.

Since I want a generous scarf/wrap when complete, and am using US0... or 30% smaller than the prescribed US3 needle, I thought I would aim to cast on 30% more stitches than the pattern called for, but ultimately just pulled out a length of yarn and cast on until I ran out of tail, using Judy's Magic Cast on, which is essentially, my preferred Long Tail Cast on, but using two needles.

I ended up casting on 422 stitches while watching the Live Broadcast of the Flyball Competition at Crufts.

It doesn't look like much on these tiny needles.  lol.

Over the rest of the weekend, I set up for the end increases and knit a couple of rounds, using my 16-inch circulars... I'm definitely going to need the longer needles sooner than I expected.

This project is being worked from the center-out, which I think this will be an interesting effect.

I have a long way to go, so you'll likely see a lot of it here over the next several months.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!