Two year sobriety gift for my DD.

I am loving this pattern. My best advice? Count. Count the stitches. Every row. Make certain you are on track in the journey. And then? Count some more! Do not get off course, little Hobbits! Could I be going faster? Of course I could! But it is about the journey and enjoying the sights along the way. (and I do have multiple other projects I’m working on, too!)

…we count down the events in leaving the Shire, and on September 27 (when Frodo & Co. Stayed with Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, and coincidentally our Groups’ ONE-YEAR-ANNIVERSARY) we will begin the Goldberry Shawl CAL.

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Notes from designer gleaned from CAL forum… If doing 4 colors, I would make treelines #3 and shores #4

In the notes, I specified which rows pertain to which geographic features:

Water Rows: 1-7, 18-23, 34-39
Shore Edges: 8, 16-17, 24, 32-33, 40
Trails/cross-country (dry land): 9-11, 13-15, 25-27, 29-31
Treelines, Mountain Ranges: 12, 28, Final edging Row

If we are talking about the smaller version (shown in Nutmeg), I am overestimating yardage as:
Water: 300 yds
Tree line: 100 yards
Shores: 150 yards
Trails: 275 (which could be done in 2 different colors, plan on 150 yds each)
I know this totals more than the 620 yds I specified, but I am overestimating so you don’t run short. If anyone does it, I would appreciate hearing what your yardage actually comes to for the different sections.

There would be additional row numbers above if you do the longer version.

You could make it all in one color, or vary the colors for some or all of the above areas. In addition, the Dry Land sections have alternating dc and sc rows, which could be different colors from each other, like in stripes.

The row before the final edging should end with a multiple of 12 + 1 sts. This is normally a BLO Row but does not have to be, as long as it ends with a multiple of 12 + 1 sts. So if you have only enough yarn for one more row and the Edging Row, see how many sts that row has normally, and add extra stitches equally on both sides to reach a multiple of 12 + 1 sts.

For example, say I was doing the long version but was either running out of yarn or thinking it is getting longer than I really want, and decide to finish on Row 50 then go to the Final edging row. Row 50 normally ends with 395 sts, (which is not a multiple of 12 + 1) but if I add just one stitch at each end when working it, instead it will end with 397 (which is a multiple of 12 + 1) and after it I would be set up to go to the Final Edging Row.

Another pattern constraint (in case you want to make it EVEN LONGER than the long size, or are just a Math geek and like to know these things): Any BLO Row which is NOT going to be the row before the Final Edging Row should be a multiple of 6 + 1 (to satisfy the next Shell Row) and ALSO end with least significant digit of 7 (to satisfy the next Start-of-River Row 18).

end designer notes gleaned from CAL forum - Thank you Michele - you are amazing!!! -
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9/26 Swatching and thinking hook sizes. Using an F tonight and I haven’t settled. Maybe want to use a G? Going to sleep on it. CAL starts tomorrow. I guess I’ll decide for sure then if I keep going or rip and restart…

9/28 and we’re away! I’ve upped my hook size to a 4.5 to open things up a bit and ease my work into the halfling rows.

I’m putting in photos of each completed section, but I can’t change the labels on them on my iPod so I’ll update them the next time I get on my computer.

9/29 just completed With Nine Black Riders At Your Tail (row 15).

9/30 Finished row 23 (pippin) and got the halflings across the Brandywine. Photo is shadowed by my cell phone, lol. (and through row 25 before bed).

10/3 Back with Goldberry today after spending two days on Over the Willamette. Completed through row 31 so far… Ending the night at the end of row 34!

10/6 Finished To Find the Withywindle at Last last night. Big section but not so big it took me three days. I’ve just been very busy with house purchase and sales stuff. And I have not changed yarns and redone the whole thing. It looks SO much different with today’s lighting and so much of the transition happening to blue.

10/6 Continuing on into the blue a little further before finishing off. Have made it through row 43 - From Barrow-Wight to Bree Inn Night Then Into the Wild at Strider’s Side… Am going to work the next row to see if I have enough yarn for it but I think I will have to work the edging next in order to have enough yarn. Just experimenting at this point. Will have to fudge the numbers a little bit because according to Michele, my final row prior to the edge has to have a stitch count of a multiple of 12 + 1 sts.

10/08 ended body after row 46 and headed to the border row. Because I still had enough yarn, I worked one extra top edge row (total of 3).

From Michele:
Row 42 dc row has 349 sts
Row 44 shell row has 361 sts
Row 46 dc row has 373 sts
Row 48 Bilbo row has 385 sts
Row 54 Merry row has 421 sts (all of these would work as rows prior to the final edging without fudging counts)

Variations to Pattern:
(adding a little more texture with back loop only and front loop only rows on this one because I’m not changing it up by changing yarn colors and/or textures.)
Worked Row 26 BLO
Worked Row 27 FLO
Worked Row 29 FLO
Worked Row 30 BLO
Worked Row 31 FLO
Worked Row 42 BLO
Worked Row 45 FLO
Worked Row 46 BLO

10/22 finally blocking. Will have some daylight and off pin photos tomorrow.

Forgot to measure pre-block…
Blocked measurements 24 inches spine
42 inches across back without spreading neck open

Off the pins:
23 inches spine
48 inches across straight neckline