Ablet is a knitting ABACUS. You know what an Abacus is right? An abacus is an oblong frame with rows of wires or grooves along which beads are slid, used for calculating. One row is used for the 1’s and the other for the 10’s you guys remember right? I am probably dating myself but this is what we used in kindergarten to learn to count. LOL I mean it was like 40 some odd years ago, but hey it worked.
Well the Ablet created by Sharon Coleman, owner of Knitting Abacus is just that..an Abacus designed for knitting. I met Sharon and fell in love with the Ablet at my first Stitches East event back in 2013 check out the VLOG I did back then. I can’t believe it’s been that long already. My first Ablet is the original 2 tier in the wood beads that I absolutely love. The part I love most is you toss this thing in your project bag and the beads do not move…they are still in place so you always know where you left off. How awesome is that? No more paper and pens for me.
Last year when she came out with the 3 tiered one..I was all over it! Mainly because I am an addict to all things knitting and then because it’s cute hahahahahaha! but now I finally have a legit reason to use it. I decided what pattern to make with my Footsie from Voolenvine. I went with a shawl from Jumpercables Knitting, one that has been in my Ravelry library for quite some time and it is called Freesia. The yardage was on point and I simply love this shawl. When I think about it, my first shawl was one of her designs too. I made her Groovy in cotton and it is still one of my favorites.
One of these days I will read the pattern before I start knitting, but as I moved along I realized I needed to keep track of rows and repeats. I was so very happy to pull out my Ablet (the 3 tiered version) I was tickled pink when I noticed how the yarn and the Ablet matched. LOL! I didn’t plan it I swear I didn’t.
So how am I using it, is that your question? Well the answer is I use the first 2 row of beads to count the row I am on (there is a 13 row pattern) and this pattern repeats so I use the last row of beads to keep track of my repeats. Isn’t that clever? This pattern and this 3 tiered Ablet are a perfect match because the repeats are easy to remember and the Ablet is cute to wear! Win-Win if you ask me!
How do you keep track of your rows and/or repeats? Let’s discuss
Knit on my fiber friends…knit on
GG
I’m making a repeating cable pattern and I’ve enlarged the cable instructions only and mark each row off on my paper as I knit it.
yea I use to do the same thing, but dang it if I didn’t lose the paper every time
You forgot to add that your NAILS match too!
Lol! Yes that part hahahahahaaa thanks for reading
I have a couple of methods. I have the counter on my straight needles but more often than not I use my Iphone. There is a free app called the K&C Counter app which I use to count rows. It saves multiple projects which is nice as well!
Thanks for the app information as I hadn’t heard of that one before.
The Ablet has been a confidence boosting game-changer for me. As you point out, that third row is perfect for repeating pattern sections. I’m spoiled against double-digit counters now.
Yes I have both and love them!!