3 posts tagged “blanket”

Blanket

Since I fnished Mum's jersey in early May, I've completed quite a few projects. And not new projects, either (though there certainly some of those), but some that had been sitting around, neglected, for quite a while!

To the left here you'll see my mitred-square blanket, finished just one week shy of the one year anniversary of its cast-on! After much prevarication (and sitting half-completed for many months), this blanket (that I first mentioned here) is done. It is cosy and warm, and a big hit with Maddy. It (rather like the cat) graces the bed at night, and the sofa during the day. I'm really very pleased with it - and pleased to have the stash of yarn set aside for it gone!

Two pairs of socks were also completed, putting an end to the second-sock syndrome. One pair of brown socks in Naturally Sensation (a merino/angora blend), which I'm loving as bed socks. The other pair, in Naturally Vero Tweed, were sent off to my Mum! I did manage to get both of these completed before a year was up, but for the second pair (which I wrote about when finishing the first sock) it was a pretty close call!

Finishing these items, and unravelling a couple of things I absolutely knew I would never finish (because I no longer wanted them), meant that for probably the first time since I was a teenager, I did not have somthing half-finished somehwere! I've always had lots of things on the go, so it was not something I expected to revel in, but it gave me a great sense of control!

So, those new projects that I've finished recently and not blogged about, well, if you're on Ravelry, you can check out my Handspun Garter Mitts, Aspire Garter Mitts, Handpun Scarf, Vero Tweed Calorimetry, Hottie Cover, Mum's Felted Bag, the Brown & Turquoise Bag for my bag swap recipient, two simple beanies for KidsCan, and the Handspun Mittens I mentioned in the last post, and twelve pairs of preemie baby booties for charity.

Booties

Is it any wonder I haven't had much time to spin (or blog)?! Right now I'm working on some preemie mittens, and a jersey for myself (I got a bunch of this done on WWKIP day - check out Catherynne's nice recap of our day knitting in public on Waiheke)!. I have bought some new yarn, too, so another jumper or cardigan for myself should be coming along fairly soon, along with long queued socks and a beret! I wonder, however, how long this finishing thing will last...

Mighty Mitres

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My mitred square blanket is now a rectangular! Since taking this photo on Sunday night, I've completed the last two squares in the third row of my blanket, meaning I'm now halfway!

I would be more pleased with the progress if I hadn't just noticed (thanks to the last photo update) that it has taken my more than one month to complete four squares. Oh, bugger it - I'm pretty darned pleased anyway! Gotta love a project that'll keep your toes warm while you're knitting it.

I'm still stoked with the colours and how they're working out together. I was asked at Knit Rangers if there was a pattern to the placement, or if I am just making it up as I go along. Well, there is a set repeat, or at least a plan. Basically, I worked the first row using each of the seven colours in a grouping I liked. Then, the second row started with the fourth colour in that set,and then cycling through in the same order. The third row started with the fourth colour in that second set, and on I'll go.

I sat for ages with paper and coloured pencils plotting how I'd work the three solid colours and four variegated yarns into a "pretty" arrangement, with some attempt at symmetry. I gave up on that after much frustration, and I'm glad; the ordered randomness is working out great.

I do have additional balls of the charcoal grey to work a border, but the more I think about that, the less likely it is that'll actually happen. I don't think it'll be necessary to add to the size, or the "finish" it off. So, there'll probably be something grey being knit in the coming year - no doubt inspired by the abundant rain clouds.

Mitred Square

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not really much for sewing pieces together. This aversion, along with limited patience or bigger projects, was the main reason for my decision not to knit a blanket this year.

So, here I am, knitting a blanket! I had a handful of Patons Jet (70% wool, 30% alpaca) that didn't have a project in mind (why I thought I'd make socks out of the colours I'd bought, I don't know), so in looking for ideas, I bought a ridiculously large amount of the same yarn in other colours to make myself a blanket.

Having knit a large blanket several years ago one Christchurch mid-winter, and then finally getting around to crocheting it together the next winter, I knew I had to take a different approach. So, rather than using the method I used back then (starting with 3 stitches, gradually increasing, and then decreasing to form the square), I opted for mitred squares that I'd seen used to great effect with many wools by my Mum. Begin able to pick up stitches towork the squares together without a need to sew up later, and still have the flexibility to use many coloured yarns (and so not be bored to tears), it really is a great option for me.

Blanket

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And of course, with an ever decreasing number of stitches per rows (60 down to 1), coupled with 12 ply yarn, it's not going to take me forever to complete (at least, it feels quick, and that's what really counts). Each square is 30 grams of a 50 gram ball; the blanket should be 7 by 6 (with seven colours), and will be a about Queen sized without a border. I hav purchased enough yarn to work a border in charcoal grey, but I'm not 100% sure I'll do that - time will tell!

Not a project I'll be lugging around with me to work on for much longer, though I did take it to both my WW meeting and Knit Rangers last week. I had to laugh at my WW meeting, where a woman who is visiting from the UK for a couple of months, and has gotten used to me knitting socks during the session, remarked that I had her all confused sitting there with my blanket! Can't be too predictable!