I am calling the center field of Grandma’s blanket done. Now to knit a bit more length on the long side borders.
Getting there
Tag: knitting
Update on Grandma’s blanket
I have four borders and most of the center field done of Grandma’s blanket. The side borders are not finished because the plan is to maximize the length of the blanket with the yarn I have remaining. The pattern calls for tassels, but I don’t like tassels (because they become a tangled mess), so I’m going to use the tassel intended yarn to make the blanket longer (we have tall people in our family). The yarn remaining is laid out on the center portion. I will use one skein to make the length, and the other skein for the join technique I want to use. I consider this a calculated risk, not yarn roulette.
Tracking rows
I’m still plugging away at finishing Grandma’s blanket. I have a renewed fervor for finishing, since I now have five projects in queue. I’m currently working on the border pieces, which are mostly a five row repeat. At this point I have the five rows memorized, but to keep track of where I am, I made a simple chart. Since I have to make two, I make the first leg of the X for one side, and the second for the other. Then they should come out the same length.
Discovering double knitting
Since I finished the brioche cowl, I decided to try the next project in the Modern Daily Knitting Brioche Field Guide. It was a long honey comb scarf, but I wasn’t sure I wanted another scarf (we are in Texas) so set out to learn the stitch pattern with scrap yarn to see if I liked it.
I don’t.
About 2” into the test I decidedly did not like the emerging fabric. The pattern is interesting, but the fabric is flat with almost no depth. I was hoping to make a bag, but did not think the thin holey knit would do well. So now what? In perusing Pinterest double knit items caught my eye. Double knit also uses two colors of yarn, as does brioche, and produces a double-sided fabric, as does brioche, so I gave that a go.
I like it. Especially after I rigged up a wire ring to hold the two strands of yarn on my finger, but slightly apart.
The resulting fabric from double knit is also thick and has a nice feel. I think it will do quite well in many applications, so I shall tuck it into my bag of tricks. The cotton test knit shall go into the dish cloth drawer.
Finished brioche cowl
Done! I have finished my first knit along! It took me 15 days to complete (working in fits and starts), and I have learned a new knitting technique. The finished cowl is nice and squishy and quite appropriate for its intended use. The stitching is easier than I anticipated once I learned to recognize the brioche stitches versus regular stitches. The Field Guide 21 from Modern Daily Knitting is a good resource.
Critters and Craft 