Friday Roundup #9-20

Boy, am I glad Friday finally arrived. This past week has been full on, non-stop at work sorting out and managing a crisis. I can’t go into details but it’s nearly all sorted. Some loose ends to tie up on Monday.

As to knitting, I picked up some new yarn online for the blanket I am making. Last week I mentioned adding another colour. So, I checked out LoveCrafts and found some grey through pink gradient yarn from the same brand, VikingGarn Naturgarn. I looked at other colours but I realised it actually went well with the bedding and colour theme in the bedroom it will go in.

A perfect match, I think. I snapped this whilst we had a ray of sunshine and about a minute before joining a conference call.

Anyway, last weekend I started on the blanket, holding the yarn double. I got through two balls in no time and hardly any rows. The amount of yarn I have in this at 50 mtrs per ball… it’ll be a quick and very small blanket.

Admittedly, it was wide. I think 126 cast on. But, I got to this point and I felt that the fabric was too stiff and firm. So, I frogged it completely. Seeing as the gradient had not arrived I decided to swatch the grey on 8mm needles and held singly. This came out much better.

I also started playing with ideas for a border edge. I figured it might look nice where it hangs over the bed sides. In the book I purchased, I found Garter Rib. A multiple of 8 stitches, plus 4. Simple knit 4, purl 4. Then purl the wrong side. My swatch is a bit crap and I haven’t bothered with the edges.

The gradient arrived midweek and tonight I tried some on the swatch. I like it. By chance the gradients are show well on this width swatch. On a wider piece it will look different.

I like the colours and the grey in both tie the two together well. Of course, this will be frogged again this weekend. I just need to decide on border or not and how this gradient works into the whole. I only have 7 balls of it.

I am tempted to make narrow panels, with the gradient interspersed now and then as bands of colour. Then stitch the panels together. Once stitched up, the gradient bands will be in different places. The plus being shorter rows to knit and the garter rows will go across the bed rather than vertical on the bed, head to base. That makes sense in my head. I hope that does in yours.

Oh, and no alcohol for a week. How good is that. Trying to lose weight and cut back.

Anyhow, have a great weekend. Stay dry. If that’s possible with this rain day in, day out.