FO: Little Man's Blankie
I'm ending 2006 with a bang.
Details
Pattern Entrelac Throw from Vogue Knitting Baby Blankets Two
Yarn RYC Cashsoft DK and Cashsoft Baby DK in creamy white baby DK #801, light blue DK #503, tan baby DK #804, greenish-blue baby DK #805, and olive DK #516. I used just over 1 ball each (yes, *lots* of leftovers).
Needles Addi Turbos 4 mm / US #6
Measurements About 29" square.
Modifications Very minimal -- I substituted Lion Brand Cotton Ease (at 16 sts per 4") with Cashsoft DK (at 22 sts per 4"). I didn't do any extra squares so I got a much smaller blanket. Since I had a smaller gauge I did 3 sts in garter on the outer edges instead of the 2. I also mixed up the color combos because I didn't want the center to start out as a mirror image of itself.
More thoughts and photos behind the cut...
The color layout in the pattern is perfectly fine, except that I wanted the center of the blanket to have all 5 colors in it. If I were to do this again I would chart out the colors from the beginning. There were a few places where I have 2 squares stacked on top of each other in the same color. It's not terrible, but it was by necessity and not design.
There are 84 squares in the blanket, and since each square is made up of 2 colors, that's 336 ends. Partway through knitting the blanket I began knitting in the starter end with the following row. This halved the number of ends I had to weave in.
these ends are just from yesterday
Given how soft the yarn is I was concerned that the ends would work their way out. They weren't staying in very strongly even when I knitted them in. The yarn just does not stick to itself at all. But, after I finished I put the blanket in the washer on gentle (plus an extra spin to get it as dry as possible) and the ends fluffed up on the backside. I don't think there's going to be a big problem with the ends.
The edges and the lines were the things that attracted me to this pattern, and they're still my favorite part. Depending on how you look at it you see different shapes -- diamonds and squares or shapes within shapes.
Final Thoughts I love the blanket, but I didn't love knitting it. It's just not the right kind of project for me. It's so repetitive. Having said that though, once I met this little guy, there was no way I couldn't finish it for him. There's just so much to love about him -- between his big toothless, open-mouthed grins, his crazy love for sweet potatoes (don't get between Alex and his sweet potatoes) or his hatred for all food that is green (he blows big raspberries so the person feeding him can get a taste of just how bad it is) -- I just couldn't *not* finish it.
I hope you love it little man.
Absolutely gorgeous project! I'm not sure I could handle weaving in so many ends, though it seems the result is worth it :).
My mouth is hanging open looking at that. It's amazing. Wow.
Absolutely beautiful - makes me which the grandkids were babies again.
The blanket is amazing.
But the baby is awfully cute, too.
You must be very proud!!
so very pretty! i love mitered squares.
wow, i had totally forgotten about this blanket! it turned out amazing! and you're amazing to have finished it :) i can see what you mean by repetitive. that's a crazy amount of squares and ends. but it's beautiful and quite the accomplishment to end 2006 on.
happy new year!
oh YAY! it looks so good!!!
Wow, how lovely! You chose lovely colors and did a wonderful job knitting it! Love it!
the blanket is fantastic! the lines and colors are so interesting to look at, i'm sure the baby will love it!!
Wow. It is so fabulous! So unique, very boy-ish and fun. Great job - thanks for sharing the details.
but it is so pretty. glad you were able to weave the ends in and visit with me.
Between that blanket and the sweater you sure got your share of weaving in ends for the year! It definitely was worth it though. Hope you have a very Happy New Year! :)
What a way to finish the year! The blanket looks beautiful.
Happy 2007!
I love the color choice. It reminds me of a snowflake, both in color and the design. I'm sure he'll love it.
awww how cute is he! what a great blanket which i am sure is going to be much, treasure and abused at the same time.
happy 2007 my dear.
It's. so. beautiful. Congrats!! I love the colors, the design, everything. =)
That's fabulous! Really nice work :)
I've loved this blanket since it's inception! Well done Jody, and Alex is a heartbreaker already :)
Happy Healthy New Year
it rocks. i love it.
What a way to end the year! That's an heirloom for sure. I love it!
That's a great little blanket! Looks like it's portable, just challenging enough, and very versatile.
Thanks for sharing, I'm hearing some stash that's calling to me now...
What a beautiful blanket! It's a real work of art.
That is beautiful. Love the colors you chose!
You finished the blanket, yay! The straight lines in that pattern are interesting. Love your color choices too!
Absolutely fantastic! What a great FO to finish up your year.
The blanket is wonderful!! But I'll probably have nightmares about the number of ends involved in it.... *shudder* I completely understand why you had to finish it for him!
great blanket. I am considering making one for my aunt (bigger size, of course). The book is really cute, i'm also surprised that there are not more out there.
Oh yay! yay! It's done =) I absolutely love it. It's gorgeous.
It looks beautiful. You did a stunning job on it. :)
Wow, it may have been a chore but it is beautiful. Great job!