Monday, August 18, 2008

Great Garterstitch!

It's all Brooklyntweed's fault. His glorious photography of humble garter stitch finally pushed me over the edge into casting on for the Puzzle Pillow Blanket, a pattern that I've been intrigued by for quite some time.

And you know, it was really a lot of fun! There was plenty of easy knitting and occasional bits of thinking required. It was sort of like sock knitting, and now I want to knit some more. This is the medium size (42sts) and it will just do as a lap blanket or a child’s blanket.

The puzzle part of the blanket, is that you knit a pocket on one corner into which you can fold the blanket, if you can figure out how. (Meg Swansen provides the instructions.) This aspect of the blanket makes it portable, and handy as a cushion too.

The yarn is Sandnes Garn Alfa, of which I had only 14 skeins. I was worried I wouldn't have enough, but the project took just over 10 skeins. The yarn is a mohair/wool blend which gives the blanket a bit of a halo, but makes it very cuddly. My only concern is that whomever I give this too will have to know how to care for natural fibers.

Maybe I'll have to keep this one and knit some more for Christmas presents. I'm so hard done by.

4 comments:

  1. It's beautiful. There is something about miles of garter stitch with fun angles -- very Zen.

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  2. Anonymous5:38 am

    Ah, my most used pattern! No idea how many I have made. My Mom wants 20, for all her grandchildren. But now that I have 3 grandchildren of my own, she'll have to wait a bit!
    I use Brigg's & Little, 3 ply or Atlantic. I find that yarn can stand 'not too careful' washing, then dry over a chair.
    Meg Swansen's best design, I think.
    That brooklynn tweed guy is a gem, too!
    Esther from Ottawa.

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  3. Neat idea, that blanket. These would be great for bleacher-blankies.

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  4. COOL! A blanket that flows like a sock? I'm all over it. Nice job, and have fun knitting more!

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