Last week I spent nearly every day with another friend working on a blanket for the woman who started the Geek SnB that I am part of on Thursday’s. This being the group that the first day I showed up I was known as the one with the scarf.
So she is off to Japan for a year at least. So as a goodbye present we decided to make her a blanket. And so that it would be from all her friends it would be both knit, and fabric, making it more of a patchwork quilt.
This was all brainstormed in a Starbucks a few weeks ago, with a lot of scribbling and maddeningly wondering when we both had failed at basic math. But we settled on 10 x10 squares for both the knitters and fabric squares. We planned to back the fabric in fleece, so even though we expected it to be decorative it would work out if she ever wanted to use it. We were both completely unsure of the weather in Japan. I learned later from someone who also went over to teach that the blanket may become much more than decorative as many places do not have heating systems.
So I went off trying to decide what my squares would be. So while I pondered that I worked on my 10×3 strips, these would be used between the fabric squares the same way fabric would be used between the knitted squares.
I just did some free form cables and came up with a lovely tree effect in the red that I think I may use for Demeter depending on if I make arm warmers or a wrap.
So at this point it was a week before the squares were due and I had no idea what to make. A Red shirt? A Tardis? Something Harry Potter? Something Percy Jackson? Anime? Comics?
I started working on a Red Shirt square and realized that I had grabbed the wrong red yarn and that it was more rust than red, I checked my bag and noticed I had some blue and some purple worsted weight in my second knitting bag for reasons I do not recall. So the Tardis won. I knit the square at Beer and Knitting and then realized it was about 15” wide. I carried on.
That Friday The day before we were to pull out my roommates sewing machine I decided it was too much of a hassle to deal with the oversized square, knit one while watching a movie and taking shots.
I decided to stitch on one of the test Tardis from when I was creating the ornaments that was in a darker blue. It seemed faster than trying to duplicate stitch it starting at 11pm on Friday. I added a red star.
Come Saturday we get together to buy fabric. We head to the fashion district and the shop near my old office still has $.99 yards, we pick up about 4 yards of fabric for the blanket and a couple more yards of thick jersey cotton to back it.
We head back to my place and start measuring and cutting, we cut the day short after cutting as I have writer’s group and will be work shopped. Sunday we lay out the blanket on its backing and think it will work.
We have to call that day short as well as the friend for who the blanket is for is having a goodbye event.
Come Monday we start stitching the fabric squares. And as the night draws closer and closer to 1am I have the nagging suspicion at this speed we aren’t going to finish by Weds night. I take all the knit squares and their fabric backing with me on the bus, and behold, I have all the strips attached so we have 3 long sections that will be the middle of the blanket by the time we start on Tuesday.
So we stitch them and we have just have to attaching the backing and, a couple more loose pieces come Weds.
Finally we attach the back and added a border.
And Thursday night we gifted it.
And in the corner of that picture you can see the yarn I gathered for a baby blanket that is due 8/28 for a baby shower.
Its the starghan pattern which is a ravelry pattern.
Knitting
blanket, gift
We have a supreme Dalek in sock yarn. About 6″ high un stuffed
And it is a surprisingly easy knit. Yes I know the pattern states its easy. But I’m the one that learned double knitting was supposed to be hard halfway through the JLA scarf. It’s as difficult as you make it. A cold has knocked me flat this weekend though I have used the time to start on the candle flame shawl. That I will be doing in an orange lace weight at some point.
Not sure this is the best yarn for the pattern, I think the solid orange would show off the flame better but I like way the lace work comes out and I thought it best to figure that out with a yarn that I won’t have to work way to many repeats of the pattern to see first.
