‘Blankets’ Archive
Posted on January 24, 2008 at 5:22 pm, by knitwit
in Category Blankets, Knitting, Log Cabin
The giant log cabin blanket I started last May is finally finished!
After a long hiatus during the summer where I used the unfinished blanket as a lap blankie when the AC got a bit chilly, I finally stepped up and got the entire blanket finished!
It's big, I haven't measured it, but it's big enough B and I can sit under it together. I love it, it's comfy and cozy.
This was just the project I needed after the disastrous mitten experience over Christmas.
I know it's made from cheapie acrylic and many of you will cringe, but I totally need my blankets to be easy care. I just want to throw them in the washer and dryer and not have to worry about it. Plus I have a cat who thinks that all blankets belong to him…
…so I can't make my blankets out of anything that's too precious. Sir Edward likes to "knead" the blankets into a little nest, which inevitably means lots of little snags from sharp kitty claws.
Thus the blanet was made from TLC Essentials 100% acrylic yarn. It took about 1 1/2 skeins of each color. I bought so many of them, I'm not entirely sure how much exactly. I have lots of leftovers that I'm going to use for another multicolored blanket. If I saw them on sale I just grabbed a new skein in the color(s) I was using. With no dye lots, it makes it a lot easier to just grab a new skein if you run out. I also opted out of using an i-cord border on this one. I just used the cream color from the center and "log cabined" a border of 2 garter stitch rows on each side, binding off in purl on the right side. I wasn't sure I'd like the light border, but now that it's done, I like how it makes the rest of the colors pop. You can get all the details on my new Knits 2008 page. Hopefully I'll have more successful knitting projects in 08. I was looking back over 07 and for all the time I spent knitting, the list of finished knits seems a little spartan. If nothing else, maybe I'll have lots of knits for wee people, so it will at least look like my time knitting has been well spent!
Posted on January 21, 2008 at 5:10 pm, by knitwit
in Category Blankets, Color work, Fun Stuff, Knitting, Log Cabin, Mittens/gloves
I've totally neglected my blog for far too long. It wasn't entirely my fault, it was down for awhile and it took some crafty work by Hubby to get it up and running again. It's still not perfect. For some reason when I upload a photo, it says there is no thumbnail available so I have to import a larger size into the post, but you can't click on it to make it bigger. I am still recovering from PTSD due to some really disastrous Christmas knitting and so I have had to back away from the needles for a while. I haven't completely stopped knitting, I've actually gone back to this blanket
(this you can enlarge, it was imported before the blog demons attacked)
which I started last May. I will finally finish it and then I can move on to another log cabin style baby blanket that I hope to finish before our little guy gets here.
So why didn't my Christmas knitting turn out? I blame it all on pregnancy brain! Every time I tried something it totally bombed. The only thing to survive was this meager little mitten/headband set:
My mother-in-law was the lucky recipient of the only handknitted item to be gifted this year. The mittens are from Elizabeth Zimmermann's book Knitting Around, but I created my own cuff pattern. For the headband, I just used a basic Norwegian star pattern and plugged in the right numbers to make it fit. Kind of a fly-by-the-seat project which, consequently, is why no one else got anything, because as I tried to wing my way through more headbands, they all came out waaaaay too big. I tried making fingerless mittens for the guys in my family and they also turned out too large. I don't know what happened to my sense of gauge from the first mittens I knitted…
and the next several, but something happened and it all turned to crap. Maybe it's all the relaxin hormones that come with pregnancy and make your joints loosen up that is screwing with my gauge.
Thus I am temporarily at least turning to projects where gauge is not an issue…like the unfinished giant log cabin blanket. Maybe I'll have better luck with that!
ETA: The giant log cabin blanket is done and in the washing machine as we speak! I'll try to get some pics of it tomorrow. I'm sure they will be dark and gloomy pics as it is about 10 degrees here and snowing (so no way am I going to try to take pics outside) but I'll see what I can do!
Posted on September 19, 2007 at 3:35 pm, by knitwit
in Category Baby knitting, Blankets, Fun Stuff, Knitting, Life
There has been a real lack of blogging–and lack of knitting–around Chez KnitWit this summer. And I'll give you some clues why…..
My knitting is "mysteriously" shrinking….
It's not my birthday but I've gotten lots of cards and gifts….
And, my library now contains a plethora of new reading materials which have kept me busy and informed:
(I seriously did not buy all of these books! I only bought one, the rest have been thoughtfully gifted to me!)
So there you have it, dear readers. And you are all so smart I'm positive you've figured out the riddle by this time! That's right, we're getting a puppy–no wait, that's what Brad's hoping for….WE'RE HAVING A BABY!
I'm 15 weeks along and due March 12. I know most moms-to-be in the blog-iverse announced their news far earlier in their pregnancies, but it took us awhile to inform all of our family and friends and I didn't want people to find out via the internet!! So hopefully, if you're a friend or family member reading this, you already know the news. If not, please forgive me, I'm blaming all of my forgetfulness on pregnancy brain!
So here's the lowdown…Now that I am happily in the 2nd trimester, I can feel pretty good about being pregnant. I've gotten over the scary first trimester worries, I've got my energy back and I'm still in my regular clothes. Not too shabby! The first trimester, I was worthless! I have to admit I have had it a lot better than some of the other soon to be moms whose blogs I've been reading. I have had no bouts with morning sickness. I've had only mild smell aversions (garlic and garbage–both make me turn green!) and no food aversions–and yet I'm still in my regular clothes (whoo hoo!). It was the fatigue that killed me.
I was horribly tired the first several weeks. I'm not usually a nap person, but seriously by 3:00 I was miserably tired. I finally had to admit I needed naps, and would conk out as soon as my head hit the pillow, only to wake up 2-3 hours later! And then sometimes I'd only wake up if the phone rang or Brad came home from work! (of course it didn't help that I was getting up 4-5 times a night to go to the bathroom. Talk about interrupted sleep!) I think B was actually quite worried about me, not just because of the fatigue, but my sudden lack of interest in doing anything –including and especially knitting! He was sure I had some sort of post-partum depression only pre-partum! All I felt like doing was sitting on the couch, watching TV. I had just signed up for a water aerobics class the day I found out I was pregnant, and it was so hard trying to get myself to class at 5:00. The thought of exercising was a miserable one! But once I was in the water and moving, it felt great. It was low impact and you could move at your own pace, it was perfect. Not to mention the 5 weeks during which I was taking the class were some of the hottest of the summer! I felt better after class, energized enough to go home and make dinner and maybe take a walk with B but I was ready for bed again by 9!
At 12 weeks I had an appointment with my doctor where we were finally going to listen for the heartbeat. B came along for this appointment and we're both glad he did. I'd read so much about how sometimes it's hard to hear the heartbeat with a doppler, even at 12 weeks so I was trying not to expect too much. But as soon as my Dr. touched the wand to my belly we could hear a little thumpity thumpity thump, loud and clear! My Dr. said it sounded really good and strong. It was awesome! I don't think we really thought it was real until then. I think that was sort of a reality check for B. Although I still don't think it will really sink in for him until I start to show. After that we finally started feeling like we could safely tell everyone. Labor Day we finally spilled the beans to B's parents and after that it was like tidal wave, we were telling everyone and getting phone calls and emails from tons of family and friends. I thought, man, is this what it takes to get our phone to ring??? Then the cards and gifts started showing up. It's wonderful to know that we have a great family and circle of friends who will be just as anxious and excited about this baby as we are.
So now that I've got my desire to knit back, there will hopefully be more posts on the blog in the upcoming weeks. For the details on the baby knits in the above picture you can check out my Knits 2007 page. I'll keep you posted on how all the knitting and baby plans are going!
Posted on June 2, 2007 at 12:47 pm, by knitwit
in Category Blankets, Fun Stuff, Knitting, Log Cabin
Warning: Gratuitous pictures of log cabin knitting follows! Post heavily laden with pictures!
This is the log cabin baby blanket from previous posts, now with a blue icord border. I’m going to try backing it with some matching flannel.
And my newest log cabin (click for bigger as usual)
Isn’t it loverly? I wasn’t sure how I felt at first about it. I had invisioned the color pallette being a bit more sophisticated, but now having looked at the pictures of it, I love it again.
It will be a regular sized afghan for our couch.
These little squares are going to be another patchwork blanket. Hopefully bed spread size. I know, sounds crazy, but at 10″ square, they add up pretty fast. I thought I’d start the center of the blanket with 4 squares with dark colors then build around that with squares with lighter colors, all bordered in cream.
Once again, all blankets are acrylic. I know that sends shivers down some spines, but I have not time for hand washing blankets. I want to be able to just through them in the washer and go. And I don’t mind acrylic–as long as I don’t have to wear it!
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