When you first start knitting, you have these grandiose ideas of cozy sweaters and charming blankets that will be passed down to your great-grandchildren. Then you knit a few (small) items and your realize that shit takes a long damned time. So you continue making things that look like they took some serious commitment, but were actually fairly quick work. Then one day, your hubris gets the better of you and you decide to knit a blanket.
I found this pattern a while ago, and I fell in love. It looks so cozy and snuggly. I could finally have myself a blanket in a wild color, but not have to pay a crazy price. I would have loved to do it in snuggly wools...but I have kids. And a cat. I'm not the tidiest person either. Leeeets use acrylic yarn. Sure, it might melt...but it'll probably wash up better. Plus it'll survive a sanitizing round in the dryer.
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| progression. I still liked it at this point. |
So I started. Things were promising. I very quickly learned that I am not fond of aluminum needles. They make a terrible sound that made me cringe with every stitch. Like a fork hitting my metal fillings. It was just awful. But I hadn't yet pulled the trigger on a set of interchangeable circular needles, and aluminum was all I could find at Michael's.
Still, I persevered. This would be a lovely soft blanket for snuggling on the couch. I picked up 1200+ yards of Red Heart With Love yarn at Joann's in the color Boysenberry. It matches nothing in my current living room, but the color makes me happy.
I kept knitting. I made a few mistakes here and there. Somehow I made a few circles accidentally. I have to accept the mistakes, since I am still pretty new to this knitting business. And in the grand scheme of things, I don't know how super noticeable they will be.
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| further on. I'm getting bored. |
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| are we done yet? |
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| I gave up and let Elly use it as a blanket for a long while. |
What I learned
I hate aluminum needles. Aluminum is fine for crochet, but I cannot abide it for knitting. Give me wood or give me death.
I may not have the attention span for epic projects like this. I tried to add at least a row every day, but it began to feel like work as I approached the end of my first ball.
I need to pay attention. All of the missteps I made were because I thought I knew what I was doing enough that I could multitask.
April 2019
I hate aluminum needles. Aluminum is fine for crochet, but I cannot abide it for knitting. Give me wood or give me death.
I may not have the attention span for epic projects like this. I tried to add at least a row every day, but it began to feel like work as I approached the end of my first ball.
I need to pay attention. All of the missteps I made were because I thought I knew what I was doing enough that I could multitask.
April 2019
Finally, I finished it. I used two whole 612 yard skeins, plus about another third of a skein. It got really boring after a while, and I put it down for a couple of years. Then we moved, and it mocked me. I finally added a few more inches and bound off. The incredible difference between my skills at the start and my skills at the end is immediately obvious...It cannot be folded neatly, even though it is a rectangle. Plus, this acrylic yarn is not holding up to use at all. I already see pulls and holes developing...I think I'll just let this wear itself out, and use it as a reminder of how progress works...even when you don't realize you're improving.
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