wifeKnits

Blanche Gone and Other Knitting News

Blanche has been ripped back to a pile of yarn. I didn’t like how it came out. I didn’t like how the back had the same cable pattern as the front. I didn’t like how the two pieces were uneven. I even showed mom. She liked it but was fine with me frogging it and using the yarn for the baby. So I may eventually do a blanket. It’s a nice thick cotton, so it will make a pretty warm blanket.

I’m also thinking of frogging Chamomile for now. Sadly I only have the back to finish but my gauge is much bigger than it’s supposed to be. Which would be fine, but I’m worried about running out of yarn. And besides that, it’s not like I’m going to be wearing it anytime soon anyway what with my belly swelling. So I’ve thought about frogging it and starting it over with the right gauge next year when I (hopefully) get my figure back and can actually get some use out of it. Then I thought about starting the dolman sweater I’ve been wanting to make forever, and thought, why? It’s not like I’ll be able to wear it any time soon either. Since I’m due in October, I’m not expecting miracles, so I doubt I’ll fit into it this winter. So that’s going to wait another year also. What does that leave?

My blasted sock that I can’t seem to ever finish. And my crochet blanket that only needs to be pieced together. And of course, after I finished it, I realized my mistake and how I could have made things easier on myself. It would have worked on Blanche also. When I have to make more than one of a piece that only gives inches in the pattern. Figure out how many rows make up those inches and work the rest to the figured number of rows, instead of guesstimating the measurement each time. That makes seaming much easier later on. But as a newbie, I didn’t realize this, so I have a bunch of squares that are definitely not even. And I’m still plugging away _(very slowly)_ at my quilt and my granny square gingham afghan. Those are my two HUGE projects that don’t bother me if they take forever to finish. Those are my two projects that I do because they are fun, not because I’m yearning for the FO.

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Clothes Just Aren’t My Thing

I’ve come to the realization that clothes aren’t my strong point. I don’t think I’m an experienced enough knitter to make clothes. I enjoy making afghans, hats, scarves, neckwarmers, etc much more than sweaters. So I think I’ve decided to rip Blanche and use the yarn for something else, possibly a baby blanket or something. It’s very soft and the bright yellow is great for babies. Mom said that was fine. She never was into crocheting or knitting clothes either, so she totally understands what I mean. Her and dad will probably be coming up next weekend since it’s a long one, and I’m going to show her what I’ve done with Blanche before I rip it. Just to show her. But I’m just not too happy with how it turned out. I don’t feel I’m good enough yet, and I hate giving mom something that she won’t feel comfortable wearing.

But, I’m still going to try to fix Chamomile because I just really love that sweater. And I’m still going to make my Dolman sweater because I really love the pattern. Other than those two, I probably won’t be making any more sweaters. I will probably stick to afghans, crocheted dillies and knitted accessories such as hats, scarves, etc. I love making afghans even though they take a long time to make. Oh yeah, and quilts. :)

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Blanche

Now, with everything in my previous post being said, one thing I’m not looking forward to is seaming Blanche. I know my rows are not going to match up, so it’s not going to be an easy task to seam this baby up. If anyone has any advice on seaming, I would greatly appreciate it. This is my first “big” seaming project, so I’m just praying it goes alright. She should be dry soon, since she’s been sitting on my kitchen table for several days now. Thick cotton sure takes a while to dry. ;)

Next up, socks and my crochet afghan. Which is perfect, because my SF trip is coming up at the end of the month and socks are the perfect project to take with me, not much to lug around. If need be, I could always take my gingham afghan though, since I would only need one skein of yarn, a crochet hook and my yarn cutters. I doubt I’ll go through a skein of yarn in a week. The squares are each 3″.

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Blanche is Blocking

That’s right folks. She’s blocking! Then I will seam her up and do the neck and arm bands. What a pain to block! This yarn is tough. It’s cotton so it stretches so much. I did my best to push it back into place so hopefully it won’t look to bad when I’m done. In other news, I spent all morning Saturday shopping for fabric. I got what I needed to do my quilt then yesterday afternoon was spent cutting all the pieces. I still have the main colorway to cut but I think I can get it done today. Hopefully I’ll be able to start piecing it tonight, but if not then tomorrow. I’m so excited about this quilt. And glad to be almost done with Blanche. Next up, I’ve gotten my 2nd sock ready in my bag, so it will be with me wherever I go. But I think I will focus on putting the squares of my crochet afghan together and leave the sock for San Francisco. I need something small for that trip and this sock is the perfect project.

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Making Progress With Blanche

I spent Christmas Eve knitting Blanche. I was on a good roll, till evening when I was getting tired and kept having to rip back rows of stitches. So I’m working on the armholes of the 2nd piece of Blanche. Only 2.5″ more to go, then I bind of the neck and shoulders. Block it, and seam it, working the armhole and neck bands. If I really make an effort, I could technically be done tonight and have it blocking before I go to bed. It’s not very likely though. I have errands to run today at lunch and things to do tonight when I get home. But I am really going to try to at least have it blocking by the weekend. Hmm, wouldn’t it be great to have 2 of my NYR done before the new year even starts. How awesome would that be?

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