Projects
A Tidy Giftalong Haul
Dear Ann,
I’m quite pleased with myself. Since mid-November, I’ve scored three FOs, of which two are blankets (baby blankets, but still: blankets) and one is a long-ass stranded colorwork scarf.
This was not heroic, put-your-back-into-it, deadline knitting. At the time, it just felt like I AM LOVING KNITTING THIS THING. And isn’t that the best knitting of all?
Cheater Blanket
OK, confession time: one of the baby blankets was already knitted, two—three? four?—years ago, when I made it in a frenzy of love for the idea of knitting our Mitered Crosses Blanket pattern in Rowan Denim. At the time, I had no baby in particular to give it to.
Sometimes you have to wait for the baby.
When I recently heard that a beloved young couple had just welcomed both a newborn and a toddler, well—the baby for this blanket had finally identified himself. All I had to do was apply the i-cord, in Zauber Cotton, all the way around, wash it a couple of times for Extra Denim Patina, and Bob’s your uncle (or Kay’s your auntie).
Top blanket: The pattern is the Mitered Crosses Blanket. The blue yarn is Rowan Denim recycled from an ebay sweater, the white yarn is Rowan Denim in the Ecru shade, and the i-cord edging is in Zauber Cotton.
A Washcloth With Ambition
The second blanket was knitted from start to finish in less than two weeks. When we were at A Good Yarn in Florida last month, I had just heard the good news about my friends’ baby girl. In a moment of Yarn Shop Serendipity, I spied Susan’s baskets of Zauber Cotton—a lovely DK-weight organic cotton—and the idea sprang into my mind: a log cabin baby blanket pairing a precious gift to my stash—a bag of Rowan Denim in the long-discontinued Ecru shade—with this soft yellow and blue cotton melange.
It practically knitted itself. I just followed the instructions for the first and most basic Log Cabin Cloth from MDK Field Guide No. 4, starting with a center patch that was 9 stitches wide and 9 garter ridges tall. All my strips were 9 garter ridges.
When it got to washcloth size, I just…kept…going. I went around and around, adding strips until it got to the size I had in mind—big enough to cover a snoozling bambina but small enough for her to drag it around by herself in a year’s time. To determine placement of the pops o’ Zauber, I rolled a virtual die, using an app on my phone. If the number 3 came up, the next Zauber strip would be the third strip after the current one, and so forth.
All this blanket needs now is two little feet kicking under there somewhere.
It is notoriously difficult to take a picture of a whole blanket, even a small one. Have you ever noticed that?
The Love of My Life
Just to close the book on my first (of many) Kaffe’s Coins Scarf, here’s the triumphant FO.
To deal with the ends, I tied square knots (surgeon’s knots would be even better, but I didn’t think of them at the time), then trimmed to 2 inches. This was the work of 10 minutes. (If you want to see the innards finished this way, here you go.)
I closed up the cast-on end of the tube by picking up stitches and working a Kitchener stitch graft. I closed up the other end with a three-needle bindoff of the live stitches. Next time I’ll do a provisional cast-on so I can Kitchener both ends. (Who even am I? I used to hate Kitchener. Now I could do it all day long, while watching TV and eating popcorn. It’s No Big Deal. Thank you, Lorilee Beltman.)
Predictably, I wet-blocked it. Wet-blocking is my love language. All you Team Steam-ers out there, you have my love and respect. A brief soak and flat-dry brought out the gentle fuzz in my fabric, and made those tidy Felted Tweed stitches plump up to perfection. Je ne regrette rien.
Love,
Kay
P.S. A programming note for my gift-knitting teammates: The official end of the 2019 MDK Giftalong is looming, but I expect many of us will keep knitting, through next week and beyond, in keeping with knitterly tradition. (It’s perfectly fine to give a gift that still has the needles in it.) We’ll announce this year’s Grand Prize and the Special Team Kaffe Prize here on Thursday, December 26. Meanwhile, keep on knitting and encouraging your fellow giftalongers, over in the Lounge or on Instagram. (All the details are here.) It’s lovely to see the presents piling up!
This is the first time I’ve seen Lorilee Beltman’s kitchener stitch video. It’s a game changer!!! Thanks for sharing.
Your blankets and scarf are beautiful treasures the recipients will love!
I love them all but that log cabin blanket is catching hold of my heart!!
There should be a plaque with Lorilee’s name on it in the Cooperstown of knitters–and teachers. I watched this video one time and I’ve got it. Bravo, Lorilee. (And on a completely different subject, did a little sparrow tell you it was Edtih Piaf’s BD today? Pas de regrets!)
That’s amazing! The little sparrow was in my pensées!
All three of these are absolutely gorgeous!!!!! Love both the blankies, and that scarf is to die for!!!!! Incredible work of art!!!
Thank you for saying it is ok to give a gift with the needles still in. The year I gave sweaters to my entire family, I hadn’t even started my dad’s by the big day. So I wrapped up needles and yarn and labeled it Some Assembly Required. Ever after, he referred to it as his someassemblyrequired sweater.
I love this idea. In a similar vein, I haven’t started the shawl I’m making for my mum yet. So I’m giving her a shawl pin ready for when it is!
You get points for resourcefulness, Ruth!
I adore that Log Cabin Baby Blanket!!! I got out my Log Cabin Field Guide and am marking the page for the next time I ‘need’ a baby blanket for a friend. What a great idea!
I used to make these log cabins for babies all the time, and then I didn’t have any babies for a while, and now I just want to make a half dozen of them. So fun to play with color and placement and just go round and round in garter stitch.
I am quite new to knitting, but I’m glad to have found you- your offerings are inspiring!! BTW, what does “FO” stand for?
Welcome, Kelley!
Sorry to have used jargon. FO means Finished Object. UFO means unfinished object. Guess which I have more of right now?
Another good one to know is WIP–work in progress. A more optimistic slant on UFO…
I love the finish kitchener gives, and it’s not difficult to do. Woe betide me if i lose my place, though.
I just tried steam blocking for the first time, because packages have to get mailed and it’s raining and cold here. But i am not a convert. It’s better than no blocking but it just doesn’t seem to plump up the stitches, as you say.
Love your finished knits. That scarf is so fun!
Annie,
Good for you. You did what had to be done! Salute!
‘Tis a lovely pile of knitterly Xmas goods. Speaking of such goods, my much desired and finally ordered Julia Hilbrandt Knitter’s Tote arrived today. It’s a gray beauty. What great craftswomanship.I love it so much I might have to sleep with it tonight!
You wouldn’t be the first, Marilyn. So glad you like it. Made to last, just like us.
A knitter after my own heart, you made me laugh out loud.
Babies, blankets! Yay! So grateful to a couple of my acquaintance for their new wee one for whom I may now knit your Moderne blankie. I have been in love with that thing for quite awhile. They picked out the colors and I just cannot wait. Love love love your blankets and throws.
Babies and love of my life scarf. This is very sweet knitting.
The funny thing is that when you spoke about three needle bind off on one end and Kitchener on the other end I was thinking a provisional cast on would be great. The next sentence I read was the one about next time making a provisional cast on! I must remember to read things through before thinking. 😉
All are just perfect!! Would you mind sharing the color number for the Zauber Cotton? I’d love to make the Log Cabin blanket for my first and second grandsons, one born 11/1/19 the other due 2/27/20.
It’s always wonderful when a special thing knitted for an unknown Special Person finds its home 🙂 Just today I sent a lacework neckershawl home and I’m so glad I had tucked it away! Now I’m working my way toward a blanket project, with much consultation and discussion – the pattern has been chosen, and now we are on to deciding the weight of the yarn to use. I am having Big Fun 🙂
Blankets look great! To photograph mine I’ve put them on a bed and climbed up on a ladder…