Projects
Knitting a Picket Fence
Dear Kay,
I’m almost done with a blanket. It’s not a blanket that I’ve written about before, but for the last month, it is most definitely a project that has had me in its thrall.
It’s a Picket Fence Afghan, the design by Julia Farwell-Clay that is a highlight of Field Guide No. 7: Ease.
I’m telling you about it now because we are on the brink of starting a summer knitalong (Socks and Blocks!) where the Picket Fence Afghan is one of the patterns we’re all going to knit.
These squares appear to be simple garter stitch. Spoiler alert: they are not garter stitch, really. There’s a slipping of stitches, a turnaround, and a fair dose of purling in order to get the effect. The magic switcheroo. It’s so cool.
My news to you: this is a fantastic pattern. I don’t even get how Julia came up with this maneuver, but then, Julia is often up to bonkers knitting, with spectacular results.
Use the Good Stuff Now
What has been fun for me is the yarn. It’s a trip down memory lane, these skeins. They’re all yarns I’ve collected in the past few years from fiber festivals, knitting conventions, and yarn shops.
They’re collectible spoons, I tell you—souvenirs of visits to people and places that have been really special.
The common denominator: they’re undyed. The color of the yarn is the color of the fleece of the sheep or alpaca it came from. At the moment, it just feels right to make a blanket with these minimally processed yarns. If I can’t hang out with the sheep at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, I can at least pretend. So woolly. I find a bit of vegetable matter and all of a sudden I’m all: Rhinebeck, o Rhinebeck!
Each square has its own combination of sheep breeds. Some are from Solitude Wool, an amazing enterprise where a group of five women create breed-specific yarns, all with the intent of teaching us about the heritage breeds of sheep. I’ve got Clun Forest and Tunis and Border Leicester in there.
Other yarns:
- Rachel Atkinson’s Daughter of a Shepherd: Hebridean and Zwartbles!
- Amanda and Alberto Barcenas’s Prado de Lana: Romlinc!
- Tolt Yarn’s Snoqualmie Valley: Bluefaced Leicester/Clun Forest!
- Bent Limb Farm: Alpaca!
- Brooke Sinnes’s Sincere Sheep: Cormo!
- Alice O’Reilly’s rare CVM and Santa Cruz wool!
- Jill Draper’s Mohonk: Lambswool! (It’s the lone dyed yarn in here, though it’s such a sheepy dark brown that it looks like Jill had a sheep nearby for a color swatch.)
I’ll be done with this blanket in time to cast on another Picket Fence Blanket, this time using Rowan Handknit Cotton. If you want to go for a blanket with a neutral colorway, I’d recommend:
From left: Black, Ecru, Feather, Bleached
Or any color besides black along with these neutrals. I have a deep love of Sea Foam. I could look at this color all day.
Sea foam
It’s fun to scheme and plan your colors—this Picket Fence Blanket makes any color combination look modern.
I’m beginning to think that these blanket squares are my dishcloths. It feels weird when I don’t have one going. Hope there are some fellow blanketeers out there to join me in the Socks and Blocks knitalong. (Yes, we’ll be making socks too!)
Love,
Ann
I love the idea of this one as a stash busting opportunity. Can’t wait to see this done!
I can’t wait! I’ve already combed my stash for all of the remaining Denim.
I was wondering about the Socks portion of the Socks & Blocks Knitalong: do they have to be socks from Field Guide #11, or is it open to all socks? (I’m in either way, lol)
I love your idea, Ann, for using souvenir yarn! Such a great idea on so many levels. It will be a most unique blanket as well, made from memories knit into each stitch.
We’ll be working with Field Guide No. 11, but honestly, a good sock is a joy forever so go for it as you like!
The Green Mountain Spinnery has the most beautiful un dyed yarns ever. If you ever have a chance to go to Pitney, Vermont, the Spinnery is truly a must see.
Oh their yarns are so beautiful. Gotta get to Vermont!
Love your idea of using undyed yarn. Fits my coronovirus mood and yet uplifting at the same time. Brilliant!
Ann! This is the most splendid version (that I have yet seen). I love everyone in there!
I know! So many good folks making these yarns, it really is a stroll through the sheep barn to see their yarns together.
All those beautiful souvenir skeins, are they all the same weight yarn? And speaking of dishcloths, how do y’all deal with having a gazillion ends to weave in from color changes so often?!
If the Picket Fence squares are anything like the Metronome shawl, there will only be four ends per square, two for each color. It’s a fabulously sneaky knitting method!
Yes, you’re right! So clever!
Excellent questions! The yarns are not all the same weight, so I’ve been doubling some of them. The target weight for my blanket is worsted weight, so I’m using a size 8 and willing to have some size variation. So far, I’m seeing a half inch or so of variation among squares. It will not be that big a deal when I sew them up using three-needle bindoff. But it will be a bit warbly (based on previous blanket experience) though not terrible.
As for the ends, there’s no way around them, only through them! I find I prefer to do a giant end-weaving blowout at the end rather than doing them square by square. The seams provide a lot of hiding places for ends, so it ends up being faster, actually, than tenderly weaving ends into the fabric itself.
Warbly hehehe! Totally acceptable in a blanket;)
Thx Ann
Mmmmmm SEAFOAM!
I am so into Seafoam! Maybe it’s because I’m nine hours away from any seafoam. ; )
Your colour choices are amazing! I love the neutral tones.
Do you have a favourite method for joining garter stitch squares?
I’m going with three needle bindoff. Stay tuned—it makes a beautiful seam.
I was discussing this blanket with my sister, another MDK enthusiast, when she informed me that I “have too many knitted blankets.” I reminded her there is always the sofa upstairs….
Aileen, this is heresy! Why does she think Ikea makes those leaning racks if not to hang our blankets? I would like to have A Word with her.
Maybe your blankets need blankets. Never too many!!!
Love the naturals and I’m thinking of knitting my own picket fence but wondering if Rowan hand knit cotton really is DK weight???
I’d personally say not really, and I don’t think I’m alone in this opinion. A note from the yarn’s Ravelry page says, “Handknit Cotton is similar to the discontinued Designer Collection DK Handknit Cotton. Both of these yarns knit more to a worsted, in spite of the DK on the previous yarn label,” and the Ravelry database even classifies it as worsted weight based on the labeled gauge of 19-20 stitches per 4 inches.
(https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/rowan-handknit-cotton)
If you think of DK yarn and fabric as being more in the 5.5 to 6 stitches/in range, then the Picket Fence pattern is also not a typical “DK” knit, since its target gauge is 17.5 stitches over 4 inches (in garter stitch, though). But the descriptive terms (worsted, DK, etc) for yarn weight are notoriously fuzzy and inconsistently applied!
Agreed…only swatching (gasp!) will tell you if it will work for what you are planning.
Sublime! I swooned the moment I saw this post, then composed myselft and ordered a copy of Field Guide No. 7: Ease. I know we’re going in to summer but I’d like to do the Picket Fence afghan in Merino, Merino-Silk, or Merino-Cotton. As long as the yarn is DK weight, will that be okay?
Any weight of yarn will work—it’s just that your squares may be larger or smaller depending on your gauge and needle. If the squares are significantly smaller than the pattern specs, you can just make more of them.
Thank you!
Such a beautiful archive!!
I keep finding more skeins, total amnesia on when I bought some of them. I love them all like babies.
These colours are great 🙂
I am just starting my first block and am ready to start My second stripe b and my yarn is not at the end.
I have a stash of Rowan and Elle denim that I just discovered. I was looking for a pattern and this is just perfect. Thank you x
Your beautiful blanket has me wanting one.
If I wanted to make this in wool, similar to your colorway, what do you recommend and in what quantities?