Tuesday, June 05, 2007

I did it, I did it, I did it ....

I squeezed all 9 colours into a 6 colour graph!

This post, four new fish, I think I have the final version with all the nine colours for the fair isle blanket, I share some tips from KR about steeking, and discuss comments suggestions, and a large ball of wool.

So, some new fish, which makes 94 fish in total. When I sewed up the blanket a few months ago I had a more than a few fish left over, not enough for another row or colum of fish. So last week I took stock and worked out I needed five more white fish, and four more coloured to complete one more row and one more column. I've got a single regia sock yarn fish nearly complete on the knitting pins, so 3 and a half then time for another sewing session. This is very much a 'slow cook' project and there is nothing wrong with that.



It took some doing, but there it is. I worked in all the colours of the yarn Gill and I bought. All 9 of them, three purples, two blues, a green, a yellow, and a light and dark pink (which I called rust on the chart but it really is more of a dark pink). Not bad for a design designed for 6 colours!

I've cast on, and made a start, 3 cm so far. Knitasha from KR suggested an Anna Zilboorg steeking technqiue that needs only a 3 stitch steek and stabilises the opening to prevent stretching it when machine stitching. I want that book, I have Zilboorgs mittens one and the woman seems to know her stuff technically - which is what works for me.

Suzanne also made me think about how I was planing the blanket, by asking about why I didn't knit it in the round to construct the backing at the same time, and work in an i-cord to define and secure the edges. Gillian, my friend and sponsor of yarn for this project, and for who's baby it is intended, talked to me about other blankets her mum had made - with a cotton fleecy Winceyette (brushed pj and sheet cotton fabric) backing. Her experience was it was warm, easy to wash, felt soft and has some grip so the blanket didn't slide around. I wondered early on about knitting it in the round, or knitting a backing to hide the floats, but given the mid august 'needed by' date, the amount of knitting required for a blanket, I am going with the sewn on backing suggestion. I am still playing in my mind about knitting a backing and how it would need securing in place somewhat to prevent it looking like a baggy deflated pillow or cushion. If I can knit 3 cm a day, then it will be done and ready for a facing in a month - but I'm away for work quite a bit at present -- so no promises.



... and this wee beauty is my 6" 200g skein of off white dk wool all wound up ready for the 1st gansey workshop session saturday. just need the right size dpns (just between you and me I ordered some addi bamboo dpns in the right size from Kangaroo in the uk. They don't charge much for shipping small stuff, and automatically deduct tax. But they won't arive for the first workshop on saturday so I might do the magic loop thang ... )

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