April 7, 2004
Finito!
The log-cabin blanket is done (save for weaving in ends), and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. It still doesn't have an intended recipient, so I think I might hang on to it. After all of those stitches, I've grown attached to it! You can see the whole blanket here.
You might remember from this post that Sammie really loved this blanket when I started it. It only got more intense -- you would think that catnip was woven into the strands Mission Falls 1824 Cotton the way the cats carried on. Every time I laid out the blanket, there was quickly a cat on it, under it, next to it....
(Note: I apologize that the pictures are so dark -- I'll try to clean them up when I get home. They didn't look this bad on my computer last night! Update: I adjusted the pictures somewhat, and you can see the details a little better, but now the colors are off. Just imagine muted jewel tones as you look at the blanket!)
Posted by shannon at 10:48 AM | Comments (5) | For related posts: Log Cabin Blanket
March 23, 2004
How the Gringa Got Her Groove Back
This winter, I hit my first-ever knitting slump: my rate of knitting fell precipitously and no projects -- in-progress or potential -- seemed appealing. Heck, I even walked past open yarn stores without going in. (Tragic, I know.) By the beginning of February, I was worried that I had lost the zeal for knitting.
I'm happy to report that it was a false alarm. As soon as the days started to lengthen, it seems, my urge to knit returned. I knew I was really back in the game when I followed Alison's link to the Mason-Dixon Knitting tutorial on log-cabin knitting -- and could think of nothing else for days.
Last week in Austin, Alaina and I were strolling down South Congress exploring the fun shops and... hey! what's that? A yarn store?! And not just any yarn store, but the Yentala's yarn store! (Who me? Plan our route that way? Never!)
Hill Country Weavers is a charming establishment, complete with front porch seating for knitters and an elderly black lab wandering the aisles "assisting" customers. (Sadly, they do not have a web site that I can find. Happily, Yentala did a virtual tour in December!) I already knew what yarn I wanted (Mission Falls 1824), and Alaina helped me pick colors. This is the epitome of mindless knitting, and I'm loving it!
Project Name: Log Cabin Blanket
Pattern Source: No pattern needed, but tutorial on long cabin knitting found at Mason Dixon Knitting
Name of Yarn Used: Mission Falls 1824 Cotton
Amount of Yarn Used: 2 balls each of Sand (104), Coral (201), Phlox (405), Sea (402) and Fennel (301)
Needles Used: No. 6 Addi Turbo circulars (the balls band calls for No. 7s but I couldn't find mine and my No. 6 circulars are longer [40"], which is necessary when making a blanket of indeterminate size!)
Other notions used: n/a
Deviations from the Pattern: n/a
Other Comments (what I wished I'd known before I started this project):
*Don't forget to do a loose bind-off to avoid the "gathered" effect at the top of every stripe.
*I love the colors that I picked, but looking back I sort of wish that I had chosen colors that contrasted each other more. Also, I should remember to try to be more daring next time -- I only chose five colors and I've been using them in the same order. Next time, go crazy!
Posted by shannon at 10:36 AM | Comments (5) | For related posts: Log Cabin Blanket