Blocking is Everything!

I finally gave a proper blocking to my doily lap blanket, otherwise known as the Hemlock Ring Blanket,  that I made a couple of years ago.  It looks so much better than the lump that has been sitting on my couch for the past 2 years.  Blocking is everything!

And I am almost finished with my KAL mystery scarf project from Janel Laidman’s Knitterati sock club.  3 rows from the end and I run out of handspun yarn!  Luckily I love Fiber Optic so much that I had the end of a blue-green gradient as a single.  I Navajo plyed it (with a couple of practices), and have what I think will be a lovely blue ending to this scarf.

3rd Lap Blanket

I finished my third in a series of lap blankets.  This one was made for the Charity knitting project that my SnB group is working on.  We are making lap blankets for a group home in Chicago that serves developmentally disabled adults, many of whom are wheelchair bound.  They wanted 2′ x 2′ blankets for the persons in wheelchairs.  I have one other on the needles, but I think that I am going to rip it back and make something else out of that yarn.  3 is enough.  3rd time ins the charm, on to other things…

Neglected Sweater

I am trying to finish past projects as I complete more recent ones.  So, today I finished my Doily Lap Blanket #3, and also finished weaving in the ends and sewing the sides of the Glenn sweater by Elsebeth Lavold.  I love the Silky wool yarn, and made a sweater out of it for my sister many years ago.  At the same time, I bought the yarn, and knitted this sweater up, but did not want to weave in all of the ends.  So it sat for years.  Now I have the ends woven in, the seams sewn, and I don’t like the way that the sweater fits on me.  It is so incredibly soft though.  I just have to work on the collar, and it will be finished.  I think that I will have to find a good recipient for this.  Any takers?

And, here is my doily lap blanket drying with Berocco Vintage Wool.  It looks so beautiful all blocked out.

Doily lap blankets galore

I finished the first of 3 (yes 3) lap blankets that I am making.  The first was made with Cascade Ecological wool, as was used by Jared Flood (aka Brooklyn Tweed) when he made the first one from a vintage knitted doily pattern.  For those of you interested in making this pattern, here is the link to the free instructions.  These are the finished photos of this blanket, it looks beautiful draped at the back of my Vintage English A&C couch.

Now I am on to the second of the doily lap blankets. This wool is so incredibly soft, bought it when my sister and I went to a farm tour outside of San Francisco from Mimi Luebbermann. I can feel the lanolin on my hands as I knit it. The colorway is beautiful, and not showing up well in my photos. It is a dark chocolate brown, and a tan 2 ply. 2 different sheep types, spun and plyed together, and then dyed with walnuts from the beautiful drive that approaches her farm. I met Mimi at the Farmers Market in Marin.  Unfortunately, I do not think that I have enough of the yarn.  My delima is whether to use the leftover Cascade, or bite the bullet and order more.  I am tempted to use the Cascade, as I have it, the color match with the darker of the colors is great, and I can then finish it now.  I might just add on and see how the transition looks.

And the 3rd, and I think final lap blanket for the time being, is a project that my local Stitch ‘n Bitch group is doing.  We are knitting lap blankets for a group home with adults with disabilities who are wheelchair bound.  The blanket had to be machine washable, and I had nothing in my stash that fit the bill.  So, my sweet husband went to the yarn store with me today, and I bought this yarn.  It is a 50/50 blend, called Vintage Wool by Berroco.  The weight is not the same as the Cascade, so I think that I will knit this on a size 7, it will be denser, which I think will be good.  I need to wind this yarn up, but just feeling it is great.  And I love the soft teal color.