The denim strips just sat there waiting. I was immersed and for a good three weeks, my fiber-y exploits were all about the knitting. I didn’t even take the time to warp the new weaving cones I got. I kept on telling myself that I would do it… but the linen yarn for the planned rag rug sat there untouched.

…and when I finally did it yesterday, it all came together so quickly…

I wound a three yard warp of the linen I purchased from Webs. I sleyed and threaded. I wound the strips of jeans onto the large rag shuttles. I made a rug for my front door. It was simple and relatively quick to complete.

The rags were quite bulky, and much of the beating was actually done by hand. The unevenness of the strips and the frequent bulk of the seams made it nearly impossible to beat with the loom’s beater. I tugged and beat the strips down with my fingers, and they held up well. I hope that means that the rug will hold up well for all of the feet that will be walking all over it:

Humans

Canines

Felines

I loved making something so functional. I love knowing that it will be right inside my front door when I come home. The ease and simplicity of the process were just what I needed to give me a little boost of weaving confidence. I am hoping that with more practice, the pieces will just get better. The real beauty of working with rags is that it will never look perfect. It has the homemade look: scrappy and asymmetrical. It is supposed to be that way! For a beginner, this is a gift!

It has been a few weeks since I even looked at the Komb Hexagon Afghan.  It was settling in on the bottom of the basket [under the Phyllo pullover] and waiting patiently.  I had not even thought about it since January.  I was working pretty steadily on my sister’s cardigan, and had a little affair with some sock yarn too (more on that later), but I wanted a little noticeable progress - so late night, I pulled out the blanket…

Hexagons?  that’s your queue!

She is growing… the last photo is the newest hexagon of the bunch - #19.  This is the beginning of the 4th row.  As a reminder, I am using the lovely marled yarn, Jojoland Rhythm in two separate colorways:  one for the edgings (the brown/blue combo-m01) and the one for the hexagons themselves (m20).  The colorways are so varied - this particular one includes some deep pinks and purples, followed up with intense greens.  Every once in awhile, there is some yellow and blue thrown in too.  

As it gets larger - I am almost 1/3 of the way through - the hexagons seem to take longer to knit.  Of course, they are the same size, but I think some of the time is spent wrangling the blanket around after picking up the stitches on the sides of the existing hexagons.  I am surprised to say that it takes about 1 hour per hexagon at this point - where I think I was able to knit at least 2 in that time period earlier.  Of course, this is a pure process knit, as I am in no real hurry to complete it (although I know Becca would love it by next autumn!) but it is an observation of the time invested.  You know, in case you ever feel the desire to take it on

The blanket will require a serious amount of blocking in the end, but I am not sure that it will ever be the same size as the large sample in the booklet.  It will serve my dear friend as a nice cozy lap blanket.  If I finish all 60 hexagons and still have some yarn leftover, I could add some length or width to make it a little larger, but it is still to early to estimate my yarn usage at this point. 

Marled yarns are a favorite of mine.  The lovely blends of color in the Jojoland make me quite happy, just as the subtle variegated striping of Trekking.  My newest socks have a great marled effect too… knit in GGH Marathon. 

I finished the first sock this past weekend - I got a nice chunk of knitting time on our way to Cunningham Falls State Park, the site of our special “weekend walk”.  We went for locally-made maple syrup and some great hiking - and we got both! (wanna see the pics?)  and I also got several inches of sock #1.  Sock 2 started straightaway.  I love the colors here - they reminded me of strawberries and blueberries, hence the sock’s new moniker:  Berry Socks. 

I wanted to have a completely clean slate for knits in 2008, but I didn’t quite make it… although I got close. The only true lingering knit after I finished Kris’s pullover was the Komb Afghan. This is a big project knit, so I am not hard-pressed to finish it tomorrow. However, it does feel nice to see progress on it. I really enjoy the process of making these hexagons. I have professed to love Norah Gaughan’s patterns for years, but this is the first actual pattern I have made by her… and I am loving it. I love the whole “Gestalt”-ness of it: all the parts making up a whole.

I just finished the ninth hexagon of sixty.

I love how each hexagon is unique with the variegations of yarn.

…and because I believe it is good for the psyche of the knitter, I am also working on a few quickie projects…

The Twiggy Bobble Hat, knit in Alpaca Co. DK-weight. It is a beautiful yarn that was a gift from my sister and brother-in-law. The pattern is cute, and includes two things I really like: purl stitches and bobbles. The little stitch marker is a rosebud, and was a very sweet gift last year from Kimberly.

Baby Garter pulli for a co-worker’s baby that is due in March. I liked the little stripes and thought it would be cute for a baby boy. I am making the 3-month size, so it should fit just in time for the summer months. The pattern is from Vogue’s KnitSimple magazine, the Spring/Summer 2007 issue. I am using Sugar and Cream cotton in cornflower and yellow. Thank goodness for Flickr friends giving me advice on baby knits - I am planning to modify the pattern to add buttons on the shoulder to accomodate for big baby heads

…I started the Komb afghan, and I can barely put it down…

Seven of the SIXTY hexagons complete!

Pattern: Berroco’s Komb Afghan (Keltic book)

Yarn: Jojoland Rhythm (100% wool)

My color choices were a “shot in the dark”. I knew that Becca wanted green and blue tones, but she mentioned accent colors too. I wanted a neutral border yarn, and I chose the M01 (khaki with light blue) as an experiment. For the main color, I am using M20, which has some rich green tones with some yellows and reds. While I still have much more to knit, I feel pretty confident about the yarn choice. The quality of yarn is good - this Jojoland is beautiful!

In between holiday celebrations and meals, I will be making a few more hexagons, and (hopefully) working on Kris’s anniversary pullover. I managed to fit in two small knit gifts too, which I am hoping to get a modeled photo of over the holiday…

Enjoy your holidays!!

PS–Please give your opinions and suggestions for the next Project Spectrum incarnation over at Ravelry and Flickr. We will be starting a new cycle in February 2008!

My best friend from college is getting married in January. I am getting a late start, but I am planning to make an afghan for her as a wedding present. She is a knitter also, and appreciates handknit gifts and the work and love that go into them. She knows an afghan is coming her way, and we have been discussing the options of patterns and yarns. I sent her a little smorgasbord to choose from…

I assembled photographs of several blankets that I liked and thought that there had to be one that she would like too.

She chose the two Berroco patterns - the first “feather and fan” and the fifth “Komb” patterns as her top choices. She then told me to make it a surprise. I do want some sort of element of surprise in all of this, although she knows about it. (Maybe when it is finished will be the true element of surprise!)

While both are pretty and fun, I am leaning toward Komb because it looks like a fun challenge. The knitted hexagons are beautiful and seem like they would be quite interesting to construct in the form of an afghan. The pattern calls for Berroco’s Keltic yarn. It does make a lovely blanket, but I am not 100% sold on the yarn. It is a blend, and I would prefer to use natural fibers for the project. However, what other yarns would have that same color effect? There are several of these marbled yarns on the market - do you have a favorite one that might work? I thought about Noro, but I think the striping would be too pronounced…

The color palette I was planning would not be too different than the one seen here. She loves blues and greens, and with one other contrasting color, maybe the rusty red or a gold, it would be a great match.

…or I could go the easy, yet still lovely, route of the classic feather and fan throw in a mohair yarn…

You gotta help a girl decide! Any thoughts? I would welcome any pattern or yarn recommendations!

Edited to add:  Your recommendations really helped, and once I started looking, I found a really great yarn:  Jojoland Rhythm for the Komb afghan.  It is like a worsted weight Trekking!  I ordered the yarn and I hope to receive it soon.  I know I won’t make it in time for the wedding - and the bride knows that too! - but it will be a lovely gift whenever it is finished.  I know she will love it.  Thanks for your help everyone!  (and I may be knitting another afghan in 2008 per your suggestions…)