Noro Star Blanket
Yarn: Noro Cash Island, colorway 11
Pattern:  Free pattern from Bernat
Needles: Size US 8-10, graduated as the blanket got bigger
Ravelry Notebook Page

What a joy it was to knit… I loved every minute, and I plan to make another.  The yarn was obviously the biggest draw here – the Noro Cash Island was decadent to knit with the brilliant colors and the mix of cashmere, wool, and all of the other goodies.  I bought this yarn in the sale bin at Maryland Sheep and Wool a few years ago; initially, I was planning a garment, so I only got one bag.  Had I known that I would make an afghan, I would have picked up two bags (20 skeins).  That would have definitely made it bigger and more “afghan-like”, but it would have been quite the feat to find circular needles for it to fit on!  This was nearly 1000 stitches in the round with 10 skeins.  It was becoming quite heavy, but never became a chore to knit in anyway.

I came across this pattern when searching the free pattern library on Bernat’s website – there are some great patterns for both knitting and crochet – and when I saw this pattern, the wheels started to turn.  (You have to register on the site, and then all the patterns are free!) Noro has that amazing self-striping quality, and in a star-shape afghan, that could be quite eye-catching!  Luckily, my bet was right.  I am thrilled with the way it turned out!

I used a friend’s interchangeable needles from Knitpicks.  I have not taken the plunge to get my own set of interchangeables, but I must say, it is tempting.  I plan to make more circular afghans, and 40″ circs are not available in most stores in a range of needle sizes.  This Knitpicks kit was useful, but I was annoyed that the joints kept coming unscrewed.  I don’t know if this is something that happens often in other brands, but it’s a quick way to lose stitches, and that is not good…  Do you have an interchangeable kit that you recommend?

I didn’t know as I was making this the star points would create this wavey edge, but I really like it!  As I bound off the stitches and saw the natural curve, I was thrilled with the results.  Blocking only made it better.

Stashbusting is at an all-time high over here – and with all the hockey-viewing lately, my hands have been quite busy.  I have more projects to share very soon!

This was intended to be a knit that kept me going through the Stanley Cup playoffs… but *ahem* They haven’t even started yet… and I am nearly finished.  I guess you could say I got addicted to knitting this blanket.  Noro totally has that effect on me.  I just want to see how the next color will come out of the ball and how it will work with the exciting fabric. 

I started the NINTH ball last night – out of ten.  So, at this rate, I will be finished by the end of the week.  And even if it is nearly 90 degrees outside (seriously, wasn’t there still snow on the ground one month ago?), I am loving knitting this warm blanket. 

I did some knit math to estimate how big she’s gonna be – and while she won’t be a huge bedspread-type blanket, she will be a decently sized lap blanket.  I can’t wait to see how the star points come out once I bind off.

Soon…

Noro doesn’t sit around in my stash that long… I buy it, and then it calls to me, like a siren song.   I buy it with a sweater pattern in mind, and then I begin to realize and remember that I have been burned by Noro’s horizontal self-striping across my mid-section before*.  Fool me once, Noro… but this time I wisened up… can’t fool this knitter twice (oops!  wait… maybe you can!) . 

This Noro Cash Island is going to be a blanket where it can’t add pounds and bulk (or the illustion there of) to anyone’s mid-section!  Just lots ot warmth and comfy-ness as I sit and read, watch movies and  knit/crochet new projects! 

This is the Star Afghan pattern, a free pattern from Bernat (you have to register for the website, but there are dozens of free patterns – many very good ones!) You can also see it on the Ravelry project page.  Obviously my version is going to look very different in the Noro.  I was searching for one of these circular radial knits – they are fun to construct and definitely compliment the self-striping yarns like Noro.  This Cash Island was a stash yarn that I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool awhile back.  It’s my (early)”kick-off” project for my Stanley Cup Stashbusting KAL (which will also include some crochet, so a CAL as well!)   Blankets seem like a great stashbuster

…

Yeah, the need for stashbusting really hit me when I actually *added* to the stash over the weekend at the fabulous Homespun Yarn Party… which was literally in my own backyard.  I do realize how lucky I am to have MDSW and this so close to me – in my same county.  The Yarn Party was a mere 2 miles from my house… and it was great fun.  I met up with my fellow hockey-loving knitter pal, Amy, and we headed over to get some yarn… I just didn’t plan to get as much as I did…

9 mini-skeins of fingering hand-dyed from Ashton Studio Arts

2 bodaciously bulky beauties from CosySpins

Handspun alpaca tweed 3-ply / wool single ply from Mid Valley Fibers

A lovely room in a historic textile mill filled with friendly people and fiber – what a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon, eh?  There were so many great local vendors.  I went to the party in 2008, but I missed last year’s because I was having my own fun party with my girl Jenna in Seattle, so I was quite excited to go this year.

It was all the more pleasure to see old and new(ish) friends – and to finally meet some “old” contacts for the first time.  Cosy and I have followed each other’s Flickr streams and blogs over the years, so it was great to meet her in person there — and to procure some of her lovely handspun. 

New items to the stash… and now I am gonna focus on stashbusting (BIG TIME!) until MDSW… we’ll see what I can knock out before then! 

Resurrection day
Hexagon panopoly
Blankie for baby

…

Komb Hexagon Blanket
Pattern: Komb, Berroco book #249 (Keltic)
Yarn: Jojoland Rhythm in M01 and M20
Needles: size US 7

Okay, maybe it was never *dead* enough to warrant a “resurrection”, but it was definitely forgotten and put away out of sight… and all it needed was a resurfacing and a little attention before it had a whole new life and new purpose. 

Started in December 2007, it was intended as a wedding gift for a friend.  Luckily, I anticipated how long this might take to complete, so we got her and her new husband a regular wedding gift as well…  It became clear early on that this was not going to be an enjoyable knit… I tried to practice all of my mindfulness and happy thoughts, but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t pleasant.  Perhaps it was the picking up stitches or the weaving in ends… the yarn was fun because it was a complete mixed bag – I never knew what I was going to get. 

I pulled it out last fall and winter and did a few more hexagons and then remembered why I had stuck it in the closet in the first place… and it went back in, about 1/3 of the way finished.  The blanket calls for 60 hexagons of a larger gauge, and I have 30 here, but I was planning to make 90 for a full afghan. 

The it occured to me that my knitting life would be much happier if I were to just “call it” with the hexagons and repurpose the blanket for a certain new baby in my life – my niece due next month! 

Hexagon blanket will now go to Baby V!  The fun bright colors seem perfect for a baby, and I thought the shape of it would be great for a stroller or car seat blanket. 

The yarn amazed me with each new ball – it is a nice light worsted weight wool – with so much variation.  I only used 2 colorways of the yarn!  Would you have guessed that?  The borders are a blue/taupe/tan mixture, while the hexagons themselves are pink, purple, green, and yellows.  Because I was planning a much bigger project, I have a decent amount left for some other fun things; it seems like a great yarn for winter accessories.  Mitts and a hat, perhaps?

I feel much happier knowing that this knit is no longer hanging over my head, and that it will keep my new niece all cozy.

The lovely Komb afghan always gets pushed to the bottom of the knitting pile.  Yet, when I pull it out, it always makes me smile.  I should work on it more often… especially because it is a gift.  A very belated gift.  The Jojoland Rhythm yarn is a constant surprise.  Until I seam it up, I am never quite sure how it will look.  I completed hexagon #20 last night.  That means I have about 40 more to go.  Since each hexagon can take the better part of an hour (sometimes 2 if I am paying attention to something else) there is already quite a bit of time invested in this afghan.   

An afghan that will need a very serious blocking in the end.  It is narrower than I expected it to be, so, after I finish the requisite number of hexagons, I will probably add some width with any leftover yarn.  I am thinking way ahead though…

I am taking things slow these days, in general.  I have been spending a lot of time in the garden and in the kitchen, truly enjoying the fruits (and veggies) of the season.  In fact, spending so much time outside seems to have caused a little problem… but, I am feeling okay.  I just take a lot of naps.  And in between those naps, I have been working a few rows of knitting and weaving.  The only things that seem to go fast around here?  the rate of reading (and listening to) books, and the fresh melons in the refrigerator. 

…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!

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 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

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!

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…)