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Resurrection day
Hexagon panopoly
Blankie for baby

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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.

I could go faster.  But I do enjoy the thrill of pulling this afghan out every few months and adding new hexagons, changing the dimensions and the color sequencing every so slightly. 

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. 

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!