For several years, it really started to bother me that I had no skills or talents I could do with my hands. I could analyze a novel and write a pretty decent essay about it, but I really didn't have skills of craftsmanship of any kind. So around Christmastime a few years ago, I asked my mom to teach me how to knit. It all of about an hour to show me the basics. I made a couple scarves before returning to SLC, and after I made a few more, I decided I wanted to branch out a bit. Knitting is one of those activities where, if someone teaches you the basics, you can pretty well teach yourself after that. I bought an excellent do-it-yourself guide The Knitter's Handbook and learned some variations on the basic stitches, which I practiced while making yet more scarves. Then, last year my good friend McKell got pregnant and I decided to branch out into the world of baby blankets. I bought another great book, Knitting for Baby, which has been very user-friendly for a beginner like me. I really liked the way McKell's blanket turned out so I figured I'd make one for myself! So, here, after weeks of knitting, are the fruits of my labors. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.
Here's one of the blankets, my first adventure knitting cables. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out; I used Debbie Bliss yarn. I love the color (which is not shown here very well; this looks rather gray, but it's a fairly saturated blue), but the yarn itself was difficult to knit with--the strands kept separating. Also, the yarn strand wasn't continuous within the skein--there were breaks and that was irritating because a strand would end in the middle of a row. This made it difficult to weave in the loose strands at the end of the project. I won't be using Debbie Bliss yarn again. BUT. I am happy with how it looks in general.
The pattern up close...
A truer likeness of the actual color.
This is the one of the same pattern I made for McKell. It looks funky in this picture because it's been blocked and laid out to dry. The blocking process is very important, I've learned. It helps hold the blanket together in a much firmer fashion. This is a very easy pattern that knits up very quickly and I find the simplicity of the pattern elegant and rustic. I used a different yarn on this blanket than I used for McKell's. The pattern instructions call for this knobby, somewhat stiff yarn, and even after washing and blocking, I felt that since the pattern is for a baby, the yarn should be softer. So this time around I used a cashmere and cotton blend. It's very soft and looks very sweet. I think this yarn is more forgiving than the yarn that the pattern calls for--hides my beginner's mistakes better. :)
A closer look at the details along the edges... also of our hardwood floors.
So, there you have it! Yay for knitting blankets! Thanks, Mom, for teaching me how!
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