Mother's Day Gift?

Here's a link to a knit kitchen scrubbie.  These are small, should be quick to make, and great for presents!

Will revisit this pattern once classes are figured out for next year.

Hometown Baby Blanket

"The Big Reveal"

Just needed to use the terms from all those HGTV design shows!  ;)

Close up!  Decided to keep all knit stitches on the same side!

Bigger picture

The blanket measures just about 36" square.  Due to the stockinette stitch, it does curl along the edges.  I personally like the curl.

I chose not to whip stitch the edges in the tan.  I tried a few stitches and didn't care for the overall appearance of it, so it's plan on the edges.

Here's the post where I described the blocks, amount of stitches cast on and rows, color choices, etc.

Happy Knitting readers!

Sneak Peak!?!?

Do you want a sneak peak?

              I bet you do!

But of what?  What else would it be on this blog, but something knit (especially since I don't crochet!).

Okay, here is a peak:

Were you hoping for something bigger?

Something showing more detail?

Maybe something like this one instead?

Bigger "Sneak Peak"!

Okay, okay, I know a better picture of all that has been completed so far ~ which is almost all of it.  I really shouldn't have any problems finishing it by Thursday!  Below is the best picture of the blanket.  The last blue panel needs to be finished and the column knit together, then stitch those three blocks to the rest of the blanket.  So here it is:

What do you think?  It's for a baby boy I've been calling Todd.  Mom and Dad have the right to over rule my choice in names though.  ;)

Lesson Learned

In all the knitting I have been doing over the last few years, there have been a few that require multiple skeins of yarn.  Prior to this project, I had never had an issue with being able to find the particular brand, style, and color yarn I needed to continue working.  Never had an issue with dye lot either.

Approximately a month ago I began designing and knitting a baby blanket for a friend out of Lion Brand, Hometown USA in three different colors.  I originally picked up one of each color I wanted to use, not knowing how much I would ultimately need to finish the project.  Well, I finished up those three and did the math and calculated wrong.  Thought I could get by with one skein of the blue and one of the green.  Went back to Wal-Mart to get the 3rd of each color.  They only had the green and the feel was off but I bought it anyway.  In the following trips to Wally World for other things, I'd check to see if yarn had been restocked.  No luck.  Yesterday, I finished up the green and really need the blue.  The local Micheal's and a different Wal-mart did not have the blue.  I called Joann's this morning, they carry that yarn, but do not have the blue.  I called a Gaithersburg Joann's (Kevin works a bit from there), they don't have it in.  YIKES folks, I was REALLY hoping to be finished before this coming Thursday.  May call a different Micheal's in a bit to see if they carry Hometown USA.

LESSON LEARNED:  Listen to those who have done something longer than you and give you suggestions on how to do something, they just might be right.

Time to get off the computer and start making some phone calls!

Past Knitting Projects

I have another blog, on daily life.  Been at that one for awhile.  Here are some links to a few things I've knit and posted there:

9 panel baby blanket

stripped Hometown blanket

cable scarf (first portion of blog post is the scarf, the remainder is musing about life)

I've knit many other things and could possibly find more pictures too!  Will see what I can do on another day.

Baby Blanket

Have begun my first baby blanket since beginning this blog.  No formal pattern, but I intend it to be a 9 panel blanket that I whip stitch the various pieces together.  Each piece will be made out of "Hometown USA" yarn by Lion Brand and is 27 stitches wide by 36 rows.  The center block I used Los Angeles Tan in a basket weave.  The remaining blocks are San Diego Navy and Oklahoma City Green, four of each color, done in Stockinette Stitch.

When I have all the blocks finished, I'll decide if I want all the border pieces to have knit side out or alternate knit and purl so that the blanket has more texture.  As of this posting, I have the center block tan, basket weave and a blue stockinette stitch block finished.  I am about half way through the first green box.  I'm guessing I may need three skeins of the blue and green, each.  The tan only needed one and I should have enough left over for the whip stitching the pieces together.

FWIW:  there is a similar pattern on Lion Brand and possibly elsewhere.  I made a basic 9 block blanket, a number of years ago, that was made with Home Spun, all knit stitch and only two colors (from Lion Brand).  There, I made 4 of each color, then decided which color I wanted to have 5 blocks and which I wanted to have four.  It was from this pattern that I experimented and came up with the design I am working on know.  May play around on other designs to create an argyle pattern that crosses over several boxes.