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August 09, 2007
Beast!
You have no idea how happy I am to have this Beast off my needles.
And when I say "needles," I mean needles - four long circs, each barely containing 150 stitches. Yep, I was working 600-stitch rounds towards the end of this project. No wonder the last few stripes took forever to finish!
Knitting this blankie reminded me how cumbersome large cotton projects can get. Maneuvering this puppy on my lap, especially in this heat, was not exactly the most enjoyable part of this project. It's nothing new... I've knit cotton blankets before! But we knitters have a way of erasing negative connotations associated with a project, and happily diving into the deep end of the pool again and again. I think it's probably similar to loving your kids, forgetting the pain of childbirth, and having more.
Now that I'm finished...
Oh, wait, I'm not actually finished. There's that little detail of weaving in the ends:
Gah! Even though I wove in many ends as I knit, a bunch more are screaming for my attention. I will weave you in, you little beasties! I will weave you in good!
Tomorrow stay tuned for a very special Eye Candy Friday: Sockapalooza edition!
Comments
I also lost the love on the pinwheel blanket I was working on about the time the stitch count reached 400. In my original plan it goes out to 600, but it's getting tough and heavy and just not my favorite anymore. Good thing I have 4 more months until baby arrival so maybe i'll get to it. Yours is gorgeous though! I love the colors!
I like the blanket - it came out great. Looking forward to seeing it with all the ends woven in and blocked :o)
I'm working on a bukly shawl that has a ton of stitches on a 29" circular and it's a beast to work on - especially since it's wool and it's been 105 degrees F here!
Notice, I never have any blankies on my needles. I learned long ago, not worth the hassle of knitting them. I am becoming a light weight knitter, if it isn't smaller then I am not knitting it. Besides, who wants to knit something heavy in the Hot Texas Summer weather, not this girl!
It's very lovely. Is that an applied I-cord edging or garter stitch?
WOW! The blanket look great! I can wait to see the whole blanket!
It looks wonderful already. Once the weaving in and the blocking is finished, you'll forget all about the hardship. Which reminds me, any word on Ene yet?
ah! ah! my eyes!! all those ends to weave--I may faint. I love the blanket but that would have sent me over the edge (can you tell that ends are my least favorite things).
I can't wait for the photo shoot!
Ooh! Could you please show me how to weave in my ends as a knit??
Some people have tried to tell me over e-mail but it is all too confusing....do you have it as a pictorial somewhere on your blog already? :oD
Yay, panty blanket!! Congrats on finishing - that's a LOT of cotton stitches.
I'm looking forward to picking up the new Modesitt this weekend so I can see the finished glossies of "your" dress! (The photos I've seen online of the projects are just delicious - how exciting to be a test knitter for such a gorgeous book!)
I'm very surprised to see the last white stripe in purl.... all the others are knit in this picture. There must be a reason behind it, after all, it's knit by you, Grumperina!
I would really like to know it.
I love it already, without knowing the secret.
Alke, I can't speak for Grumperina, but I think the last white stripe is knit in garter stitch to keep the edges from curling. The other stripes are stockinette/reverse stockinette which would probably curl like all get out without that border!
Oh underpants blankie, how I love thee. So squishy and stripy looking!
Wow - that looks fantastic!! Can't wait to see a finished product all laid out.
With projects like that, would you ever consider reverse engineering it, so that you knitted from the outside in? I tend to prefer things that get smaller as you progress (like bottom-up hats). I think it's because when you're still in the initial rush of a new project, 600+ stitches doesn't seem so bad!
That is lovely, but I understand why you call it a beast.
you finished though, good for ya! i worked on the crochet bedspread on my queen sized bed for over two years. too big to carry too hot to sit under but man oh man, it's beautiful. see it on my Ravelry project page if you want. it's double wedding ring filet crochet
oh boy. good luck with those ends!
Pretty please tell us finished dimensions once you get it blocked?
It's funny how knitters can be experts at denial. Even as I read your post about how it was miserable to knit at the end and I can see with my own eyes how many ends there are to weave in, all I'm thinking is "ohhh, pretty! I want one!"
It's funny how knitters can be experts at denial. Even as I read your post about how it was miserable to knit at the end and I can see with my own eyes how many ends there are to weave in, all I'm thinking is "ohhh, pretty! I want one!"
Ack! I know the pain of a center out blanket. Yours is beautiful and I can't wait to see it all laid out.
Good luck weaving in the ends! The blanket looks great- can't wait to see the finished, blocked piece!
Ack! Weaving in ends is my least favorite part of knitting! Have fun!
You can do it....just keep weaving! :)
Can't wait to see the socks!
It's lovely! I must admit, I couldn't tell how nice it would be from your in progress pics. [Because of my limitations, nothing to do with your pics]
Awesome blanket!!! I really hate weaving in those little buggers.
So cute! It kind of reminds me of one of those super-gigantic colorful lollipops.
yay! how big?
Wow, I can't wait to see it in all its finished glory.
Better you than me. Have fun with those loose strings and you are right about the childbirth part too.
The blanket looks fab! Very inspiring, especially since I just had another baby-to-be announcement from a friend.
I always cheat with blankets and cover up the backs with fabric - that way the ends just need to be well knotted, not woven in! But I think the effect of this would definitely be lost if you backed this one.
Who's the lucky recipient?
That looks like a lot of ends. Hope it goes quickly!
I can't wait to see the Undie blanket all tucked, blocked and spiffed up in all of its glory.
Congratulations on finishing your underpants blanket! Yours inspired me to get the pattern and knit one in lime, lemon & blue with alternating white stripes - I love it but as I HATE reverse stockinette I was planning on all stockinette with a broad garter stitch boder - do you think that will fix the tendancy of stockinette to roll?
I am knitting a baby sweater.. striped.. with Cotton Ease. I'm having a hard time figuring out the weaving in ends bit... any tips??
It looks fabulous. Considering your post on sewing in ends, I hope you provide some details on how you handled it.
do you think rich knitters hire people to weave in their ends? naaahhh... they probably spend all that extra money on yarn!
Does this blanket look fantastic? Yes! Do I respect your commitment to the project? Absolutely! Do I want to knit this blanket? No. And yes, I would agree with your childbirth analogy. Luckily, you will forget the "pain" of knitting this blanket and only remember how beautiful it looked once you were finished.
Coming out of lurkdom...
Great blanket, though I can imagine that it is not light summer knitting.
And totally hear you on forgetting the pain of a project after it is done. I think it is why I still use pale yellow for some baby projects...
Eek! All those ends! :)
That is a perfect baby blanket. Baby will love it.
Blanket is great, and well worth the effort. I've avoided knitting anything like that so far.......for obvious reasons.
love how this blanket turned out. i was looking at your other lovely blankets and noticed the no-longer giraffe blanket. i just did a pillow with a very similar giraffe. the intarsia was a major pain. happy end weaving!
Love the blankie. And I can totally relate to the pain of the large square many-ended cotton blankie having finishedmine back in May. The new kid seems to like it, so it may have been worth it!
Looking great. I can't wait to see it blocked and finished.