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Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Challenges with OddBall Blankets

WIPW (links in sidebar)
Oddball Blankets is a group on line on Ravelry. Each person knits their section based on a theme. Rules say no ribbing or cable stitches should be used as they draw in and make things uneven, count your stitches before and after your section to be sure you have 100, adjust the number of garter stitches for the edge to prevent curling, use the same type of yarn (sport, baby, knitted worsted etc.) mail onto the next person on the needles after knitting your 4 inches. The above theme is Mardi Gras. My spot is called border patrol. Crochet a border on this knitted blanket......pull it together and finish it off, mail it onto the organizer to be donated to local hospitals. Stitches selected should be reversible and have no right or wrong side. I've found over time, there's lots of leeway with the stitch selection, the yarn selection and sometimes it's quite a challenge to finish them off doing the border patrol. The yellow and purple sections do pull in, quite a bit. Hoping when I add border stitches that unevenness is less noticeable, and or when laundered and blocked it will be even.

I select 2 bright colors and do several rows of border. It does, I think pull it together...color and theme wise; but it doesn't even it up as much as I had hoped. The yellow section though not cables or ribbing definitely pulls the blanket inward. It's a lovely stitch too, so it's a shame. Click to enlarge, I don't know what the stitch is. Probably not a good choice for a group project, but would make an awesome scarf, and or blanket on it's own.

Close up of the border, and the pretty yellow section. Fingers crossed when blocked I can even it up more.
WOW, this one Cinco de Mayo really has issues with being very uneven. The black in the center is infact ribbing. I love this blanket, I love it's bright colors and variety of stitches; but am concern about the challenge of evening this one out.
It's a beginning. Yarn selected and stitches to use for the border patrol pattern have also been selected as this point. But, as you can see after one round of single crochets how far off it still is.
A close up shows a good 3 1/2 inches variance is the width of this blanket. I don't know if even heavy duty blocking will get the job done here. Pondering my choice of stitches again on this. As I continue to work on it, am constantly pulling, stretching it...in hopes of improving the rather large gap.

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Drum Roll Please, Wedding Ghan(YOP)

Post #7 YOP (Sept 4-10th)

Wedding Ghan before blockingJust finished the border, have a few tails to tuck, launder and block and it's finished! The Wedding Ghan. I'm happy with the end result, pleased with what I learned in the process. This was my first knitted ghan with multiple stitches, first large scale knitting project, and first large scale project joining with the very tedious mattress stitch. I learned to do eyelet knitting and enjoyed stitch variety I got with the blocks (taupe blocks), and the texture and zigzag triangles (dark brown blocks) I got with counting, counting, counting. Lost track how many times I ripped out and redid. The brown blocks seem to be the most difficult for me, harder to see I think. I had issues with being on the wrong side...apparently forgetting to click my row counter, or perhaps clicking it twice? Thinking I hadn't clicked it? This item is now in the wash. I'll move this item now to my completed list of YOP.
close up borderI crocheted the border with several rows (2 each of the dark brown and taupe, and 1 of the ivory inbetween) of single crochets, followed by a row of scallops in dark brown to finish it off. The border I think not only gives it a more finished look, but helps it lay more flat. Which also the blocking should help with.

In addition (no picture at this time). I finished the red-purple scarf, called Red Scarf Project no more. Tucked tails just before posting, so it too moves into the finished list.

Working on October Cloth for Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge (which makes cloth 7), and Poddle Ghan. Also selecting border for 2nd Oddball (Cinco de Mayo). Pictures later.

YOP list:
Wedding Ghan DONE
Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge (about 50% done with DD's cloths) started cloth 7 which was to be Easter Colors, a basket weave design for March; but you can't see the pattern well, and needles are wrong, and wrong size and ...frogged it. Posted it HERE. Think I'll switch to October since that's closer anyway. April, May, June, July, August, and September done. Need to do Jan, Feb, March, Oct, Nov and Dec. **Switched to October current focus
Cotton Cloths for Bridge and Beyond (haven't started)
Candy Corn Ghan (no headway)
Buckeye Scarf (no headway)
Learn to knit socks (no attempt)
Learn to knit cable stitches (no attempt, but....have found a pseudo stitch I may try on a cotton cloth to get me started)
Awesome wool (blue) scarf no headway Poodle Ghan (a current focus)
Oddball (Waiting on 2nd one to arrive so when I get it finished, I can mail them at the same time.)
Bridge Ghans (no additional headway) Will begin edging squares since wedding ghan is done
Red Scarf Project Scarf, posted about it HERE. So, will now call this scarf Red Scarf Project No More. DONE

Happy Sunday all

Monday, August 29, 2011

Final Stages Wedding Ghan (YOP)

Year of Projects post #6 (Aug 28-Sept 3)

Adding edging now to the wedding ghan. All stripes sewn together, all tails tucked. Making my way around with single crochets, will do several rows, plan on using all 3 colors with the final border edge the dark brown. Then it need to be laundered and blocked. The edges are curling up more then I like, but I think with each row they're improving. Wanted to have this done a week ago, but it takes time. Each border row is over 600 stitches!

Continuing to work on red and purple scarf, Red Scarf Project no more. It's a reasonable take along project so been chipping away on it.

YOP list:
Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge (about 50% done with DD's cloths) started cloth 7 which was to be Easter Colors, a basket weave design for March; but you can't see the pattern well, and needles are wrong, and wrong size and ...frogged it. Posted it HERE. Think I'll switch to October since that's closer anyway. April, May, June, July, August, and September done. Need to do Jan, Feb, March, Oct, Nov and Dec.
Cotton Cloths for Bridge and Beyond (haven't started)
Candy Corn Ghan (no headway)
Buckeye Scarf (no headway)
Learn to knit socks (no attempt)
Learn to knit cable stitches (no attempt, but....have found a pseudo stitch I may try on a cotton cloth to get me started)
Awesome wool (blue) scarf (planned to take on recent trip; but as I was packing it realized I once again had not included the pattern I was using in the zip lock bag!) Why...probably because I was using the pattern on something else? I have no yet frogged this start---it's a 300 stitch cast on and I'm hoping to be able to determine what I was doing.
Poodle Ghan (had planned to finish this by now, had it packed for mentioned trip....mindless knitting would have been good; but.........needed to remove it from the suitcase to make room for our Martini glasses)
Oddball (Waiting on 2nd one to arrive so when I get it finished, I can mail them at the same time.)
Bridge Ghans (no additional headway)
Red Scarf Project Scarf, posted about it HERE. Though I'm about 85% done with it, looks like with the new regulations for The Red Scarf Project, it won't be donated there, but I will continue to work on it and it will be good for something/someone/charity wise. So, will now call this scarf Red Scarf Project No More.


Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sandy's Sunday Year of Projects, fast week

Week #5 for me Aug 21-27

A much shorter post then most of my YOP posts are, and no pictures today. Though links below to see what projects I'm talking about. I've made good headway since last Sunday (Monday when I made my post); but not 1 single item is yet to go from the YOP Work in Progress List to The Yea it's done list. Chipping away. I'm so enjoying visiting, and learning from some pretty awesome blogs with regard to this challenge.

YOP list:
Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge (about 50% done with DD's cloths) started cloth 7 which was to be Easter Colors, a basket weave design for March; but you can't see the pattern well, and needles are wrong, and wrong size and ...frogged it. Posted it HERE. Think I'll switch to October since that's closer anyway. April, May, June, July, August, and September done. Need to do Jan, Feb, March, Oct, Nov and Dec.
Cotton Cloths for Bridge and Beyond (haven't started)
Wedding Ghan (about 90% Knitting completed! Ends all tucked in, all strips joined. Have started the border. Wanted to finish this weekend, get it in the laundry and block it; that's not going to happen. Spent to much time outside doing yard work.
Candy Corn Ghan (no headway)
Buckeye Scarf (no headway)
Learn to knit socks (no attempt)
Learn to knit cable stitches (no attempt, but....have found a pseudo stitch I may try on a cotton cloth to get me started)
Awesome wool (blue) scarf (planned to take on recent trip; but as I was packing it realized I once again had not included the pattern I was using in the zip lock bag!) Why...probably because I was using the pattern on something else? I have no yet frogged this start---it's a 300 stitch cast on and I'm hoping to be able to determine what I was doing.
Poodle Ghan (had planned to finish this by now, had it packed for mentioned trip....mindless knitting would have been good; but.........needed to remove it from the suitcase to make room for our Martini glasses)
Oddball (Two rows of the border done, so bout 60% finished, waiting on a 2nd one to be delivered so I can mail them at the same time.)
Bridge Ghans (no additional headway)
Red Scarf Project Scarf, posted about it HERE. Though I'm about 65% done with it, looks like with the new regulations for The Red Scarf Project, it won't be donated there, but I will continue to work on it and it will be good for something/someone/charity wise.