The Halfway Square...

So here it is. The halfway square. Well, not technically as I still have the edging to do, but the blanket body is now half way through.

I have started sewing up the first two completed vertical strips. It's tedious. And dull. Never mind - only have to do it four times!

And so there endeth the year I started knitting. And what a year it's been. Many hats (I like hats), a scarf, some fab Lopi boots which I love, more hats (mmmmm, hats), a jumper, a pullover, a couple of cowls, some mice for Battersea cats, many kindle covers and even a cup cosy to name a few of my many projects and last but not least, the string and chopstick square that now resides on my car keys to remind me of how far I've come.


Happy New Year followers. Keep Knitting!

Progress...

A few more squares down.

Beach huts...

Sailing boat...

The boat isn't bunched - it's just how I laid it out.

Deckchair stripes...

The boat was probably the most conplex square yet. A lot of changes of yarn and directions of that yarn. 

...and how the blanket looks so far, minus a few squares that don't 'belong' anywhere yet.

I have decided to omit one of the corner squares and put in my own, with initials and if possible, start and finish dates of the blanket. It can't be any harder than some of these squares...

Anyone for ice cream?

What it says on the tin really.

I received my new yarn order and it's a revelation being able to knit more than three different squares!

The only mistake I made was to leave the green off the original order, and in a panic, buy a ball from ebay...without checking it was DK and not 4 ply!. I don't think you can notice the difference. Only two squares have green and they're not big areas so I think I am going to stick with it.

Yarn Order and Sewing up (again!)

I've bitten the bullet. I've run out of white so have put in my second order for yarn. That, I think, gives me most of the rest of the yarn I need to complete the blanket, plus three new colours so I can do some new squares (I am getting fed up of ropes and sand!) I may need some more white, red and blue but I will see as the yarn the book uses (which is no longer available) is sold in 50g balls whereas what I am buying is in 100g balls so the quantities needed aren't going to exactly match.

I have been sewing together some of the squares and it is almost looking like a blanket. Almost...

(see what I mean about getting sick of the same old squares?)

The Sand square I am knitting at the moment will keep me amused until the new order arrives and then I think I'll have a crack at the ice cream square...

Sewing up, no beads and intarsia knitting.

Firstly I have a confession to make. Remember the problems I was having with tension. Well the book told me to knit 'Intarsia'. Being a new and inexperienced knitter I had to look this up. Basically it means to knit with many strands. Bugger that. I had learnt to carry the yarn, so that was how I was going to do it. Far too fiddly. Becky knows best.


Fail.


On my non beaded attempt I decided to RTFM (look it up!) and cut many many strands and do it the proper way.


It was a disaster. Of course. Becky knows best.

Quite an improvement and I am going to go off and beat myself with a pointy stick for not following the instructions.

 

Of course the pride and satisfaction was short lived when I realised that I now have to re knit both Punch squares and also the Ropes square as that is a bit bunched too.

 

I think it's better and cleaner without the beads, don't you? Say yes! I hate threading those sodding beads.

 

Now onto my next picture. Sewing up. It is what it says on the tin. Not bad for someone who makes a dog's dinner out of everything she tries to do when it comes to presentation and that includes herself. Chris famously said to me one evening, when I had spent much time carefully applying the make up I hardly ever wear "What's wrong with your FACE?" Anyway, here is the proof that I CAN do things neatly.

Sew (see what I did there?) what have I learnt?

 

Don't assume you know best

Intarsia knitting is not as hard or fiddly as it looks...oh actually...

Beads and evil and must be stopped

 

and even the most slapdash of people, when concentrating can do a decent job if they put their mind to it...

Knitting in bed - a new low

I wanted to see how the new Punch square turned out, ok? So I took up my cottons, and needles and book and sat knitting while Chris read. He doesn't mind - he's used to my eccentricities by now!

Stand by readers as this afternoon I will have pictures to post. I have started to sew up a strip and also the new look Punch square - with intarsia technique and not carrying as I have been doing. Exciting stuff!

To bead or not to bead...

Having finished another couple of 'shingle' squares I started beading up again. Three hours later, having got fed up I have made a decision. I don't think I am going to use the beads. I don't think they add enough to make it worthwhile time and effort wise to thread them. The beads also make the blanket feel harsh to the touch and I am not sure that is what I want.

I am currently knitting a 'punch' square without the beads to see how it looks. If it is ok then no more beads.

Perhaps not following things exactly but when I am spending hours threading with no pleasure gained from doing it (unlike the knitting) it's time to make adjustments!

All tied up...

...in ropes.

I was a bit worried about this square, being cables and all (and two colours!) but I think it is ok. Again tension issues on the colour carrying but it is improving. I have another 15  'ropes' squares to hone my skills!

Stitch and Bitch

I found out today our town has a Stich and Knit club. Magic! It's on the first and third Tuesday of the month and costs £2. So when agility training has finished I am going to head down to the hall for some knitting fun with other people (they have cake too! I like cake, although not as much as I like...oh wait, no I like cake better).

Punch and Judy Take Two.

My laptop is shouting at me because it's running out of battery so I'll be brief (or get the lead - probably get the lead).

Third time lucky (we won't mention having to rethread ALL the beads as they were put on in the wrong order, or getting to the last row and realising you have way too many red stitches) and we have another square. Tension is better on this one, but not perfect. It's a much better size so should be fine. I have another three of these squares to knit so I will see how the others go before I decide what to do with the first one.

Onto my first (of 16!) 'Ropes' square with multiple colours and cables. Should be fun. Well it will be when I actually get past row one which after three attempts I have failed to so far.

Stop eating my beads Jack!

Jack, my elderly cat has decided that beads are nom nom nom. That means that threading beads is hard work when he's around!

...but after an hour or so (big improvement on last time!) the beads are on.

 

Well, all but one. I realised I made a mistake and forgot to thread the extra black one at the start! As the beads are threaded in reverse order I now have a problem.

 

But I think I can rectify the situation. As it is the last bead, I will knit to the last one, cut the yarn and thread the bead on from the other end. That will work. I hope!

All work and no play...

..makes Becky a something. Too tired to remember.

Amongst a building move at work I managed to take in my Punch and Judy square to show brilliant colleague wot knits. She agreed with me regarding the tension on the tent and said that the 'float' needs to be carried very loosely.

I am knitting a 'shingle' square at the moment and when that is finished, I am going to thread more beads (beats head against wall) and have another crack at it and not pull as tight on the changes.

I don't get much done on a Monday night as I teach agility, or a Tuesday night as I train my own wayward mutt but tonight I am planning an evening in front of the telly and the knitting book.

Multi stranded knitting. Fun for all the family. Or not.

So then, after about three days, and many re casting ons, Punch and Judy is born.

Ta da! Not too bad for my first colour work. Doesn't look like the square in the book though...

I am having some issues with tightness. I think proper knitters call it tension. Basically when I have to carry a colour it bunches things up. I have been told by my fabulous knitter colleague and line manager that my knitting is quite tight, which isn't a bad thing but can cause issues. It is also very chunky where I have carried the yarn. I can't think of another way to do this particular square. There would be so much stopping and starting with the red and white it would be a nightmare. It was bad enough managing this:

 

I have pinned it to the two other knitted squares and it does match size wise so would be ok when knitted together I think.

 

I am in two minds. Unpick and start again, or see how the next one goes. I am inclined to leave it and see. The chunkyness adds depth to the work, and gives it an individual twist. What do you think?

Knitting with beads is hard

It is. But it looks dam good if I do say so myself! Just finished the sand and onto the sky and hut. It's my first time using multiple colours (blue, red and white, and later blue, red, white, turquoise and navy) and after a faltering start and some tinking (knit backwards!) I think I've cracked it. The bottom of the square is a bit of an odd shape though :/

Becky vs Beads

After a slow start and much gnashing of teeth, I think I am winning! Who would have thought threading beads would be so arduous. It involves a complicated system of thread, yarn, needles and most of all, PATIENCE! Nearly there for the first Punch and Judy square.

I think next time I will check the beads have holes big enough for the yarn without all this hassle. Two hours to thread 50 beads *sigh* About 20 more to go this evening before I can start knitting.

...and it's twins!

Second square finished.

Just about to thread the beads for my first 'Punch and Judy' square.

It's here!

I got home from work at lunch time to find Mr Postman had shoved a card through the door saying I had a package to pick up. Our post office opening hours are crazy and I wanted my cottony goodness so I took the car down to town mid afternoon to pick up my package and tore into it excitedly.

I now have enough colours to do four or five different squares. I also have my beads! Ebay special. All the beads I need for £6 including postage. Bargain. Now just need to be coordinated enough to thread them onto the yarn in the right (or should that be wrong as you have to work backwards!) order.

The colours don't match exactly the recommended (trés expensive!) colours - it's been a bit of a calculated guess and much writing of codes against the colour of the suggested wool. No matter - it will only serve to make it more unique.

I need to finish the second 'nautical stripe' square I started and then onto the first 'Punch and Judy' with beads. And chart following. And colours. Eek!

The Blanket Blog

Where to start. Ok, from the beginning I guess. In January of this year (2011) I decided I wanted to learn how to knit. As you do. With some help and advice from the wonderful knitters of Dogpages (more about them later...) I ordered some wool and some needles from ebay.

Being, well, me, I wasn't patient enough to wait for them, so rummaging around in the kitchen drawer I found some chopsticks and some string pinched...I mean borrowed from work. It's amazing what you can achieve with some chopsticks and string.

So the wool finally came. Good job really as I think I reached the limitations of my string and chopsticks!

After many failed attempts (put it this way, cast on 36 stitches, and then find after a few rows you stop counting at 60 - I think that can be considered failure)  I completed my first project - a scarf.

Too warm to wear but I was oh so proud of it. I'll wear it even if I sweat to death!

So then, what next? Another scarf? Boring. Socks. I want to knit socks. So with more Dogpages aid, encouragement and a fantastic book 'Getting started knitting socks' by Ann Budd (the sock legend it seems) Some socks were born. Many socks...

At this point, I decided I'd had enough of socks. Well, who can blame me? A jumper would be the next project. So several weeks later, and many new techniques, a badly fitting Guernsey was born. 

Things carried on this way. Another jumper, some hats (I like hats), more socks, a kindle cover, cables, multiple colours. I was becoming adventurous. 

Fast forward to 29th July. My birthday. 31 years old (and not much to show for it. Socks. And some hats). I was given some knitting books. I like books (although not as much as I like hats). One of them was a wonderful book - Blankets and Throws to Knit by Debbie Abrahams. I looked. I loved. Too much time, too much cost, too much wool. I work full time, run, swim, compete in and teach agility with Sasha The Fidget, my faithful mutt

I couldn't possibly have time to knit a blanket...or could I?

I like the beach (although not as much as I like hats) so 'Beside the Seaside' seemed the logical choice. Lots of new techniques there and enough to keep a self confessed fidget and individual with a concentration span of a gnat interested enough to enjoy it.

The wool (or 'yarn' as the purists call it) was a problem. If I used what they advised in the book, it would cost me over £100. Also the colour choice had become more limited since publication. I visited a local wool shop and decided on a viable substitute. Unfortunately they don't stock the colours I needed, and were also £1 a ball more expensive, so off to the interweb I did go. I did buy a ball of red, and white to start - just to get a feel for it you understand. This was the result:

My first square. 'Nautical Stripes'. Not much in the way of complicated colour work, or beads, cabling or anything else that would tax your average knitter, but I did have to 'carry' the colours on the last row of the three each time. I am not renowned for my neatness but with this I am very pleased. Not pleased enough to show anyone though. Not yet. (read: she can't be bothered to get the usb lead again can she...oh go on then:)

So if you're still reading, well done. Have a break now, as that's all for today. I await the arrival of the more interesting colours and beads and will be commencing my first 'Punch' square when the happens.

I nearly forgot, this is the finished article I am aiming for:

I am hoping we will be able to play a good game of 'spot the difference' at the end of this blog.