I had been saving cotton yarns for this blanket for quite some time. When I got the yarn out I realised two things. Firstly, although the yarns were all DK weight the colours did not look good together. I had to omit the darker shades. Secondly, even with the darker shades there was not enough yarn for a full sized blanket. So I had to buy some more.
I started with the yarns intended for my Di Gilpin top. Over the past few years I have bought the occasional additonal ball with this blanket in mind. I was pleased to find a bag of unravelled beige Rowan Cashcotton DK which fitted perfectly. In the Rowan sale I added some darker beige Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton (Oakapple shade). Once I realised I needed more yarn I went out and got four balls of Wendy Supreme Cotton - luckily at half price.
Last September I finally cast on. I wanted to knit a chevron pattern. There are of course a number of ways that you can do chevrons. I liked a solid fabric rather than the holes created by yarn overs so I did the increases by making one, and the columns created by knitting stitches inbetween decreases appealed to me too, so I took the pattern from a skirt pattern in a recent copy of Vogue Knitting. I used the Rowan Purelife Cotton for the border and for two regular garterstitch rows.
There is a regularity to the striping pattern although it is perhaps not obvious. I calculated it so that the shades would be distributed equally throughout, and so that I would not have to make decisions about which to use next. I also planned it so that three yarns at most would be in use at any one time - plus two strands of the border yarn - with one carried on each side. Both the garter stitch border and attaching the yarn intarsia style worked beautifully, I am pleased to say. Unfortunately my colour scheme broke down half way through, as two very similar yarns ended up next to one another, and after that I resorted to deciding as I went along.
The knitting took a long time. I had to take time from my standard blanket in order to see a finish to it. I did enjoy it a lot though. It was very pleasant working solely with cotton yarns, some more than others. My favourite was a Katia Eco Cotton yarn, in grey and blue. I am very pleased with the result. I wouldn't mind doing another chevron blanket - perhaps with yarn overs in a chunky yarn. But there are so many other patterns to try.
I did learn from this that it is no good attempting a blanket if I only have a third of the yarn needed. I must take all, or nearly all, from the yarn store, otherwise it is self defeating. And putting shades together from different brands is tricky.
Knitted chevron blanket C14 Yarn: DK weight cotton yarns, total 1330 gr Needles: 3.75 mm Pattern: own Size: 172 by 126 cms Knitted: 9 September 2012 to 18 February 2013
And finally a picture of chevrons by a master - my Missoni cardigan from a charity shop. It is the right size for me but very long and very skinny. The colours are just right for me, but I don't like the low v-neck very much.
I started with the yarns intended for my Di Gilpin top. Over the past few years I have bought the occasional additonal ball with this blanket in mind. I was pleased to find a bag of unravelled beige Rowan Cashcotton DK which fitted perfectly. In the Rowan sale I added some darker beige Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton (Oakapple shade). Once I realised I needed more yarn I went out and got four balls of Wendy Supreme Cotton - luckily at half price.
And finally a picture of chevrons by a master - my Missoni cardigan from a charity shop. It is the right size for me but very long and very skinny. The colours are just right for me, but I don't like the low v-neck very much.