The next blanket

The next blanket, #187, is another dark one, this one without dark red, so greens and blues on top of the standard very dark shades, black, grey and brown. I started on the black unlabelled Rowan wool DK yarn that I rejected for the broken rib blanket, every fourth row, but it blends in so well that you don't notice it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I unrevelled a Marion Foale cardigan. You still see her knits in charity shops quite frequently, sometimes with a very high price, sometimes as for this one, reasonably priced. It is plain stocking stitch with moss stitch trims, knit in a thin 4 ply wool. The wool was extremely pleasant after the wash. The kinks came out, and it is soft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broken rib blanket C32

The reason for this blanket was the next yarn in line in my spreadsheet of yarn acquisitions. I was looking for a nice easy quick pattern, and I found or devised this broken rib pattern. It is very easy – row 1 knit row 2 knit 1 purl 1. Repeat.

The yarn was Jaeger Luxury Spun Double Knitting with Alpaca. I had found a pack of 10 balls more than ten years ago. I knew the yarn well, having knitted a sweater in the 4 ply version in the same brown shade many years earlier. I decided that if I had hung on to it for so many years without finding a better purpose it may as well become a blanket. The alpaca content was 10%.

I then looked for a second double knitting yarn to go with it. The black Rowan DK yarn that I had in mind didn't seem good enough quality to go with it. Perhaps it was one of the earlier Rowan yarns, and I think at one time they did a light DK yarn. So instead I used the Christian de Falbe pink Chandos yarn because of my difficulties with bright pink. A good opportunity to get rid of it. I had 370 grams. The label said 80% lambswool 20% merino. I once knitted a favourite cardigan from this brand in a shetland wool plied with a metallic yarn. It worked well.

Thirdly for softness I was going to look through my store of Rowan Kidsilk Haze, but first I came across some pink Wendy Air – 70% mohair 30% nylon – that I had forgotten about. The colour suited very well. There were five 25 gram balls.

I could work out that I needed to supplement the pink wool so I found two balls of Patons Pure Wool DK in a dark red shade, for borders.

I thought putting the three yarns together would make a thick loose fabric, and it did, on 9 mm needles, and it became soft and slinky. Nice for a blanket. The knitting was quick, but I didn't enjoy it much. I prefer knitting with thinner needles. I stopped when I ran out of the pink DK, and finished with the second ball of Patons DK. It is not large enough for a standard blanket but it would be nice for a throw.

The reverse has a quite different pattern and texture.

I should have foreseen that I would run out of the Wendy Air, so I had to add some Uppingham mohair in red. I hope it looks as if it was the intention from the start.

I cast on with Pony circular needles and it was hard going. I have previously had problems with Pony needles, so I avoid them, but it was what came to hand. I realised why it was difficult. The tip was tapering on the part where I formed the stitch so pushing the stitches along was difficult as the tip got thicker. I found some metal circulars and the knitting went much more smoothly on them. Does this mean that I will have problems with lace needles as well? The yarn shop assured me they would work as well as ordinary circulars.

 

Broken rib blanket C32

Pattern: my own

Yarn: Jaeger Luxury Spun DK with Alpaca

           Christine de Falbe Chandos DK

           Patons Pure Wool DK

           Wendy Air

           Uppingham Lace Mohair

Needles: 9 mm

Size: 135 cm by 120 cm

Weight: 975 gr

18 May to 13 June 2017