Really, It Looks Better In Real Life

I'm making up this blanket pattern as I go.

I swear the colors in this photo aren't quite right, making the colors the blanket look completely mismatched. I swear they are not. I'm going through my supply of Lion Brand Jiffy Yarn. Last week I delivered one baby blanket, and I think it went over well. This one is for the next baby girl to come along. My friends have been turning out one boy after another, though, so it may end up sitting in my closet for some time.

I do love making up patterns as I go, as long as they are modular and require no math or measuring. I knit a lot of this one to the second season of House of Cards. I think Orange is the New Black is up next. Although, I find I watch less TV when the weather is nice, as it is now. The down side of that is that I also do less knitting.

Are You Kidding Me?

A friend told me that Lion Brand has discontinued the pastel baby colors of its Homespun. This is serious. Serious enough that I got on Facebook to check it out -- and I hate Facebook the way other people hate Homespun. Lion Brand announced the discontinuation here.

Now, Homespun is not my favorite yarn, but you can make one incredibly cute baby blanket from it.

Given the strong reaction on Facebook -- where you can sign a petition of protest -- it appears that there is a market for this yarn. I am devastated that this blanket is no longer possible. Sure, you could substitute, but Homespun worked perfectly for this particlar item.

And the few people who have this in their stash are selling it for outrageous prices. Not very knitterly in my mind. However, who am I to judge? 

For more information, follow this link. However, I think you have to be on Facebook to see it. Sorry.

WIP Wednesday: Pink

No, I never do seem to tire of mitered squares. So, I'm gradually adding to a pink baby blanket:

Unlike the last two blankets, this one is not being knit under a deadline. I'm just assuming that someone will have a baby girl one of these days ... but not before I finish this blanket.

All three baby blankets have been made from Lion Brand Jiffy. One of my goals is to knit up all the Jiffy in my stash. It'll be interesting to see what I do with the left-overs from both the boy and girl blankets.

What's on your needles? Check out more WIPs with Tami Amis.

FO Friday: Baby Blanket

Two of my teammates from school have had babies in the last year, so I just finished the second blanket:

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I have to say that it isn't really this crooked, but rather the camera angle is a bit wonky.

I made it up -- though I'm sure many people have made up this same pattern -- using metered blocks. I like the way it looks and the fact that you pick up stitches for new squares. I don't think I could handle sewing together this many pieces!

I used Lion Brand Jiffy because it's thick and cozy and machine-washable. The drawback of acrylic, of course, is that it can't be used for a sleeping baby as it is flammable.

What have you finished this week?

Blanket Knitting Is Perfect ...

... for this kind of weather.

At this moment, the temperature outside is fine, around 20 degrees F, but an extraordinarily cold front is moving in. The high tomorrow is predicted to be 4 degrees F (that's -20 degrees C) and Monday's high is supposed to be -11 F (that's -24 C). That is not a typo. Those are the HIGH temps. And the air will feel even colder with wind chills figured in.

This is cold even for Wisconsin. In fact, yesterday my district announced that school will be closed on Monday. In weather this cold, it's not safe for kids to wait out at bus stops. I have been a parent or teacher with this district for 20 years, and they never announce school closings in advance. Usually they decide that same day by 6 a.m.

It is perfect weather for me to continue working on the blanket.

The baby I'm knitting for is due in mid-January so I need to focus on this.

I have mixed feelings about school being closed Monday. We are at the tail end of our two-week winter break, so the timing isn't great. If we're going to have a cold or snow day off school, I'd rather have it in February, when we need a break. On the other hand, I am thoroughly enjoying being off work so one more day will feel good.

Today was the only warm day we've had, so I got out cross country skiing with friends. It was my first vigorous exercise since breaking my leg last April. Let me just say that I am going to be VERY sore tomorrow morning. Totally worth it though.

Miter Made

 I never seem to get tired of patterns using mitered squares. I think that you have to love this technique to do it because most patterns require that you knit a lot of them.

Mitered squares make for great TV knitting. Keith and I are just beginning the 3rd season of Breaking Bad, which is helping quite a bit with this baby blanket. Still, I feel a little odd knitting a baby blanket while watching such a dark show!

Not that I've watched one minute of TV this weekend. Cooking and hanging out with family has kept me busy. Last night I got to celebrate Hanukkah with both of my kids, and I was in heaven! 

Is there a technique that you never tire of?

Knitting Deadline

Let me start by saying that I have already missed the deadline. The little boy who will be receiving the blanket has already made his entrance.

Still, I'm close to the end. I've just begun picking up stitches for the border. Yes, it is a little crooked; apparently I picked up too many stitches on one square. Oh well. I think a little boy will not mind at all.

The mom is a coworker who I just adore. I'm even forgiving her for taking time off work!

It's a Log Cabin-style blanket that I just made up as I went. The yarn is Lion Brand Jiffy. I like it for baby blankets because it wears like steel, can be washed and dried by machine, and makes a nice puffy surface to lay a baby on.

I can't wait to finish it so I can go over my friend's house and meet Cole!

Happy Independence Day!

I admit it: I love Independence Day. I wait all year to hear a string of voices read the Declaration of Independence on National Public Radio. It's really an amazing document -- and short, too. I guess that makes me a history geek.

I'm celebrating another type of independence today. I no longer have to wear a walking boot. Look:

Those are my feet and there is a shoe in each one! I have to admit that the cute shoes didn't last. I have to wear adjustable, athletic shoes because 1. The doctor said so; and 2. My right foot is still swollen (as you can see) and it doesn't fit comfortably in most of my shoes. The doctor also ordered me to do a minimum of walking for the rest of the month. I can't even go for a recreational walk! So, in a way, I have a little less independence.  But that's OK -- as long as I'm healing!

It's a beautiful, beautiful day here. Keith is out biking (moment of self-pity). I parked myself on the porch and worked on this:

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It is the beginning of a Moderne Baby Blanket, a freeform and fun design by the Mason-Dixon Knitting girls. I am making this one out of Lion Brand Jiffy, a bulky alcrylic yarn. This baby is due in August, so I figure he will need a blank that you can toss on the ground and throw in the washing machine. It's a fun, mindless project.