Tuesday, September 05, 2006

The Lace Blanket

First - thank you all for your kind and supportive comments to Monday’s post.  I’ve been living with this for a long time and am used it it, after a fashion.  However, your thoughtfulness and good wishes brought tears to my eyes and I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate it :)

Second - Knitting Chatters is on for Thursday night.  Click on the button on the sidebar to get to the chat room - hope to see you then!

Now - on to the Main Event!

This all came about because of the cruise trips my father keeps taking me on :) One of the lines we frequently travel has two wool/mohair throws in the closet.  Because I like my quarters to be as cool as possible when I’m traveling, eventually I dug out the throws to lay over me at night.  Their light weight and toasty warmth completely seduced me.  Of course the throws are available in the ship’s gift shop for a princely sum but, as I’m sure you’ve figured out, I realized that I could make one.  All I had to do was find the mohair.  In June, accompanied by the marvelous Bron, I did!





The plan evolved to make the blanket in panels, changing colors as the whim struck but using a single lace stitch pattern for each.  I love knitting lace with mohair - while the size of the lace itself is large, the mohair retains the delicacy of smaller scale work.  I had planned this project to go through the summer but August was so cool that I’m afraid I rushed it so that I would be able to use it.

It was simply a matter of deciding how long and how wide I wanted the finished blanket to be.  The mohair (about 24 oz of Classic Elite La Gran) was worked on US size 10.5 (6.5mm) needles.  I wound up with 6 panels varying between 8 and 12 inches in width.  When all the panels were done I had a momentary KRPA (Knitting Related Panic Attack) while I considered how in the world I would join them.  Sew?  Mohair? Unh-unh… Pick up stitches and do a three needle bind-off?  Erm...maybe not :) The real issue was that the panels were multi-colored and I wanted something to both set them off and unify them.  Finally I decided to try a technique usually reserved for crocheted bedspreads and tablecloths.  First, using black alpaca, I crocheted a succession of ch3 loops up the side of the first panel - single crochet, ch3 all the way up the side and end with a single crochet.  Then I picked up the second panel and joined the black at one end, did a single crochet, and a chain and then single crocheted in the corresponding loop on the first panel.  Then another chain and a single crochet in the second panel.  It was just a matter of connecting loops to loops and it worked out better than I had imagined.

When all the panels were joined, I did the chain 3 loops around the entire perimeter of the blanket.  I’m not sure this is the final border but it was all I had enough black alpaca to do.  There may be something different later on and this works for now :)

The finished measurements are about 60” x 64”.

These are the lace patterns I used.


Staggered Fern Lace - Panel of 20 stitches

1.  (right side) K11, yo, K1, yo, K3, sl1-K2tog-psso, K2
2.  (and all wrong side rows) K2, P18, K2
3.  K12, yo, K1, yo, K2, sl1-K2tog-psso, K2
5.  K2, K3tog, K4, yo, K1, yo, K3, (yo, K1) twice, sl1-K2tog-psso, K2
7.  K2, K3tog, K3, yo, K1, yo, K11
9.  K2, K3tog, K2, yo, K1, yo, K12
11. K2, K3tog, (K1, yo) twice, K3, yo, K1, yo, K4, sl1-K2tog-psso, K2
12. Repeat row 2.

Repeat these 12 rows for pattern


Vandyke Lace - Panel of 23 stitches

1.  (right side) K2, *K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK*, K3, YO, SSK, K2; repeat between *s once more.  End K2
2.  (and all wrong side rows) K2, P17, K2
3.  K2, (K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K1) twice, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K2
5.  K2, *K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK,* K2tog, YO, K3, YO, SSK; repeat between *s once more.  End K2.
6.  Repeat row 2.

Repeat these 6 rows for pattern


Allover Eyelets - Panel of 25 stitches

1.  (right side) K5, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K5, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K5
2.  K2, P21, K2
3.  K3, YO, SSK, K5, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K5, K2tog, YO, K3
4.  K2, P21, K2

Repeat these 4 rows for pattern


Snowdrop - Panel of 23 stitches

1.  (right side) K2, *YO, sl1-K2tog-psso, YO, K5; repeat from * to last 5 stitches, YO, sl1-K2tog-psso, YO, K2
2.  (and all wrong side rows) K2, P19, K2
3.  K2, *YO, sl1-K2tog-psso, YO, K5; repeat from * to last 5 stitches, YO, sl1-K2tog-psso, YO, K2
5.  K5, *YO, SSK, K1, K2tog, YO, K3; repeat from *, end K2
7.  K2, *YO, sl1-K2tog-psso,YO, K1; repeat from *, end K2
8.  Repeat row 2

Repeat these 8 rows for pattern


Diagonal Lace - Panel of 19 stitches

1.  (right side) K2, (YO, SSK, K3) three times, K2
2.  (and all wrong side rows) K2, P15, K2
3.  K2, (K1, YO, SSK, K2) three times, K2
5.  K2, (K2, YO, SSK, K1) three times, K2
7.  K2, (K3, YO, SSK) three times, K2
8.  Repeat row 2

Repeat these 8 rows for pattern


Clivia - Panel of 19 stitches

1.  (right side) K2, SSK, K5, YO, K1, YO, K5, K2tog, K2
2.  (and all wrong side rows) K2, P15, K2
3.  K2, SSK, K4, YO, K3, YO, K4, K2tog, K2
5.  K2, SSK, K3, YO, K1, K2tog, YO, K2, YO, K3, K2tog, K2
7.  K2, SSK, K2, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K1, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, K2, K2tog, K2
9.  K2, SSK, K1, YO, K3, YO, sl1-K2tog-psso, YO, K3, YO, K1, K2tog, K2
10. Repeat row 2

Repeat these 10 rows for pattern


There’s really nothing to this - it’s a matter of getting colors you like and finding lace patterns that please you.  While I have never been an orange person - or much in the way of an any-kind-of-warm-color person - I adore this combination of russets, bittersweets and tangerines accompanied by eggplant, magenta and fuchsia.  When I wake up in the morning and look down the length of the blanket at all those glorious, glowing colors, I’m thrilled all over again and it’s so silky and warm I can hardly bear to fold it up for the day.

Just call me Linus :)

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1. Lovely.  Such gorgeous glowing colors.

   Posted by Rob  on  09/05  at  10:33 PM
   Location : in gray PA



2. That looks absolutely beautiful such beautiful colour choice.

   Posted by Nic  on  09/06  at  06:07 AM
   Location :



3. Oh, you clever, clever girl! To think all those balls of yarn I watch you dig for in June could turn into something so lovely. :) Woohoo! I love it!

   Posted by Bron  on  09/06  at  07:33 AM
   Location :



4. Rob - Yes, they do indeed glow.  I’m certain there’s a psychological factor involving the colors as to the perceived warmth of the blanket :)

   Nic - I didn’t really set out with these colors in mind - they were what was available in the bargain bin I fished them out of.  So I’m all the more thrilled with how they go together :)

   Bron - Heheh - I knew you’d be interested in this thing since you were there at its inception :) Thanks for the nice words!

   Posted by Robbyn  on  09/06  at  08:35 AM
   Location : Sleeping in my chair :)



5. Love it, love it!  And thanks for sharing the lace panels.............:)

   Posted by christine  on  09/06  at  04:19 PM
   Location : chicago



6. CHristine - Thank you :) You can use any lace pattern that you like though.  I went for easy ones because I’m lazy and still a little intimidated by the idea of lace.
   

   Posted by Robbyn  on  09/06  at  04:22 PM
   Location : Sleeping in my chair :)



7. LInus.... nyuk nyyuk! KRPA - I can so relate to that! Anyway, beautiful work as always. Thanks for the info on sewing up.

   Posted by nat  on  09/06  at  09:46 PM
   Location :



8. Nat - My pleasure kiddo!  You’re never to old for a good security blanket :)

   Posted by Robbyn  on  09/06  at  11:04 PM
   Location : Sleeping in my chair :)

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