Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Progress of the Stripey Blanket

Alright, here's that post I've been promising where you can see the blanket laid out on the bed. It will nicely cover our full-sized bed.
I'm about 4/5 of the way finished with the body. Then I have three rows of edging to do, all the way around.
I believe the pattern said to use about eleven different colors, but I went a bit overboard. I don't know how many colors I've used. I ran out of some yarn and had to adopt new colors. It seems to work. Adam likes it a lot. He says it looks happy :)
In addition to double crochet rows and half-double crochet rows, there are interesting, tricky rows. One is the Catherine Wheel Stitch. Early in the blanket I chose gray and burgundy as the two colors for this row. I did not like how it looks after I did it, but I have a pretty strong policy of not ripping out unless absolutely necessary, so I left it. But I learned I didn't like that combo.
The next Catherine Wheel row, I opted for two colors in the same family -- green, hoping for better results. It was okay.
This last time on the Catherine Wheel, I chose blue, and I put the lighter tone in the middle. This is significantly better. I'm learning as I go along.
The Bobble Stitch rows are cute and fun to do. I decided always to use white yarn for my bobbles, lending a unifying trait to the blanket in the middle of all that color chaos. Here it is in blue:
And here it is in green. I like this one a lot.
Here it is in yellow. I'm pleased with these rows.
This is a grand project for January and February. I'm likely to do another one next winter.
Almost all the yarn is Impeccable or something very like it -- same texture, same thickness. Just because a yarn says "4" or "medium" does not mean it will resemble other 4's or medium weight yarn, when you use it. Labels, shmabels! Anyway, I found out to my distress that the Impeccable-type yarn does not pair well with a different type. Some of my yarn is Red Heart Soft, a fairly new yarn that is shinier, silkier, and thinner than other "medium 4's." It's like Simply Soft, but a tiny bit thicker.
Another tricky row is the Chevron Stitch. Here I combined Impeccable bright pink with Red Heart Soft light pink. The two textures did not become very friendly, in my opinion. See? Meh.
The next time on the Chevron row I used two similarly textured yarns. I like the gold a lot, but it's very muddy with this sage green.
In the Granny stitch rows I decided always to use white as well. Here it is with burgundy.
And with bright blue ~
And paired with the hot pink.
I'm loving the look!
I'm planning to keep the blanket and use it on our bed as a cover. Adam said I should take it to the market and slap a hefty price on it, and see if anyone bites. He recommended $175. He was low-balling, hoping I would consider it. Not that he wants the cash -- he wants me to realize the satisfaction of having my work appreciated and purchased. But I told him I didn't think I'd prefer the cash to the blanket itself. It's a lot of work and creativity. He said, "Well, ask $250 or $300." I giggled. I wouldn't mind putting it up at the market for people to look at and as a conversation-starter. But I don't think I want to sell it.

18 comments:

Una said...

A fantastic work of art. You have put a lot of work into this. I would keep it as well, but display it for others to pay some much-deserved compliments.

Dogwood Lane Rambles said...

Keep that work of art! Love it so much and I'm sure you'll get so much pleasure from using it, it's so sunny and happy it brings a smile just looking at it.

Winter_Pixie said...

That is an absolutely gorgeous afghan! are you going by a pattern or did you make it up yourself?

M.K. said...

For Bliss and everyone -- here's the website where the pattern can be found: http://notyouraveragecrochet.com/as-we-go-stripey-blanket/

Enjoy!

Mary Ann Potter said...

It's gorgeous! I couldn't help thinking about Joseph's coat of many colors!

Lisa Richards said...

This is MAGNIFICENT! I've never understood how anyone could put this much work into something and then sell it! I'd give it to someone I love before I'd take any amount of money. BUT, I think this one is a keeper! The word "Bohemian" comes to my mind. My favorite style! :)

Anonymous said...

Your husband is right for calling you talented and the blanket happy. Beautiful.

mysteryhistorymom said...

It is STUNNING, M.K.! You'd better keep it as it truly is a masterpiece. Gorgeous... Lori

Leslie said...

This is so beautiful and fun! It is perfect for your bed and very happy indeed. It is one of those things you should pass down to future generations. I have an afghan crocheted by my grandma who died when I was 13....which makes it at the very least 34 years old.

annie said...

that's just beautiful, i love it!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

My first thought on seeing this today is that it is a 'happy' creation, and further down I read that Adam said it was 'happy' too. You've done a lovely job with it MK. The colors are great and your stitch work neat, not sloppy, if you know what I mean. I can tell that you love to crochet.

I would keep it too, as I know how much work, heart and soul goes into a creation like this. Money can't replace it. You could take it to the market to show and tell, and maybe someone would order one and give you a great price. Although, working under pressure is a different thing than leisurely doing it at your own pace. Just my HTCW (humble two cents worth.) :-)

Have a lovely day ~ FlowerLady

Laurie said...

I wouldn't sell it either. It's too beautiful and you have so much time invested in it.

Ida said...

How pretty. I love all the different colors. It's very cheerful.

Deborah Montgomery said...

Oh, I wouldn't sell it either! I love it. so colorful and cheerful. Love the white dots that pull it all together. and one day it will be a treasured heirloom, passed down to someone in your family.

GretchenJoanna said...

Keep it, keep it! It is absolutely marvelous. And how wonderful, that even the color combinations you don't like end up fitting in very nicely to the whole scheme, which has just the right amount of pattern balanced with diversity to be SO pleasing.

Angela said...

I love it so much!! And I find it interesting that even though you are not crazy about all the color combinations individually, the overall effect is stunning. Keep it for yourself:)

Unknown said...

I love this, and want to make one to cover a full-sized bed, too. Do you remember how many chains you started with? Thanks!

M.K. said...

Hi, Marla. I don't remember how many chain stitches I started with - it's been too long. But, here's the address of the site where I got the pattern -- it was very popular, and the girl has posted thorough instructions. It's a multiple of 24, plus 2 extra stitches. You should be able to chain a multiple of 24 + 2, and lay it across the bed, and tell. Thanks for visiting!
https://notyouraveragecrochet.com/as-we-go-stripey-blanket/