WIP Wednesday

I have a lot of WIP’s, I’m just that kind of person. I love to start a project and often while I’m working on a project I’m dreaming up/dreaming of the next. You can see in the below picture a small selection of the projects I have on the go at the moment.

I and my husband are set to move to Suffolk in just under a month, so the projects you can see are the projects that I have not packed away yet as I think I might be working on them before we move. I really like to have them all lined up there within easy reach, so as the mood takes me I can just reach out and grab them.

The project I have been spending most of the time on at the moment is my Garter Squish Blanket. It is a lovely mindless knit that is easily picked up and knit when I really can’t summon the brain power for anything with a complicated pattern.

 

I stumbled across the Garter Squish pattern by Stephen West on Ravelry and instantly knew I had to knit it. Having gone through some of my stash in the run up to the move I am very aware of how large my stash is now. I’ve also a lot of acrylic DK in my stash from when I very first started crochet, that I don’t often use any more as I have moved on to more interesting yarns. This blanket seemed a superb answer to that over flow of stash.  I really love simple knit patterns that really show of the yarn and the texture of this pattern is wonderful. It certainly does what it says on the tin, it is the most squishy piece of knitted fabric I’ve made to date and I just can’t wait to curl up in it!

I’m using 10mm (US 15) Knit-Pro interchangeable needles with a 150cm cable. I’m really enjoying these chunky needles, they make a very pleasing mellow sound as they click together. I have no idea what colour the blanket it will end up being over all, I’m trying my best to just grab the next ball of yarn as I need it and hopefully get a nice surprise!

The pattern features a nice i-cord edging, which I have never done before. I’m quite pleased about how it is coming out. I think, if I have read the pattern correctly, it has an i-cord bind off also. That should be a bit challenge to my newly formed knitting skills. I did attempt to do an i-cord cast on, but I couldn’t get the hang of it and in the end I decided not to use it as it wasn’t specified in the pattern anyway. I think I might come to regret that a little. If all the sides have a lovely edging except my cast on edge it might look a little strange. I will have to just comfort myself with the fact that it is after all a comfort blanket to curl up in on cold winter nights, not a piece that I plan to impress anyone with.

Having had a browse of Stephen West’s website West Knits, I can see I’m going to love a lot of his designs. I shall have to dedicate myself to improving my knitting skills to take the plunge and see if I can attempt some of his other designs. There I go dreaming of the next project again before this one is finished…