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Monday 5 June 2017

A project to be proud of (and a cock-up!)


I have an amazing friend who has been pushing through some incredibly harsh treatment for breast cancer. I wanted to make her something whilst she was going through the treatment process.  I chose the colours (Stylecraft Life DK, 25% wool, 75% acrylic) Fuchsia, Rose, Teal and Pebble Nepp (grey with multi-colourd flecks) and made 6 large granny squares which I then joined and bordered. 


I love the way it turned out, and my friend did too. I crocheted all 6 squares at the same time which I think made the project feel a lot quicker. I then bordered it in trebles. This took a lot longer! I love the way the colours just pop!



Border view:



This photo is terrible, and I have made it horizontal to fit the page which makes it look really weird but its the only full blanket shot I could get! I think it looks pretty amazing in picture...


I have to say I'm pretty proud of the blanket, and incredibly proud of my friend.

Now to the cock up (noun: something done badly or ineffectively).....

Ever taken on a project too 'big' for your skills? I think I did just that with the Snowmelt Mystery Knit-a-Long (KAL) with Curious Handmade. A KAL is a project where people all over the world work on a project simultaneously, sharing their progress via social media if they wish. This was a KAL with a differene, it was a mystery KAL, with a section of the pattern being released once a week for 5 weeks. The complete pattern is only revealed at the end! I have been trying to improve my knitting so thought it would be a great project, and the mystery element would keep me motivated til the end. This KAL actually started in February and I was hot off the mark. I had my yarn (Coop Knits Socks Yeah in shades that I loved, I had the needles and I was geared up to learn some new skills. Thanks to a long train journey I made a great start. It took me two weeks to knit to the end of the first clue and I was really enjoying seeing the pattern emerge. It kept my attention but wasn't too challenging. The second pattern section to be released was the start of the lace pattern, and by row 3 I was out of sync with the pattern. The lace was a mess. Before I started the second section I thought about  setting a lifeline (a thread through all the stitches so you can easily pick back up if you need to rip back), but I thought it wasn't necessary. Hereby I had made my cock-up ! It took my almost an hour to knit back half a row. I think I will have to start over.......

Below is a photo of the project before it all went wrong (it hasn't been out of its bag since)! 



4 comments:

  1. The blanket is beautiful. I love the colours you chose.

    And oh no on the shawl! It will be retrievable with a lot of patience. I wrote a blog post last month about using a spare needle to unravel larger sections without needing to tink. It might be useful to you here. At least it can get you back to where you last knew you were ok. Good luck!

    http://www.vikkibirddesigns.com/2017/05/tips-and-tricks-afterthought-lifeline.html

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    1. Your tip looks fab, I'll give it a try- thank you!

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  2. I love the blanket you made for your friend, that is so sweet of you and I am sure it gives her comfort while she is doing her treatments. That's too bad it was a difficult KAL, I think we have all taken on challenging projects at one point only to find out it was too much for us at that point. I hope that you can pick it up again sometime soon!

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