Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Fringe Benefits

One of the things I love about vacation is my "to be continued basket". This consists of a large lined wicker basket that holds works in progress that for whatever reason I have put on hold. Maybe a seam is not coming together properly. Or the project has been infested with a knitting gremlin. Or I am just plain tired of it. Rather than continue to fight it, I will put the project in the basket to await my next visit to Washington State. When I return two to three months later, the project is ready and waiting to be picked up and worked on again. And, wonder of wonders, it is fun again. Last Christmas, my wonderful staff gave me a kit for a Feather and Fan lap blanket. The colors are pastel green and pinks. It is knit on 10 mm (US 15) needles which created a light, airy feel. I carried the project to Washington with me in March and knitted the first 40 or 50 rows without incident. But then, the gremlin struck! I had just completed a row and the stitch count was off by two. I de-knit the row and started again. Again it was off. Once again, I de-knit and re-knit the row and the stitch count ended correctly. But, five rows later, the stitch count was off again. And again 10 rows later. It was time for the afghan to head for the "to be continued basket".Fast forward to July. I went through the basket and rediscovered the afghan. I only needed to knit 45 more rows and make the fringe. The perfect project for sitting on the front porch on a chilly rainy evening!So, in between waiting for all the telephone calls from Justin reporting the ongoing saga of our burglaries, I finished the knitting, cut and attached the fringe, and blocked it. I rather like the finished result.

8 comments:

5elementknitr said...

That's VERY beautiful! What a thoughtful staff to give you such a gift!

I know you've been busy (being pulled back and forth btw Fresno and WA) on vacation, but I sent you an email about another lawyer in Fresno, did you get it?

sophanne said...

That looks great! And such a rewarding FO. I like that basket. The reason I fear multiple projects is that i'm sure I'd fear the basket contaminated. A 'vacation' from WIPs would be a good thing.

Yarnhog said...

How pretty! I love that waterfall look.

Sharon said...

Fan & Feather stitch pattern has such a timeless quality about it, and it looks complex but isn't. Congratulations on finishing your afghan--I love the colors in it.

Danielle said...

Absolutely beautiful!!

knottykitty said...

The blanket came out so lovely! I have looked at those kits many times over the years and almost succumbed....but the gremlins seem to always infest any project I start that is over the size of a dishcloth, so I have dare not so far!

Anonymous said...

Very pretty!

Mel said...

What a wonderful project. Totally suited to the northwest, I'd say. Nothing like a good clear-out, either.