Guernsey Wrap

I was updating projects in Ravelry and boy howdy I knit with a lot of grey. In fact, I originally started this scarf in grey using KnitPicks Simply Alpaca but the halo on the fiber was fighting a little too much with the textured panels. On attempt no. 2 I went with a bright blue (a little reminiscent of Iroshizuku Kon Peki, no?) instead, which proved a most solid decision. I decided to make a little collage of the FO but the effect was subtler than anticipated - it almost looks like a single picture, if not for that bottom row of ribbing. Ah well, it’s a feature, not a bug. ;)

Pattern: Guernsey Wrap by Brooklyn Tweed; made in KnitPicks Provincial Tweed

New skills: Sewn bind off

Lessons: Sewn bind offs are superbly useful! I have a hard time making bind offs match the stretchiness of my cast-on edge (always either too tight or too stretchy) and this technique provided a uniform appearance & stretch.

Provincial Tweed seemed to be a little thinner than a true worsted weight, resulting in a fabric that was a little looser than anticipated, but the softness is lovely.

What I'd do differently: I'd probably use a colorway that's a little simpler (without the tweed neps or subtle marling) to really let the textures shine.

Bairn Throw

This blanket is a love letter to practice and mastery. My first Bairn blanket required meticulous row tracking & squinting at cable charts. The process of making it was interesting but not enjoyable per say, and by the end I was grateful I'd chosen to make the smaller size. A glutton for punishment, I decided to make one more larger throw for myself (I mean, the cable work *is* lovely). Turns out all that struggle had quietly translated into rote memory, and I could happily abandon my charts and instead enjoy the process of reading the work itself.

Pattern: Bairn Blanket by Brooklyn Tweed; KnitPicks Swish Worsted

Lessons: Be mindful and read patterns carefully, especially when repeating a project. I missed the repeats on the setup rows, which I realized while working the finishing rows.

Cables knit in the wrong direction can be salvaged by taking out the offending stitches and using a crochet hook, cable needle, and optimism to rework them.

If you're working on a large project and using small skeins, buy one more than you think you need. I was short a half skein, but thankfully had some leftovers from another project and KnitPicks dye lots are very consistent. Could've been a whole lot worse.

Knitting full size blankets is wonderful because you can use them for their intended purpose while making them.

Pro tip: I found cabling to be a pain for a long time because I couldn't find a cable needle that worked well for me. Hooked cable needles were a godsend.