I tend to go through different knitting compulsions by type or method until I’ve exhausted my fascination. When I discovered knitting socks, I finished 5 pairs in succession. My new obsession is with lace knitting. I have three lace projects in progress at the moment--one with lace weight, one with fingering weight and this one in bulky weight. I’ve loved this pattern from the moment I saw it during my first visit to Jared’s blog. This is one of my favorite colors and I’m excited to cast on!

Knitting Details
I casted on using the TechKnitter’s method for a circular cast on. I found E.O.’s method (suggested in the pattern) was a bit bulky considering the weight of the yarn. I cast on using US7 DPN’s and moved up in size every 2-3 rows until I reached the US10. I didn’t modify the pattern, accept for replacing the SSK with “slip 1 knitwise, slip 1 purlwise and Ktbl.” This decrease better matched the K2tog. I knitted through round 60 of the chart before starting the BO. Note--make sure you follow your chart! There are different numbers of knit stitches (0-2) before starting the YO’s on each patterned row. I used the knitted BO. using approx 50 grams of yarn. You will save some yarn and time utilizing the crochet BO suggested in the pattern, but it does not match the knitted BO. In order to more closely match it, you would have to crochet the written round then do another round in SC’s (using more yarn than the knitted BO). The blanket gets a bit cumbersome and heavy towards the latter rounds, so I would recommend using longer circulars. I have an interchangeable set and I added extensions twice ending up with a 60” circular for the last third of the chart. To ease knitting the BO, I replaced my right needle tip with an end stopper and used a US9 DPN for my right hand (I went down a size only because my DPN’s are bamboo and drag more than my metal circs). Using this technique will lessen wrist strain and make turning the blanket back and forth easier and quicker.

Blocking
The blanket looks like an uneven, bunched-up, hot mess when you bind off! Don’t worry! That’s how it’s supposed to look. I soaked the FO in tepid water with a cap full of no-rinse wool wash and a quarter cup of white vinegar for about 15-20 minutes being careful not to agitate the fibers (this wool felts readily). I did notice a slight stench when the wool was wet, but nothing like what was reported by users of the EcoWool. My color did bleed quite a bit of dye in the wash and first rinse, so I repeated a rinse in clean, tepid water sans wool wash. A quarter cup of white vinegar and a tablespoon of coarse sea salt was added to the final rinse water. I gently squeezed the wool expelling the bulk of the water and rolled in towels to get excess water out. I blocked it fairly hard, pinning out each edge scallop and steam set it after it was dry to get it as flat as possible. It WON’T be completely flat! There will be some slight ripples on either side of the feathers and is present in everyone’s blanket as this is due to the nature of the pattern, not the blocking.

Impressions
I LOVE this blanket! It’s a beautiful pattern and deceivingly simple. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting it from CO to BO! I was a little melancholy when I finished it knowing it was over. The pattern is well adapted and a fairly quick knit. After the center medallion was complete, there was a perfect combination of mindless knitting rows and patterned rows keeping me from getting bored. I’m already planning to make a second one.