4/12/12: Gifted it today and they loved it! :D

3/22/12: Finished the first triangle. Started second.
3/25/12: Finished second triangle, started third.
3/27/12: Finished third triangle, started fourth (and final!).
3/29/12: Finished forth triangle, 2nd side border, and started 4th side border.

When starting the second triangle from the picked up stitches off the first one, I thought you started with a WS row since the instructions state to knit the second the same as the first, but isn’t really all that clear about starting the second triangle (which side you pick up from the first or what row you start with next). When I did this, though, the “join” looked how it does on the WS of the blanket where the colors overlap. It is not shown to be this way in photos of the blanket, so instead of starting on a WS row, I started with a RS one which makes the “join” less visible. There is a knit row that still separates the two and I’m not too thrilled with how that looks, but it was better then the other option of starting with a WS row or taking out the first row of the first triangle. Not starting with a WS row would avoid the gap between the rows when the second (and last) triangles are joined. If I were to knit this again, I would omit that first WS row completely when starting each triangle. Only thing you would need to do when picking up the provisional cast on is to be careful to pick up the full amount of stitches, which is a little fiddly at the end and center parts where the decreases were done on that first RS row.

Another note. This pattern says it’s “fully reversible.” I don’t completely agree. To me, reversible means that it looks the same on both sides. This definitely has two different sides that look different. One with lines that show the color changes more and one that doesn’t have that. I wouldn’t say this means it needs a backing or couldn’t be used with either side facing up, just making a note that the right and wrong side do look a little different from one another.

I tried both the pick up and knit and single crochet then pick up and knit methods. I find that the single crochet then pick up and knit method makes a flatter edge. The single crochet must be done loosely!! If not done loose enough it will pucker the edging. Next time, I would slip the first and last stitches on the WS row to make it easier to make a neater edge for the border. (That might make the knitted version lay flatter… hmm.)

FWIW: I’m not sure I’d buy another Amy Swenson pattern. This is the second one I’ve bought and knit and felt that the instructions were a bit lacking. I felt like some things weren’t as clear as they could have been, which led to some confusion on what to do and I had to look at other peoples projects or study the pictures provided to figure out what I should be doing. That said, I do love the finished blanket and now that I’ve knit one, I’d likely knit another the next time the need for a baby blanket arises. (Though maybe I’d pick a less expensive yarn that comes in smaller skeins since I have well over half of the 2nd skeins left. Also, the Cascade 220 SW seemed to be a bit fuzzy after only one trip through the washer on gentle and dryer on low heat. Worried it may pill a lot with more trips through the washer/dryer.)