Is there anything better than happy colours and squishy, cozy texture together? I’ve made some great progress on my stripey garter stitch blanket since my last update!
After I finished all the coloured stripes, I wanted to add a border of some kind both to make the blanket a bit larger, and to bring in some neutrals to balance out all the colour!
I knew I wanted to use some natural, undyed Juniper Moon 100% cormo wool yarn that I had, both because it’s gorgeous AND because it’s from my favourite farm! (As I was knitting, I even found one of my favourite yarn features ever – a tiny dot of surprise colour! I think of it as an easter egg every time I find one of these in a yarn :) )
I considered several different border stitch options. I thought about working a garter border back and forth, in the style of the 10-stitch blanket. I considered doing a folded edge like in this Whit’s Knits blanket from the Purlbee. I also mulled over a couple of log-cabin style options: either true log cabin (like these washcloths, for example), or a sort of modified version, where I picked up and knit along both long sides first, and then along both short sides (see scribbly diagrams below!)
Eventually, I decided to go with that last option – first, garter borders along both long edges, then along the two shorter edges.
I consulted a couple of “picking up stitches along a garter edge” resources, but ultimately my friend Amber came to the rescue with a photo tutorial of her technique. THANKS AMBER! Once the stitches were picked up, the borders were just as easy and fun to knit as the coloured stripes.
I really wanted to be able to work on the blanket border on the bus, but it gets a bit crowded (especially now that school is back in!) and the blanket is getting big. So, I’ve started taking a slightly earlier bus in the morning to make sure I’m on a double decker – extra seating room and definitely better for knitting!
I’m so happy with how the blanket is coming along!
I have one more step in mind. My very favourite edge treatment – i-cord of course!
I want to save the rest of the natural cormo for another project, so instead I’m going to work i-cord all around the edges in gray. I poked through my yarn closet and found that I had TWO different skeins of medium gray yarn!
On the left is Briggs & Little Heritage (a Canadian yarn!), and on the right is Berroco Vintage Chunky. Both are leftovers from other projects! The Briggs & Little yarn is a rustic 100% wool, and the Berroco Vintage Chunky is a blend (50% acrylic, 40% wool, 10% nylon). Both yarns are a little bit heavier than the worsted yarns I used for the body of the blanket, but since they’re just for an edging treatment, I think they’ll still work. I like them both for different reasons, but I did make a decision!
I’m going to work my i-cord with the Briggs & Little 100% wool. Even though it’s not a particularly soft yarn, it’s hard-wearing and will last a long time. I’m also loving the idea of gray for the edges, because I think blanket edges can see more wear and tear and possibly staining. Instead of having white edges that might not hold up so well over time, this blanket will have a lovely gray outline to keep it looking great!
Also I just love gray a lot :)
barf green is best 