When I said I was finished ...

I thought I was, done with the blanket, but two things happened. First some one suggested that the i-cord edging I so admired on JF's garter blanket post could be added latter, in red no less, and second ... the local LYS had a sale. One of those sales where ahead of time they send the catalog ... you know to tempt you in. And in the catalog there was yarn, of a match to the one I had used to knit the blanket, 4 loose strands, in a large wheel(cheese they say), 250g pure wool, cream, black or navy. So .. getting the catalog a day before the sale started, I mulled, and planned and thought it over before heading off into town the day of the sale to buy yarn.



I had questions, many questions, how much yarn did one need to edge a large blanket in i-cord? What if I bought to little, what if I ran out and there was no more, anywhere? I knew that the local LYS got in stock especially for the sale, stuff they didn't usually carry the rest of the time. I had not seen this yarn in their shop before ... so I thought, I'll buy two, then I'll have enough , then at the checkout, I added another just to be safe. You know, cause you can't go back for more once its all sold.
Then I went home to knit, well actually I got a haircut, we bought a new basket and wood cup and ball toy at the trade aid shop, Poppy spent her Toyworld voucher ... Toby and Poppy talked me into juice drinks at the juice bar, I had a professionally made coffee (gosh they are good) ... then we went home. And I knit, and knit,and knit. I had a plan, I was going to knit one long side and one short side of the blanket and see how much yarn that took. Then I would know if I need to go back and buy more ... so I assembled my largest knitpics, arranged a large blanket beside me on the couch and knit, and knit and knit some more. And soon I had a short edge done, and not much of the wheel of yarn was gone, then I had the long side i-corded and again only a tiny bit of yarn was gone from the wheel.

I began to realize I had seriously overestimated the yarn I would need - and would be stuck with 2 wheels of yarn for all of time, unused. What else can you knit from yarn as thick as this if not i-cord on this blanket? So as I knit the third and final fourth sides I hatched a plan. I knew during sales that goods are not usually able to be returned, but I thought if I take the blanket to town with me and show them how big it was, and how hard it is to estimate the amount of yarn one needs to i-cord edge a blanket - surely they will understand and let me have credit for the 2 unused wheels of yarn. Surely?
And yes it worked (dont' tell any one - I'm not sure it was in keeping with head office policy), but to do that I had to finish the i-cord edge on the blanket, so I kept knitting, until it was done. And yes they did - this morning I exchanged the 2 unused wheels for two skeins of Rowan cotton - and they only hesitated a little, so now I have luxury washcloth makings. And I've still got half a wheel of yarn left .... any one need jumbo i-cord?


And Poppy's socks, well sock one is near done, I'm planning to cast off in pattern, rather than add a rib to the top. The pattern is pretty near a 3x1x2 rib so it won't curl, and its got lots of stretch. Today in town whist I did my yarn exchange, Bear found the second to latest Knitters magazine (K92) for me, he is good like that, I find black and white photography or architecture mags for him in exchange. The issue Bear found has neat socks, socks with holes in them, really yes holes, deliberate holes, that start at the toe and work up to the cast off tops (or the other way round - Lucy Neatby the designer encourages you to knit them in the direction of your liking). and the holes are not cast off, but cleverly worked over a single stitch at over two rows, neatly decreasing 6 stitches and making another replacement 6. Seeing these made me realise I had not yet knit the socks I bought the previous Knitters magzine for, The Spring Thaw socks by Cat Bordhi ... so yet again my wnat-to-knit list grows faster than my knitted list ... sigh.

But life is good, we are all still on holiday, this morning I exchanged the yarn, had my blanket admired, got a new knitting magazine, spent 4 hours spinning with friends, then collected the family and spent 2 hours at the beach with body boards, before a casual dinner of fish and chips out of the paper in the back yard ... its summer and its all good here. I've got two and half more weeks of leave - so plan to knit and spin, and surf and relax even more.
take care
Stella