Tuesday, October 28, 2008

"Old Shale" Baby Afghans

I told you I've been busy. I've become a political junkie, and while I watch those old pundits yammer on and on about the same old polls and the same old scandals, I knit furiously and ferociously.

I've completed these baby afghans (numbers 11, 12, 13--I like to keep track of these things) for a local charity in the last few weeks. I have more in the works, but they haven't been washed and blocked yet.

Now, this pattern is an old, old one, and you will see many variations of it. Once I figured out the right size needles for me, I just kept making the same thing over and over again, only with different colors. The pattern is relatively simple, as long as you keep a little row counter on a piece of yarn around your neck so that you will always know which of the four rows you are on.


Tip: Do not forget to take off your row counter when going out in public. Non-knitters just do not understand.

Old Shale Baby Afghan

Cast on a multiple of 18 sts.

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: *[K2 tog] 3 times, [yo, k1] 6 times, [k2 tog] 3 times, rep from * to end.

Row 4: Knit

Repeat rows 1 to 4.

I used size 10 needles and cast on 126 sts. for a blanket approximately 36 inches wide—but that’s my knitting. Your gauge may be different. I try to make these little blankets about 36 inches square.

Yarns: Caron’s Simply Soft yarn (2 skeins) makes a very soft blanket; Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn (1 skein) makes a blanket that is both soft and fluffy. Both are machine washable.

3 comments:

June Saville said...

A great project Clairz. I could never knit to save myself and now my arthritis won't allow me to perservere anyway.
Well done you!
June in Oz

Akkire said...

wow, i love that last one - the colors are so retro. do you think this could be used to make a BIG blanket? i like the simple pattern and it comes out really complicated looking. Pretty.

you are a knitting fool, Clair! I wish I was faster, but I am such an awkward knitter. Do you do continental...that makes a person faster too. Or is it the other one...?

clairz said...

June, if I stop knitting my arthritis would be worse.

Yes, Erikka, I knit with the yarn held in my left hand--picking, rather than throwing the yarn around. I learned to do so from a book so that I could knit with two colors at once. It's a useful skill, and well worth the time spent learning how to do it.