Monday, August 24, 2009

My first afghan!

I have known how to knit for what seems like forever but, I've just never knitted an afghan- I just couldn't imagine working forever on one project! I've had many friends request that I knit them an afghan- but, I'd always tell them.. "I love you, but...I don't love anyone that much!" And, truthfully, I sort of meant it too. ha ha



However, last year in the yarn market of Seoul, Korea, I found this amazing self changing tweedy yarn. I knitted up what I now know is the log cabin square- I was just using the quilt concept of a log cabin square and no pattern. I loved how the yarn slowly changed colors so that it looked like I had changed the colors for various knitted sides.

I showed the squares to Lisa, my friend and knitting student at the time, how the squares looked knitted up. She loved the way that the squares looked and decided that she wanted some of the yarn too. So, off we went to the yarn market and eventually purchased 3 different color ways and then split up the cost and the skeins so that we'd each have a larger variety of colors.

I knitted and knitted on the squares and I even took the wool yarn with me on a trip to Cambodia and there I discovered that 'feltable wool, humidity, and high temperatures found in a tropical jungle location' were not a good mix. THE WOOL FELTED IN THE SKEIN!

I had to interrupt my knitting last spring, summer, and even into the early fall, on the log cabin squares - because of torn tendons in my right hand. Once my hand was well- it was time to knit some Christmas gifts. However, I've recently been able to finish the remaining squares (far more than show in the photo) and I'm now in the process of seaming the squares together.

While I enjoyed knitting my first afghan.. I don't want anyone to get any ideas that I might knit one for you.

I plan to knit strips of the dark blue between the knitted squares- just like a quilt.

4 comments:

J. Hunter said...

Very pretty! I have only crocheted one afghan so far. That was for my son-in-law. It was black and white variegated yarn, and consisted of almost 200 wagon wheel shapes! The edges were NOT square.
I want to start working on some baby afghans for the coming grandbaby!
I should learn to knit, though, since the daddy and mommy to be BOTH think crochet is too "girly" for a boy. NOT that we know what they are having! They want to be surprised, which doesn't help ME to prepare!

iwouldratherbeknitting said...

Jana,
The afghan sounds really nice. And, I just never knew that crochet looked girly... lol :D

Do try to find someone to teach you how to knit if you want to learn how- it's really, really easy... I tell everyone that I teach that they'll be knitting w/in 30 minutes and it's true!

HODGEPODGESPV said...

go here, i left you something:

http://hodgepodgespv.blogspot.com/2009/08/awards.html

Corrie said...

Hello! Love the yarn for this afghan. Very pretty (and I love how it changes colors!!! so much less work for you!)

Thanks for checking out my blog. It was fun to read up a little on the other side of the world today :-)