MKAL 11 - Assembly

I have assembled all the edge pieces according to the plan and now need to knit and assemble the trim onto these pieces.

I made a provisional crochet cast on, in a contrast colour, to enable me to graft the ends of the trim invisibly and started to knit the trim directly onto the blanket but I think that it looks a bit messy.

I then thought of crocheting around the edge of the blanket and knitting the edge onto this.  I may end up by knitting it separately and mattress stitching it on to the blanket.

My intention is to sew the middle pieces together in strips so that it will mean that once the trim is in place the centre can be stitched in easily and quickly.

MKAL 10 - Layout

The official layout hasn't been posted yet , nor has the method for piecing the squares together but in the meantime I thought I would try out my layout, live on the carpet.  The last six squares in Raspberry are missing as they are in the process of being blocked, but I thought I would lay out the pieces in the order I had planned, anyway, omitting the last squares that are still drying.

Unfortunately I took the photo of the layout upside-down in comparison with the plan. I noticed a mistake in the first column whilst laying them out (the right hand column in this photo). There were two Doughnuts in the last row (top row here) and simply by exchanging a Doughnut for a Lace Kisses, in the same column, I was able to preserve order!  

The "knight's move" pattern is still preserved and there are no two patterns the same in horizontal or vertical rows.  The diagonal will always have a different colour but may be the same pattern. Each colour will be a knight's move away from the same colour.  (The gaps are the positions of the remaining squares). I think it will look good once it is made up.

My plan is still to join the edge pieces first so that I can knit on the border without having to hold the whole weight of the blanket on my knees in June and July!!!!  It would have been a lovely cosy knit in December but not in mid-summer.

MKAL - 9 Clue 8

Clue 8 is called Ripple Cable.   This is in, in my opinion the nicest of the squares. Martin Storey has combined the stitches used in previous clues in this design, which incorporates both  lace and cable stitches.














The only mod I've made is to add a couple of rows of garter top and bottom.  I also did the right slanting sl1 k1 psso as k2tog tbl, as I did last time in clue ?

I have now completed all 6 squares: 3 in Raspberry, as as shown here, and 3 in Rosy, which is actually lilac!!

All still unblocked.  This square has knitted up the same as clue 7 and both of these clues give a much denser fabric than the others have, and they have been a lot larger!  This may all blend together once they are well dispersed, I live in hope.

I have started to block Dots & Dashes and Doughnuts. I washed them and pinned them and they required a lot of stretching to achieve 20cm sq.  Precisely what I didn't want to do.  And lo and behold they have shrunk back considerably.  I hope that this will not result in a very uneven blanket. 

I know this is a gripe but I don't think there were enough (if any) test knitters to knit this prior to issuing the pattern.  The "squares" nave not been square, have not knitted to size and, although people do knit to different tensions, they are usually consistent, this knit seems to have been a problem for a lot of people who have added their two penny worth to the forums, so, I don't think I am alone in this thought.

There has now been a great deal of discussion regarding  Clue 9, Cable Trim.  A proportion of people posting on the Ravelry, Rowan Forum have not liked it at all and a few people have changed the trim to suit their own taste. I think it is the photo that doesn't do the trim justice so I think I will knit this as per pattern

but may make up the blanket or at least the edges so that I can knit it directly onto the edge.  Haven't quite formulated how yet, but am thinking about it.  There will be a month to finish it off so there should be plenty of time before the end of the KAL.

MKAL - 8, Clue 7

Clue 7 has been named French Plait by Rowan. It is a variant of stag-horn which, seems generally to be knitted over 16 stitches; 8 to the right and 8 to the left symmetrically, giving the cable some breathing room. This clue is not exactly like this; it is only knitted over 9 stitches, four right and four left separated by a constant reverse single stocking stitch vertical  giveing a double twist appearance rather than a stag-horn.

The photograph issued with the pattern, in the English version, doesn't exactly match the written pattern and I think that the garter border top and bottom appears a bit narrow.  I think I am going to adapt this pattern to suit my own aesthetic; I have knitted this according to the written pattern (see above) and feel it could look better.  I'll publish what I decide on in my next post.