While I was in the studio the other day, waiting for the Keurig to spit out a cup of afternoon energy enhancement, I contemplated the knitted border that I had removed from the original oversized camel blanket.
I did not know what yarn I used other than the fact that it is obviously a blend of things. It may have been something by Anny Blatt left over from some project or another. It could be anything. This project dates from pre-blog and pre-ravelry, not that I have historically been entirely consistent on those fronts. As I have no interest in unraveling the strip, I wondered if I could knit it as is so I looked around for the largest knitting needles I had, a pair of wooden size 19 straight needles.
And so I proceeded.
The resulting object ended up being rectangular, roughly 8 x 13 inches by about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick. I wondered if it can be used as a hot pad, or insulating cushion on which to rest a lasagna or other baking pan. I have no idea if it will melt when a hot pan is placed on it, although I have a few trimmings of the yarn and I could do a burn test. Or I could just set a hot pyrex baking dish on it next time I pull a moussaka out of the freezer and see what happens. I suppose, like all experiments, I may have a failure on my hands, or something wonderful. Considering that the blanket itself was over 15 years old, and this yarn came from stash, making it even older, I am content whatever the results.
In the interest of transparency, and the idea that this blog is supposed to be my official knitting record, above are yarns that arrived yesterday from Miss Babs. Technically this is a 2020 purchase, although it is a 2021 addition to the stash. It is stash I am concerned with. I intend to catalog the existing stash as well as track what comes in and what goes out. I actually thought I had ordered something else as well, a six-skein mini set, but what probably happened is that someone else snapped that up before I got around to clicking on the buy button. opening the package was a mixed bag therefore; I felt glee at the colors and the feel of the yarn, but also a hint of disappointment that I failed to acquire the mini set. No matter.
All yarns are light fingering, katahdin, which is 4-ply blue-faced leicester, in 437-yard skeins. The variegated one, color Bewitching, is destined to be a pair of socks. The light green (frog belly) and one purple (spiked punch) are designated to be used in a hat. The two (plus?) remaining skeins of spiked punch, as well as the remnants of frog belly are destined for a future blanket project which I hope will be started this year, although I am confident it will not be finished. I am fascinated with the concept of mitered square blankets using sock and fingering yarns. I have various remnants, but not enough for a blanket, and at the moment I am in the accumulation stage for something that will hopefully work in my master bedroom. Many of my favorite colors will fit right into this scheme, and we will see how it goes. If I give up on the idea before starting the project, well, fingering weight garments, shawls, and projects are also very wearable.
