Restarting a project

I commented earlier, in reference to the Jane Brocket "Gentle Art of Knitting" book (and having looked at it again this afternoon, I stand by my assessment that it's a nice book. "Nice" in the nicest possible way: friendly and restful and comfortable to look at, with attractive, enticing photographs and projects that would be pleasant to make and to use) that I should re-start my Vintage Vertical Crochet Blanket

Look what I found. (It was where I remembered having put it - stuffed in a bag with some of the yarns I was using on it.)



I added a couple more rows while relaxing this evening. This is going to take a long time - 250 double crochets per row is no joke. But it will be nice when finished - colorful, vintage-y in that sort of "cheap but cheerful" way that some things used to be made of bits and scraps. It's very heavy and I expect it will be extremely warm when finished.

The pattern's been around quite a while, in Internet time - it was first published on Bella Dia in 2006. As best I can determine by hunting in my archives, I stared one round about May 2007...and mostly didn't work on it.

But now I've dug it back out, found that I had, in fact, acquired a Clover ergonomic hook in size I (so I won't kill my wrist with the old Susan Bates hook I had been using), and started up again. (And I might...I just might...on my trip out this weekend see if there's any "clearance" yarn anywhere, where I can just add one or two skeins to the palette of mostly-dark colors I have right now.)

The fun thing about the blanket is trying to decide what color to do next. Every row is done in a different color but I am trying to space the repeats (especially of the super-bright colors, like the hot pink) carefully so it looks a bit less haphazard.

I know, the "cool knitters" have all moved on to doing the Hexapuff quilts (And I admit, they do have the attraction of (a) being pretty and hexagonal - I think hexagonal shapes are very attractive and (b) using up those oddments of sock yarn you wind up with, if you are the kind of knitter who makes socks). But I'm not sure I will ever make one, because of the time commitment involved (she says as she embarks again on a double-crochet blanket that is some 6' long and will eventually be at least 4' wide) but also, the name is a bit....offputting? It makes me think of Heffalumps. Or perhaps Parasprites.. (Heh. I saw that episode and I was all "My Little Ponies tackles the issue of invasive species!")

But I've kind of mentally designated this fall as FINISH ALL THE THINGS! (I have three other very long-stall projects: the Samus cardigan (which I may just have to re-start from scratch if I've lost my place on the bottom braid too badly), a pair of socks knit of Wisdom Yarn's "Poem Sock" (very pretty yarn but miserably splitty - I'm up to the second sock's heel flap), and the Rosy-Fingered Dawn Shawl, which I have sitting on my hassock where I stack up projects, and which I occasionally look sadly at and think I really need to get back to).