Project Notebook: The Cursed Ball of Yarn

As most knitters do, I have quite a stash, and some of it is pretty old. In the fall, I decided I wanted to knit some gloves for the girl (since her hands are finally big enough that I felt like I could stitch individual fingers without going insane) and I let her pick out the yarn.

She picked a ball of Opal Harry Potter (Ron colorway), which has been long since discontinued. Maybe there’s a reason for that, because this yarn has been nothing but bad luck for me.

The yarn itself is lovely, and I whipped up a pair of kid-sized gloves in no time.

And that’s when it all started to go wrong.

The first day she wore them to school she lost one.

So I knit another one.

I was sure we’d lost another one last week, right before our first snow, but I found it, thank goodness.

A while later I decided she needed some new knit socks, because her ones from last year are getting a little small. And I thought it would be cute to use the Harry Potter yarn again.

And though I measured and calculated and did all the things you’re supposed to do, she could not get the first sock on her foot.

The second one I think would fit, but the foot is too short.

So I’m still going to end up knitting three socks, just as I knit three gloves.

There’s some kind of dark magic here, no doubt.

Sigh. At least she probably won’t lose a sock. Maybe.

Have you had any exciting knitting adventures lately? I’d love to hear!

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply