it's finished! my pinwheel blanket is done! i cast on in mid-january, and cast off somewhere in the blur of christmas morning. it feels really, really gratifying to wrap up the year with this blanket. the pinwheel has traveled around with me, spending a lot of time on the passenger's seat of my car (i have to cross a draw bridge that goes up a lot, and a train track to get to work- i need emergency car knitting!). it got picked up and put down probably thousands of times, and was often on the back burner while other projects had their turn, or while waiting patiently for more yarn to be spun. it spent two hot days with me at renegade in brooklyn and has been to children's museums, the library, playgrounds, and it has raised the question "what are you making??" enough times that i almost wish that i had kept count. almost.
and yes, now it has seen snow. lots and lots of snow! i couldn't help myself.
some specifics:
pattern: this free one from genia planck, via the good folks at knitlist.
yarn: i did (attempt to) count here: ~24 kinds of my own fingering to sport weight handspun singles. there is also one stripe that was made with yarn sent to me from melissa of moustache rides yarn. melissa is a talented artist and sweet friend and i am really glad to have her be a part of my blanket! a pinwheel is a nice way to remember a year of spinning, especially for someone who does not keep a lot of her own handspun. the blanket started as a way to use up leftover singles from my two ply yarns. when making two ply yarns, i began to deliberately spin more on one bobbin than one the other to create intentional leftovers.
i wish i could give you an estimate of yardage here, but this all came together in a very haphazard way. that's how i roll.
needles + measurements: i started with 4 US size three dpns, and moved on to 32 inch circular size 3 addi turbos, and eventually ended up with two sets of circs and a whole lot of crowded stitches. my final blanket measures in at about 50 inches across and 162 inches around.
thoughts: phew. i can't say i wasn't very, very ready to finish this project. i was really ready. with the blanket behind me, i feel like i can think about the direction i want my knitting to take in the new year. as much as i loved knitting with the bright colors of my handspun, i feel like i need to knit nothing but solid, neutral colors for a few months!
and also: happy new beginnings to each of you as this year comes to an end. thank you so much for visiting here over the past year! it means so much to me. wishing and hoping for lots of good things for you in '08!
