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First knitted baby blanket

By Meagan Tucker on February 12, 2014 in Knitting

This is my very first knitted baby blanket. The colors are different, considering most baby blanket color choices are pastel, not mine. I really wanted the baby blanket to have longevity. Plus, I just love color. Are you with me? I used this tutorial from Purl Bee to get started. I made some changes….I used “I love this Yarn” from Hobby Lobby and I only used four colors. Additionally, I knitted until I had 25 ridges on the front side and 24 ridges on the wrong side. Another tip is to change yarns on the same side. This means that your “yarn tails” all need to be on the same side…this ensures that the blanket looks consistent from back to front. I’m a new knitter and this small nuance was useful to me.

It takes a lot of patience to knit a baby blanket or a blanket in general. This was the biggest knitting project I’ve completed to date and I underestimated how much time it would actually take to complete. Considering the baby was born before the blanket was completed. Oh well, it’s done now and I can’t wait to meet the sweet little girl it belongs too. We need to make a trip soon.

Xoxo,

Meg

Madeline Tosh yarns: my first expensive yarn purchase

By Meagan Tucker on January 20, 2014 in Knitting

Yes, I knit. And no, I am not old. I like to knit because it’s something I can do while watching a movie or spending time with my family and friends. It keeps me from planning projects in my head and thinking about work . Anyone else ever do that? If so, you know what I mean. It’s strange, but I actively listen more when my hands and part of my brain is engaged with knitting. Since, I haven’t been knitting very long (almost two years), yarn from Walmart or Hobby Lobby always worked just fine. Especially since, I frequently had to undo my project, because I would mess up and not know how to fix my mistakes without undoing everything. Things changed after knitting this cowl a few times.

Madeline Tosh Cowl Via my pinterest board

It’s a Free Honeycomb Cowl Pattern from Madeline Tosh. I initially made the cowl using yarn from my stash. The cowls looked great, but mine were missing something. I couldn’t quite figure out “what” they were missing. So, I asked my husband to stop by a yarn shop in Kentucky and pick up some of Madeline Tosh’s yarn. The yarn was about $20 a skein and the yardage varies per type…for me that is expensive. At first, it didn’t feel right buying yarn at that price, but once the yarn was in my hands, I knew it was special. Not only is the yarn beautiful, but’s its super soft and luxurious! Her yarns are hand dyed in small batches and have layers of delicious colors. After making the cowl using her yarn, I figured out what my previous versions were missing…”the drape.” Her yarn drapes absolutely beautifully!!! Since, I still consider myself a newbie to knitting, the difference yarn makes to the finished product astounded me. It shouldn’t have, since I know how the right materials when painting can make all the difference.

Here are the colors I purchased.

My Madeline Tosh yarn stash Colors left to right: Venetian, Cousteau, and Tart

This is the perfect yarn to knit up a super special gift for someone in your life. The hand dyed yarn makes any project a work of art. I’m hoping to make myself something special with the venetian. This yarn….

Madeline Tosh Yarn Venetian