Thursday, July 26, 2007

Oh, boy!

The yarn for Greg's blanket came today. I am doing a pattern I found online called Twisted Texture Afghan by Bernat. This marks the first time that I have ever ordered yarn over the internet. But it's okay - I got free shipping.

I was worried that they wouldn't send all the same dye lot and that I would be forsaken forever, but fortunately the people at JoAnn know what they are doing. Fourteen (exactly, fourteen, although I am now thinking I should have ordered extra yarn...) skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky yarn in Circus arrived via the United Parcel Service at approximately 3.30 pm, while I was doing my abs workout with Denise Austin. I do not mind working with acrylic, and I think that this yarn is quite lovely.

I began the blanket with gusto! This is optimistic, since I am always afraid of beginning a new project (oh, the mistakes!). Lucky the blanket was going along fine, until I realized that the "tension" was off.

First off, the pattern is Canadian, hence tension instead of gauge. Second, the gauge offered was for the pattern, not the border, which is what I am working on now. Lastly, I don't usually check the gauge since I work with the no dye lot Red Heart Super Saver for almost all of my blankets (because it's cheap and with a blanket you need a lot of yarn). With the Red Heart, if I have to run out to the store for another skein, who cares. But not this time. This time the pattern I have calls for fourteen skeins of yarn, and I didn't buy extra. I hope this isn't a mistake.

Well, as it would so happen I did work up a swatch of the main pattern, and the "tension" is just different than the "tension" in the boarder. Whew. So, I should be okay. And, if not, the blanket can always be a different length because it is a blanket after all.

(And this blanket allowed me the first chance to use my new Denise Interchangeable set that Mom got me for a graduation gift. I am quite enjoying them now, although I almost broke my thumb trying to attach two pieces of cord with the connector. - I don't think I was turning it correctly. - But the needles and cord are together, the needles are light, and the yarn moves smoothly. What a great set!)

No comments: