Another lesson in why it is so important to do a gauge swatch first! Although this throw is supposed to measure about 45 x 55 inches when it is complete, mine was about 36 inches wide and maybe 45 inches long. It'll just cover a lap, or wrap around the shoulders of my dear friend, when it was intended to be a throw for her and her husband's bed. But it's beautiful and very, very warm. I enjoyed knitting it but learned that knitted afghans, unlike the pieced afghans I've done before, are a lot of work and a lot of repetition. At least pieced afghans give you a sense of accomplishment as you go along; big afghans like this just seem to be never-ending. I may think twice before I do another one just because this one took me almost seven months to do and the pattern isn't even finished.
Lessons learned:
- KNIT A SWATCH. JUST DO IT.
- Be more disciplined about how often you knit! (And blog... >.>)
- I can hold my yarn like I do when I crochet; I switch to that hold when my fingers start to get tired but perhaps I should do it more often. When I crochet I loop the yarn around my ring finger and hold it up with my index finger, picking up the yarn with my needle. When I knit I usually just squish the yarn between my ring and middle fingers which puts strain on my whole hand.
- I need some way to block stuff easily (though for how rarely I block pieces I don't know if buying anything is worthwhile).
The fabric will stretch, hopefully. I'm not sure how much larger I could have made it if I'd blocked the piece.
But I put love in every stitch. <3
