Thursday 17 April 2008

It's magic, you know

Here's how Sean's pi shawl blanky is looking.

This has been the most incredible project so far. I've been reading about Elizabeth Zimmerman's pi shawl pattern (that's a Ravelry link) for so long that when I finally decided I was going to do it, I just launched in.

For the last fortnight I've knit this almost exclusively, apart from socks on the bus. So simply wonderful - this round and round and round idea. It's marvellous.

And last night, magic occurred. If you haven't come across the concept before, it's very straight forward (and beguiling to someone like me who has nightmares about numbers).

Start with 9 stitches. Knit three rounds plain.
Double the stitches (18)
Knit 6 rows plain.
Double the stitches (36)
Knit 12 rows plain.
Double the stitches (72)

And so on. Last night, after 48 rounds, I doubled to 576 stitches. The sheer wonder of this really blew me away, so much so that I got to work and emailed RoseRed immediately to tell her all about it (by the way, check our her gumboots if you haven't yet - they've got knitting on them!).

In the time it took me to knit one row (I can do 576 stitches in approx. 15 minutes) the blanky went from looking like an oversized beanie, to looking like a small blanket! True, it's still looking slightly dog's-breakfastish, what with not being blocked yet and all, but you get the idea. And last night I started a purple round, because I love purple and grey. And now, it's big enough to be warm on my lap.

Seriously, this thing is so cool. Make one! In any yarn! In any weight! Lacy or heavy, whatever you like.

Oh, and today is officially the blogovesary. 2 years. I've come a long way from acrylic ipod cozies. A long, long way. When I started, I could never have imagined I'd be doing things like steeked jackets and lace blankets. Just goes to show, doesn't it? Hanging out with people who inspire you, even if it's online, is just so worthwhile.

Don't forget, leave a comment, go in the draw. I can't say what the prize will be yet. I'm going to figure that out once I see who wins!

Bells