Ida, Warm & Wonderful

Ida is now a warm and wonderful blanket.  All of her tails are safely tucked away and she is ready to be a work horse of warmth. 

 When stretched out it is a joy to see those bands of color and texture just as I first imagined them.  I know that this scheme might not be to everyone's taste.   But that is the joy of designing and making something that is unique to you.  Only you need to be pleased.  And I am quite pleased by the end result.

When tossed about, Ida tends to look like any other striped blanket/afghan/throw. 

Those three terms always mystify me.  What is the difference?  Is a blanket larger than an afghan?  When does a throw become so large that it ceases to be a throw and becomes something else?  Please do not question my sanity, for I have pondered this very issue and come up with no answer.

Here she is in the yarn studio.  That bit of piecework in the background is a stretched quilt top that never got completed.  It is there to remind me that while I understand the basics of many artistic crafts, I am not the master of them all.  I am, however, the master of this Ida blanket.

The alternating knit and crochet bands of Ida, the blanket, just might be the most significant blending of my mother's (Ida Mae) crochet skill and my knitting ability.  I like to think that she is somewhere up above, smiling that I do still crochet and pleased that this work was accomplished with her wooden crochet hook. 

And I am smiling as well.

The Stitches of Ida

She is not yet ready for her close up.  But perhaps you are curious about the stitches of Ida.  The last post was about the post work edge, so I'll spare you additional detail.

Pay attention to the red numbers.  If you click on the photo it might magically grow larger so you can see better.

*NOTE:  in all sections, gauge is what it wanted to be.  I'm not too particular.

Section 1  Knit, seed stitch.  Malabrigo Chunky which is a kettle dyed pure merino.  Size US 11.  A rectangle.

Section 2  Crochet, Tunisian simple stitch.  Plymouth Yarn Encore Chunky.  Size 13 hook.  Worked on two sides of Section 1 with a short row corner.

Section 3  Crochet, double crochet.  Universal Yarn Classic Shades Frenzy.  Size 13 hook.  Connected to Section 2 and using an increase corner.

Section 4  Knit, garter stitch.  The Malabrigo like Sec. 1.  Size US 11 needles.  Picked up from the crochet of Sec. 3.  Also uses a short row corner. 

Section 5  Crochet, extended single crochet.  The Encore like Sec. 2.  Same size 13 hook.  Used an increase corner.

And then the border is worked all the way around.  Still confused.  This should help.

The Crochet Knit Connection

Yes, it is a theme.  Ida, the blanket that has consumed me, is all consuming.  Perhaps I love her so much because each section is attached while it is worked.  When she is finished, she will be finished with no seams the sew.  Gotta love that.

Never before in my entire yarn life have I attached knit garter stitch to plain old double crochet stitches.   Never before had I even thought to do it.  One thing that working Ida is teaching me is that the crochet knit connection is sturdy, strong, and deserves to be celebrated.

I did not even look up options for accomplishing the task.  With boldness as my partner, I took a circular knitting needle to the back loop of those double crochet stitches and picked them up.  Notice that I did not pick up and knit.  I only picked up each loop.

With the live stitches from the double crochet stitches on the knitting needle, it is a simple matter of knitting the dc loop together with the last knit stitch so as to connect the two sections.  If you have ever knit on an edging, you'll recognize the k2tog join as being a typical method of joinery.

FYI and because I know you are curious, the in this section the crochet  is worked with a bulky yarn to which a chunky yarn is coming to the party up. 

Check out the resulting join.  Lookin' good!