Keeping Busy, Keeping Warm: Colorblock Bias Blanket

Whenever I stop blogging for a long period of time and then come back, I feel like I owe some explanation. But really, it’s nothing much; just life. A new job, projects around the house, playing music… a million little things kept me away. Truthfully, things in the last few months have been more eventful than ever! But I have still been knitting and we’ve got a bit of a backlog to catch up on, I took some photos last week and the urge strikes me tonight, so here we are.

Let’s start simple: This garter stitch Colorblock Bias Blanket from Purl Soho’s Purl Bee.

I truly hated knitting this.

I had a few goals in mind when I started: I had never knit a blanket, of any size, and thought I should give it a shot. I was feeling burned out and needed something easy, so garter stitch was really appealing. And I was trying desperately to eat into my stash of yarn leftover from other various projects (some of which I knew I didn’t want to incorporate into a finished wearable garment due to itchiness or other negative factors).

So I dove in, thinking I’d have enough DK weight leftovers in blues, greys, and white to do a nice ombre. According to my notes on Ravelry, this took about six months to finish, from spring through summer into fall. Here’s a diagram of my feelings during that time:

I did, of course, eventually look at the blanket again and have come to really love it. I knit it larger than the pattern is written, and it’s the perfect size for throwing over my legs while reading or knitting. It also works great as a shawl to wear around the house on cold winter mornings, folded in half and draped over my shoulders while drinking a cup of coffee. It’s light but warm and definitely squishable.

And surprisingly, I love the color combination. Even the bit of purple at the end; it’s a little bit mid-century-modern-sunrise, maybe? I’m always happy when I can make something I really love out of stuff I already have around.

I know for sure I’ll never tackle one of these as a gift; I much prefer quilting when it comes to making things for other people. But in a few years, if I have another complimentary batch of leftover yarn again that I’m anxious to use up, who knows? I might be back.