Next in Line Afghan: Yardage

I'm getting very close to having the pattern for Next in Line ready for release — just a bit more photo editing and few other odds and ends. At this point, the pattern's back from the tech editor, so I can now share yardage with you.

The pattern provides instructions for two sizes of this four-color design — a throw measuring 43 inches/110 cm by 56 inches/143 cm and an afghan measuring 52 inches/133 cm by 60 inches/153 cm.

For my sample, I used three colors of Cascade 220 (Silver Grey, Straw, and Doeskin Heather) and one color of Valley Yarns Northampton (Lake Heather). If you want to use exactly these yarns and colors, you'll need:

• Color 1: Cascade 220 [100% wool; 220yd/201m per 100 gr skein], #8401 Silver Grey, 5 skeins (throw), 7 skeins (afghan)

• Color 2: Cascade 220 [100% wool; 220yd/201m per 100 gr skein], #4010 Straw, 2 skeins (throw), 3 skeins (afghan)

• Color 3: Cascade 220 [100% wool; 220yd/201m per 100 gr skein], #8012 Doeskin Heather, 2 skeins (throw), 3 skeins (afghan)

• Color 4: Valley Yarns Northampton [100% wool; 247yd/226m per 100 gr skein], #42 Lake Heather, 2 skeins (throw), 3 skeins (afghan)

If you'd like to substitute other yarns, here are the approximate amounts of worsted weight wool you'll need:

• Color 1: 1,000yd/915m (throw), 1,450yd/1,325m (afghan)

• Color 2: 440yd/400m (throw), 660yd/600m (afghan)

• Color 3: 440yd/400m (throw), 660yd/600m (afghan)

• Color 4: 490yd/445m (throw), 675 yd/615m (afghan)

If you decide to use a hand-dyed yarn with limited dye lots, or a closeout yarn that you won't be able to get more of, you may want to buy a little extra of each color as insurance against running out. For my sample, I was able to get more of each color as the afghan grew, because they were all readily available.

If you want to start swatching, the pattern gauge is 18 stitches and 36 rows = 4”/10 cm after blocking. The needle size is US #7/4.5mm (or, as always, the size needed to obtain gauge). We all knit at different stitch and row gauges, so even though this design is "just garter stitch," I do recommend knitting a substantial swatch to determine the right needle size for you (at least 8 inches wide — and be sure to block it the same way you will block the finished project). For a large project like this, you want to be certain you're close to gauge and happy with the fabric before you cast on. 

I'll get back to work editing photos now — look for the pattern soon!

LINKS
Next in Line Instagram posts (hashtag: #nextinlineblanket)
My Ravelry project page
Next in Line blog posts 

Next in Line Afghan: Heat Wave Blocking Party

Cast on January 1, bound off July 4: my Next in Line Afghan is now complete!

It took me awhile to carefully bind off the 263 stitches of the 19th and final log. I sat directly in front of a big fan the whole time. It was the only way I could possibly stand to knit, because we've been having quite the heat and humidity fest this week.

As soon as I finished binding off and wove in the ends, I did something really crazy, considering how hot the evening was. I just had to run to the couch and drape it over me, to be absolutely sure of the size. Was it big enough? Cozy enough?

Yes, and yes! Absolutely perfect for chilly winter evenings. 

The finished measurements (before blocking) were 52 inches x 60 inches. There's no way I was going to attempt wet blocking something so big, so I chose to steam block it lightly — just enough to even out the stitches and allow the wool relax a bit.

Early in the morning (the only minimally comfortable time of day when it's in the 90s and humid), I hung the afghan over the shower rod in my bathroom and steamed the right side, then flipped it over and repeated the process on the wrong side. Then I laid it out on a sheet to dry (it was only slightly damp), carefully smoothing the fabric with my hands, working from the center outward toward the edges.

I haven't yet measured it again, but I expect that blocking might have increased its size just a little — we'll see. I know many of you are eagerly awaiting the pattern, and I'm excited that we are now so much closer to that moment. But there's still lots to do: calculate yardage requirements for each color, take photos and edit them, write the pattern, have it tech edited, finalize layout, etc.

I will share the yardage requirements when the pattern is released or shortly before, so hang tight. It won't be long now!

LINKS
Next in Line Instagram posts (hashtag: #nextinlineblanket)
My Ravelry project page
Next in Line blog posts 

Next in Line Afghan: Almost There!

I'm on the next-to-last log of my Next in Line log cabin blanket — it's exciting to be so close to finishing! Today I thought I'd talk a bit about the colors I've used and offer ideas for choosing your own. 

There are 19 logs in all and currently I'm knitting Log No. 18. The main color of this log is Doeskin Heather and the contrast color is Silver Grey. 

These two colors are very close in value, which means there's not a lot of contrast between them. So this particular log has a soft, quiet feel. 

The four colors I've used are: Cascade 220 Silver Grey, Doeskin Heather, and Straw; and Valley Yarns Northampton Lake Heather. 

If you're planning to knit this afghan and want to start thinking about colors, I'd suggest taking photos of potential color combinations, then editing the photos to make them black and white, so you can see the values (their lightness/darkness).

Here are my four colors in black and white, arranged from lightest (Silver Grey) to the darkest (Lake Heather):

My afghan's overall "look" is quiet and subtle. That's due in part to the values of my colors. As you can see from the black-and-white photo, there's actually not a big contrast between the lightest color (Silver Grey) and the darkest color (Lake Heather). In fact, none of these colors are extremely dark.

If you want a blanket with a similar feel, choose colors that are similar to these in value. If you'd rather make a blanket with a lot more "pop" or contrast, you'll probably want to choose four colors that vary more widely in value — maybe one very light color, one slightly darker, one medium, and one very dark.

Knitters on Instagram have been asking me for yardage, but I'm not ready to announce it yet. I want to wait until the whole blanket is done and I'm sure of how much Silver Grey I've used. There are five different log "schemes" in the afghan, and for two of them Silver Grey is the main color. So I've used twice as much Silver Grey as any of the other colors. 

The knitting has been going slowly lately, because I've been working on other designs that are due soon. But Next in Line gets some attention most days. It won't be too long now!

LINKS
Next in Line Instagram posts (hashtag: #nextinlineblanket)
My Ravelry project page
Next in Line blog posts 

Log Cabin Update: Next in Line Afghan

Just three more rows, friends — two rows of knitting, plus binding off — and Log No. 16 of my Next in Line afghan will be finished! 

The afghan now measures about 43 x 56 inches (110 x 142 cm). That's a respectable size for a throw, and I could stop now. But I want more than a throw. I want this to be a big, cozy blanket — the perfect size for snuggling under on a winter evening with your toes well covered and toasty. 

Also, it's a gift, one that I hope the recipients will use for many years to come. So I don't want to skimp. I don't want them wishing for the next 30, 40, 50 years that it was just a little bit bigger. 

Log No. 16 is just like the very first log I knit, with two sections of grey accented with straw stripes. I chose to work two sections rather than one for Log No. 16 not only because I thought it would look good, but also to add extra length on one side, making the afghan more of a rectangle than a square. After the addition of the remaining three logs, the piece will retain an overall rectangular shape.

When will the project be finished and the pattern ready? Well, I had hoped it might be this month — but that's clearly not going to happen. I had a couple of design submissions accepted recently, and since both of them have firm deadlines, they take priority. But I do knit on Next in Line most days, even if only a few rows, so it's always moving steadily forward. It's just that, at this point, the rows are so very  L  O  N  G!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend (and a very happy Memorial Day, if you're in the U.S.). Thanks for reading!

LINKS
Next in Line Instagram posts (hashtag: #nextinlineblanket)
My Ravelry project page
Next in Line blog posts 

Next in Line Afghan Update

My Next in Line afghan project for the Fringe and Friends Log Cabin Make-along grows and grows. Right now, it measures about 32 x 36 inches. If all goes according to plan, the finished afghan should measure about 52 x 60 inches. Nice and big — perfect for cozy winter evenings on the sofa, right?

Knitters have been asking for yardage estimates so they can get their yarn before the pattern is released. But it's really too soon for that. I'm currently knitting Log No. 12, and if I stick to my current plans, there will be 19 logs in all. So hang in there; the end — while not exactly near — is in sight!

While you wait, you can check out the videos I've posted on Instagram about this project. One shows my method for weaving in ends; the other shows how I pick up stitches along the bound-off edges. I'm @bluepeninsula on Instagram, if you'd like to see them.

Here's a closeup of the wrong side. It's different from the right side, but just as nice:

The weekend's almost here, and after a week of not one but two Nor'easters, I'm ready to curl up with this project and enjoy lots and lots of non-stressful garter stitch. Hope your weekend brings lots of satisfying knitting time, too!

Logalong Progress

Confession: When I cast on for the Fringe and Friends Log Cabin Make-along, I wasn't sure how far I'd get with it. For one thing, there was the worry about garter stitch being boring (turns out it's not boring at all, but soothing, meditative knitting). I also wondered if this project would steal too much time from other design work, causing me to put it "on the back burner." That concern also has disappeared — my Next in Line throw is actually moving along at a respectable pace, and so far it's left me sufficient time for other projects.

The design process is enormously satisfying. I'm enjoying choosing the next color for each log, deciding how wide it should be, and where the contrast color stripes should be placed. The more I knit, the more I love these colors! Knitters have contacted me to ask about them, so here they are: Cascade 220 in Silver Grey, Straw, and Doeskin Heather, and Valley Yarns Northampton in Lake Heather.

I might be a little too smitten with it — Snickers has had to remind me to take breaks and remember that "all knitting and no play" makes me a very dull girl.

Yesterday, I finished Log No. 8 and began No. 9. The piece now measures about 22 x 24 inches, so I've got a ways to go — I'm aiming for about 48 x 60 inches. I don't want it to be as small as a baby blanket, but it's not meant to be a bedspread, either.

What do you think? What's your preferred size for an afghan or throw?