Finished my first project

#1

Well I finished my first project. THe girl next store lent me her booklet “teach yourself how to knit…” and recommented I make this scarf that was in there.

It was the “project from hell”. First because I was just learning and secondly because it used this “basket weave” pattern which was pretty challenging for my first project. Either way, I finally finished it, and I have to say I was really pleased with the results.

So being that I was able to finish the scarf (Hear the Angels singing?), I opted to start a new project. One if the girls I work with is expecting a baby in May. Thus, Baby Aphgan! Needless to say I did NOT choose some busy pattern that would continue to demonstrate to my friends and family that I have an imaginary “knitting” friend that I whisper terse comments to under my breath. Either way, I know many of you get the point.

So back to the aphgan. I am using the suggested yarn by Plymouth called “Encore Chunky”. Of course the girl at the office is doing the " We don’t want to know the sex of the baby"thing… Does anyone else at this point want to do the Cher scene from Moonstruck and smack these people and say “Snap out of it!”. (I sure hope you all are laughing at my sense of humor. If not, you may think I am this angry violent person with imaginary friends!)

So being that I do not know the sex. I went with the off white/yellow yarn color. Face it. We have all had kids… And we know what is going to get all over this baby aphgan… so… color will not matter later on. (I am awfully cycnical this evening. It’s that scarf project that did this to me!)

Ok so enough rambling and back to the point. So I have pattern P217. Which consists of 2 different baby aphgans. One has an “every other” block with a heart design in it. The other is just blocked squares. (Yes I took the easy road! grin) So here is what is strange. Being that “the scarf from hell” stressed me beyond all hope, I was anal about this project. I did not want any random loose stitches and for goodness sakes… no mistakes! Strangely enough. The color picture that comes with this pattern shows these two glorious aphgans that I am sure would be pure fodder to many of you. I mean after all, the pattern states “Weekend Aphgan”. WEEKEND APHGAN!!! Umm maybe like a long weekend with no bathroom breaks? (Okay so I am not very fast… but I thought I was??? Damn scarf!)

What is strange is that there is an alternating pattern that looks as follows:

P17,p1,k1,p1
K17,k1,p1,k1
Please note there is a with a 5 stitch seed pattern before and after each row.

This produces this vertical line effect in the aphgan. What is really strange is if you look at their finished product here.

I am making the darker blue one on the right. Though the pattern works for the project, I honestly do not think the vertical pattern resembles anything simmilar to what is pictured… nor does the pattern provided make me even think it would ever look like their finished product’s vertical pattern.

If anyone is bored, I would appreciate you taking a look and see if you think and give me your thoughts.

Thanks,

Bigbearjeff
"Imaginary friends don’t argue"

PS I have attached pictures of the “Scarf from Hell” :smiley:

#2

Great job on the scarf! I can’t believe that is your first finished project! Way to go! :cheering: :thumbsup:

#3

Wow! Your scarf is beautiful!! I love the colors and for a first project it is amazing!

As for the afghan, I’m too much of a novice myself to give you much help. From what you posted, it looks like stockinette with a seed stitch border. I would probably just “trust the pattern” as Ingrid says and give it a go!

#4

I think the scarf looks great.

It’s hard to tell from the picture exactly what stitches are pictured. I think it looks like seed stitch between the squares, but the written pattern doesn’t imply that.

If you want a seed stitch between the panels, then you should k, p, k on every row.

#5

[color=blue]Your scarf turned out quite nice. I think it’s good to start with a challenge. :roflhard:

Somewhere in your blanket directions it must say to do 3 or 5 rows of seed st horizontally to make the squares. Maybe after 21 or 23 rows of what you have typed here.
Lana[/color] :frog:

#6

[color=green]BTW…I was laughing all through your scenario.
If knitting doesn’t work out for ya, you’ve got writing goin’ for ya.
(just kiddin’. :mrgreen: Your doing well with knitting. :happydance: ) [/color]

#7

Scarf looks great! I loved your post - yeah I recently made something for someone who was having a themed baby (can you say…FIRST CHILD?) and everything down to the sucky and diapers were supposed to be in that theme. I went off that path of course. :rofling:

#8

Jeff, that scarf looks FANNNTASTIC!! And, like Lana, I was giggling all through your post. You’ll fit in here just FINE!

That blanket is gonna be LOVELY. Encore chunky is a GOOD choice! Chunky, so it’ll be a quick knit, and machine washable for all of baby’s ahem EXCRETIONS. :shock: And Encore is nice & soft, too.

Cant wait to see your progress on that!

#9

Well, since all my kids are grown and gone, all I can say is…
MHUAHAHAHAHA
but they will probably bring back more little ones someday… ooooh
oh well,
it’s not like I don’t already know how to clean :shock:

#10

Beautiful scarf!! Great job on your first FO!! :thumbsup:

#11

Your scarf looks awesome and good luck with the afghan!

#12

Well I greet you with the knowledge that I missed the “smallest” detail in the pattern… and of course the pattern was right. I was loving the yarn and my new circular needles so much that I went on a knitting frenzy. Needless to say it took 1 skeen of yarn for me to realize my mistake… What to do… What to do…

So today after work I will go home and pull it all out. :crying: My imaginary knitting friend tried to convince me to just stick with what I was doing and make the new “modified” version, but alas… the perfectionist in me can not go through it… I really want to do it right.

Just to elaborate my mistake… There is a Knit Pearl Knit sequence on each row RS and WS. This would make the alternating pattern pictured in the vertical line design. I unfortunately was so used to doing the inverson on a pattern then I was doing k,p,k on one side and p,k,p on the other side. Thus a pattern, but not the correct one. :??

Well I have that to work on this week and being that I have a 6 hour trip to Michigan this weekend I suspect that I will get much done on the road. Of course I will not be the driver… though that would be a scary picture… k,k,k,k,break,k,k, blinker,k, turn left,k,k, accelerate…

Well back to it. Thanks for all your kind compliments and encouragement.

BigBearJeff :thumbsup:

#13

[color=darkred]Hey, Jeff! Do you know how to retrieve your Private Messages? [/color] :thinking:

#14

Love those colors!! :thumbsup:

#15

The scarf looks great, and I applaud your tenacity to stick with it- if I had attempted basketweave for my first project, it probably would have ended up in the trash! You did a great job.

#16

:happydance: Looks wonderful and Congrats on your first knitting project!!!