Friday, October 5, 2007

Finished Object: EZ's Garter Stitch Blanket

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Garter Stitch Blanket

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Garter Stitch Blanket
Elizabeth Zimmermann's Garter Stitch Blanket


Elizabeth Zimmermann's Garter Stitch Blanket (Opinionated Knitter and another magazine) is knit in four mitered pieces and then sewn together. I decided to update the colors to chocolate brown and robin's egg blue for a stylish little boy's blanket. Lion Brand Woolease fit the bill on color, easy care, and price. I took these pieces with me on a trip to California last fall thinking that the pieces would be very portable. They ended up being very portable, since I didn't get much done on them!

This blanket has been staring at me reproachfully for a year now. Or should I say the PIECES have been staring at me. I knit this for a special baby thinking "oh, a garter stitch blanket, I can finish that in no time!" Needless to say, I had to hurriedly switch to something else at the last minute to make the deadline. In my defense, I did go ahead and finish the knitting, but the seaming looked hard, so there was always time for that another day...One year later...Now I have two things on the needles, the beautiful white Michael Kors sweater from last year's Vogue Knitting Fall 2006 cover, and a little sweater for my 8-year old who claims I never knit anything for him. So with all of this going on, I find out my father has cancer and will need chemo. Having just gone through this with my mother, I know he will need something warm to cover up with during the chemo treatments. Of course, he needs an afghan, and I just bought the Rambling Rows pattern from LionBrand the other day.
Michael Kors Cabled Tunic, back piece

But I've got 2 sweaters on the needles and blanket pieces that I keep having to shake the dust off of. Now I'm stressed and guilty. So, I divide and conquer (I originally typed 'concur', I think my brain is making fun of me). I hurriedly finish the last 10 rows on the back piece of the Michael Kors sweater and bind off. Good stopping point.


Then, I send the kids outside to play, lay out the pieces of the EZ blanket on the living room floor and start seaming. Hmm, this wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be, but it still took two hours. There. Done. But wait, I'm actually ahead! I have a baby gift and no baby to give it to! Woo hoo!