When an Obsession is a Good Thing

When I knit something, you may have noticed that I tend to repeat myself.  Over.  And Over.  And Over Again.

My knitting friend Jan referred to it like a kid at the amusement park getting off the roller coaster and immediately wanting to go again.  

That's me.  When I knit something I like, I immediately want to knit it again.  You've seen this with

1. chickens
2. snowmen
3. Wonderful Wallabies
4. Owls
5. Sampler Blankets
6. Hats
7. Baby Booties
8. and now... Warm Up America blankets

I'm having so much fun letting my mind problem solve, figure out the best color schemes, search for the best yarn, the perfect pattern, the right swatch to unify the entire project, the new catchy look.  

It's OK that I had these swatches in a time out for eight years (YIKES!) - because I knew I would come back to them some day.  I've gone through all the easy swatches to join.  Now I'm down to the odds and ends.  There aren't enough swatches in a complementary color combination to make an entire blanket - not even a whole child's blanket which only requires 25 swatches.  So I looked through my stash for any acrylic I might have left.  I found a bit, but not much at all.  So I asked my friends and they answered my call.  Now I'm trying to knit up some connecting swatches to tie together the blankets in a theme.  First up is the pink blanket.  I thought about making a Monster Blanket out of this one... but I kept being drawn to hearts, hearts and more hearts.  I want to add more red, but that hot pink is calling my name.  Sometimes I ignore that siren's song, but when I go down to the basement and play with my swatches, adding the latest colors, I either like or dislike the direction I'm heading and I take another turn.

I really, really like the hot pink swatches, but I can't find any yarn in my stash or my friend's stash.  I went to my LYS Westport Yarns and discovered that they do carry Cascade Yarns Cherub Aran - a 55% Nylon/45% Acrylic blend which is soft and perfect for extra swatches, but they didn't have hot pink.  I did find a very nice magenta (technically called Italian Plum) - and knit up three swatches.  I am very happy with the heart theme.  I used some Homespun in a pale pink for the intarsia heart and I think it's the right look for this blanket.  So no googly eyes for me.  Just hearts.  Lots of hearts.  I'm going to swap out a few more swatches for magenta and hopefully hot pink hearts.  If all goes well, I might actually have another child's blanket to take to Iowa with me.

I haven't ruled out a pink/purple girly Monster blanket.  Just not today.  That will be a problem to knit through another day.

Comments

[kathy b]

I am a potato chip knitter too Jennifer!!!!

I Love all things HEarts. I have a heart collection on my wall. My diamond from Fireman is heart shaped.

Your blanket is looking great. I find it hard to photograph reds but you have done well!

[Dee]

I bet the fuzzy pink heart ends up right by the cheek of a little girl so she can enjoy the softness.

So cute!

[Wool Winder]

I actually love that you get stuck on one type of project and knit it many times. I enjoy seeing all the variations you come up with. Your've done a great job on all the blankets you've put together so far. Good luck on all the ones to come. ~Tracy