..what it wants to be.
Some years ago, when they were fashionable, I knitted myself a poncho. I wore it quite a lot at the time but haven’t worn it in a while so decided to reclaim the yarn and knit something that would get more use.
I searched around for clothing patterns but didn’t have enough yarn to knit any of the jumpers that I liked and also wasn’t sure about wearing something knit from chunky yarn; I really don’t need any extra bulk! I had similar problems with the shawl patterns that I looked at.
Meanwhile, there was a little voice at the back of my head saying things like, “What about a blanket? You quite liked the idea of a grown-up version of the teddy bear baby blanket.” For some reason, I was determined not to listen to the little voice though and, even having decided that I was going to make a blanket, I tried swatching for all sorts of other types of blankets; cables, lace, you name it, I tried it.
The little voice was becoming more insistent the more swatches that I ripped out: “What about the alternating stocking and reverse stocking squares? You really liked those.”
And, eventually, I succumbed and so was born the Sophisticated Squares blanket:
This is a really basic knit – alternating squares of stocking and reverse stocking stitch surrounded by a seed stitch border. The chunky yarn means that it is knitting up very, very quickly, even more quickly than the teddy bear baby blanket. And, most importantly of all, I love it. I plan to block it quite severely when it’s finished which means it should be a reasonable size and drape really nicely. I can’t wait!