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Dec 01 2021

Garden as Safe Space

Progress of blanket, shown on a green grass lawn. 4 columns complete, fifth and sixth in progress.
Project Info
  • Pattern — Safe Space by Skeinanigans
  • Project Type — Blanket
  • Project started — 2021-12-01
  • Percentage complete — 23 % (estimated)
  • Worked with — 3.75mm Needle
  • Yarn(s) — various green and purple fingering yarns held doubled

Ravelry Project Page

Jump to project log notes.

Jump to image gallery.

Notes

Knit on 3.75mm with scrap and orphan stash yarn fingering weight yarns held doubled. Please see Choosing colours for details on that process. The blanket is primarily green and purple (aka garden floral).

This is a project that needs just a bit of attention to knit. It is the first project without Shadow cat on my lap. It’s proving a bit challenging to work in these early days of grief; I forget to slip the first stitch or I completely loose count and neglect to work the shaping. I’m remembering working most of these scrap yarns with him, and they’re good memories.

Dot first joined us as a foster kitten and she adopted my husband and became our forever cat in August 2019. She’s only started sitting on my lap recently. It’s wonderful and different for both of us.

Choosing colours

Will use 3 coin tosses to determine each hexagon, no more than 3 of same type in a row allowed, in that case either shift to next column or new toss.

  • Coin 1: greens (heads) or “garden floral” (tails). I may work two-toned hexagons, see coin toss 3 (if 3, this is starting colour).
  • Coin 2: hold same yarn tog if possible (heads) or marled (tails).
  • Coin 3: is it a full hexagon (heads) or will I switch colors halfway (tails).

Hopefully I can make this look planned and not like my actual semi-neglected garden.

Project Log

  • 2021-12-01 W —

    Gathered & de-tangled initial yarns, predominantly scrap and otherwise orphan fingering weight skeins. Greens will be predominant with “garden floral colors” for accents. I have more of these yarns than I realized.

  • 2021-12-02 R —

    CO first hexagon and begin set-up column. My gauge depends on the yarns I use, hopefully it won’t be too drastic and work out. After first hexagon, rep from SU2. Weaving in the ends as I go (à la Xandy Peters)

  • 2021-12-03 F —

    Cont on set-up column current plan is to make something to keep on the couch, to replace a throw that’s 63in/160cm wide x 47in/119.5cm. I’d like it a bigger, so current plan is 18 columns of 11 hexagons each. We’ll see how it goes. Dot is learning how to model knitting.

  • 2021-12-04 S —

    finish set-up column, begin column 2.

  • 2021-12-05 U —

    continue on column 2.

  • 2021-12-06 M —

    Let’s go col 2! Revision: if I “roll” the same (coin 1) after 3 in a row that shifts to the next column for a few hexagons.

  • 2021-12-07 T —

    Slow progress, on col 2. I’m now Optimally Immunized, we got our boosters yesterday and my arm is a bit sore.

  • 2021-12-08 W —

    After rolling 3 of the same in col 2, I began col 3. That meant rereading the pattern and I figured out I misread the joining instructions which is why col 2 was consistently off by a sneeze. I’ll leave it. I’m not perfect.

  • 2021-12-09 R —

    Worked more on coding this notebook than knitting. Continued on col 3.

  • 2021-12-13 M —

    Finished C2! Total count 27 hexagons out of estimated 118 needed. ~14% complete.

    It doesn’t fit on my studio couch.

  • 2021-12-16 R —

    Almost finished with col 3. Current completed count is 31

    Wrists acting up so trying to go slow and rest.

  • 2021-12-26 U —

    Slow progress, current completed count is 42 (21%), almost finished col 4. My left pinkie had a run-in with the apple corer. It’s sore and awkward to knit.

  • 2022-01-03 M —

    Finished col 4! I’m beginning return to work on other projects which means slower progress here, but that’s ok. My finger is still sore from the kitchen misadventure.

  • 2022-01-31 M —

    Blanket is inching forward, am working on other projects. Also new couch is longer so I’m going to need to make this a bit bigger!

  • 2022-02-26 S —

    Finally completed the longer column 2. Adding 5 hexagons to original length, it’s slow going.

  • 2022-03-12 S —

    Finished longer column 3.

  • 2022-05-01 U —

    slowly. four columns complete. fifth and sixth in progress.

  • 2022-08-18 R —

    knitting this project is mostly paused as I focus on a family member in hospice. It’s on my lap when I’m actually home in the evening. the current hexagon has been in progress for a month. I was nearly done when I realized I had made a new decrease formula.

    Shadow and this family member received their diagnosis the same week in May 2021.

    cancer sucks.

Gallery

2.5 hexagons of safe space design on a butcher block counter
Safe Space blanket on blue couch next to a granny hexagon blanket.
tuxedo cat sitting on PSG's lap with the safe space blanket
Garden As Safe Space in progress on a new ikea couch.
Progress of blanket, shown on a green grass lawn. 4 columns complete, fifth and sixth in progress.
Blanket in progress shown on the knitter’s lap
Click on image to open in new tab at full size.

Written by · Categorized: Knitting · Tagged: Feature, WIP

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