Pieced Throw
January 4th, 2009 | View Comments
Pattern: Pieced Throw, from Simple Crochet by Erika Knight
Hook: G 4.0mm
Yarn: Lion Brand Baby Soft Solid in Bluebell, 2 skeins, and Pastel Blue, Pistachio, and Lemon Drop, 1 skein each
The finished measurements are about 42″ square.
I had misgivings about using a Lion Brand yarn (let’s just say it was a lot easier to find a Big Box Craft Store than a good LYS during my Thanksgiving trip), but I’m actually pretty happy with it. It doesn’t replace my most favoritest of wash-and-dry, baby-friendly acrylic blends, Plymouth Encore, but it will definitely do in a pinch.
I made two changes to the pattern that really made the project for me. First, I adapted the colorblock sequence for four colors. This wasn’t totally intentional—I had meant to use a different four-color pattern and bought yarn accordingly but then changed my mind at the last minute. But in retrospect, breaking up one of the 16-row color blocks into a 4-, 8-, 4-row sequence of two colors really adds a lot of visual pop to the project.
The second change was to make a three-row edging instead of the one written into the pattern. A one-row edging just looked and felt dinky and I thought three rows would look more proportional to the rest of the blanket and help stabilize the edge better.
Not to mention this project photo from the book:
That didn’t look like a one-row edging to me. 
This project also re-affirmed my belief in blocking. I usually wet-block everything, finding that it makes a huge difference in the finished project while also giving the yarn a much-needed wash. But conventional wisdom says that acrylic doesn’t really block so I wasn’t sure if it would really matter in this case.
It mattered.
I threw the whole thing into a big lingerie bag and then into the wash. When I took it out, I did my usual, somewhat painstaking process of hands-and-knees, pins into the floor, yardsticks and tape measures to square corners. The blanket had been a bit misshapen due to wonky tension when it first came off the hook. But a good blocking evened everything up nicely.
I worship at the altar of blocking and will never doubt again.
P.S. Remember when I said I would be releasing a new pattern this weekend? Not so much! Get this…I lost the pattern notes, which means I have to reconstruct the whole thing from memory. I can do it, but well…maybe next weekend.
Other entries about the Pieced Throw:
CogKnition posted this on January 4th, 2009 @ 12:04pm in Baby Items, Blankets, Crochet, Finished Objects | Permalink to "Pieced Throw"
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