This post almost was never written. Not that I had issues with it, on the contrary. I had been thinking about what pictures to take and what to write, but I got so distracted with other things that I forgot to actually take those pictures and type those words. Go figure. Serious case of brain fog (I’ve been sick with who knows what (tested negative for C.), still very tired, but feeling better).
I’m knitting away on the baby blanket, though it’s not going as fast as I’d like and I’m not enjoying it as much as I thought I would. The pattern is great, there’s nothing wrong with that. Easy to remember, but not too boring.
It’s the yarn. I thought I was buying a “real brand”(Red Heart), instead of the vague Italian (?) stuff I bought at the other shop, but it’s so scratchy and squeaky, that it’s just not fun to work with and quite hard on my slightly arthritic hands. I found out you can soften it up with hair conditioner and laundry softener. I am going to do that when I’m done knitting, but I’m not brave enough to wash a skein of yarn. Seems to me that it will become a tangled mess, even in a laundry bag. Maybe I’ll try with the brighter blue I bought, but decided to dismiss for the blanket.
(for those wondering why I’m using acrylic yarn: 1. both parents of the baby are allergic to wool, 2. it’s the only yarn available on the island, 3. budget)
Anyway. I do love how it’s turning out. Each color change makes it look better. In the end, it’s going to be a great (and soft) baby blanket.
NOT A STATION 
what a beautiful blanket!! I have lots of posts in my head that do not make it to publish…yikes!
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Thanks! Yes, so weird isn’t it? Although sometimes I’m just writing posts in my head to think something through. Those don’t need to be posted. But this one was different.
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Very nice. I know nothing about yarn or knitting . . . LOL . . . but the blanket is very nice. =)
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Thank you!
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i love the way this blanket looks – and i’m glad you have found a way to soften it before gifting. bummer that the yarn is hard to work with, though. good thing it’s a baby blanket – not something bigger!
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Yes, that’s what I thought too. I think I would have tried washing the skeins if it was a bigger blanket.
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It’s lovely, but I understand the issue with acrylic. I can’t use it for long either. I think it’s so inelastic that this makes our hands more prone to the pain issues. Too bad the parents can’t take wool!!
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Well, even if they could take wool, I’d never be able to find or get it here. I do wonder about cotton though, maybe I should have tried that.
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It’s a lovely blanket. I am sorry to hear the yarn is so hard on your hands, I hope it doesn’t stop you finishing it.
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Oh I am going to finish it, don’t worry. But unless I find that softening the skeins works, I’m not buying that yarn again…
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Hmm. Good suggestion on softening the yarn. I too hate knitting with acrylic yarn but it’s absolutely the right choice for baby blankets. Thankfully I think I’m done knitting baby blankets for a while.
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I do hope it will work…
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I love the pattern and the colors you have chosen. Thanks for sharing it. Did it turn out the way you wanted it to? I will have to try the hair conditioner to soften up my projects made with red heart yarn.
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Oh yes, it turned out great (https://notastation.blog/2022/10/21/a-blanket-for-baby/) and I spy it on a lot of grandson pictures, so I think they are using it often.
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