Paintbox is Finished!

(click the pictures if you'd like to see them bigger and clearer!)
Last month, I finally added the last rows to my Noro Paintbox blanket for my parents. This project has been on my needles on and off for over a year now, but the vast majority of it was done since June of last year. It was really a fantastic project and great in terms of balance and timing.


The project was easy enough so that I could relax and watch a movie and mindlessly knit row after row of garter stitch, but just when things might seem a bit dull I had to do the cast off/turn/pick up stitches dance of the log cabin pattern.

And the timing was great because a lot of the square work was done in the summer when we made frequent trips up to the cabin. I could just toss whatever square I was in the middle of working on and an extra skein or two in my bag and I was set for the weekend. Plus, working on individual squares kept my lap free of a huge hot woolen mass. Once it started cooling down, though, that's when it was time to start stitching those bad boys together. As the days got colder, the blanket grew big and my lap stayed toasty warm.

The only downside I would say to the making of the blanket is that the in-between black stripes did get very very boring. The edges took about 30 minutes to do each row. Considering that each side has 10 rows and there are four sides....on second thought let's not consider that.

My only complaint (because I'm never satisfied) would be about the slight bubbling of the squares within the borders. Perhaps its because the edging yarn was VERY slightly thinner than the Noro. Maybe it's because my bind-offs for the squares were too tight. Maybe I knit my edges too tight. Who knows. I am sure that after some use or a pass over with the steam setting of an iron will get it flat.

With this project, I have used up the last skeins of the Noro Kureyon that my lovely friends and family got for me two and half years ago to make a blanket for myself. It seemed only right for me to use what was left of that generous gift to make something for my parents who have always been fantastic to me and done so much for me. All of these pictures were taken at the blanket's new home: my parent's bedroom at their cabin.

I am immensely proud of this blanket and I hope my parents will be able to enjoy it for years to come.