Stats:
Pattern: Alphabet Blanket
Source: Baby Knits by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby, just under 3 full balls
Needles: 4mm for blanket, 3.5mm for triangles. The pattern called for thinner yarn and smaller needles, so I adapted for the weight yarn I used.
Cast-on to Bind-off: about 2 months, although I spent 2 weeks working on the JCA project and only worked on this when I was home because of the whole chart-following thing. If I add up actual knitting time I’m sure it’s well under a month.
Summary: A surprisingly fast and easy knit! The 4 page chart is daunting at first but you quickly fall into a rhythm. There are sections or rows that repeat throughout so you can get through those rows quickly, and it is easy to keep track of where you are. I never even needed a stitch marker. Most (but not all) wrong-side rows are straight purl rows which gives you a break if you get frustrated reading charts.
Tag Archives: Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blankie
on comments
Don’t have time for a long post right now as a) have no pics to show off and b) just got home from prenatal classes and am feeling a little squeamish and hungry since I didn’t have time for supper before hand. I’m off to go eat but just wanted to thank Robyn, Dianne and JayJay for the nice words on the latest batch of knits (and food).
Dianne, I can’t reply to your email directly, but if you check back here the Alphabet Blankie is from Baby Knits by Debbie Bliss. It’s available from both Amazon and Chapters.
close knits
I’m so excited to be nearly finished the chart for the Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blankie (although why I can’t just call it the Alphabet Blankie is beyond me). The light wasn’t great today, but what you can barely see in this photo is me about to start the last block of letters, and the DEFGH, IJKLM, NOPQR, STUVW and XYZ rows already completed. All that comes next is the (probably really long) border and then I’ll be finished!
The next close knit is so close its embarassing. It is a cabled hoodie from this book:
and in the book it looks like this (sorry I couldn’t get it to turn in the image editor I was using):
For my version I decided to use some Patons Decor I had lying around as leftovers from other projects. I didn’t have quite enough of the cream color to do the whole sweater so I used a dark brown with it. All that is left is to seam the sides, sleeves and the hood, weave in all ends and sew in the zipper. I had put it aside when it was blocking and regretfully never picked it up again. It bugs me because it was a fast knit but I don’t record the item completion date for my projects until it is really COMPLETE so what should show a 2 week or so start-to-finish time lags for months and months just waiting for little stuff like seaming. ARG.
Last I have a horrible photo of the Mitered Square Blankie. It is close only in the sense that I finished its width and will now be working my way upwards to get it to the proper length. I told myself that once it was wide enough I would start weaving in all the ends, so as soon as I finish the block that is still on the needles I will be weaving, so the next time you see it it should look a lot better than this! (And I’ll find better lighting).
hey wouldja lookit that- i’ve been knitting
First off, I must post a photo of Sam. He’s been complaining that the blog has been Sam-less for too long, so here’s a shot of him that Yannick took the other day.
Now then, on to the knitting.
Don’t ask me where I’ve found time to knit, but almost all of the progress you will see below was knit THIS WEEK. (Technically you would know that as these are updates on projects I showed you last weekend, but I felt like spelling it out ‘cus I’m amazed that I got so much done.) If I didn’t have the previous posts’ photos to compare to I never would have believed it.
This is the progress on the Clown Cardigan. (I call it that because it was original designed for Clown sock yarn, and I’m too lazy to come up with a better name). At the last photo I believe I had only been up to the neckline decreases on the first cardi front, so as you can see I have finished that side and the other cardi front. This was worked on both Tuesday night at the MKG meeting and in the car on Wed when my dad drove me to work ‘cus of the bad snow storm we had (why take a chance and drive when I can get driven and knit??).
This is the progress on the entrelac blankie. I LOVE this project! I love everything about it. I doubt you can tell but there are two complete rows (one blue and one white) done since the last photo. I also remembered to take the photo BEFORE starting the next row so I could lie it out flat and take a proper photograph. I worked on this in the car on the way up north on Sunday as my family went up to spend the day with Yannick’s family and his sister’s family, and then again by the fire during the day as a bunch of them went out to ski and snowboard (they live on Mont Blanc ski hill). I don’t ski. I don’t snowboard. I wouldn’t even if I wasn’t pregnant. “Hi, I’m Jennifer and I’m a klutz.” Enough said. So yeah- 2 rows done on Sunday. Woo hoo.
This I’m really impressed with. At the last photo I was about 10 rows from the top of the STUVW row (oh, and there are 6 rows of blocks, not 4 as I’d said previously). Now I’ve completed not only that row but the NOPQR row above it! I worked on this on and off in the mornings before leaving for work.
Last but not least are some squares for a mitered square baby blanket I’m working on. I completely stole the inspiration, idea and some of the directions from Shelly Kang’s wonderful blankie and Britknitter’s (Dianne) gorgeous blankie. Some of the yarn are my own leftovers and some were graciously given to me for trade or sold to me, or just given. A huge thank you to everyone who gave me their bits and odds and ends of sock yarn or similar weight. (If you’ve got more I’d love to take it off of your hands!) The biggest variation I’ve come up with on Dianne and Shelly’s patterns is that I am going to fill in the edges with triangles to make a complete square once done. I still have tons of that black Sisu sock yarn so I will use that to provide a unified border (I don’t have the patience for an i-cord border like Shelly, gorgeous as it is!). That bunch in the middle are already attached, and the others will be somewhere along the bottom row. I’m just working on placement for a bit because I didn’t realize that they all had that blue and white bit and I don’t want it to look like they were all from the same ball in squares side-by-side, so I’ll have to make up a few others to go in between. In any case, more photos on this as it progresses.
Ok, now I have to leave for work. Have a great day!
hey wouldja lookit that- i’ve been knitting
First off, I must post a photo of Sam. He’s been complaining that the blog has been Sam-less for too long, so here’s a shot of him that Yannick took the other day.
Now then, on to the knitting.
Don’t ask me where I’ve found time to knit, but almost all of the progress you will see below was knit THIS WEEK. (Technically you would know that as these are updates on projects I showed you last weekend, but I felt like spelling it out ‘cus I’m amazed that I got so much done.) If I didn’t have the previous posts’ photos to compare to I never would have believed it.
This is the progress on the Clown Cardigan. (I call it that because it was original designed for Clown sock yarn, and I’m too lazy to come up with a better name). At the last photo I believe I had only been up to the neckline decreases on the first cardi front, so as you can see I have finished that side and the other cardi front. This was worked on both Tuesday night at the MKG meeting and in the car on Wed when my dad drove me to work ‘cus of the bad snow storm we had (why take a chance and drive when I can get driven and knit??).
This is the progress on the entrelac blankie. I LOVE this project! I love everything about it. I doubt you can tell but there are two complete rows (one blue and one white) done since the last photo. I also remembered to take the photo BEFORE starting the next row so I could lie it out flat and take a proper photograph. I worked on this in the car on the way up north on Sunday as my family went up to spend the day with Yannick’s family and his sister’s family, and then again by the fire during the day as a bunch of them went out to ski and snowboard (they live on Mont Blanc ski hill). I don’t ski. I don’t snowboard. I wouldn’t even if I wasn’t pregnant. “Hi, I’m Jennifer and I’m a klutz.” Enough said. So yeah- 2 rows done on Sunday. Woo hoo.
This I’m really impressed with. At the last photo I was about 10 rows from the top of the STUVW row (oh, and there are 6 rows of blocks, not 4 as I’d said previously). Now I’ve completed not only that row but the NOPQR row above it! I worked on this on and off in the mornings before leaving for work.
Last but not least are some squares for a mitered square baby blanket I’m working on. I completely stole the inspiration, idea and some of the directions from Shelly Kang’s wonderful blankie and Britknitter’s (Dianne) gorgeous blankie. Some of the yarn are my own leftovers and some were graciously given to me for trade or sold to me, or just given. A huge thank you to everyone who gave me their bits and odds and ends of sock yarn or similar weight. (If you’ve got more I’d love to take it off of your hands!) The biggest variation I’ve come up with on Dianne and Shelly’s patterns is that I am going to fill in the edges with triangles to make a complete square once done. I still have tons of that black Sisu sock yarn so I will use that to provide a unified border (I don’t have the patience for an i-cord border like Shelly, gorgeous as it is!). That bunch in the middle are already attached, and the others will be somewhere along the bottom row. I’m just working on placement for a bit because I didn’t realize that they all had that blue and white bit and I don’t want it to look like they were all from the same ball in squares side-by-side, so I’ll have to make up a few others to go in between. In any case, more photos on this as it progresses.
Ok, now I have to leave for work. Have a great day!
hey wouldja lookit that- i’ve been knitting
First off, I must post a photo of Sam. He’s been complaining that the blog has been Sam-less for too long, so here’s a shot of him that Yannick took the other day.
Now then, on to the knitting.
Don’t ask me where I’ve found time to knit, but almost all of the progress you will see below was knit THIS WEEK. (Technically you would know that as these are updates on projects I showed you last weekend, but I felt like spelling it out ‘cus I’m amazed that I got so much done.) If I didn’t have the previous posts’ photos to compare to I never would have believed it.
This is the progress on the Clown Cardigan. (I call it that because it was original designed for Clown sock yarn, and I’m too lazy to come up with a better name). At the last photo I believe I had only been up to the neckline decreases on the first cardi front, so as you can see I have finished that side and the other cardi front. This was worked on both Tuesday night at the MKG meeting and in the car on Wed when my dad drove me to work ‘cus of the bad snow storm we had (why take a chance and drive when I can get driven and knit??).
This is the progress on the entrelac blankie. I LOVE this project! I love everything about it. I doubt you can tell but there are two complete rows (one blue and one white) done since the last photo. I also remembered to take the photo BEFORE starting the next row so I could lie it out flat and take a proper photograph. I worked on this in the car on the way up north on Sunday as my family went up to spend the day with Yannick’s family and his sister’s family, and then again by the fire during the day as a bunch of them went out to ski and snowboard (they live on Mont Blanc ski hill). I don’t ski. I don’t snowboard. I wouldn’t even if I wasn’t pregnant. “Hi, I’m Jennifer and I’m a klutz.” Enough said. So yeah- 2 rows done on Sunday. Woo hoo.
This I’m really impressed with. At the last photo I was about 10 rows from the top of the STUVW row (oh, and there are 6 rows of blocks, not 4 as I’d said previously). Now I’ve completed not only that row but the NOPQR row above it! I worked on this on and off in the mornings before leaving for work.
Last but not least are some squares for a mitered square baby blanket I’m working on. I completely stole the inspiration, idea and some of the directions from Shelly Kang’s wonderful blankie and Britknitter’s (Dianne) gorgeous blankie. Some of the yarn are my own leftovers and some were graciously given to me for trade or sold to me, or just given. A huge thank you to everyone who gave me their bits and odds and ends of sock yarn or similar weight. (If you’ve got more I’d love to take it off of your hands!) The biggest variation I’ve come up with on Dianne and Shelly’s patterns is that I am going to fill in the edges with triangles to make a complete square once done. I still have tons of that black Sisu sock yarn so I will use that to provide a unified border (I don’t have the patience for an i-cord border like Shelly, gorgeous as it is!). That bunch in the middle are already attached, and the others will be somewhere along the bottom row. I’m just working on placement for a bit because I didn’t realize that they all had that blue and white bit and I don’t want it to look like they were all from the same ball in squares side-by-side, so I’ll have to make up a few others to go in between. In any case, more photos on this as it progresses.
Ok, now I have to leave for work. Have a great day!