Happy Friday, Happy Throw

Hello Friday! If you follow me on Instagram (@nutmegknitter) you can probably guess what my FO Friday post will be about. Nate’s Blanket is finished! Completing this project also means that I completed all the challenges for Camp Loopy 2014! Did you read about Loopy Academy? I’ve already signed up and will probably talk more about it in future blog posts. Today however is all about the Happy Throw, designed by Tara Murray, and the Spud & Chloe Sweater yarn I used. I was completely sold on using Sweater after I used it to crochet Nate’s stegosaurus. The color palette is bold and bright. This yarn is a blend of superwash wool and organic cotton. At my local SnB a fellow knitting gave the project a squeeze and was surprised by it – Is that Cotton? Sure, sort-of.

This project is my largest crochet project to date and I am pleased to report that my hands did not ache at all while working on this! I ended up using 5 skeins of Manatee, and 1 skein of each of the contrasting color stripes: Splash, Life Jacket, Billiard and Firefly. Go figure, after a stretch of unseasonably cool weather in August when you would want to reach for a blanket like this – it keeps you warm, but breathes! – the heat and humidity have returned. I was pleased when we put the blanket to use right away for a dinosaur-dachshund picnic. I was also pretty pleased to see it used as a cushion as well. It might not yet make the cut to be in Nate’s room (he’s particular), but I’m hoping maybe when the weather turns it will be there. For now we have it out in our family room, ready to be used.

Color me not at all surprised that Jackson thought it would make a cozy spot to nap on.  Dachshund approved! When laid out, the blanket measures slightly more than 3 feet by 4 feet – I haven’t washed it yet, so I don’t know how that will change it, if at all. The care instructions suggest a gentle wash in cool water with mild soap /  Tumble dry low until damp, block to shape. Which does make me wonder – I can tell that my gauge changed in this project, and I’m ok with that – I must have relaxed and gotten used to the pattern, but it’s not a perfect rectangle. It’s skewed a bit – maybe there is bias? Should I have crocheted an edging of some sort around the blanket, would that make a difference? It would be good to know for next time, as I am already planning the make another Happy Throw, for my daughter in Rainbow colors:

If you’d like to see how this rainbow Happy Throw grows feel free to follow this blog on your blog reader of choice (I like Blogloving), sign up for an email notification of new blog posts in the sidebar. There’s also Instagram or friend me on Ravelry!