This object isn't quite finished — I'm still working on the border. It is one
of the most beautiful objects I have ever knit. The pattern is based on
Hue Shift. The construction is the basic modular block I teach in my modular knitting
class. Hue Shift works the block in garter stitch, while I prefer to work it
in garter ridge stitch (two rows stockinette, two rows garter). Garter ridge
stitch is not reversible, but it adds an intriguing texture that highlights
the blanket's unorthodox construction. The colors are in order in both
vertical columns and horizontal rows. The one change I made is using white in
the blocks that would be all one color. I thought it made the blanket more
interesting, plus it made it possible for me to make the blocks just a bit
larger, since I needed a bit less yarn of each color.
The yarn is seven colorful skeins plus white of I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby. Much of it was acquired at the North Georgia Knitting Guild auction this year. A few days later, I went over to my local Hobby Lobby and acquired three more colors. I swatched several different sizes of blocks, weighing them on my kitchen food scale to determine the largest size block I could make without losing at yarn chicken. In this case, the blocks are 22+1+22 for a total of 45 stitches picked-up and/or cast-on to begin each module.
What I find intriguing is how the colors interact on this blanket. I have a copy of Josef Albers' classic Interaction of Color. I haven't read all the way through it yet, but I have read some of it. I am familiar with some of the concepts, as I was introduced to these ideas way back in my undergraduate art education. Albers was fascinated by the ways color can deceive. For example, the same color can look different based on neighboring colors.
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| one group of blocks |
The color interactions in this blanket mesmerize me. Each color pair is represented twice but not identically, since which color is garter and which color is stockinette switches. The garter ridges contribute to the illusion as well, since they create shadows. The color interactions that are most interesting to me are those between complimentary colors. The lavender color looks almost gray when paired with the pale yellow, yet much more purple when paired with the blue.
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| the same group of blocks with the colors switched |
Each block took about an hour to knit, so that's 49 hours of knitting, plus several more for the border. I like this blanket so much that I think I will probably keep it. My sister has three 20-something children. At least one of them is likely to have children some day. This blanket would be a lovely gift and, I think, would be a fascinating introduction to color for a new human experiencing the wonder of sight.
Of course, that means I now need to make a different blanket for Project
Linus.
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