Warming Your Knees (UK Swap)

(If you're looking for the weekly post, just scroll past this one...)

What has been your favourite finished blanket/lapghan?

Not something I generally knit because it takes a lot of time to create BUT…
I did knit up a blanket from handspun. (Pity I don't have a photo!)

Basically, when I was pretty new to the spinning scene, I bought fleeces indiscriminately. If it was cheap, it was mine! Hence I ended up with a Derbyshire gritstone fleece with half of Derbyshire in it…the thorny bits; and 2kg of black Shropshire that was coarse as dog hair (and not the sort you spin!). So, in a fit of using the rubbish fleece before the good stuff, I forced myself to work through them, producing a combination of black, off white and black and white tweed yarns.

There was thick, thin and everything in between (I was playing with spinning techniques) and I ended up with around 2kg of not soft yarn. Well, it was never going to go next to the skin so a big lap blanket sounded ideal. I got out the Harmony stitch guides, cast on random numbers of stitches and found a pattern that needed that amount. I picked up along the edge of the last one to save sewing up and the changing patterns kept me entertained until I had a sizeable blanket that gets a lot of use come the cold weather! It may not be pretty (I never had enough to put a border around) but it’s serviceable and keeps the draughts away.

Do you have a favourite pattern that you'd like to make in the future?

There are lots of patterns I like but I’m not sure I’d have the staying power to keep at it!

I must admit though I've had a fondness for this one for a while.

Do you have a favourite type of yarn for making blankets/lapghans?
Wool or wool blends. It's washable and keeps you warm!