Truly Hooked part 6

Following my first attempt at intarsia, I learned a number of things. The biggest thing I learned was that I hate intarsia! I can't stress this enough. Working on the Star Wars blanket for my partner is definitely going to be a labour of love. I also learned a number of minor things, such as the need for a printer that actually works, or that there is such a thing as a ball of yarn that is, in fact, too big. But mainly I learned that the Star Wars blanket is going to take me a LOT longer than I realised, and that it will be imperative that I actually weave my ends as I go. As a result, I am trying to get up to date on all the little odds and ends that are lying around. Having half a dozen unfinished projects lying around when I am about to start a monster doesn't seem like a good idea.

The first project I decided to finish was my Truly Hooked circles blanket. The latest pack was pack six, and the colour scheme was yellow. And I do mean yellow - Like, the standing in front of you with a megaphone, screaming YELLOW!!!! at the top of it's voice sort of yellow.



I didn't enjoy this pack as much as the previous packs. It's not even the colour that bothered me (as it did others). I don't mind the brightness of the yellow - there were bright pinks and oranges in previous packs, and I'm fully expecting an almost neon green at some point. I love bright rainbow colours, so the colour didn't bother me in the slightest. What did bother me, however, was the texture of the really bright yellows. The texture of the yarn I use means a lot to me - I prefer soft yarn over the scratchy feel of cheap acrylic. In all of the previous packs I have gone on and on - almost gushed - about how wonderfully soft and squishable the yarn has been. When I received the first pack, I sat there for a good ten minutes just squishing the yarn over and over. When I was showing off the yarn packs the first thing I said to people was "feel how soft it is!!!" And this time I just couldn't feel it. I don't know whether it was the dye that hardened the yarn, or whether it was maybe a guest dyer (I know that the next pack features a guest dyer) but the neon yellow skeins had the feel of acrylic rather than the soft wool feel that I have come to be used to. That said, the remaining colours in the pack were as soft as I remember, and once I got the neon colours out of the way I began to thoroughly enjoy working with the skeins again. I don't expect that I will come across many more that I don't enjoy working with. Overall, the blanket club has been a wonderful experience! I would love to do it again one day.



I am really beginning to love this blanket as it works up. I have loved it from the beginning, but as I see it grow I love it more and more. It makes me feel a bit sad to think that it will be finished soon - We are two thirds of the way through the packs - but I am also excited to finish it! I am definitely keeping this blanket for myself. It's a bit small to go on my bed - I think it's the perfect size to be a single bedspread - but it will make a great sofa blanket, if I can only keep the cats off of it. I think what I really need is a box by the sofa in which I can store blankets for the cold nights that come with having those pesky British Victorian sash windows. I would also put my ever suffering rainbow ripple blanket in there, my scrap square a day blanket, and the three shop-bought blankets I have - though those would be right down at the very bottom, for when we are desperate!! Alas, our flat is way too small, but I can dream, right?