Next time I start to knit a blanket – even a baby blanket – remind me how long it takes to actually knit an entire blanket, okay? Actually, as far as blankets go, this one came together pretty quickly – but then again, that’s as far as blankets go, we’re not talking about whipping up a pair of mitts and a hat here.
This is a new Tanis Fiber Arts pattern called Keyfit Baby Blanket, and it’s pretty ingenious how she constructs the diamond shape through intarsia knitting. That said, there was a fair amount of seaming involved, although I found it to be pretty easy and it didn’t require a whole lot of concentration.
I picked the TFA Sweet Palette, which gives you eight colors of TFA Yellow Label DK weight yarn in just the right amounts (they’re less than full skeins, and I always had plenty of yarn with just enough left over as to never worry that I would run out). When they’re all sewn, the together, the overall effect appears jewel-toned to me. I knit and assembled the colors randomly, without any real planning, because I didn’t want a pattern to the colors. Overall, I like how they look when they’re all sewn together.
I completely failed to anticipate how long – and how much yarn – the border would take, however. I think it’s over 500 stitches once all of the borders are picked up! I used some TFA stash yarn (color Dove in a fingering weight, held doubled) and run out before I was even halfway through. I found some other matching yarns in my stash that gave me a few more rows, but then had to decide whether to purchase another yarn to finish it off, or just call it good. It was an easy decision – I was really burned out by then and ready to be done! So, I knit only the first six rows of the border portion and then bound off. I love the picot edging in the pattern, but I’m just as happy with how mine creates a naturally rolling edge – plus, I got to quit halfway through, and I didn’t have to seam then entire thing down (which would have taken a LONG time), so in the end, I’m glad that I ran out of yarn 
I like the blanket in many different colors, but I think it would be just as beautiful in a gradient of very similar colors – or, I would love to see it in just two contrasting colors (one for the diamonds and one for the surrounding pieces). The DK weight yarn knit on US 7 needles makes for a wonderful, drapey fabric that’s light but warm – it would also be fun to try in with worsted weight yarn on a little bigger needles (maybe US 9s or 10s), just to see what you’d get. Hmmm . . . I think I could be talked into doing another one of these in two contrasting colors with worsted weight yarn . . .
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