Monday, December 17, 2018

Preparing to Knit

Because knitting (or crochet) requires a certain amount of effort, not to mention the expense of yarn, I have given up guessing what those I knit (or crochet) for would like. I ask them directly. 

I am often surprised by what requests I receive. 

My 17-year-old niece finally responded to the "what do you want for Christmas?" text a couple weeks ago. And I have been trying to acquire the yarn ever since. 

Have you seen those really, really chunky knit blankets? Due to copyright concerns, I'll just link to a few images, in case you haven't seen these. Here are links to one, two, three, four, and five different examples. 

Yup, this is what she wants. I am, of course, familiar with this trend. I have been curious enough to want to try it, but I don't really have the room or need for such a thing. Now I have the perfect excuse to try it. But, the yarn... 

First, I found this yarn... 


Nice, right? (That's my hand in the picture for scale.) I got what I thought was enough of it, and then my niece told me how big she wanted the blanket to be. Yeah, not nearly enough. 

So, last week I went back to the yarn store to get more skeins. Did they have them? Of course not. 

I looked online to figure out which store had this yarn in this color (because I couldn't order it online or else I would have). The closest store that had the quantity I needed was a bit of a drive. And Saturday was the day to go as the yarn would be 50% off (with an added 20% off coupon on top of it). 

Traffic was terrible, so the distance felt all that much more. And guess what? They didn't have the yarn. 

(Yes, I should have called ahead to verify. I know this. I didn't do this.)

However, they did have another gray, a darker gray, in a heavier weight. 


This was the same brand of yarn, so the 70% discount would still apply. I have receipts for the other yarn, so I can return it. I might as well get the yarn that I could get in the quantity needed. 

I sure hope I got enough... 


I'll post pictures when I finish. (And don't ask how much this all cost even with 70% off.)

20 comments:

  1. I wondered at the cost, if it's breaking the bank, because I imagine that stuff is not cheap. At age 17, she should have considered this. ~shakes head~ Then again, my father was a stickler about making sure we had a good sense of economics. Be well!

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    1. It's not. But this is her birthday, Christmas, and graduation present. She just doesn't know it yet.

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  2. Can't wait to see it or as your working on it.
    But if I ask someone what they may want or need for holidays. I usual will ask for a list and usual there something in my budget.
    Coffee is on

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  3. I have never seen anything so thick. She better appreciate that blanket.

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  4. It's more like rope! Will definitely make a cosy blanket.

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  5. Yikes. That would take a lot of hand dexterity. Needle must be huge.

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  6. Wow that's thick yarn. I'm definitely interested in seeing the final product. I hope your niece appreciates it :)

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  7. The yarn look like toddlers sitting quietly and nicely next to each other.

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  8. Wow. The yarn looks like rope! May your niece be happy with her Xmas gift. x

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  9. That’s going to be some heavy and cozy blanket.

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    1. I think that's the idea. I'm not sure, though.

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  10. I have seen those...is that the ones you knit with your arms? Cool. But she did not give you a lot of time to get it done, did she? Can't wait to see what you do! I have wanted to try it but have not but then again, I have other stuff I need to focus on in the house and get moving on things that I have started and not got done yet.

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    1. I asked late. She could have offered it sooner... Yeah, I've given up the idea that these will be done in time for Christmas. I figure as long as it gets done this winter, we should be good.

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  11. I've been tempted to try knitting something with that super chunky yarn, but the price of it has held me off.

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    1. Yeah, the price... I lucked out with catching that 70% off day. Keep an eye out for those sales.

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  12. What size needles do you use with such thick yarn?

    betty

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  13. I an't believe how expensive some yarn has gotten. I priced some chunky yarn (and yours looks even thicker) the regular price was $10 a skein. It was on a good sale and...of course when I needed more they didn't have that color. Sigh. (mine was for crocheting with a size N hook.)

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    1. Yup, that's the story with the first yarn I have pictured. $10 a skein and not enough in that color. The second yarn is a bit pricier...

      I think the second yarn said it needed a size 50 needle. I plan on not using any needle at all.

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