A few weeks back, I put together a basketful of odds and ends of tweedy yarns.
I needed--really needed--a mindless project, something to distract and soothe me, something fun but undemanding, freeform, something to pick up and put down. I decided to start making squares.
Square 1
I gave myself some guidelines: only garter stitch; no seaming; no mitering; stitch an inner square bordered by an outer square, the total dimension approximately 8" x 8"; weave in my ends as I go.
Square 2
Eventually, sooner--or later, it doesn't matter--I will have made enough squares to make two generous throw blankets, one for each of my sons. They're grown up and on their own now: Loren will be 28 next month, Connor turns 22 tomorrow.
Square 3
Each blanket will be unique, but the two will be similar, yet different, clearly related but not the same, siblings, just like my marvelous boys.
Square 4
Foursquare
I hoped, and expected, that this would be a fun project, but I didn't anticipate Just. How. Very. Very. Much. Fun! it would be. I scarcely want to do anything else! (Plus, I also had to buy more yarn, because I realized pretty quickly my odds and ends wouldn't be enough.)
Square 5
What colors should I use? How can I make different shapes work together, but without seaming? How can I knit, bind off, and pick up stitches to create each arrangement of blocks?
Square 6
I get to play with symmetry, and asymmetry. I can arrange the colors any way I want, to make subtle or startling contrasts.
Square 7
Stripes, squares, rectangles, triangles, color blocks...
Square 8
I absolutely adore some of the blocks, others are just OK, but that's fine, too--
Square 9
because I think the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts.
Nine patch
More--much more--to come over the next few, or many, months!
