TieDye Baby Blanket (2008)

Pattern: Doily with Spiral
http://yarnover.net/patterns/doilies/beyer/b1.html

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock
Method: Handknit
Completed: January 25, 2008.

Well, the name tells you the "design intent" of this project! I was aiming to build a spiral tie dye effect, while retaining some sophistication in the pattern (lace border). I am relatively pleased with the blanket as a completed project, but I think it conveys "tie dye" in only the most abstract sense...

Blocked, the diameter is 39" (45" tip to tip).

I did a couple of things differently than the pattern indicates. I knit twice as many rows in the centre section (i.e., twice as many increases), in order to get the diameter I wanted. This meant I had to double the number of repeats in the lace border. Also, I knit each "spiral arm" separately, attaching it to the previous arm. The pattern is written to knit the whole thing circularly. That's certainly the best way to knit it in one colour, but would have required me to have 8 balls of yarn active at all times (intarsia). I couldn't see that working out. So, I added an extra stitch at the beginning of each "arm", and used that as an anchor to attach the next arm. Then I had one seam to do: between the first & last arms. I did an overlay single crochet up that seam.

If I were to try this effect again, I would:

pick different colours; the blue & purple are about right, but the yellow & red sort of miss the mark
make the white arms narrower, or
do all the arms in colour (no white arms)

And, yes, I claim that is "yellow" :-) The colourway is "daffodil", and at least some skeins have more yellow than blue/green.

	The skeins from which this all started... Island Blue, Natural, Daffodil, Natural, Red Rover, Natural, Grapevine (balled)
	Test efforts -- knitting separate "arms" and joining as I went. Front & back.
	In progress: partway up the 5th spiral arm (with top rows of finished arms on a holder); when all the arms were done and seamed together, ready to start the lace border. (I put it on 2 needles to spread it out and see if it was likely to lie flat -- yes!).
	All the knitting done and ends woven in -- but not yet blocked.
	Pegged out and blocking. Detail of the edging -- note, in particular, the detail of the transition from the coloured arm to the Natural edging (knit up from live stitches at the tops of all the arms). Also shows detail of the joins between arms (the blue was teh final arm; it was seamed to the Natural).
	Blocked and showing off! Front & back.
	Draping.
	Edge detail and centre detail. You can see that I actually did the first several rounds in one colour (Natural) to get the pattern set up, before putting stitches on holders and working each arm separately.
	Different perspectives on colour & texture.