A brief update on whats going on in life, and whole lot of details on a loopy braided throw!
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It was a chaotic February, to say the least. We stepped into yet another ‘new normal’, a situation where kids started going to the ‘real actual’ school thrice a week. This will soon change, ushering in yet another new normal where they will go all five days.
What this means for me is recuperation from the nightmare the last two years have been. The house gets a chance to get and stay clean for a while. I get some peaceful me-time to protect my sanity and a continuous stretch of uninterrupted working hours. Which brings us to me knitting this colourful throw for my closest friend L.
So, when L moved into her gorgeous new home, she wanted a bright colourful throw for her living room. Technically, throws are not traditional to a hot city where she lives, where temperatures soar to 48°C. However, since air conditioning has become a necessity, so have throws. Read on to see what were our design challenges and how we went about solving them.
Size
The first issue to solve was how big was the throw to be. The family wanted to use it while relaxing on the couch or while cozying up during movie nights. A quick market survey and a chat with her family got us going, and we aimed for a size of 140cm x 180cm.
Material
The second question was a big one – material. Wool would be too hot, silk would be too expensive, linen would be too stiff, and anything synthetic was never even an option. Cotton made in India, hence, was the safest bet.
Yarn
After checking out the available options at the time in Indian yarn stores, I finally decided on using Ganga’s Cotto-nit Ribbon Yarn and sourced it from Magic Needles. This is a 100% compact cotton yarn made in India, with 148m in each 200gm skein.
The recommended hook/needle size is 6-6.5mm, but when I knit a swatch, it seemed too tight. I then worked with 8mm needles, which gave me the proper gauge.
The two cons that I see with this yarn are that sometimes there are too many knots in the skein, and that weaving in ends is going to be difficult.
Pattern Choice
Though the choice of pattern was left to me, L seemed interested in bold stripes that were separated by a little something. Building upon this, I chose to knit wide bold stripes in 6 colours – Red, Coral, Orange, Yellow, Blue and Green, each separated with a thin stripe in Cream.
Usually when I use extremely bold colours in large swathes, I go easy on the stitch. In projects like a throw, its best to focus on one thing, otherwise it will look all over the place. At first I chose stockinette, but immediately realised it would need a border, which I didnt want!
I chose the garter stitch, as it would help the throw to retain its shape, lay flat and not require any added borders.
As always, any product from This Knitting Bee has to have that something special. As I said I didn’t want to experiment much with the stitch, but then knitting row after row in garter is just mindless. This throw needed that X-factor! So, I decided to make this as a loopy braided throw, with a lot of texture.
Work mode on!
I cast on 160 stitches to begin, and marked a spot after every 20 stitches. While knitting the right side, I made a loop stitch at either side of the place marker. On the wrong side, I knitted all the stitches. Loops left alone in a throw is a disadvantage – who wants to get their fingers and toes and whatnots stuck in loops, only to yank them out and tear out the throw?
So, I began crocheting the loops, to make a twisted braid. What this does, is it gives a subtle texture and added dimension to the throw. The braids are in the same colour and do not cross over on to the cream stripes, so they don’t pop out as much. I have also experimented with continuity of the braids, there is only one central line that goes through and through. The options here are unlimited, there is so much potential to take this idea further.
Watch the videos to learn how to make a loop stitch, and how to crochet them into a braid.
As of now, 3 colours are almost done, and I have to admit it has taken its time. But I am super happy with this loopy braided throw is shaping up, thanks to the time I can invest because of the new normal. This is a labour of love for someone very dear to me, and I am blessed to have such opportunities coming to me.
This Knitting Bee would love to wish all of you a happy Women’s Day! Let’s continue making this world a happier and safer place to live in, with compassion, kindness and grace.