Knitting – Yards of Happiness

Blanket Knitting, Piece by Piece

When I first learned how to knit I did what every knitter does, I made a million baby blankets. I’ve even made a few lap blankets and couch blankets for loved ones. And after a bit of time I started to loathe knitting blankets. But I’ve always wanted a blanket for myself after some of the really pretty and fun ones I’ve made. So that got me thinking…what if I made a blanket piece by piece?

Knitted Triangle Sampler Afghan by Karen Baumer

Clearly I thought of this before because as I searched my library I realized I purchased the Knitted Triangle Sampler Afghan pattern YEARS ago. So I pulled it out and realized they have a lovely blank chart for you to create your own color palette and pattern if you don’t follow theirs, so I spent a few attempts coloring and this is what I ended up coming up with.
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It was inspired by a quilt pattern I saw on Instagram and I decided that I wanted to do some bold pops of neon colors and ground it with some black and white. I should also note I’m making this blanket with acrylic yarn. Why you might wonder? It’s what I make all my baby blankets with, specifically with Caron Simply Soft, but I also know with two dogs I want something I can wash and dry a million times over and just not worry about it. So I dug into my stash and went with the following block combos:

- Neon yellow and teal
- Neon pink and purple
- Black and white
And it will only take me 1 1/2 skeins per color combo to finish the blanket. I whipped up a couple of blocks over the weekend and I liked the color combos, so I’m going to keep it going. I need 81 squares total, 27 of each color combo. And on average it takes me about an hour to complete one square. So I’m down 3 squares and have 78 more to go, LOL. But I also know this is the kind of thing I can totally do when I just need a mindless knitting project. I don’t have a crazy pattern to memorize, they’re garter stitch blocks made with simple decreases and increases and I can always just throw a color combo in a small project bag and always have it with me when I need something quick to do.

And Cher has already claimed one square for herself. This is exactly why I knew I needed to just make it with the acrylic I had in my stash. Anyone else work on a blanket like this? Any tips?

A Re-Introduction of Sorts

With so many new readers, folks commenting and emailing me questions I thought I should pause my regularly scheduled knitting posts and do a real re-introduction of myself and this blog.

Untitled — This picture pretty much sums me up. I love to laugh.

My name is Dana. Some folks like to call me DWJ…some call me that lady who knits her dogs sweaters or that lady that knits all the colors. LOL I respond to all of those names. I’m a digital strategist (I work in social media) and I teach social media marketing at my alma mater, Howard University. I’ll be 40 at the end of August and I’ve been married to my really cute husband for 15 years. We live in the suburbs in Maryland right outside of DC and we have two dogs we adopted from Hart Animal Rescue. Cher a 14 year old chihuahua pug mix we adopted in 2013 (my first dog ever). And Jellybean, an almost 6 year old short haired chihuahua. No children of our own but lots of godchildren.

Sister sweaters — **Jellybean on the left, Cher on the right.**

This is actually my second blog. I started this blog back in June of 2015 after taking a few years off from blogging. I previously blogged at The Art of Accessories/IAmDWJ about makeup, accessories and tech. I started that blog when I was in graduate school and this blog started in part because I make my students blog and I thought it was only fair that I jump back into it to keep my skills fresh. I also just wanted to share my joy around knitting and felt like I had something to say again. Who knew this blog would become what it is today for me, a great source of happiness and connection with other people who love yarn, knitting and color.

December FO — My fourth the **Rain Outside Shawl**

I knit a lot. Typically I spend 1 to 2 hours knitting each day. I love it. It is rare that I don’t have knitting with me. I learned how to knit in 2008 and I’ve tried my best to up my skills each year. Currently I’ve been into colorwork and two color brioche – anyway to explore using ALL the colors when I knit.

Finished Comfort Fade — I started the year off with this colorful **Find Your Fade Cardigan**

I think I love knitting because it’s all about learning new skills and I’ve always loved school…hence why I’m an educator. I’m constantly asked how do I knit so fast. Typically I pick projects that are dk weight and up. I’m not a fan of fingering weight yarn, I’ve knit socks but they’ve all been dk weight. Coupled with the fact that I’m still a fairly quick knitter and that’s how you end up making 27 sweaters in a year.

Carbeth cardigan — My happy green **Carbeth Cardigan**

I love color. My absolute favorite color is green but I can love an appreciate all color. I have knit rainbows, neons and neutrals. And I totally enjoy figuring out how to take a pattern I love and turning it into a dog sweater for my little dogs. Because life is just too short to not do the things that totally bring you joy.

And I like to use my space on the internet to spread joy and happiness. There’s a lot of things that weigh us all down on a daily basis but for me, knitting is my escape. It’s the thing that soothes me after a mentally exhausting day. It’s what I use to express myself and to show love. Nothing brings me greater joy than getting pics of children with toys, clothes or blankets that I knit them. Nothing makes me fell more proud than when my Mom, sisters or husband tells someone I made them what they’re wearing.

This blog in short is an expression of my joy. It’s about all the people and things that I truly love. So, welcome to Yards of Happiness. I’m glad you stopped by.

July 13, 2018 by IamDWJ Categories: Knitting, Things That Bring Me JoyTags: #yardsofhappiness, introductions, joy, knitting, Yarn 20 Comments

FO: Rose Gold Togue Pond Tank

Remember when I started a new Togue Pond Tank way back at the end of May? No…yeah I forgot it too. I got so caught up in knitting my Guthrie tee that I just kind of let this tank fall to the side. I decided it was the perfect plane/vacation kind of knitting so I packed it up with me and took it to Chicago and finished it on my trip (and started my latest secret test knit).
Pink Togue Pond Tank
Despite the fact that I don’t love my arms, what I really don’t love is being hot in the sweltering heat and humidity and the Togue Pond Tank is pretty much the perfect summer knit piece. I’d rather have my arms out and wear a pretty top than try to hide my arms because I want them to look like Michelle Obama’s arms. Hence why this is my third for myself and I’ve made one for Jessica. I was actually replacing my very first Tank, it was a pale grey that had a big old stain on it I just couldn’t get out so I decided to make a new one for this summer.
Pink Togue Pond Tank
I decided to go with a fun yarn I like to use as a replacement for Quince & Co. Kestrel yarn. To be honest with you, I don’t always have a budget for the expensive yarns (who does), despite wanting them. Instead I find fun alternatives. This is Patons Metallic, you’ve seen me use it most recently and in this same color on the Baldric sweater for Jessica. It’s a tape yarn like Kestrel but it’s made of Nylon, Acrylic and a tiny bit of wool. I love the metallic colors and they’re forever putting it on clearance and then bringing it back to the regular line up (it’s currently on sale in the clearance section for $3.40, it’s regular price is $6.79). When you compare the two yarns, Kestrel costs $10.25 a skein for 76 yards and Metallic costs anywhere from $3.40-6.79 for 252 yards. This tank was less than 2 skeins of yarn, I know I got it on sale but not clearance so at most I paid $10 for the yarn to make this tank. It would’ve cost me about $40 or more with Kestrel. Now you understand why I like this as my substitute, but I also like the colors and the drape of the fabric. Jessica has already asked for me to make her a new Togue Pond Tank in the metallic black (black is her favorite color to wear…it breaks my heart LOL).
Pink Togue Pond Tank
The only modification I did on this one was to not do all of the short row shaping (I didn’t want it as high in the front) and I added more length before beginning the armhole shaping. It came out exactly the way I wanted. YAY! And since I mentioned Chicago…
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Our trip was lovely. I did not take many photos at all. My cousin did take this great pic of me with my husband before we got on an architectural boat tour on a beautiful morning. I also took this pic.

Totally got to wear my Durumi tee while I was there AND I found insanely bright knit Cole Haan wingtips with the Nike soles so I was super comfy walking through the city. It was so breezy and light, loved it! And the dogs…well they missed us. And Jellybean yelled at me all day Sunday and made me carry her everywhere as my punishment.
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By the end of the 5 days we were apart she had wiggled her way into Cher’s bed at their pet hotel and made sure her sister snuggled her as much as possible. They got all the belly rubs and treats while I was away but it’s always good to come home.