Wednesday 19 March 2014

Snug as a bug!


Here's my attempt at a 'Giganto' blanket. I have seen these beautiful throws for sale on Etsy (along with gorgeous yarns - see Loopy Mango - but very expensive) and decided to experiment for myself.

I bought 3kg merino wool roving from Mother Goose and separated it into two strands, twisting the wool gently as I wound it into balls to try and make it stronger. I cast on 32 stitches on a pair of 27mm needles (from Rachel John of Extreme Knitting fame). Steffi Stern at Mother Goose also makes her own extremely lightweight giant needles which are lovely to use.

I then knitted a rib pattern (2 plain, 2 purl) for the length I wanted. Whenever I needed to join the wool I used invisible knots (thank you Kate at Mother Goose knit and natter) which seemed to work well but I'm told felting ends together is better. The whole project probably took no more than a week-end to make in total.

Of course I know this will shed and pill. I expect to use a lint roller after snuggling up underneath it so generally I simply use it as a throw over the bed to minimise fluff! It measures approx. 3.5ft wide by just over 6ft long and I LOVE it!

4 comments:

  1. How easy was it to split the roving in two?

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  2. Also how is it holding up in terms of shedding etc? thanks

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  3. It was really easy to split the roving altho' I did it fairly slowly and carefully to keep the width of the yarn consistent. Plus I twisted it as I wound it to make it stronger and lessen the shedding and pilling. So far (with minimal wear I hasten to add - it just lies across my bed looking lovely) it still looks pristine with very little shedding. If I could've afforded it I might have invested in some 'bumps' from Loopy Mango ( https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/loopymango) or CaressLuxuryYarns (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CaressLuxuryYarns) as these are 'proper' giant yarns. Hope this helps.

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  4. Thanks :) I contacted the shop and they were going to send through some pictures of the colours and prices but so far haven't got back to me. How much did it cost you to make this if you don't mind me asking? Cheers and happy Christmas.

    P.S. how easy is it to clean up the shedding btw? Does it really stick to your bedding? Thanks

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