I have a friend who loves rainbows and flamingos. What else to do but knit her a rainbow flamingo blanket?
I had tried to learn double sided knitting many years ago, before I really knew how to do normal, single sided knitting. It didn’t go well. I abandoned the project but it somehow felt like time to try again
I also happened to have a load of pink yarn that I’d never otherwise use, and enough stash to easily make a rainbow. So all I had to do was, well, learn to double knit.
I was very proud of myself after the first square and made a wee video to send to all my friends.
I used this pattern as a basis: Flamingo Square (Ravelry link) by Daisy and Storm (Designer’s website). It’s designed to be made in knits and purls, not colour work, but that was an easy swap – where the chart says purl, hold colour two in front. Done.
What I didn’t do was take many photos as I went along. What I did do was try many ways of combining the coloured squares with the grey. PLOT TWIST: the load of pink wasn’t enough pink, so I had to make an odd one out square in peach. Cheeky wee guy.
It was a hot minute ago when I made this and I suspect I bought in the grey yarn – but I definitely used colours from stash. My stash isn’t as significant as some that I’ve seen but it is pretty mighty. I had a clear out at the end of last year and donated all full skeins that I didn’t plan to use to a local charity shop (and didn’t buy any more while I was in there, which I think is even more commendable). I still have odds and ends galore, though, as well as a few sweater-quantity sub-stashes. Like the turquoise recycled denim yarn that I bought and crocheted a ton of, before deciding that I didn’t like the object and, frankly, I didn’t like the yarn. Must try harder.
I single-crocheted the squares together when they were all done. Joining stuff is not my forte. Then I put on a single crochet border which I always think gives a solid finish.
Look at all those flamingos, lined up all nice! I’d be willing to bet no two of them are the same. I always seemed to be a row off from where I expected to be, or a stitch behind or ahead. But listen, no two flamingos are identical in real life, why would they be identical in knitted form?
The thing about giving a knitted gift, which I have to remind myself of every time, is not that you’re saying ‘here is a perfect item that could have come from a shop’. You’re saying ‘here is an item to keep you warm/make you smile/live in your house, and I made it for you, and I care about you’. And I think this blanket says that in spades.
The Crafty Yarnster 