Ya Learn Somethin' Every Day!

 So often I hear that.  And I think it is true. At least some days... Here is something I learned just yesterday.

So often I have bragged about/updated you on the Love Knots Blanket test knit I have been working on since October.  My plan has been to finish by the end of January.  That is this week!!  Anyway, yesterday I worked on Block 8 of 9.  I spent more than eight hours knitting.  I DID finish the block before 10:00 PM.  I laid it in place on the bed.

What I learned was this: eight-plus hours of knitting in one day is a bad bad idea.  From shoulder to fingers on my right hand (plus the lower part of the left arm and hand) ached so badly I could not get to sleep.  Eventually I got up and watched one of my favorite knitting podcasts for a while, then did manage to get back to sleep.

One more block (something under 7,000 stitches if I don't botch it and have to pull out and re-knit) plus the final inner border which is less that 2,500 stitches.  There is a moderately good chance that I will complete the knitting this week, then still need to weave in ends and sew together.  When it is finished I will heave a gigantic sigh of relief that everyone within hearing distance of this blog will hear, no matter where that is!!!  I kid you not.  

Dear One asked me if the designer knew what it was she was asking of her test knitters when she asked us to knit this beautiful blanket.  She did.  It took her four months to knit.  I am competitive enough that I want to finish in under four months.  Is that nasty of me?

Anyway,  I do think it will be a very cold day "down there" before I try knitting that many hours in one day again.  I do have quite a knitting queue but have a little time. I do hope to finally get to knitting socks for myself.  

One of the projects in the queue is another large-ish project (a sweater in multiple colors which will be new to me.  Also new to me is that I need to design it myself.  Wish me luck.  I have been looking and looking for one already designed that fits the plan I want and in the size I need to make it, but no luck yet.  I found a great book on Thriftbooks on sweater design and have a fabulous color-work book coming tomorrow {Knitting in Two Colors by Amy Detjen and Meg Swansen} which I can hardly wait to receive. Sadly, I will probably not allow myself to open the package because I don't want to be deflected from Block 9!

So, what did you learn today?!