This took me a good bit of time to knit. It’s tincanknits DK weight baby blanket, Bounce. Bounce is available for purchase on Ravelry or direct from the tincanknits website.
I like my Bounce. But I think I made a few poor choices. And they are none the fault of tincanknits.
Thanks to a guildmate who decided to part with five skeins of Kraemer Yarns Perfection DK for fifty cents a skein, I had these five colorways, minus the dark blue:
Perfection DK is 30 percent wool, 70 percent acrylic. I decided that the five shades I had were a bit too pastel and traditional. Especially with the orange and gold, I now think I was wrong about that. So, I figured I’d shake things up and add a deep, dark, bold color. Here were my choices for the 6th color, the prominent garter stitch ridges. I now think this would have looked better if I’d chosen a white, as in the tincanknit sample.
So, keeping in mind I still think this is a pretty thing, I chose dark blue as my sixth color. It’s a pretty shade. But probably not so pretty with the other five shades. Where are those color wheel thingies when I should consult them?
You know, when I look at it in this view, I like it a little better.
And my second mistake? Unfortunately, it was using Perfection DK. It was totally worth every bit I paid for it. Its list price is $6.75 US per approximately a 260 yard skein. So even the 2 blue skeins I paid full price for didn’t break the bank. But it’s not soft at all. It’s very scratchy. And this is the verdict of someone who has high tolerance for wool scratchy. This is acrylic scratchy. It feels a little bit like the nylon scrubbie I use to clean pots with.
I gave the yarn a 3 stars out of 5 on Ravelry. But that might be too generous. I’m afeared that any babe swaddled in this will get cranky fast. I’m still pondering how to soften my Bounce. I might toss it in the washer on gentle and then toss it in the dryer. So soon after finishing what proved to be a long slog, I haven’t had the courage to try that yet even though Kraemer says “machine wash, tumble dry.”
I love that pattern, I think the way you arranged the colors is great. If you’re nervous about chucking the whole thing into the wash, you can knit a little swatch with any leftover yarn and add it to a regular machine wash/dry. Then you know a delicate wash and tumble dry will be fine. I think that would soften it up, for sure.
Don’t worry about a cranky baby 🙂 It’s a handmade item sure to be a loved heirloom. If it’s machine wash/dry, it can be used as a little picnic/play blanket outside or cool weather stroller cover.
@Amy…great advice! Thanks.