For Shannon: Mama Strength as she lost her mother to cancer in 2010. I’m humbled by the love & support that friends (knitters & not) have poured into this blanket.

2nd photo is Shannon with her daughter & my two on either side. (Mine were flower girls at Shannon & Scott’s wedding when Anne was Jo’s age in this photo.)

Young woman in blocking photo is my Emma who (with the dog) kept me company as I threaded blocking wires thru the sides.
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6 pattern repeats across (as per pattern) by 7 pattern repeats long (extra 1/2 repeat up from larger size)

Thus 42 pattern repeats … “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” reference for the nerds among us.
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Techknitter’s SYTK form of SSK.
Tried braided join. Switched to Magic Knot.

1/19/2011: Size 11 needles (from 13) to get gauge. Working w/ Burly Spun after a ~year of working almost entirely with fingering weight yarn is CRAZY.

*** Got thru ~1 pattern repeat, just wasn’t feeling the love for Burly Spun. First two skeins had multiple knots each; also, recipient doesn’t need the extra care the yarn would take. So project hibernated for a l--o--n--g while. Stuffed in a bag & banished to the bottom of the downstairs closet and all.

2/25/2013: Started once more with Lion’s Wool Ease Thick & Quick. Cast on (long tail) 143 stitches with size 13 (thanks, Dee!). Immediately switched to size 11.

2/28: Note Knitting first “tricky” row (pattern row #5, where one “borrows” a stitch from the next section over) should not be done whilst Kid #2 chats away at you. Think I made negative progress last night.

3/2: Ripped, started over. Tinked “tricky” row, then ran calcs -- wouldn’t have enough yarn with additional width that I’d originally cast on.

Re-start: size 13 needle for cast on, 125 stitches (as written), first ~2 rows on fixed-cable size 11. Thought of my interchangeable Addi Lace needles -- whose size 11s seem to be a touch smaller in diameter. Shafts are quite a bit shorter as well -- which makes some parts of knitting easier, others a bit more difficult. Am liking resulting fabric much better with the Addi Lace needles. Thru row 9 (1st repeat). Finished skein #1.

Getting 20 - 21 rows/skein.
Have to be careful not to knit too long at a sitting on this … it’s hard on the wrists.

3/7: Thru pattern repeat #2.
3/11: Thru row 24 on pattern repeat #4.
3/14: Pattern repeat #5 and skein 7 (row 1).
3/16: Several folk from Annarch’s spinning day knit & poured Mama Strength into the blanket. Love, love, love knitters.

3/25: DONE!