I haven't joined any of the actual knitting Olympics but I'm both watching the Olympics and knitting, so these are my very own knitting Olympics. Unofficially.
The idea for this blanket came from the Hue Shift Afghan by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence. However, I wanted my own color combination and choice of yarn so I passed up on the Knit Picks kits. Because I wanted my blanket to be 100 % wool and not outrageously expensive, and I had particular colors in mind, my yarn choice became Cascade 220 Sport. The blanket has 10 colors (see the solid color blocks on the diagonal), and I only had to substitute one color from another brand of yarn to get the colors I wanted.
I tried to organize the colors so that I would have an even progression of hue and contrast, going from darker and more muted to the lighter and brighter colors. The yellow and green in the center are contrast colors to the rest, and hopefully will pop nicely when it's all put together.
I have two of the 5x5 quarters almost done and two to go. Knitting this blanket never gets boring, and I love seeing how the different colors interact as they come together.
I am still mulling over what the border should be but I have a ways to go before I need to decide. I might just go with a charcoal grey garter stitch border to keep it simple.
I also started a big slipper project with Cascade Eco+. The whole family needs slippers as our floors are quite cold and the Minnesota winter has treated us to plenty of wintry weather. First one started, lots more go to!
