Fleece and Harmony Mystery Blanket 2024 - January Blocks Done!

Last week I finally finished my Bossy Blue Jay block.  I did an initial block of the block and didn’t like the result.  I don’t think I soaked it long enough and I didn’t block it firmly enough so I decided to reblock it.  I also decided to reblock the other block.  I blocked them right side down as I found it easier to pin the curling edges that way.  I started out with pins in each corner just to set the limits and I quickly realized that I needed to block the Blue Jay to larger dimensions than I had blocked the patterned block.  In fact I was able to block the Blue Jay to 12 inches by 12 inches, which is the called for dimension.  I was also able to reblock the patterned block to the same dimensions, although I had to stretch it rather strenuously.  Both blocks pulled in a little bit side to side when I took them off the blocking mats, but they are the same size.

At one point I thought that I would have to reknit the first block and I realized that the difference in tension was due to the way that I knit them.  I was not comfortable purling continental so I was holding both strands in my right hand and throwing which ever color I needed.  Because I wanted my stitches to be consistent I also used the same technique on the right side, even though I can knit continental and have done that for colorwork in the round.  Unfortunately this resulted in a tighter gauge.  On the plus side, the stitches are beautifully even.  For the Bossy Blue Jay, because I had to trap my floats I used both hands on both the right and wrong side, and because of the design I had to switch which hand was holding which yarn as I only know how to capture the floats when the yarn that needs to be captured is being held in my left hand.  All of that contributed to my stitches not being as even as I would like.  I also had an errant dark blue stitch in the snow flake motif, which I covered with duplicate stitch before I blocked.  I have started the February berries block (the all-over patterned one) and am working it continental on both the right and wrong sides to make sure that my two February blocks have a similar tension.  Depending on how my other blocks come out, I may go back and reknit these two.  I could turn these two into a pillow if I did that.

January colors:  November Sky and A Night Without Stars

February colors:  Mulberry Jam and Lilac

Pattern:  Fleece and Harmony Mystery Blanket 2024

Yarn:  Fleece and Harmony Selkirk Worsted

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)