Red Gems

Just in time for Valentine’s Day!  Although these diamonds are not of the shimmery carbon variety but a well-planned placement of textured knit and purl stitches that create the illusion of repeating geometric shapes.  The designer offered three graduated sizes: baby blanket, lapghan, and full-sized afghan.  My version of the Little Gem Blanket is baby-sized, 32-inches square; just right to provide a bit of warmth on a sedentary evening of streaming videos. 

What we designate as our TV room can be chilly on a frigid winter evening depending on wind direction.  This room has only had cosmetic improvements – new windows and the refinishing of the original maple flooring.  We have no idea as to the energy efficiency of the insulation.  Slumped vermiculite? Or, it may even be the stitched newspaper–tarpaper variety we discovered when we remodeled the 1940s bump-out bathroom addition.  Hence the need for wool warmth.

This small blanket project also channeled the best ideals of stash management.  The 650-yards of superwash wool were remnant skeins remaining after the completion of the 2022 Vivi workshop sweater. That pattern was designed in the style of boxy Danish “night” sweaters which, coincidently, displayed an elegant collection of cabled diamonds.