My checkerboard blanket is growing!
This was the best distraction idea ever. I don't really take on "long-term" projects so something that takes longer than a week feels like forever. But I am loving it. I love how it's coming together. I love that it's perfectly imperfect. I love that I'll remember where I was when I made it. I love that it's turning into the softest and stretchiest blanket we have.
I have four rows complete. I am planning on making at least seven, maybe eight rows. We'll see. It's big enough now that I can cover up with it while I work on the next row. That's rad. I am using a very simple garter stitch because that is all I know how to do. (My grandma taught me when I was eight.)
I have been just making rows that alternate boxes of black and white. I forgot to count early on and don't really have the patience to keep track so to be sure the boxes are about the same size, I line them up with the ones they'll be next to in the blanket (see third photo).
I knit seven boxes as one long row then connect them together with a big needle (see second photo) and the yarn from the end of the strip. I watched a few youtube videos to figure out the best way to connect them, but I think they were for a different type of stitch so it wasn't very helpful. After some trial and error, I just started threading the yarn through alternating edge loops. Some look a bit better than others, but all of them are holding together. I am tying everything off carefully and then tucking the excess thread pieces back in so they don't unravel.
As mentioned, it's far from perfect, but it's awesome. Black and white is absolutely my new favorite color combination.