roger that

now that the weather has broken (yes it’s only been a couple of days, but i just won’t acknowledge that it could be temporary), i find i am less concerned with my own immediate need for warm layers and my mind strays to spring events that might require a nice knitted gift.

baby shower, graduation, and wedding invitations are beginning to pop into my mailbox and some of them are for people very special to me—loved ones that i might want to knit for. mother’s and father’s day are also right around the corner to fill out my list.

now this type of gift requires some consideration—i don’t want it to be too personal, because it’s likely be shared over the years; it’s a “life” gift if you know what i mean. i DO want it to be something of a generous-seeming size, like a shawl, but not always a shawl because those are often construed as too fancy to use every day.

i want this kind of gift to be loved and used lots and lots.

and let’s face it, i have a list of practical considerations for this project as well—it has to be quick and entertaining to knit and most likely, it has to be fairly easy for the recipient to take care of.

because often they are just setting out in life and that’s going to present enough challenges; i don’t need to add to their to-do lists.

or you know what? maybe it’s ME who needs a little pick me up to get through the end of winter—something to cuddle up with while i watch the grass green up from inside my window.

with the heat turning on less and less frequently, it’s nice to have a little something to throw over my legs while i knit or watch TV. and i’m sure just about anyone you care about would feel the same.

for these and any number of occasions, a cozy, attractive blanket is the quintessential giftable knit. it doesn’t even have to be big—this lap size version is quite handy; small and light enough to use frequently and wash easily.

one that looks like this is especially terrific—inspired by my roger sock design, it is totally unisex and timeless, knits up in a flash, and is completely entertaining as long as it lasts. it can be knit for no reason at all, to be on hand when that special occasion arises. there is a size for any member of the family, from wee babes to the big guys.

richly textured in knit/purl patterning, it would make a classy, classic addition to any home, dorm room, or play pen; everything about it says “i want to wrap you in love“.

shown here, the lap/crib sized blanket in shalimar enzo aran, a velvety twelve-ply merino yarn; the color is scarab.

this is my design for the month long shalimarch 2014 celebration, a festival of projects, KALs, contests, and prizes, hosted in the shalimar yarns ravelry group.

to purchase patterns or view complete pattern information, please click here to visit the roger that page in the knitspot pattern shop or visit the roger that page in our ravelry pattern shop.

and there is a special related surprise for those who act before tuesday 11:59 pm EST—click over to erica’s post in the shalimarch thread (scroll down) to see what’s up!

barb has been knitting away on a sample of roger that in our own delicious breakfast blend DK yarn in the oatmeal shade—i saw it the other night and just wanted to lick it, mmm. so sarah and david are putting together a kit that we’ll launch in a week or so, when barb is finished with her sample. the kit will be available in our online shop as well as our upcoming pop-up shops, maybe even in your neighborhood.

and if you’re thinking that this might make a nice baby or graduation gift project, don’t forget that the roger sock makes a nice pairing with it. i also have a new hat pattern that i’ve been hanging onto for a while, which happens to match this piece—the slouch potato! i’ve been knitting these up like, well,  potato chips in bare naked wools during my travels lately and realized that it would make a great set; it’s sized from baby to adult, just like the blanket. so we are making up one more in shalimar enzo sport and when it’s ready, we’ll release the hat pattern, too.

thank you to everyone who participated in this super fun and quick design project. we actually had planned something completely different for shalimarch and then a couple weeks ago, i said to erica, “let’s scrap all that and do a blanket instead!”

vanessa jumped on board to knit one (she did it in less than three days, i think), and kristi busted a move to get the yarn dyed and out the door ASAP. meanwhile, i wrote up the pattern. within a week we were done, wow. sometimes, it goes like that and sometimes, not.

thank you as well to the lovely erica who modeled it for us and to david for photography—once again we were racing with the sunset, hoping to have just enough light to get some wonderful shots. and alas, we got lucky.

have a great weekend everyone—happy shalimarch.