Epic sock yarn blanket is DONE!

Records show that I started “I Love Leftovers,” my sock yarn blanket made from leftover sock yarn, in October 2015. Here is my inspiration project, and here are the very first squares I knitted:

I ended up working 200 squares. These squares are the most portable and compact project I have ever had, and I never got tired of making them. Every time I picked a new leftover, it brought back memories of the original project and added to my enjoyment of watching yarn turn into fabric. Some of my older posts mused on the socks that led to the leftovers.

Now it’s done and I hardly know how to tell you about it.

First thing to note: it’s big. The final measurements are 73.5” x 57”. You can see it’s bigger than this full size bed, especially in the length. I tried to get some bird’s eye shots, but without a lift to hold me above the blanket, every shot is from an angle. But you can really see the whole thing here:

I went for a generally ROYGBIV arrangement that cascades from one corner to its opposite, and I really like that.

I was a bit intimidated by the final two edges, which I wanted to finish in black so that the entire blanket would be framed in black. It turned out that picking up all those stitches wasn’t that big of a deal. Maybe I’m just getting better at it with so much practice… but it doesn’t bother me at all anymore. For those with trepidation about picking up stitches, I highly recommend Very Pink Knits’ video tutorial about her Log Cabin Scrap Blanket, which requires tons of picking up. I ended up picking up 30 stitches on each square, plus a bit at the ends – my short end required 361 “pick up and knits” and the long edge needed 483. Here’s an example of one of my final edges:

I could look at this thing forever.

This is going to be a staple on our couch for sure.

The finished blanket weighs 3 lbs 9.8 oz, or 1638 grams for the metrically-inclined. I used about 3.5 100-gram skeins of black yarn for all the edging, and leftover sock yarn for the rest. Most of the leftovers are from my own stash (Ravelry says I’ve made 157 pairs of socks in my knitting life), but a few are from the Hendon stash – they were eager to contribute once they saw what was happening.

If you’re interested in making your own blanket, there are more details about how I make my mitered squares over on Ravelry. Now I have to get back to my colorful couch. #Rainbows4eva!