Umaro

Umaro, [ jenleigh ]'s version.

Umaro by Jared Flood

Project Specs:

Knit in Cascade Eco-Wool, taupe; 5.75 skeins, held double throughout the project.

Knit on [2]* size US 15 needles.

*Trick for cabling found below.

I remember a few years ago reading a post by Jared Flood on his [then] blog about a blanket he aptly named Big Squishy Lovefest.  Although this is not EZ's Garter Stitch Blanket, I totally get what he meant.  There's something about knitting a large, or better yet, ginormous project, and having it spill all over you while your clicking away.  As a matter of fact, I think the very fact that you can feel it gaining in length encourages you to finish!

I opted for Cascade Eco-Wool instead of Lana Grande. 

I think I was one of the first people to cast on for this project after the pattern was published.  I don't know what got in to me.  Before this, I had never tackled anything so large!  It was a total impulse buy that I'm glad I gave in to!  I knit my Umaro and gifted it Christmas of 2010.  It's intent was always to be gifted, so maybe that helped propel to complete it (in a timely manner)...

By doubling the yarn I achieved a similar thickness to the original. 

I opted to knit my blanket in Cascade Eco-Wool, as opposed to Lana Grande.  I held the yarn double throughout the project to achieve the same thickness as the original.  Mine may actually be a bit larger than the pattern dimensions.  And bigger is better!

Necessity is the mother of invention when it comes to cabling on size US 15s.

I also learned a little trick while working on this project.  Instead of just one pair of circulars I bought two.  When it was time to work a cable I would put the number of pattern stitches called for on the second circular.  Then all I would have to do was slide the stitches from left to right on the cable and knit them off, keeping in the pattern!  Knitting on size US 15s can be a booger, and I found the extra cable kept both my stitches and sanity from slipping. 

(For most projects I now use an extra cable instead of going cable-less or a fidgety cable needle.)

It was after finishing Umaro that I went on a tear, as we like to say in the South.  It was my marathon knit!  After it, nothing again would ever seem to large to tackle!  Thankfully last year at Christmas we had a blizzard blow through Kansas so I was relegated to the sofa with nothing but Season One of Northern Exposure and a ginormous blanket to knit.  (Don't you just hate it when that happens?)

Happy Knitting!