Oh yeah, the teacher blankies!

Almost forgot...it's off to the races with the 2nd Annual Great Afghan Marathon! A huge box came from Smiley's loaded with 16 balls of Red Heart Symphony (4 each of 4 colors), 1 skein of Red Heart Tweed, and something like 30 balls of Cervinia Sorrento (6 each of 5 colors). All for $64 (including shipping!)! Here's the first of the four Fluffy Lap Blankets:

I like it! And it's a very fast knit. I know it looks small-ish, but it is a lap blanket. It's perfect size for throwing over your knees, or as one of Luke's teachers last year told me, she throws it around her shoulders each morning when she has her coffee. The gathers in the stockinette sections help to expand the fabric while the garter stitch contrast bands keep everything in place. It's a nice blankie!

Here's the start of the blanket that will be my brother's housewarming gift:

Yeah, it's hard to tell what it will be like (that's Sam's tail on the left), but it is the ombre blanket from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I miscalculated slightly on the yarn so the transitioning stripes are going to be narrower than the solid stripes. Oh well. The color progression is black-charcoal-brown-light brown-gray heather-light taupe. Not quite a true ombre, but close enough. It's also a fast knit. Let's hope it's fast enough!

Back to the knitting...