First, we celebrate. I have only one more column in the final quadrant of the Hue Shift Afghan! Looking at the remaining yarn, I don't think I will have to play yarn chicken. I picked it up the other day, finished the in-progress mitered square that was on the needles, and then worked the last mitered square on that row. Next up is that final column (of five mitered squares). After that, it's just a simple matter of stitching the quadrants together, working the simple garter stitch log cabin border, and then weaving in (more than 100 but less than 200, I think) all those ends. Sure, those last steps are a lot, but the weather has been cooler, and having a bundle of blanket on my lap will be nice.
I don't have any particular plans for this blanket. I feel about the colors the way I expected I would at this point in the process--don't hate, don't love, and perhaps ready to not have to look at them for a while once I finish. Still, the overall knitting has been quite enjoyable for the most part, and I'm not opposed to knitting this pattern again someday. Don't tell my sister, as I believe she's still on the first or second quadrant, and I have no intention of finishing the knitting of hers for her. I've been gently encouraging her to bring her knitting out and work a bit on it during some "downtime-ish" moments she has currently.
So, onward I knit, and perhaps before year's end, I'll have a new blanket. Or, I'll tell myself I can get the 2022 Mochimochiland Holiday Pattern if I finish this quadrant, and then spend the rest of the year knitting little things. Seems like a win-win situation, right?
