Maybe . . . maybe not

Great new pattern from Ravelry -- Mitered Crosses.  It's an afghan pattern.  I wanted to try it before committing to an entire afghan.

Picked up some stash -- that's good, that's always good.  Goal -- a placemat.

It's all garter stitch -- that's good, that's always relaxing.

It's got only a few color changes -- that's good.  The green around the yellow cross is done without ever cutting the yarn.

I made a few mods -- that's not always so good.  Decided against the knitted on I-cord and went with a few rows of garter in orange, with the rs bind-off serving as the edge.  But made for more ends to weave in, though I was able to go around three sides without cutting the orange.

Think Log Cabin quilt for the borders.  In my modified version,
I left two sides on holding needles so I could apply
garter stitch trim in orange.

This was a total experiment, kind of a plan-as-you-go thang.  The basic center mitered cross in yellow with green corners formed the foundation.  I took off from there.

So it's all good.  I have a centerpiece thing for my table but not sure I'd make it again.  The afghan?  Maybe.  The afghan used a US#6 needle with a finer yarn than the worsted weight cotton I used.   And if you follow @bonniejacobs on Twitter, you can ask her to post another picture of her completed item.  It's gorgeous.

There's a few things that make this not for beginners -- none of these are hard and pattern has great instructions, but if you think you're gonna 'just knit' think again.

• Lots of picked up stitches along the end of garter ridge rows.
• Lots of ends to weave in.
• Lots of cast-ons along the way, thumb version.

So maybe another experiment is called for?  Maybe not.