The easy bits

Like the messiest room in the house that just isn't seen, this is the private side of the blanket.  It will look better once the ends are woven into the piece.

When I began the porcupine blanket, I was really annoyed that the brown border transitions were  getting in the way of quick knitting, and then I got to the first porcupine and realized those side bits were easy.  It was juggling all those butterflies in the porcupine that was hard!  And there weren't that many color transitions.  I'm not wild about this intarsia method, but it really is the only way to get the job done.  I got away with a bit of fair isle--much easier to strand--on the legs, but once I was on the body proper, well the easy part was done.  The pink on either side was accomplished using separate butterflies.  So, yes, enough was going on with all those strands of yarn that I was slowed considerably.

Now one critter is done with only two to go.  

Today will be a day of transitional stripes.  I don't expect I'll see all those butterflies again for a couple of days.  Next go around, I'll be more generous in how much yarn I wrap in the butterfly.  I cut it close with the brown body and didn't need to add more yarn, but when I say close, I mean one more row and I'd have had two additional brown ends to weave into the work.  It was the same with the white.  Next time, bigger butterflies!