The Blanket Continues to Grow

I have been knee deep in making new models for the Spring Market patterns, so any knervous knitting on the Joseph's Blankie of Many Colors has been late at night when my brain was fried, or in the car this weekend on the way and back to Madison for a baby shower.  The instructions say to bind off after every color, turn the blanket a quarter turn and pick up stitches from the new side to add a new color.  As you can imagine, binding off over a hundred stitches, only to have to pick them up again eventually, is time consuming.  One internet blankie maker said she put the stitches on "holders" until it was their turn to be knitted - no binding off, no picking up stitches.  Well, it sounded like a good idea!  I decided to try it with a small dishcloth first, before I switched horses mid-stream.  Butl, as you can see from the picture of the dishcloth, it doesn't look so good.  I had trouble with the count for some reason, and the edges are uneven.  You can't see the big blanket up close, but the stitches and count are much more even, more accurate.  So, I decided to plod along the way I started.  I have finished the  number of colors on each side that is the size of the blanket that originally caught my eye.  Once I put on the border stitches, it should finish about 48".  A good size, but I wanted it to be a bigger blanket size, a rectangle.  I could add more rounds, but the square will just get bigger.  Duh.  Just add more color to the ends to make it rectangle!  Hah.  Great idea.  So now I am adding two rows to each end, then a border.  Like the baby bed for Goldilocks, it should be just right!   I am anxious to get it done, but I am still enjoying the journey.  I would like to get it done in time to still use it this spring for a little warmth, but with the way the weather has been lately, I think the blanket will get folded and put away until next fall.  Jerilynn