Intarsia Purgatory

I have officially failed to finish my brother's U of M blanket in time for his late July birthday. I was already resigned to it. I pretty well knew it wasn't going to happen and I have revised the deadline for its completion to "before Christmas," which I'm confident I can manage, especially since this new rectangle I'm working on will be the last of the intarsia.

I've never been a fan of intarsia. It's cumbersome and tedious. Still, I have to admit that this blanket will look really good once it's finally finished, due in no small part to the intarsia. I'm sick of it though, the long droll length of stockinette when I really don't enjoy purling nearly as much as knitting, the seven odd balls of yarn all trailing off the work and tangling together. It's doom.

I'm on the rectangle that contains the big yellow "M" that is the U of M mainstay, reconfigured but based on the same chart I used for the Go Blue Bro Beanie. It started at the bottom and I'm slowly working my way to the two top points. The original seven odd balls have dropped down to three (two blue and one yellow) for a lengthy segment that will be the middle body part of the M. Near the end, I'll need to add another yellow and a blue (for a total of 5 balls), before it tapers off to one ball of blue and ends.

Then there will be just three rectangles to go, two in garter stitch (I can't wait!) and one in a cornstalk-inspired lace pattern. After that, there will likely have to be some sort of border. When this blanket is done, I will do a mighty jig. And I will never make another one as long as I live, so don't ask.