Am I Crazy?

Should I just stop now before it's too late? 

I want a big, wooly blanket for my couch. Well, when I buy a couch.

I don't have one yet. But when I get a couch, I want a big, wool blanket tossed on the back of it.

And I really, really want it to be wool, not acrylic.

I bought some Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool and started on this sample in the round.

The blanket is very simple but pretty.

The red stitch marker marks the beginning of the round. Barely noticeable. After blocking it should all blend in.

It's worked in the round, center out in alternating groups of 4 knit rows and 4 purl rows.

Good mindless knitting. Perfect for working on while I'm reading or doing other things.

It's soft and squishy and has that soothing wool smell to it. So far I love it.

But those nagging thoughts keep popping up in my head.

For one, if I keep going to full size like I planned, this thing is going to be heavy.

I want it to be big enough to fully snuggle under so it has to be at least 72 inches wide.

I already know that a blanket that size worked in the round is going to make me crazy toward the end.

I have considered working in blocks approximately 20 inches wide and seaming them together.

I figure if I end of a purl ridge and then work one round of knit stitches I could kitchner the stitches to the next block and it would all blend in.

That would solve the problem of working a big, heavy blanket in the round. But I keep thinking the real problem here is the fact that Fisherman's Wool is labeled as "Perfect for Felting."

I love Fisherman's Wool. I love the smell. I love the softness after it's washed. And I love how large the skeins are. This sample is already at 14 inches and I am barely halfway through the first skein.

But I really feel like the felting thing is going to come back to bite me.

I am knitting it at a firm gauge to make it less likely to felt. I'm knitting at 6sts/in. The ballband is labeled at 4sts/in.

Even so, realistically, there is no way I can hand wash this thing. It's going to be way too big and too heavy to wash in the bathtub.

And where would I lay it to dry?

Eventually I am going to have to throw this beast in the washing machine to clean it.

Did I mention I have 3 cats? Yeah, I'd also like to toss it into the dryer to get the cat hair off of it.

I know this seems crazy. I was planned on knitting it extra big to account for a little bit of felting and shrinkage. If I was it on delicate and dry it on Fluff could I get away with it?

I'm thinking I will finish this ball off and see what happens when I wash it gently in the machine.