Building a Log Cabin: Best Practices

I made another Log Cabin blanket!  There are more 4x more squares than that other one!  I have learned some things!

* Swatch first-- really.
   Usually one swatches to make sure the finished product will be acceptable, but for this swatch, it's all about process.  Constant garter stitch means repetitive motion and comfort is key.  If you are five minutes into a square and your hands are already aching, something needs to change!

* "Random" color placement isn't random at all.
    For my blanket, I made sure each square had a good amount of contrast, with four sections of light and four sections of dark colors.  Placement of each square in the whole blanket took me a little over an hour, making sure that similar colors were scattered over the whole project and that the same color wasn't touching itself on the sides.
 

* Weave in your ends as you go. 
    Changing colors for every segment means a crazy amount of yarn ends; weave them in right away!  If you wait until the end of the whole blanket, it will drive you up a tree.

And now: here's my recent Finished Object!