• Size: 27 inches diagonal
• Colors: Burgundy, Fiesta Jewel (Red Heart Super Saver)
• Pattern: Round Wheel Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: G, H
• Date: start April 14; finish May 3

Modeled after a Round Color Wheel blanket / rug pattern I saw on eBay (the 4th photo above) and found intriguing. By looking at the photo of the Round Color Wheel pattern, I was able to guesstimate how it was made and created my own version of the blanket using just 2 colors instead of switching colors every few rows. I quickly got bored with it and decided to stop after it was big enough to cover my knees (which are frequently cold and ache).

[Update June 3, 2008] I decided to make it larger by adding two more bands for better knee coverage. I've taken notes on how I made this and will post them on this blog when I've gotten around to typing instructions out.

Size: 36 inches diagonal

• Size: 44 inches x 69 inches
• Colors: Black, Coconut, Country Blue, Dark Sage, Grey Heather, Autumn Red, Bone (Caron Simply Soft)
• Pattern: Patchwork Solid Granny Squares Blanket (my own)
• Hook: G
• Date: start August 25; finish September 30, 2007

This is the crochet project I got burned out doing in September. Ack, such dull colors (to me who likes the wild colors used for my Babette Blanket!), but I thought they would be good for a blanket for my stepson Bryan. The squares are the same style as used for Babette which is a common variation of the traditional granny square.

Because I don't like the join showing on one side of each square, I join in a corner instead (see the photo of the red square - there's no line down the center of any of the 4 sides). The square pattern is published as square #3 Square Target in the book "200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws, and Afghans" by Jean Eaton - AND, it is square #77 in "99 Granny Squares to Crochet" (with this mod: make each corner 2dc ch 2 2dc) by Leisure Arts. There is also an online version of the square pattern called "No Seam Granny Square" at Chez Crochet (scroll to bottom of page).

A chart detailing the color, size, and number of squares is below.

• Size: 58 inches x 75 inches (without border: 55 inches x 72 inches)
• Colors: Bone, Sage, Red, Red Violet, Limelight, Violet, Chocolate, Mango, Lemonade, Blue Mint, Grape, Soft Green, Berry Blue, Watermelon, Rubine Red, Iris (Caron Simply Soft) (see thumbnails of these colors!)
• Pattern: Babette Blanket - Design by Kathy Merrick (with modifications by me)
• Book: Interweave Crochet (magazine) - Spring 2006 - Copyright 2006 - Interweave Press
• Hook: G
• Date: start June 24; finish August 13 (but didn't work on it for a total of about 17 days during this time period)

[UPDATE January 2008: Interweave Press is offering the Babette Blanket pattern on their website!]

A larger view of the full-size completed Babette Blanket (I need to take a better photo!!!):

Simply put: I'm in love.

The default configuration:

To make the Babette Blanket in its original configuration (without the border; 55w x 51h) using worsted weight Caron Simply Soft yarn and a G hook, I used less than 1 skein of yarn for each of the 17 colors, including Color A. In addition, although the pattern says to use Color A for joining all the squares and panels, I instead used one of the colors of the squares that were being joined.

My additional panel:

By the time I had completed the additional panel I designed to make the blanket more rectangular (55w x 21h), I had still used only one skein of each color, but Color A C is very low.

For the border around the rectangular-shaped Babette Blanket, I used Colors R, K, and S in that order.

Below is the chart and layout of the additional panel I designed for my Babette Blanket - it is joined at the bottom of the original design (if you have the pattern for Babette, these will be familiar to you):

The pattern for the squares is a common variation of the traditional granny square. Because I don't like the join showing on one side of each square, I join in a corner instead. It is published as square #3 Square Target in the book "200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws, and Afghans" by Jean Eaton - AND, it is square #77 in "99 Granny Squares to Crochet" (with this mod: make each corner 2dc ch 2 2dc) by Leisure Arts. I just found this online version of the square pattern called "No Seam Granny Square" at Chez Crochet (scroll to bottom of page).

The value in using the Babette Blanket pattern created by Kathy Merrick published in the Spring 2006 Interweave Crochet magazine is having the color charts for the squares and the diagram of the square placement. Based on my experience creating the additional panel for my Babette Blanket, the planning of square placement and colors in the original pattern is excellent!

Thumbnails of the Caron Simply Soft colors I used:

Bone

Sage

By Thursday evening last week, I had finished crocheting all 126 squares required by the original pattern for my Babette Blanket! 50 2-round, 49 4-round, 16 6-round, 7 8-round, 2 10-round, and 2 12-round squares!

I began whip stitching the squares together on Friday mid-morning (we work a modified 40-hour a week schedule during summers and get Fridays off). And...there are still more squares to assemble!

When that's done, however, I will crochet more squares for another panel to add to my Babette to make it a larger, rectangular shape. I've already designed the arrangement of squares for the additional panel, but am waiting to choose colors for the additional squares until I see the colors laid out on the original-sized Babette Blanket.

So exciting! I just love the colors I chose!

After thinking about it more, I decided that Copper Kettle is too much of a warm color for my mainly cool-tone Babette Blanket. So, instead of Copper Kettle, I've settled on Bone. The "less blue" color change is working very well too!

Last Sunday, I crocheted 26 4-round squares and began another 2 4-round squares! Due to clothes shopping after work throughout the week (mostly for something appropriate to wear at my stepson's wedding on the beach in Maui), I haven't had time to work more on the blanket - until last night and today! As of this moment, there are 49 4-round and 2 12-round squares done (photographed above in a random pile) and awaiting their 10-, 8-, 6-, and 2-round companions. I've sketched a design for an additional panel of squares to make my Babette more rectangular than the pattern's basically square blanket.

Complete color chart with final change...

• Size: 50 inches x 70 inches
• Colors: New White (Caron Simply Soft)
• Pattern: Playful Pinapples
• Book: Pineapple Afghans for Baby - Leaflet 3440 - Designs by Anne Halliday - Copyright 2003 - Leisure Arts
• Hook: G
• Date: start June 2; finish June 23

My stepson lives in Maui, Hawaii, with his fiance. For their wedding in early July, I had in my mind a completely white, airy, non-scratchy, washable blanket they could use on cool evenings. (Yes, there are cool evenings in Hawaii.) A "pineapple" pattern was perfect! I originally started with a different pattern and different yarn, but the results weren't quite right. I switched to the Playful Pineapples pattern with different yarn and that didn't work either. The silvery tone of the New White color was perfect! So, here it is!

The leaflet contains afghans for babies, but with adjustments they are easily made into full-size afghans. The Playful Pineapples baby blanket pattern uses sport weight yarn, an F hook, and produces a 34-inch x 44-inch afghan. With adjustments of using worsted weight yarn, a G hook, and a longer starting chain (the repeat pattern is 36 stitches, so the starting chain is 36 + 19 stitches), this finished blanket is 50 inches x 70 inches.

I've changed my mind on some of the colors (yes, for the third time!). There were too many blues - a color I generally dislike. See chart of changes below.

Changes to Caron Simply Soft yarn colors for my Babette Blanket

Koigu color	(Dark / Medium / Light) Color description	Caron Simply Soft color
French Blue	(D) medium-dark blue (not bright)	Rose Violet	changed from: Country Blue
Baby Blue	(L) light blue	Soft Green	changed from: Soft Blue

Complete color chart with above changes...

[Updated June 23, 2007 - Changed my mind ... again.]

For about 3 weeks now, I've been working on a white full-size pineapple-style afghan as a wedding gift for my stepson and his fiance. But the Babette Blanket - with all her glorious colors - has still been on my mind! I wasn't satisfied with the colors I had, so I did more online hunting and purchased a bunch of different colors from Caron and JoAnn Fabrics.

These are the colors I've decided to use for Babette (for now at least). They are close to the colors used in the photos of the Babette Blanket in the Spring 2006 issue of Interweave Crochet. I discovered during my research into the Koigu yarn colors that images of those colors on various websites didn't match what is shown in the magazine photos. I decided to go with the vibrant colors shown in the magazine!

Complete color chart...

Babette has lots of colors - 17 to be exact! And she's been on my mind...I want to make her for myself! I love granny squares! A blanket of grannies using a bunch of different size squares in lots of colors is just my thing!

Of course, I could have created this type of blanket on my own (Cherylette? Cherette?), but all the work of charting the colors and placement of squares has been done for the Babette Blanket pattern, so I recently acquired via eBay the Spring 2006 issue of Interweave Crochet in which the Babette Blanket pattern is detailed. [UPDATE January 2008: Interweave Press is offering the Babette Blanket pattern on their website!] Wool yarn can be itchy, so I won't be using the Koigu Premium Merino wool yarn called for by the pattern. Besides, not all the colors of Koigu are available (at least from the online searches I've done) - and I'm not willing to spend $12.95 per skein for 21 (more to make the blanket larger than 43 inches x 40 inches) skeins for an afghan, regardless of how lovely the finished product is.

Caron Simply Soft is available in a variety of colors - and it is on sale starting today at Michaels Craft Store! I told Bill I could heard Michaels calling me to come buy some yarn...he laughed as he waved goodbye.

These are the colors I've (probably) decided to use for the Babette Blanket. They don't exactly match the colors used for Babette, but it's a granny blanket with lots of colors so that's what I have: lots of colors.

• Size: 45 inches x 70 inches
• Colors: Forest Green, Claret (Burgundy?), Pink, White (Red Heart Super Saver)
• Pattern: Sampler Stripes - Design by Rena Stevens (with modifications by me)
• Book: Scrap Yarn Afghans Book Two - Leaflet 2159 - Copyright 1991 - Leisure Arts
• Hook: J
• Date: start April 19; finish April 30

After I finished the Round Ripple Blanket for William, I searched my collection for an afghan pattern perfect for Elizabeth and settled on Sampler Stripes because I like the texture of a variety of patterns and I was drawn to the colors used in the published pattern.

Elizabeth is retiring from the college at the end of this semester. She's similar to me in a lot of ways! Over the last few years, we got to know each other better and have been lunching together every 2 weeks or so the past few months. I'll miss seeing her around campus!

• Size: 63 inches point to point
• Colors: Soft Forest Green, Forest Green, Rich Periwinkle, Seascape Ombre (Bernat Berella)
• Pattern: Round Ripple Afghan - Design by Mary Jane Protus - with my own modifications to increase from 6 points to 12 points to 24 points (how did I do it?)
• Book: New Crochet Basics - Leaflet 777- Copyright 1989 - Leisure Arts
• Hook: H
• Date: start April 7; finish April 18

William is a young man I met just over 5 years ago during my second job interview at the college. He showed me around the two spaces where the new Web Designer would possibly be sitting. Bright, friendly, and just 4 years older than my son, I took to him like a mom.

We shared an office for my first few months at the college. Since he was the go-to person with regard to the college's course management system and technology used in the classroom, we have similar skill sets and regularly geeked out together over web technologies.

Over the years, I watched him grow, be a good dad, be a good husband, have a second child, begin coaching soccer... Mature. But still be fun.

At the end of April, he moved on to a job as a Web Designer at a web design firm. When I learned he was looking for new opportunities, I decided to make him and his family a round ripple afghan - here it is!

I miss William, but like any good mom would do, I encouraged him to reach for more, to try something new, to grow.

[Update May 31, 2007 6:50pm] For those who want to know, here are the instructions:

I increased the number of points for my round ripple afghan by crocheting an additional point in each valley on the rows where I wanted to double the number of points (6 to 12, then later 12 to 24), then continued the up-and-down (hill-and-valley) ripple pattern. See the 4th and 5th photos of this post for photos of an added point.

Someone at Crochetville posted photos of the way they added points to their afghan using granny squares in the ripple valley.

The way I added the points it allows for more color striping options vs. the granny square method.

[Update August 30, 2007 5:50pm] Here's a more detailed explanation of how I added the new points...

As the hills (points) and valleys get larger and larger, it is possible to add a new point in each valley to create more hills.

So, when the side of a hill is, for example, 22 or 23 stitches long, finish that row and tie off the yarn.

Then, divide the number of stitches in the hillside by 2. So, 22 or 23 divided by 2 equals 11 stitches.

* Now you'll start a new point in one of the valleys: From the top of any hill/point, count down 11 stitches and start a row for the new point in the 12th stitch. Continue making stitches down that hillside, do the stitch you've been using at the bottom of the valley for all the other rows, and make the same number of stitches up the next hillside, leaving 11 stitches UNDONE before the top of the next hill/point. First row of new point is done.

On each successive row of the new point, you'll want to do a decrease at the beginning and the end so that a point is formed. The last row of the new point will be either 2 or 3 stitches. When done, the new point SHOULD BE the same length as the original points.

Repeat from * in each remaining valley.

Whew. Look closely at photos 4 and 5 (click the thumbnails to see larger versions) above and you'll see the rows in the new points.

[Update February 15, 2008] Here are photos of round ripple afghans with points added in the valleys made by members of Crochetville: 1, 2, 3, 4. Very nicely done!

• Size: 39 inches x 68 inches
• Colors: Dark Orchid, Medium Purple, Fiesta Jewel, ? (Red Heart Super Saver)
• Pattern: 93
• Book: 101 Ripple Stitches - Leaflet 1237 - Designs by Jean Leinhauser - Copyright 1997 - American School of Needlework
• Hook: K
• Date: start March 22; finish March 31

Candace and her new husband moved into the neighborhood over a year ago. They seemed like nice people - and happy to be together. Candace is legally blind, although she can see large objects, and her husband was disabled in a wheelchair. Both left the house each morning in a paratransit bus to begin their commute to work, and returned some 12 hours later. Last fall, her husband died unexpectedly at home after a short stay in the hospital with heart problems. And in March, Candace had a double mastectomy. I don't know her well - we say "hi" when our paths cross outside - but I wanted to do something for her.

So, I made her this blanket - a comfortghan you could call it. In spite of it being Red Heart Super Saver yarn, the blanket is soft because of the pattern and the larger-size crochet hook I used - and will become softer after washing. Oh, and, purple is Candace's favorite color!

The stripes of color in this ripple blanket follow this Fibonacci-like number sequence:

3 2 1 1 1 2 3 5 1 1 2 1 1 5 3 2 1 1 1 2 3
M X M D M D X M E D E D E M X D M D M X M

where M = Medium, X = Mix, D = Dark, E = Darker.

Size: 29 inches x 49 inches
Colors: Grey Heather, Burgundy, Soft Navy, Teal, Cameo Rose (pink) (Red Heart)
Pattern: Heart & Home (modified) by Kathleen Bernier WIlliford
Book: Afghan Favorites - ISBN 0-9638031-1-5 - Copyright 1994 - The Needlecraft Shop
Hook: H
Date: February 2006

So it took me just over 1 year to start and finish making the couch blanket for Paula and Leslie's cocker spaniel Buttons (the idea came to me on February 5 last year!)...

I love the pattern - it's imagery is perfect! ("Heart" for love of Buttons and each other and their "home" together.) And, it will go nicely in their livingroom with the Quilt Afghan I finished for Paula in January 2004.

Buttons likes to lay on the back of the couch - much like Cleo is modeling in one of the above photos. I arranged the blanket squares so that the images will be right-side up either way the blanket is placed lengthwise over the back of the couch.

Size: 50 inches x 70 inches
Colors: Claret (Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick)
Pattern: My own
Hook: N
Date: January 2006

Wow! This was a warm project to work on! Thank goodness it's not summer or fall! It was shipped to Greg a few days ago - just in time to use it for a few weeks before it gets warm and muggy in Virginia.

15 skeins wasn't enough! I needed 3 more. Yikes! The cost of the yarn alone was $116.00. Well, Greg's comfort is worth it.

Bill had the gall to say Greg and Lauren will probably end up in San Diego and won't ever use the blanket after this winter! Harrumph. In that case, I'll ask for the blanket back and re-use the yarn for other projects! So there!

This blanket started off following an afghan pattern called Textured Sampler (which I adjusted to be longer), but quickly became a collection of textured stitches that worked well with the yarn thickness.

Size: 36 inches x 73 inches
Colors: Red, Blue, White, Green, Dark Grey, Light Grey, Black, Buff, Yellow (Red Heart Classic)
Pattern for Race Track: My own
Pattern for Tic-Tac-Toe and Checkers Game Boards and Game Pieces: Fun and Games Bag by Sharon Volkman (page 86) in Annie's Favorite Quick & Easy Projects - ISBN 0-9655269-5-X - Copyright 1999 - Annie's Attic
Hook: H, G, F
Date: October 2005

I wanted to make something for Jack since he's getting a brother or sister in late December or early January. Jack is almost 3 years old and is the son of my husband's second cousin Jackie and her hubby Jason.

I decided to make the Fun and Games Bag and in late July began the Tic-Tac-Toe and Checkers game boards which make up the two sides of the bag.

While making the game boards, it occurred to me that I could connect them to make a rectangle, add half circles on each end to make an oval shape, and crochet a race track around the game boards, complete with spectator stands on one side and a winner's circle area on the other! As a NASCAR fan, this seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do! So I did it!

I also made a colorful drawstring sack to carry the game pieces in - and a smaller double-opening drawstring sack so that the red and blue checkers could be stored separately if desired. I thought a 3-year-old would find it fun to open and close and put things in and take things out (over and over...).

Size: 92 inches (7 feet, 8 inches) diameter
Colors: Painted Desert (variegated), Claret, Black, Buff (Red Heart)
Pattern: Cathedral Rose Window by Julene Watson
Book: Award-Winning Afghans, Annie's Crochet Quilt and Afghan Club - Leaflet 878301 - Copyright 1994 - Annie's Attic
Hook: H, G, F
Date: September 2005

Started August 6, finished September 11, 2005. Made for the September 12 golf tournament auction at the college where I work. Finished just in time!

I love this pattern! And the colors I chose are great! They match perfectly in my living room...but I've committed to donating the afghan to the auction benefiting the athletics programs at the college. I hope the people appreciate the work that went into making the afghan and bid high!

[Updated September 25, 2005]

I did not attend the golf tournament or the auction, so I wasn't there to "sell" the afghan and I don't think anyone running the auction understood the uniqueness of the pattern or the time/effort that went in to making it. There was a silent auction and a live auction. The afghan was placed in the silent auction, so there wasn't anyone presenting it and "selling" it with verbal queues to describe the afghan and drive people to bid more.

Bidding was started at $60 and the afghan was won at $125. A bit disappointing since I spent 5 weeks working on it evenings and weekends - and knowing that someone online is asking $750 to make this afghan using custom colors.

But, on the other hand, I wanted to make the afghan for the experience of making it, and I donated it to for the auction. Once it left my hands, it was out of my control.

Here are some notes from what I remember doing while making the afghan. Maybe someone will find them helpful!:

• I used 1 strand for the entire afghan. My gauge is very loose and 2 strands for the Hexagons with the recommended hook size would have been very tight. So, I used 1 strand with, I believe, an H hook.
• I used H, G, and F hooks - F for the majority of the afghan, especially after Section One (my gauge is loose).
• On round 3 of the Pentagons for Section One, I replaced " Ch 3, 2 dc in next. ..." with "Ch 3, (1 dc, ch 1, 1 dc) in next. ...".
• I was cringing at the thought of weaving in all of those yarn ends! So, I carried the yarn for the Pyramids around the whole piece using slip stitches instead of finishing off and starting again.
• I made 5 double crochet rows instead of 9 single crochet rows for each Column in Section Two, and 4 double crochet rows instead of 7 single crochet rows for each Column in Section Three.
• Because of gauge issues, the Valleys were very PUFFY. I re-wrote Round 7A-G of Section Three about 6 times before settling on a pattern that made the Valleys as flat as I could get them.

[Update June 24, 2007] SOLD! For sale: Award-Winning Afghans crochet pattern book containing the Cathedral Rose Window afghan pattern - interested?

Size: 78 inches x 95 inches
Colors: Black, scraps
Pattern: (From a variety of crochet pattern books, leaflets, and some I made up on my own)
Book: Various
Hook: Mostly H
Date: March 2005

In the first photo, that's Cleo on the left and Jasmine (Jaz) in the bottom right corner.

I started this blanket February 21 and finished it March 27. It's taken me this long to get around to posting photos! And, of course, I either forgot to measure it or misplaced the measurements. I'll ask Greg to measure it for me - done: The blanket is 78 inches x 95 inches. I have photos of each of the 35 squares and will (sometime) be posting them too.

The blanket was made for Lauren (my son's girlfriend) just because. As it turns out, the blanket arrived a few days before her 25th birthday on April 18!

General descriptions of the squares are...

Row 1: Flower, Turtle (stuffed head), U.S. flag variation, Mondrian inspired, Cat (applique)

Row 2: Puffs square motif, Puffs variegated (row by row), Daisy, Zig Zag, Post textured (solid color, rows from center)

Row 3: Lion's head, Peppermint, Diagonal square motif, Heart in Puffs, Daffodil

Row 4: Square motif, Green leaves motif, Small diagonal square motif, Shells in rows, Wrapped gift

Row 5: Offset granny square, Watermelon, Blue flower granny motif, Spooky cat, Gold star

Row 6: Checkerboard, Rainbow on black and white (my own pattern), White and yellow flower, Puffs variegated (rows from center), Spiral Square

Row 7: Alternating Puffs (solid color), Post textured (variegated, row by row), Polar bear head (a teddy bear pattern in white), U.S. flag with one star, Blue flower

Here's what I've been working on... The 35 squares for Lauren's "bold colors and abstract" blanket were completed Friday afternoon during the needle arts group I started two weeks ago at work. Friday evening (after a yummy dinner with Bill at La Imperial in Hayward), I began crocheting the squares together into columns (in my mind, rows go left to right and columns go up and down), and on Sunday began crocheting the columns together.

When I talked with Greg this weekend, he asked me to send him a photo of Lauren's blanket "in progress" - the photo above was taken yesterday evening before I began that night's work on it.

Hmmm, it isn't quite "abstract" but there's no theme and none of the squares are identical.

Size: 41 inches x 60 inches
Colors: Country Blue (Caron Simply Soft)
Pattern: Twists & Turns - Design by Eleanor Albano-Miles
Book: Timeless, Textured Afghans - Leaflet 1343 - Copyright 2003 - American School of Needlecraft
Hook: G
Date: January 2005

After putting Deb's afghan aside in December because the twists and turns (cables) were making my right wrist sore, I picked it up again this weekend and finished it last night. It's soft and very nice to cuddle up to!

Using flash when taking photos definitely flattens out patterns! The second photo is a closer shot of the twists and turns (cables), but it's difficult to see so I added a photo of the afghan from the cover of the pattern book.

(Yarn swatch images from Lion Brand website - these are the actual yarn colors.)

Size: 46 inches x 70 inches
Colors: Covered Bridge (red), Deco (creamy white), and Montana Sky (blue) (Lion Brand Homespun)
Pattern: Courthouse Steps
Book: Patchwork Patterns - Leaflet 3294 - Designs by Judy Sajewski - Copyright 2002 - Leisure Arts
Hook: J
Date: December 2004

Before the Winter Break, I offered to make Corinne (a woman at the college where I work) a blanket if she bought the yarn. So...here it is!

I started the first square for this afghan on December 24 and finished the blanket on December 30! I think each square took about 2 hours to make. (I'm a crocheting machine when I don't have to go to work, but about 8 hours each day???)

Because Homespun yarn requires a larger crochet hook (J instead of G), I modified the pattern for each square by making one less section of white and red "steps".

Originally, the blanket was going to have 12 squares (3 x 4) but it would have been too small, so I made 8 more squares (4 x 5). Then, since there was still a lot of yarn left, I made another 4 squares for a total of 24 (4 x 6).

The blanket is soft, warm, cuddly, and H-E-A-V-Y. It'll definitely keep Corinne warm in her recliner!

Started on December 24 and by the afternoon of the 26th, I'd finished (including hiding yarn ends!) 10 squares for Corinne's Courthouse Steps blanket. Originally, I thought 12 squares (3 x 4) might be enough, but that'll be on the small side and there's a lot of yarn left so I decided to make 4 x 5 = 20 squares instead. The yarn is Lion Brand Homespun and the squares are heavy, soft, and warm! Corinne's gonna love it! As of yesterday evening, 12 squares are done and the remaining 8 are well in progress.

On Saturday, I stopped crocheting for a few minutes to take photos of works in progress...

First up, Deb's Twists & Turns blanket in Country Blue (soft and cuddly) which I started on December 16 but put aside on the 24th to start Corinne's Courthouse Steps blanket (photos on next entry).

Last week, I offered to make a woman at work an afghan if she bought the yarn, and another woman asked me to make her an afghan if she bought the yarn. These two projects will keep me busy when the college is closed for Winter Break! This week, each woman selected an afghan pattern from the 2 large binders full of afghan pattern books I brought for them to review.

Today, I ordered 14 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun in Covered Bridge (red), Deco (creamy white), and Montana Sky (blue) from the Jo-Ann Fabrics website (yarn on sale and 20% discount off total!) for Corinne's Courthouse Steps afghan which will be larger than lap size.

Deb wants to match colors to her living room, so she'll buy the yarn herself for the Twists & Turns afghan she selected.

It is interesting to observe the process each person goes through when reviewing pattern books: At first overwhelmed by all the choices, then settling into searching, then discovering their "style" preference, then possibilities abound, then narrow down to a few, and then...and then...narrow... down...to...their...choice... The one!

Size: 80 inches x 37 inches
Colors: Claret, Lace, Painted Desert (variegated)
Pattern: Twilight Tapestry - Design by Eleanor Albano Miles
Book: Great Big Crochet Afghan Book - 47 Afghans - Copyright 2003 - American School of Needlework
Date: February 2004

To match the blanket I finished in December 2003 for the back of our big couch, I completed this blanket in February for the small couch in our living room. I used the same modifications: I continued to use a different puff stitch, extended the border by one row, used a different pattern for variegated sections of each panel (the original pattern has a lot of holes through which cat hair can sift), and made the blanket long enough to cover the back of the couch. It also uses Claret instead of dual greens (Dark Sage and Sage) like the larger blanket.

Date: August 1981

I've been looking through old photo albums this week - and found this August 1981 photo (on the left) of my favorite granny square blanket. I made it for my new double bed - which the blanket covers in the photo.

In 1990-1991, I wanted to make a king-size version of this blanket using a different set of colors for our bed, but I didn't have the pattern anymore (Mom may have it in her collection of pattern books). I ended up re-creating the pattern by studying the old blanket. I'm not a pro at writing out crochet patterns so I don't know all the do's and don'ts, but here is the pattern described as I know how to describe it.

Size: 117 inches x 41 inches
Colors: Dark Sage, Sage, Lace, Painted Desert (variegated)
Pattern: Twilight Tapestry - Design by Eleanor Albano Miles
Book: Great Big Crochet Afghan Book - 47 Afghans - Copyright 2003 - American School of Needlework
Date: December 2003

We've been using afghans on the back of our couches for years to (try to) keep cat hair from becoming further embedded into the couch fibers. As part of the Home Improvement process started mid-December, I wanted to replace the blankets we had been using.

This is the blanket for the back of the bigger couch in our living room. The pattern is the same as the classy Claret-Cream-Multi lap blanket I finished earlier in December 2003, with some modifications: I continued to use a different puff stitch, extended the border by one row, used a different pattern for variegated section of the middle panel (the original pattern has a lot of holes through which cat hair can sift), and made the blanket long enough to cover the back of our couch. The colors match the new pillows and the new drapes...and the candles... We're so grown up now!!! The blanket for the smaller couch will use Claret instead of the Dark Sage and Sage.

Size: 51 1/2 inches x 78 inches
Colors: Navy, Claret, Rose, Cream (Red Heart Super Saver)
Pattern: Quilt Afghan & Pillow - Design by Ruby Schenker
Book: Ultimate Book of Quilt Afghans - 12 Afghans - Leaflet 872217 - Copyright 2000 - Annie's Attic
Date: January 2004

There are 16 abstract patterns, 15 for the blanket and 1 for the pillow. I did not make the pattern used in the pillow. I finished the blanket last Friday and immediately started on one of the two blankets I'm making for our living room.

Each square is just rows of single crochet. The color changes are the tricky part. Well, not tricky, just challenging to keep the yarn from tangling into one large knot.

The blanket itself is beautiful! I may never do it again since it was so time-consuming and a bit frustrating, but I would consider it for the right project, with the right colors, for the right person...

Paula returns from vacation (a week-long Mexican cruise!) on Monday so I'll give the blanket to her then.

In the evenings mostly, I've been working on Paula's blanket - 15 squares of various patterns that take about 5 hours each to complete from start to finish. Each pattern switches color every X number of stitches and colors carry over from one row to the other without finishing off - which makes a lot less ends to hide but makes a tangled mess of yarn as the square is turned around with each row.

I had been wanting to do this pattern because it was different from any other blanket I've ever done, but now that I've done it once, I may not do it again. It is a struggle (and at times a frustrating one!) to keep the tangle from getting too tight which can stop the yarn from being smoothly pulled through the mess to continue crocheting the blanket. Sometimes I have to give up, cut yarn strands here and there, pull them free from the tangle, and add them back in...which sometimes becomes another tangled mess within a few rows depending on the square's pattern.

Overall, however, I like the blanket! It will be large and warm! There are 2 more squares to be made, then I'll add the border to 11 of the squares, hide those ends, sew the squares together, and add the main border. I will probably have it done by Monday morning...unless some other project distracts me first!

Size: (forgot to measure it!) approximately 57 inches x 76 inches
Colors: Off-white and scraps (Dark Purple, Gold, Mint Green, Claret, Medium Blue, Plum, Red, Light Blue, Orange, Navy, Beige, Dark Green, Rose, Burgundy)
Pattern: Bowtie - Design by Lorain Axup
Book: Ultimate Book of Quilt Afghans - 12 Afghans - Leaflet 872217 - Copyright 2000 - Annie's Attic
Date: October 2003

I finished Tamela's blanket Monday evening, October 6 - just in time to surprise her with it when we had lunch that Thursday! She loves it! She wanted it to be large enough to cuddle up on the couch with - and it is definitely that! She picked the pattern out of one of the many crochet blanket pattern books I have.

One of the 4-square blocks I had made for the blanket was light pink and it just didn't fit with the other blocks. So, instead of unraveling all that work, I bought an 18-inch x 18-inch pillow at Michaels, made another 4-square block using Burgundy and crocheted the 2 blocks around the pillow in Burgundy - the same color as the last border row. I'll give the pillow to her when we have dinner on November 5.

Since I haven't been into cross-stitch for a while and don't expect to be anytime soon, a month or so ago I offered to make my best friend Tamela a blanket in place of the nude woman cross-stitch design that she had asked me to make for her last fall. (I did find a painting I liked and bought software that creates cross-stitch patterns from digital images, but haven't gotten around to buying the embroidery thread or cloth.)

Tamela loved the idea of a large blanket she could cuddle up in and looked through the pattern books I have for one she liked (Bowtie in the Ultimate Book of Quilt Afghans crochet pattern book by Annie's Attic). I waited until I finished Greg's blanket to start hers. I bought yarn in the main color one evening last week and will use leftovers from other projects for the other colors. Each 4-square block is a different color. The pattern calls for 20 4-square blocks but my gauge is larger than the pattern so I'll probably make 12 4-square blocks instead. I could use a smaller crochet hook to get the pattern's original gauge but then the stitches would be tighter and the blanket less cuddly.

The only problem I'm having with working on this blanket is that the stitches are all single crochet, which is boring to do...over and over and... Thank goodness the pattern requires color changes at prescribed intervals!

Size: 48 inches x 62 inches (stretchy)
Colors: Yellow
Pattern: Style No. 3007-132, page 29 - Designer not indicated
Book: Bernat Afghans, Contemporary and Traditional Styles - Book No. 132 - Copyright 1975
Date: Started sometime in 1991 (estimated); finished February 2003

This is the second in-progress blanket discovered in the "Cheryl's Yarn" box in our garage attic in December 2002. It is a full-size blanket, more decorative than it is warm since it is so lace-like.

When it was found in the box, 3 of the strips were connected, many of the small circles were done for those strips, and large circles for another strip were already done. So, I made the rest of the large circles and the remaining small circles and crocheted it all together, following the pattern book which had been conveniently stored with the yarn.

During the putting-the-blanket-together process, I reviewed the pattern and discovered why I had so much leftover yellow yarn! The pattern says to use double strands of yarn. Oops. I didn't. That explains why the edges of the circles curl up (see it on the right side of the last closeup photo?). Ah, well.

I used some of the leftover yellow yarn for the yellow-and-cyan lap blanket and the rest of it on several 7-inch x 9-inch rectangles I made to donate to the homeless blanket project sponsored by Michaels Craft Store. I still have the 17 rectangles I made from navy yarn and the yellow yarn because Michaels was so disorganized that they didn't know what time the project was supposed to begin the day before it was supposed to happen. I'll just hang onto the rectangles for now. 45 of them are needed to make a complete blanket for the homeless project.