In 2008 through July 23, I made 19 lap blankets to be donated. (No wonder I was tired of crocheting by then!) They haven't been dropped off yet, but I plan to do so tomorrow.

Left:

1. Log Cabin Lap Blanket - Greens, White, Black
2. Panel Variety Lap Blanket - Green, Purple, Off-White
3. Pinwheel Filet Granny Squares Lap Blanket - Greens
4. Granny Square Lap Blanket - White, Greens, Pinks, Yellows, Blues
5. Flower Picture Afghan Lap Blanket
6. Offset Log Cabin Lap Blanket - Greens, White, Black
7. Granny Square Lap Blanket - White, Tan, Greens, Pinks, Yellows, Blues
8. 4-Patch Granny Lap Blanket - Pink, Blue
9. Steps with Ruffle Border Lap Blanket - Red, White
10. Custom Granny Square Lap Blanket - Print Pastels, Blue, Yellow, Pink

Right:

1. 6-patch Striped Squares Lap Blanket - Pink, Off-White
2. Granny Squares with Flowers Lap Blanket - Blue and Pastel Scraps
3. Flowers in Snow Granny Square Lap Blanket - White, Coral, Green, White-Pink-Green-Yellow Multi
4. Blue and Gold Blocks Lap Blanket - Blue, Gold, Green, Red, Orange
5. Granny Square Lap Blanket - Pinks, Blue, White, Beige, Yellow, Baby Pastels
6. Hexagon Lap Blanket - Greys, Red, White
7. Primary Colors Granny Square Lap Blanket - Blue, Green, Red, Multis of Blue, Green, Red
8. Double Crochet Striped Squares Lap Blanket - Pink, Blue, Green, White, Purples
9. Double Crochet Scraps Panels with Black Lap Blanket

• Size: Lap size
• Colors: Blue, Green, Red, Multis of Blue / Green / Red, Black
• Pattern: Primary Colors Granny Square Lap Blanket
• Hook: H probably
• Date: start Jul. 5; finish Jul. 23

Tired of crocheting now - and too hot!

• Size: Lap blanket size
• Colors: Print Pastels, Blue, Yellow, Pink
• Pattern: Custom Granny Square Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H probably
• Date: start Jun. 29; finish Jul. 7

• Size: 30 inches x 44 inches
• Colors: Pinks, Blue, White, Beige, Yellow, Baby Pastels (multi) (Red Heart Classic)
• Pattern: Granny Square Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start June 22; finish June 29

• Size: 37 inches x 47 inches
• Colors: Dark Grey, Medium Grey, Red, White, Grey-White Multi (scraps)
• Pattern: Hexagon Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start June 8; too hot to continue hiding yarn ends June 18; finish June 29

• Size: 39 inches x 45 inches
• Colors: Blue, Gold, Green, Red, Orange (Red Heart Classic)
• Pattern: Blue and Gold Blocks Lap Blanket - - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start May 31; too hot to continue hiding yarn ends June 8; finish June 29

This lap blanket was going to be just blue and gold, but I ran out of enough yarn when it was time to join the squares and crochet a border. So, I did the joining and border using primary colors that matched: green, red, and orange.

• Size: 34 inches x 46 inches
• Colors: Blue and Pastel Scraps
• Pattern: Granny Squares with Flowers Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start May 18; finish May 31

• Size: 30 inches x 41 inches
• Colors: Melon, Purple, Green, Yellow, Baby Print, Light Yellow, White (sport weight scraps)
• Pattern: Flower Centers Granny Square Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: G
• Date: start May 3; finish May 18

Baby / sport weight yarn is very soft!

• 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: 37 inches x 56 inches
• Colors: - Pink, Blue (sport weight scraps)
• Pattern: 4-Patch Granny Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start April 3; finish April 11

• Size: 33 inches x 49 inches
• Colors: - Pink, Blue, Green, White, Purples (worsted weight scraps)
• Pattern: Double Crochet Striped Squares Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start March 19; finish April 1

And sometimes a scrap project just isn't very lovely.

• Size: 37 inches x 49 inches
• Colors: - White, Coral, Green, White-Pink-Green-Yellow Multi (sport weight scraps)
• Pattern: Flowers in Snow Granny Square Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: G (centers), H
• Date: start March 28; finish March 31

Sometimes a scrap project just turns out lovely!

• Size: 34 inches x 44 inches
• Colors: Green, Lavender, Off-White (Caron Perfect Match)
• Pattern: Panel Variety Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start March 20; finish March 24

The center panel doesn't quite work, does it? The edging panels look great though!

• Size: 37 inches x 47 inches
• Colors: Pink, Off-White (Caron Perfect Match)
• Pattern: 6-patch Striped Squares Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start March 10; finish March 18

Since the blanket wasn't going to be big enough if the 6 squares were joined and I didn't want to do a large border around the joined squares, I decided to add a decorative edging on the two sets of 3 joined squares to widen the blanket.

• Size: 30 inches x 46 inches
• Colors: Red, White (Caron Perfect Match)
• Pattern: Steps with Ruffle Border Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start March 2; finish March 9

This blanket is narrower than the average-sized lap blanket, but it'll do! The Steps pattern results in a very thick fabric!

• Size: 38 inches x 51 inches
• Colors: Medium Green, Light Green, White, Black (Caron Perfect Match)
• Pattern: Offset Log Cabin Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start February 23; finish March 2

I had a few extra squares from the 24-square Log Cabin Lap Blanket, but was running out of some colors. So, this blanket is an "offset" log cabin style!

• Size: 41 inches x 63 inches
• Colors: Medium Green, Light Green, White, Black (Caron Perfect Match)
• Pattern: Log Cabin Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start February 17; finish February 23

This one is a bit larger than lap blanket size (normally about 35 x 45), but I got carried away and didn't pay attention until it was all put together!

• Size: 33 inches x 44 inches
• Colors: Scraps
• Pattern: Double Crochet Scraps Panels with Black Lap Blanket - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start February 13; finish February 17

Here's the first of 6 lap blankets I've finished since February 12. I've been working on using up the miscellaneous skeins of mostly Caron Perfect Match, along with some other brands.

• Size: 35 inches x 50 inches
• Colors: Leftovers (mostly Caron Perfect Match)
• Pattern: Granny Square Lap Blanket - White, Tan, Greens, Pinks, Yellows, Blues - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: I
• Date: start February 10 using leftover squares from blanket just finished; finish February 12

I had 5 squares leftover from the previous granny square lap blanket - 1 pink, 1 yellow, 1 blue, and 2 green. So, I crocheted an additional square using purple and grey, made a white and sage border around each, joined them, and put a border around the whole thing. Didn't take very long!

• Size: 35 inches x 59 inches
• Colors: Leftovers (mostly Caron Perfect Match)
• Pattern: Granny Square Lap Blanket - White, Tan, Greens, Pinks, Yellows, Blues - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: I
• Date: start January 22, 2007; put aside early February after 20 squares; picked up again May 28; put down again May 29, 2007; finally finished February 10, 2008

It's longer than it should be for a lap blanket, but it's done. This one took me a while to finish. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the brightly colored squares together, but when I added a wide white border, it pulled together.

• Size: 42 inches x 47 inches
• Colors: Dark Sage, Sage, Light Sage (Red Heart Super Saver)
• Pattern: Pinwheel Filet Granny Squares Lap Blanket - Greens - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start January 2; finish January 14

That's Jasmine (Jaz!) helping me layout the blanket for the photos!

• Size: 33 inches x 45 inches
• Colors: White, Cranberry, Claret, Dark Safe, Medium Sage, Sage (Red Heart Super Saver)
• Pattern: Flower Picture Afghan - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: I
• Date: start January 21; finish February 7

This is a simple picture afghan of a single flower, stem, 2 leaves, and 2 fallen petals. The free chart of the flower pattern is to the right.

The squares were crocheted following the Two-row Granny Square Pattern for Patchwork Quilt Picture Afghans I posted a few days ago. The border is something I made up as I went along: almost the same as dc in a standard up-down ripple pattern: 1 row white, 3 rows cranberry, 1 row dark sage.

• Size: 38 inches x 54 inches
• Colors: Scraps in White and Pastels
• Pattern: Stripped Ripple (my own design)
• Hook: H
• Date: start April 6; finish May 6

Another lap blanket to be donated near the end of this year.

• Size: 30 inches x 51 inches
• Colors: Scraps in White, Cream, and Dark Colors
• Pattern: ??? Not sure (with mods by me)
• Book: ??? Not sure
• Hook: H
• Date: start March 31; finish April 4

Another lap blanket to be donated near the end of this year. Oh, and, that's Jaz helping again!

• Size: 29 inches x 45 inches
• Colors: Dark Colonial Blue, Colonial Blue, Dark Sage, Sage, Nutmeg, Oatmeal (Caron Wintuk), Navy (Red Heart Super Saver)
• Pattern: Santa's Stripes #144
• Book: 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns - ISBN 0-89689-276-X - Designs by Jan Eaton - Copyright 2006 - kp books
• Hook: H
• Date: start March 4; finish March 11

A woman at work gave me a large bag of mixed yarns, including skeins of Wintuk in colors that coordinate well together so I decided to use them on this ripple - gotta divert from the granny square addiction sometimes...!

• Size: 37 inches x 46 inches
• Colors: Scarlet, Rose, Off White (Caron One Pounder, Caron Perfect Match)
• Pattern: Cluster and Lace Granny Square Afghan - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: J
• Date: start February 9; finish February 17

After finishing the Calico Lap Blanket, there was still a bunch of red, pink, and white left so I started making squares with cluster centers surrounded by lacy white.

• Size: 39 inches x 50 inches
• Colors: Scarlet, Rose, Soft Sage, Off White (Caron One Pounder, Caron Perfect Match)
• Pattern: Calico (with modifications)
• Book: 40 Fabulous Afghans - ISBN 0-696-02357-01 - Designs by Patricia Bevans - Copyright 1993 - Meredith Press
• Hook: J
• Date: start February 4; finish February 9

Instead of photographing these last 3 finished blankets on the couch using what little light comes from the window, light from the light bulb, and flash on my digital camera, I tried natural light with no flash. The colors needed a lot of adjustment - and still aren't really right - and the angle of photographing them flat on a table top just doesn't work. I'm gonna switch back to the couch next time!

The "sc, ch 1, sk 1" is one of my favorite patterns because it's easy and repetitive (soothing) and versatile. It can be used for solid colors or a variety of stripes (like this blanket). It can also be used for ripples - in fact, it's a great pattern for scrap blankets with a lot of color changed (just carry the yarn from the end of one row to the beginning of another row a few rows later and cover those carried-over strands on the blanket edges with a border).

• Size: 31 inches x 42 inches
• Colors: Pink Lightning (dark pink), Orchid (light pink) (Red Heart Classic)
• Pattern: Granny Square Afghan - Design by Cheryl Lambert
• Hook: H
• Date: start January 13; finish January 17

My first finished lap blanket for this year! In only 5 days! I made up the pattern for each square as I went along.

Size: 31 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Cape Cod Blue, Lace, Winter White, Country Basket Ombre (Caron Perfect Match)
Pattern: #156 Cluster Ripple
Book: 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns - ISBN 0-89689-276-X - Designs by Jan Eaton - Copyright 2006 - kp books
Hook: I
Date: start December 28; finish December 30

Third of 3 lap blankets for 2007 donation finished during the holiday break from work. That's Cleo helping to display the top right corner of the blanket.

Size: 35 inches x 49 inches
Colors: Scraps, Black (Red Heart)
Pattern: Granny Square Afghan - Design by Cheryl Lambert
Hook: H
Date: start December 20; finish December 28

Second of 3 lap blankets for 2007 donation finished during the holiday break from work.

Size: 39 inches x 51 inches
Colors: Scraps in Reds, Oranges, Grey, Black (Red Heart)
Pattern: Granny Square Afghan - Design by Cheryl Lambert
Hook: H
Date: start December 24; finish December 27

First of 3 lap blankets for 2007 donation finished during the holiday break from work. That's Cleo wondering how she can help me take the blanket photos.

Size: 35 inches x 50 inches
Colors: Dark Green, Light Green, Off White (Caron Perfect Match)
Pattern: #52 Lavender Fields
Book: 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns - ISBN 0-89689-276-X - Designs by Jan Eaton - Copyright 2006 - kp books
Hook: J
Date: start December 17; finish December 20

"Lavender" is in the name of the pattern, but of course, other colors can be used!

This is the last lap blanket to be donated this year.

Size: 33 inches x 45 inches
Colors: Scraps (mostly Red Heart)
Pattern: My Own: Scrappy dc Stripes
Hook: I
Date: start December 11; finish December 15

Size: 35 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Scraps (mostly Red Heart)
Pattern: My Own: Colorful Stripes in Panels
Hook: I
Date: start December 3; finish December 10

Size: 35 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Scraps (mostly Red Heart)
Pattern: My Own: Color Blocks in Panels
Hook: I
Date: start November 29; finish December 3

Size: 30 inches x 42 inches
Colors: Beige (unknown)
Pattern: Little Baskets
Book: 280 Crochet Shell Patterns - ISBN 1-60140-206-6 - Designs by Darla Sims - Copyright 2006 - Leisure Arts
Hook: I
Date: start November 26; finish November 29

I couldn't wait to pick a pattern from this book! Little Baskets is pattern 90 of the 280 shell patterns. The patterns in this book are lovely!

Size: 36 inches x 50 inches
Colors: Black, Scraps in warm colors (Red Heart Classic and Super Saver)
Pattern: Granny Square Blanket (6 squares with unique patterns; 6 solid squares with same pattern) - Design by Cheryl Lambert
Hook: H
Date: start November 19; finish November 26

And this is the second of 2 custom granny squares lap blankets: the warm colors blanket.

Size: 33 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Black, Scraps in cool colors (Red Heart Classic and Super Saver)
Pattern: Granny Square Blanket (6 squares with unique patterns; 6 solid squares with same pattern) - Design by Cheryl Lambert
Hook: H
Date: start November 19; finish November 24

I started by making 12 unique granny squares in a variety of colors from my large collection of miscellaneous yarn scraps. When the 12 squares were done, it was obvious that there were 2 groups of colors: coolish and warmish. So I decided to make divide the 12 squares into 2 sets of 6 squares and make coordinating solid-color granny squares to coordinate with them. This is the first of the 2 resulting lap blankets: the cool colors blanket.

[Update 5:22pm December 7, 2006] This blanket is one of two I donated as a door prize to today's winter party at the college where I work. So, it is no longer a 2006 donation blanket.

Size: 44 inches x 53 inches
Colors: Browns, Taupe, Coral, Beige, White, Multi (Red Heart Classic and Super Saver)
Pattern: Granny Square Afghan - Design by Cheryl Lambert
Hook: H
Date: start November 12; finish November 19

[December 20, 2006] Bill and I decided to give this lap blanket to our neighbor Janet for Christmas. So, it's been removed from the list of blanket donations.

Size: 36 inches x 48 inches
Colors: Magic Scrap Ball
Pattern: At least 3 ripple styles
Hook: I
Date: start Dec. 28, 2005; put aside after a while; continued Nov. 8, 2006; finish Nov. 12)

I started this lap blanket in December last year and when the Magic Scrap Ball^* ran out, I put it aside until more scraps had accumulated. I continued working on it last month and finished it a few days later. I didn't realize that I had started the blanket using one ripple pattern, did some rows in the middle using a different ripple pattern, and than continued at the end using yet a third pattern. The pattern changes are not obvious, and even if they were, they make the blanket more unique!

^* A Magic Scrap Ball is a ball of yarn created by joining together (with knots or not depending on your philosophy of using knotted yarn) a variety of lengths of yarn scraps. For best results (depending on the project), the yarn scraps should be similar in thickness and use the same material (such as all acrylic or all wool) or the material should all be washable (or be sure to only hand wash the completed project). At each join, leave a 4- to 6-inch length of yarn tail to be weaved in.

Size: 38 inches x 52 inches
Colors: Scraps in Autumn colors: Taupe (medium orange), 2 different Dark Browns, Medium Avocado (dark green), Light Avocado (light green), Bronze (dark orange), Off White, Cashmere (beige) (Red Heart)
Pattern: Variety of 20 squares chosen from this book
Book: 99 Granny Squares to Crochet- Leaflet 3078 - Copyright 1998 - Leisure Arts
Hook: H
Date: start October 28; finish November 6

The latest completed lap blanket for this year's donation. I still need to decide where I'm going to donate them to - either another convalescent hospital/nursing care facility or the local shelter.

[5:50pm November 16, 2006] I decided to give this blanket to Patrice for her birthday, which is today! So, this blanket is no longer on the donation list.

Size: 41 inches x 57 inches
Colors: Black, Scraps (Red Heart Classic)
Pattern: Beach Balls
Book: Scrap Yarn Afghans - Leaflet 101131 - Designs by Sharon Volkman - Copyright 1999 - House of White Birches
Hook: H
Date: start October 17; finish October 27

Size: 37 inches x 48 inches
Colors: Black, Scraps in 12 colors (Red Heart Classic)
Pattern: Basic Granny Square with variety of color changes
Hook: H
Date: start October 10; finish blanket #1 October 15; finish blanket #2 October 17, 2006 (that's Jasmine in the second photo!).

I decided to make 2 12-square lap blankets instead of a larger 24-square blanket. The black border around each square really makes the colors stand out!

Granny squares for the first blanket were joined from the front using "sc, ch 1, skip 1 st/sp on one side then again on the other side". Details: hold 2 squares wrong sides facing, sc in corner ch sp of front square, ch 1, sc in corner ch sp of back square, ch 1, sc in center dc of 3-dc group of front square, ch 1, sc in center dc of 3-dc group of back square, ch 1, sc in ch sp of front square, ch 1, sc in ch sp of back square, repeat around.

Granny squares for the second blanket were joined from the back using "sc, ch 1 in every other st/sp on both squares". Details: hold 2 squares right sides facing, sc through corner ch sp on both squares, ch 1, sc in center dc of 3-dc group on both squares, ch 1, sc in ch sp of both square, ch 1, repeat around.

My latest crochet blanket project uses the basic granny square pattern and 12 different colors to make 24 different squares. A color is used only once per square and for the same row on only 2 squares. For instance, light blue is used only once in a square, and light blue is used for row 1 for only 2 squares and used for row 2 for only 2 different squares, etc. It's been fun playing with 12 different colors!

I now have 24 uniquely-colored squares of 7 rows each. I plan to add 2 rows of black to each square, join them, and add a border. Before joining, I will decide whether to make 2 lap blankets with 12 squares each or one large blanket with 24 squares. The decision is based on what I would plan to do with the 24-square blanket.

Size: 36 inches x 47 inches
Colors: Blue Jewel, Mist Green, Light Periwinkle, Medium Navy (Red Heart Classic)
Pattern: Basic Granny Square with variety of color changes
Hook: H
Date: start October 2; finish October 8, 2006

Here's the second of 2 basic granny square lap blankets recently completed. Each of the 12 squares have different color change patterns of the light blue and mint green colors.

Size: 35 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Cameo Rose, Off White, Medium Avocado, Dark Avocado, Coffee (Red Heart Classic)
Pattern: Basic Granny Square
Hook: H
Date: start September 24; finish September 30, 2006

I haven't felt much like following a written pattern (desiring mindless crocheting instead), so basic granny squares are the perfect mindless crochet project! This is the first of 2 basic granny square lap blankets recently completed.

Size: 39 inches x 50 inches
Colors: Pink scraps
Pattern: My own
Book: None
Hook: G
Date: February 2006

I used much of the pink scraps in my baby / light-weight worsted yarn stash for this lap blanket. I varied the flower petals on many of the flowers because flowers aren't symmetrical in real life and I thought it might make the afghan more interesting. The color combinations aren't exactly lovely, but they aren't downright ugly either. I hope it goes to someone who likes pink and flowers and will appreciate this blanket.

[December 20, 2006] Bill and I decided to give this girly-type lap blanket to his cousin Jim's wife, Ellen, for an early Christmas gift. So, it's been removed from the list of blanket donations.

Size: 35 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Scraps in Grey, Peach, Cream, White
Pattern: Ripple (p. 116) (modified)
Book: 40 Fabulous Afghans - ISBN 0-696-02357-1 - Designs by Patricia Bevens - Copyright 1993 - Meredith Press
Hook: L
Date: February 2006

I started this lap blanket last month and have worked on it in between other projects. I finished it today while I am home from work trying to get rid of a cold (?) that crept up on me. After last week's 4-day migraine, I'm worn down and taking a few days sick time hoping it won't get worse.

I miscalculated the width of this blanket (only 28 inches), but since I didn't catch it soon enough I added the rows on the left and right sides to make it wider so it matched the length better.

The ripples are smaller than the original pattern: The number of stitches is 7 up and 7 down. The original pattern is 11 stitches up and 11 down.

Size: 33 inches x 48 inches
Colors: Scraps in Pinks, White, Cream, Blues, Purple, Yellows
Pattern: Ripple (p. 116) (modified)
Book: 40 Fabulous Afghans - ISBN 0-696-02357-1 - Designs by Patricia Bevens - Copyright 1993 - Meredith Press
Hook: K
Date: January 2006

The ripples are smaller than the original pattern: The number of stitches is 7 up and 7 down. The original pattern is 11 stitches up and 11 down. The smaller ripple makes it easier to adjust the blanket's width.

Size: 30 inches x 48 inches
Colors: Scraps in Greens, Blues, Yellows, White, Black
Pattern: Ripple (p. 116)
Book: 40 Fabulous Afghans - ISBN 0-696-02357-1 - Designs by Patricia Bevens - Copyright 1993 - Meredith Press
Hook: K
Date: January 2006

This one is narrower than the usual lap blanket width (35 inches) because I didn't keep count of the ripple repetitions! It's a lovely combination of scrap colors!

Size: 38 inches x 47 inches
Colors: Black, Scraps
Pattern: Mixed granny squares
Book: None
Hook: J
Date: January 2006

Yarn ends will be tied in later.

Size: 38 inches x 52 inches
Colors: Black, Scraps
Pattern: Basic granny square
Book: None
Hook: K
Date: December 2005

Yarn ends will be tied in later.

Size: 37 inches x 49 inches
Colors: White, Scraps
Pattern: Hexagon Granny
Book: Scrap Bag Afghans - Leaflet 2494 - Copyright 1993 - Leisure Arts
Hook: K
Date: December 2005

[Update 5:22pm December 7, 2006] This blanket is one of two I donated as a door prize to today's winter party at the college where I work. So, it is no longer a 2006 donation blanket.

Size: 34 inches x 49 inches
Colors: Scraps
Pattern: Ripple (p. 116)
Book: 40 Fabulous Afghans - ISBN 0-696-02357-1 - Designs by Patricia Bevens - Copyright 1993 - Meredith Press
Hook: K
Date: December 2005

I've started saving the task of hiding yarn ends for lunch breaks at work. It will allow me to actually feel like taking a break and give me time at work to touch and play around with yarn!

[April 2006] (No longer a donation blanket.) I gave this blanket to Johari at work after she exclaimed how lovely it was - and she'll be hiding the yarn ends!

Size: 35 inches x 45 inches
Colors: White, Scraps
Pattern: Double Trouble (Star Squares) - Design by Kathleen Garen
Book: Big Book of Scrap Crochet Afghans - ISBN 1-59217-004-8 - Copyright 2003 - House of White Birches
Hook: K
Date: December 2005

Size: 35 inches x 45 inches
Colors: Black, Lime Green, Bright Orange, Bright Blue (mixed brands)
Pattern: Baby Waves - Design by Nazanin Fard
Book: Big Book of Scrap Crochet Afghans - ISBN 1-59217-004-8 - Copyright 2003 - House of White Birches
Hook: K
Date: December 2005

That's my girl Cleo in the upper right corner!

[July 2006] (No longer a donation blanket.) I used this lap blanket as padding when I sent my childhood friend Ed the framed drawings his mother gave me many years ago.

Size: 38 inches x 49 inches
Colors: Scraps
Pattern: Spring Fling - Design by Joyce Messenger
Book: Big Book of Scrap Crochet Afghans - ISBN 1-59217-004-8 - Copyright 2003 - House of White Birches
Hook: K
Date: December 2005

Size: 35 inches x 45 inches
Colors: Scraps in cool colors
Pattern: Double Trouble (Star Squares) - Design by Kathleen Garen
Book: Big Book of Scrap Crochet Afghans - ISBN 1-59217-004-8 - Copyright 2003 - House of White Birches
Hook: K
Date: December 2005

I became a lap afghan crocheting machine! This is one of 8 started and completed between December 12 and January 1.

Size: 35 inches x 45 inches
Colors: Scraps in warm colors
Pattern: Double Trouble (Star Squares) - Design by Kathleen Garen
Book: Big Book of Scrap Crochet Afghans - ISBN 1-59217-004-8 - Copyright 2003 - House of White Birches
Hook: K
Date: December 2005

The Double Trouble afghan has two square patterns: Star Square and Box Square. I liked the Star Square a lot so I used only that pattern for this lap blanket.

Size: 35 inches x 47 inches
Colors: Scraps
Pattern: My own
Hook: K
Date: November 2005

Hmmm, I didn't quite have the pattern right for the valley of the ripple until the last few rows.

Size: 36 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Scraps
Pattern: Ripple (p. 116) (modified: made lengthwise instead)
Book: 40 Fabulous Afghans - ISBN 0-696-02357-1 - Designs by Patricia Bevens - Copyright 1993 - Meredith Press
Hook: K
Date: November 2005

Size: 32 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Burgundy, Jewel (variegated), Light Sage, Country Blue (Red Heart Super Saver)
Pattern: Ripple (p. 116)
Book: 40 Fabulous Afghans - ISBN 0-696-02357-1 - Designs by Patricia Bevens - Copyright 1993 - Meredith Press
Hook: J
Date: November 2005

A first lap blanket for 2006 donation. This is probably my first ripple afghan!

[December 21, 2005] Hubby asked if he could send this one to an elderly relative - of course, I said yes!

Size: 38 inches x 43 inches
Colors: 4-ply worsted scrap yarns
Pattern: My own
Hook: H, I
Date: November 2005

I had a leftover square after finishing the Blocks in Primary Colors Lap Blanket, and decided to add rows and rows of different colors and patterns to it to make another lap blanket for donation.

Size: 35 1/2 inches x 51 1/x inches
Colors: Jockey Red, Olympic Blue, Paddy Green, Honey Gold, (Red Heart Classic), Rust (orange) (Red Heart)
Patterns: 24 blocks from the book (some with modifications by me)
Book: 200 Crochet Blocks: For Blankets, Throws, And Afghans - ISBN 1-931499-68-3 - Designs by Jan Eaton - Copyright 2004 - Interweave Press
Hook: I
Date: November 2005

I started this lap blanket in June, got all the squares done, then put it aside when the weather was too hot to have the blanket on my lap while putting it together.

Size: 39 inches x 51 inches
Colors: A variety of pink yarn (Red Heart)
Pattern: My own using a variety of Crochet on the Double and Tunisian Crochet stiches in panels
Hook: I, H
Date: June 2005

I'm finally posting photos of the last lap blanket I finished - in June! I used a variety of sizes of Crochet on the Double and Tunisian Crochet hooks, stitches, and yarn in pinks to play around with my then new cable hooks for Crochet on the Double and Tunisian Crochet. The cable hooks are so much more comfortable to use for my wrists than the 14-inch Crochet on the Double hooks!

Size: 28 inches x 64 inches
Colors: Sage (Red Heart Super Saver)
Pattern: (my own) OHLONE in Filet Crochet
Book: Your Name & More in Filet Crochet by Vivian Floy Smith - Leaflet 3110 - Copyright 1999 - Leisure Arts
Hook: H
Date: June 2005

This blanket is my first experience with filet crochet. I made the blanket in two days over a weekend! Pretty darn fast that filet crochet! I brought it to work and keep it in my office to use as a light-weight lap blanket when the heavier lap blanket is too much.

Size: 38 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Olympic Blue, Blue Jewel, Dark Old Rose, Pale Rose (Red Heart Classic)
Pattern: Bars and Squares
Book: Unique Granny Afghans by Anne Halliday - Leaflet 957 - Copyright 1990 - Leisure Arts
Hook: I
Date: June 2005

I love multicolored blankets using squares or motifs or stripes, but they take longer to finish because all the yarn ends need to be hidden. Bars and Squares is a twist on the basic granny.

Size: 36 inches x 48 inches
Colors: Scarlett (Caron Sayelle), Traditional Christmas (variegated) (Soft Creations)
Pattern: #29 by Bessie Ann Persinger
Book: Contest Favorites Mile-A-Minute Afghans - Leaflet 3144 - Copyright 1999 - Leisure Arts
Hook: G
Date: May 2005

Another fast pattern (started May 28, finished May 31)! The Caron Sayelle yarn in Scarlett is thinner than other Sayelle colors, so I teamed it with the Traditional Christmas yarn from Soft Creations from my stash. Both are 4-ply worsted, but thinner than most 4-ply worsted.

Size: 32 inches x 50 inches
Colors: Jockey Red, White, Tangerine, Orange, Midnight Blue, Emerald
Pattern: My own
Book: None
Hook: I (side panels), G (middle panel)
Date: May 2005

When I made the red and white Spotted Boxes Lap Blanket in March, I mistakenly used an I hook (instead of an H) for the second panel, so I put it aside to use in another lap blanket. And, here it is joining two additional panels. The spots in the middle panel use colors in the side panel plus green.

Size: 34 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Light Coral, Woodsy (variegated) (Red Heart)
Pattern: Innovative (with major modifications)
Book: Variegated Visions by Anne Halliday - Leaflet 3106 - Copyright 1999 - Leisure Arts
Hook: I
Date: May 2005

Because it's getting warmer and having a whole blanket on my lap makes me too hot, I made two panels and crocheted them together. Both sides have triangles of the same size in the same places, but each side has uniquely-patterned triangles.

Size: 34 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Coffee, Woodsy (variegated) (Red Heart)
Pattern: Demur (with modifications)
Book: Variegated Visions by Anne Halliday - Leaflet 3106 - Copyright 1999 - Leisure Arts
Hook: I
Date: May 2005

Size: 35 inches x 51 inches
Colors: Coffee, Woodsy (variegated), Light Coral (Red Heart)
Pattern: Autumn Spice
Book: Afghans for All Seasons (book 1) - ISBN 0-942237-23-4 - Copyright 1993 - Leisure Arts, Inc. and Oxmoor House
Hook: J
Date: May 2005

I'm on a roll now! Whew! 4 in 4 weeks! Patterns in a solid color or with multi-row stripes are much faster to crochet than multicolored squares or motifs! But, summer is coming soon and that brings weather than it just too darned hot for me to have a large project on my lap so squares and motifs it will soon be!

Size: 31 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Orange, Light Yellow (Red Heart Classic)
Pattern: Wavy Shells by Melissa Leapman (with modifications)
Book: All-American Crochet Afghans - ISBN 1-882138-77-5 - Copyright 2001 - House of White Birches
Hook: H
Date: May 2005

After two blankets with blue, brown, cream, and white, I needed a color change, so I moved along to this orange sherbert and vanilla ice cream combination! The original Wavy Shells pattern uses white and a peacock blue. The border is my own (it duplicates the wavy shell pattern in the blanket's body). A fast fast and easy pattern!

Size: 37 inches x 65 inches
Colors: Dark Federal Blue, Off White, Dark Brown, White (Caron Sayelle)
Pattern: A Little Bit of Chocolate by Diana Lynn Sippel (with modifications)
Book: Great Big Crochet Afghan Book - Book #1329 - Copyright 2003 - American School of Needlecraft
Hook: H
Date: April 2005

Inspired by the motif pattern in the original A Little Bit of Chocolate and the color palette (brown, tan, beige), I used a bunch of Caron Sayelle in blue, off white, brown, and white to make this lap blanket to add to my 2005 blanket donations.

The blanket is a little too long for a lapghan, but it would have been off-balance if I hadn't added the last row on the top (or bottom). The original pattern has the motifs whip stitched together, but I chose to use the "sc, ch 1, sk 1, sc" pattern to join the columns and the rows. And, since I didn't have enough white to crochet all columns together, I used the off white for the center so I could use the rest of the white for the border. The border is also one of my modifications to the pattern.

Size: 35 inches x 51 inches
Colors: Dark Federal Blue, Off White, Dark Brown, White (Caron Sayelle)
Pattern: Remember The Kittens by Joan Kokaska (same as Kittens in a Row)
Book: Great Big Crochet Afghan Book - Book #1329 - Copyright 2003 - American School of Needlecraft
Hook: H
Date: April 2005

I started the Cats Afghan (free pattern available at freepatterns.com) but after 5 rows decided I already wasn't having fun dealing with tangled strands of dangling yarn (and crocheting is all about fun!). So, I pulled it out and made this lap blanket with the Remember The Kittens pattern.

Size: 41 inches x 45 inches
Colors: Red, White (Red Heart)
Pattern: My own
Book: None
Hook: H
Date: February 2005

I was inspired to create the pattern for the middle panel when I saw a similar knit pattern. I love the clean brightness of the bright red and white!

I've been busy crocheting the Spotted Boxes Lap Blanket (my own pattern) and last night realized that the first panel was made with an I hook... I thought I had used an H so I completed the middle panel and almost the entire third panel with an H before realizing the error. Oops. Assuming I have enough yarn, I've decided to make another first panel with an H hook and use the I-hook panel for another blanket! Harrumph.

Size: 35 inches x 42 inches
Colors: Skipper Blue, Orange, Tangerine, Scarlet (Red Heart Classic and Wintuk)
Pattern: Indian Wrap (with modifications)
Book: Rustic Warmth - Leaflet 2653 - Copyright 1994 - Leisure Arts
Hook: I
Date: January 2005
Adjustments to pattern: Shortened the length, used only one panel, made that panel wider, did not include fringe, added 3-row sc border in blue around the entire blanket

I was drawn to the dripping-paint-like design and the colors used in the original pattern (black, olive green, tan, deep red), but since I didn't have those colors on hand, I made use of what I had...which makes for a very bright blanket!

I didn't include the fringe because it could get caught in wheelchairs and requires grooming to keep untangled.

Size: 34 inches x 52 inches
Colors: Pale Blue, Medium Blue, Pink, White, Pale Yellow (Caron Dazzelaire)
Pattern: My own (4 different granny square patterns)
Hook: G
Date: January 2005

Way back in October last year, I posted photos of 4 coordinated granny square designs I had created. I still haven't gotten around to writing the patterns down, but I did finally finish a lap blanket using the patterns and baby-colored (pastels) Dazzelaire yarn from my stash (plus some yellow I had to buy when I ran out of enough yarn to connect the squares together!!). The blanket was started on September 22, put aside when other projects became more interesting, rediscovered in my recent craft room reorganization spree, and finished on January 19. It's the first lap blanket I've finished for this fall's donation to a local convalescent home.

Size: 41 inches x 62 1/2 inches
Colors: Bright White, Midnight Blue (Caron)
Pattern: Various
Book: Various
Hook: J mostly
Date: December 2004

This is the second Winter-themed (or Christmas) blanket (longer than lap size but narrower than full size) I made for my neighbors Dee and Van. The patterns for the 9 snowflake styles are from a variety of pattern books and most of the backgrounds were customized. All squares are 9 inches. The squares are joined using the whip stitch. The blue border is 3 rows of sc, sk 1 and 1 row of dc picot (sc, ch 3, dc in 3nd ch from hook, sk 2, repeat).

Size: 43 inches x 57 inches
Colors: Bright White, Scarlet, Forest Green (Caron)
Pattern: Various
Book: Various
Hook: J mostly
Date: December 2004

Here's the first Winter-themed (or Christmas) blanket I made for my neighbors Dee and Van. After I got it all put together, I realized it is quite busy! I should have used all white instead of red and white between each column. But, it still looks great!

The patterns for the poinsettias (3), wreath, peppermint, and snowflake motifs came from a variety of sources and most were modified to reduce the size of large "holes" and meet the 8 inches needed for each square.

Squares in each column are joined using alternating sc, ch 1, sk 1. On each side of the columns are 3 rows of sc, sk 1 in red and 1 row in white, and alternating sc, ch 1, sk 1 join the columns. The red border is 5 rows of sc, sk 1 followed by a row of sc picot (sc, ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sk 1, repeat).

Late last week, I completed the white-red-green lap blanket, including assembly, hiding all yarn ends, and adding a border. It looks great! (Photos will be taken and posted next weekend.)

And, I just finished the 24th square for the second Winter-themed lap blanket I'm making as a surprise for our neighbors. Each square has one of 9 different white snowflakes surrounded by a navy blue background. I hope to have it completed by Wednesday evening (I'm very tired of white and navy blue!).

I've been working on two Christmas-themed (they're actually more Winter-themed) lap blankets for my neighbors. Initially, I was going to make one afghan to give to them, but since they sit in separate recliners, I decided to make a second afghan.

I selected a Christmas theme because Dee switches the decor of her home around with the season or upcoming holiday. She can bring these blankets out each fall and put them away around the time her Christmas decorations are put away.

For the first afghan, I've made squares with poinsettia, peppermint, snowflake, and wreath themes using Bright White, Scarlet, and Forest Green and a J hook. The squares are soft and colorful! The second afghan will also have dark blue in its color scheme. I'm still thinking about the design, but I will include some squares with a white snowflake surrounded by a Midnight Blue background. I also made a Christmas gift square that doesn't fit well into the first afghan, but I'm not sure whether I'll use it for this project or another project or pull it apart.

So far, I've used a mix of patterns with modifications here and there from Christmas Afghans (Leisure Arts 775), Flurry of Afghans (Leisure Arts 3218), and Holiday Afghans (Maggie's Crochet).

Size: (Unknown - blanket was donated in November 2004 without remembering to measure it first)
Colors: Variegated Purple, White
Pattern: Basic Granny Square
Book: None
Date: September 2004

Pictured in the first photo are Bubba (top left) and Cleo (top right).

This basic granny square lap blanket uses scrap fuzzy-like yarn in variegated purple and white, including two different brands of white (I thought they were close enough in texture and color). I was going to add a border around it, but there isn't enough of either of the white or of the multi-purple yarn. Since I haven't found white yarn that matches, I've decided to leave it borderless.

Size: 37 1/2 inches x 52 1/2 inches
Colors: Turquoise, Oranges, Red, White
Pattern: Hexagon Granny
Book: Scrap Bag Afghans - Leaflet 2494 - Designs by Carole Prior - Copyright 1993 - Leisure Arts
Hook: I
Date: September 2004

The second of two hexagon lap blankets I finished earlier this month using various brands of donated and leftover yarn. The hexagons for this blanket were also started during this month's heat wave. I ran out of turquoise yarn so Mom and I stopped by Michaels after lunch together one weekend and selected the creamy white for the last 4 hexagons, the connecting border (slip stitch every other stitch), and the border. This blanket is quite beautiful!

Size: 35 inches x 50 inches
Colors: Purples, Lime Green, Yellow, White
Pattern: Hexagon Granny
Book: Scrap Bag Afghans - Leaflet 2494 - Designs by Carole Prior - Copyright 1993 - Leisure Arts
Hook: H
Date: September 2004

One of two hexagon lap blankets I finished earlier this month. It uses donated and leftover yarn of various brands. The hexagons were completed earlier this month during the heat wave and were put together afterward. I was going to make the entire blanket using purples, lime green, and white - but I ran out of lime green! That's when I added yellow. With the hexagons strategically placed, the odd color combinations work well!

Size: 38 inches x 46 1/2 inches
Colors: Painted Desert (multi), Greens, Claret, Rose, Brown, Blues
Pattern: Basic Granny Square
Book: None
Date: Early 2004

Completed sometime January, February, or May 2004.

Size: 35 inches x 52 1/2 inches
Colors: White, Pastels (scraps)
Pattern: Jazz - Design by Nancy Fuller
Book: Afghans of Every Stripe - Leaflet 75035 - Copyright 2002 - Leisure Arts
Date: Early 2004

Completed sometime January, February, or May 2004.

Size: 31 inches x 51 inches
Colors: White, Pastels (scraps)
Pattern: Colorful Granny (same as Granny's Daughter) - Design by Nancy Fuller
Book: Granny's Delight Afghans - Leaflet 75021 - Copyright 2000 - Leisure Arts
Date: Early 2004

Completed sometime January, February, or May 2004.

I thought I had made more blankets earlier this year for donation! While going through boxes and tubs of yarn in the craft room, I found a box with 3 lap blankets! They'll be posted with photos next!

Size: 30 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Oranges, Red, Brown
Pattern: Centers of two squares: Starflower Retreat - Design by Kathy Wesley; Remaining rows are my own pattern
Book: The Ultimate Book of Scrap Afghans - Leaflet 1272 - Copyright 1999 - American School of Needlework
Date: September 2004

This blanket uses the remaining two squares leftover from the 12-square Starflower Retreat oranges-greens-red-black lap blanket. The two squares with an orange center circle and darker orange around it to form a square follow the pattern. I made up all other rows.

Size: 36 inches x 36 inches
Colors: Greens, Black, Oranges, White (scraps)
Pattern: Center: Starflower Retreat - Design by Kathy Wesley; Remaining rows are my own pattern
Book: The Ultimate Book of Scrap Afghans - Leaflet 1272 - Copyright 1999 - American School of Needlework
Date: August 2004

This single granny square was created using one of the squares leftover from the 12-square Starflower Retreat oranges-greens-red-black lap blanket. The center circle and black square around it is from the pattern. I made up all other rows around it.

Size: 35 inches x 45 inches
Colors: Oranges, Greens, Red, Black
Pattern: Starflower Retreat - Design by Kathy Wesley (modified by me)
Book: The Ultimate Book of Scrap Afghans - Leaflet 1272 - Copyright 1999 - American School of Needlework
Date: August 2004

Over a year ago, a woman at work donated a lot of yarn in a range of orange colors. I made a shell-patterned blanket in two shades of orange a while back. There is still lots of this yarn left. So, I selected a pattern from one of the new pattern books I have and made 15 squares using yarn in oranges, greens, red and black. The color combination is quite bright! Neon even!

12 of the squares were used for this blanket. The remaining 3 squares were used in 2 additional blankets.

Size: 38 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Autumn (variegated) (Lion Branch wool mix)
Pattern: Feathery Lace - Design by Carole Tippett
Book: Ripples for Baby (Beginner's Guide) - Leaflet 75011 - Copyright 1999 - Leisure Arts
Date: August 2004

In July, after making the last bunch of granny square and scrap blankets, I needed a break from having to hide so many yarn ends! It was time to switch to using a bunch of the same type and color of yarn. A woman at work donated 7 skeins of this yarn to me last year. I thought it would be just enough to do one lap blanket.

Wrong! Although the blanket could have been left as it was after 7 skeins, I felt it was too narrow. I put the blanket aside to think about it some more and began working on a different blanket.

In early August, Mom and I stopped by Michaels Craft Store after lunch one weekend and, lo-and-behold, I bought 2 more skeins of the same yarn. Wow!

So, I was able to make this blanket wider. It was finished in August.

Size: 37 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Blues and Greens
Pattern: Granny Square (I wrote down the pattern by studying the squares and posted it here.)
Book: (Unknown)
Date: June 2004

I gathered a bunch of leftover blue and green yarn together and made this lap blanket using the granny square pattern I've used for several other blankets (printed pattern lost or misplaced a long time ago).

Size: 41 inches x 41 inches
Colors: Mixed (scrap yarn)
Pattern: Basic Granny Square
Book: None
Date: June 2004

This blanket is another single, large granny square. Again, colors were switched when the yarn ran out.

Size: 39 inches x 39 inches
Colors: Mixed (scrap yarn)
Pattern: Basic Granny Square
Book: None
Date: June 2004

This blanket is a single, large granny square. I switched colors when the yarn ran out which results in a totally random and vibrant color scheme.

Size: 37 inches x 54 inches
Colors: Blues, Greens, Whites, Creams, Beige, Brick Red
Pattern: Granny Stripes
Book: Scrap Happy Afghans - Leaflet 2750 - Designs by Judy Bolin - Copyright 1995 - Leisure Arts
Date: May 2004

Instead of switching colors as described in the Granny Stripes pattern, I elected to use a single color for each stripe, and to make the stripes vertical across the width.

Size: 38 inches x 51 inches
Colors: Mixed (scrap yarn)
Pattern: Double crocheted rows; picot border
Book: None
Date: May 2004

In May, I became driven to use as much scrap yarn as possible. I started with this simple and very colorful lap blanket, edged with black.

Size: 45 inches x 59 inches
Colors: Plum
Pattern: Rosy Comfort (the color used by the pattern is Rose) - Designer not indicated
Book: Afghans for All Seasons Book 3 - Leaflet 108217 - Copyright 2002 - Leisure Arts
Date: May 2004

This plum-colored lap blanket replaces Greg's white-and-aqua baby blanket that I used as a lap cover in the winter. Started in February, it was completed in May when I picked up crocheting again after a break for gardening and to heal my right wrist.

Cleo adopted this blanket right away! It rests over the back and seat of one side of the small couch in our living room - right next to where I sit when I'm crocheting. Cleo prefers to lay on it than on the material of the couch. That's her in the photo above taken this morning on one of the few blazing hot days we get in the Bay Area.

Size: 40 inches x 49 inches
Colors: Claret, Cream, Dark Red/Dark Green/Cream (Christmas) (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

I love this pattern. It's very classy - you'd never know it would look so good by the colors used for the blanket in the pattern book (can you say ugly!?). I finished this lap blanket in December, took the photos in January, and am just now getting around to remembering to post them. I'm using a slightly modified version of this pattern and different colors for the blankets I'm making for our living room couches.

The variegated dark red/dark green/cream yarn used in this blanket was donated to me by a woman at work. She found the yarn on sale and bought 5 skeins of it. I didn't want to make a "Christmas" lap blanket using the yarn since that might limit use of the blanket to the Christmas holidays - the lap blankets are supposed to keep people warm all year if needed. So, I selected a color called Claret and a cream, both which matched the colors in the multi yarn. The blanket has a truly classic appearance. Very nice. And, it doesn't look like a "Christmas" blanket!

I modified the "puff" stitch because I had problems with those rows being too tight. The puff stitch I used is:

YO, draw up loop in st indicated; YO, draw through 2 loops; YO, draw up loop; YO, draw through 2 loops; YO draw through 3 loops

Size: 37 inches x 47 inches
Colors: Canary Yellow, Navy Blue, Mexicana (rainbow multi)
Pattern: #9 Floral Sampler
Book: Romancing the Afghan - 10 Designs - Leaflet 2881 - Copyright 1996 - Leisure Arts
Date: November 2003

My boss asked me if I would make a lap blanket for her mother. She liked the hexagon blanket I made in purples and black so I said I'd make another hexagon blanket with the yarn she bought for the blanket. She and her father went shopping at Michaels and picked canary yellow and navy because they were looking for something bright - and the yellow is just that: bright!

I made several hexagons with just the yellow and navy but it just wasn't working for me (i.e., I didn't like it!) so I bought some Mexicana - a bright rainbow-colored yarn - to tie together the yellow and navy. The resulting blanket is more cheery and colorful than just a 2-tone hexagon-style blanket.

The blanket pattern has 3 different styles of hexagons, but I used only the 2 styles I liked. Each hexagon is unique.

The solid navy half hexagons use a pattern I created myself specifically for this blanket. (I'll post it soon.)

Size: 33 1/2 inches x 46 1/2 inches
Colors: Brick Red with Dark Green strands, Black
Pattern: Peppermint Wrapper - Design by Carole Prior
Book: Our Best Baby Afghans - Leaflet 2853 - Copyright 1996 - Leisure Arts
Date: November 2003

One of the ladies who works in the library at the college donated 3 5-ounce skeins of brick red yarn with dark green strands running through it. I didn't want to make a "Christmas" lap blanket with it since I want the blankets used also when it isn't Christmas time, so I selected a pattern that I thought would work with the red-and-green yarn and used black to tie the red-and-green together. I think it worked very well! The edging is a combination of other edging patterns I've used through the years.

Size: 34 inches x 44 1/2 inches
Colors: Various
Pattern: Cheerful Checks - Design by Nancy Fuller
Book: Scrap Wraps - Leaflet 75028 - Copyright 2002 - Leisure Arts
Date: October 2003

I started this lap blanket after taking a few days break from working on Tamela's blanket - and a matching pillow (which I still need to photograph and post). The border on this blanket was completed Friday evening, October 24. Oh, and, yes! that's my Cleo making sure the blanket is warm and comfy.

Size: 42.5 inches x 55 inches
Colors: Claret, Rust (?), White, Light Blue, Dark Blue
Pattern: Amish Star - Design by Dorrisa Smith (design modified by Greg)
Book: Ultimate Book of Quilt Afghans - 12 Afghans - Leaflet 872217 - Copyright 2000 - Annie's Attic
Date: September 2003

I finished the blanket for my boy Monday evening! He didn't want me to make it larger, so I just added the border and finished weaving in the remaining yarn ends. I'll ship it to him in Virginia in a few weeks.

Greg based his design (right) for this blanket on the Amish Star pattern (left).

I finished sewing Greg's blanket together and decided that it would be too small, even after I added a 2.5-inch border all around. So, I visited Mom last night with the blanket (and a take-out tub of Wor Won Ton soup - her favorite! - that Bill and I got for her when we had Chinese food at Chins Garden in Alameda last night) and Greg's sketch of what he wanted so we could plan the pattern for the additional 2 rows and 2 columns of squares (32 total!) that I'll add to the blanket. I want it to be big enough to use when lying on a couch or bed or reclining in a chair. A lap-size blanket won't work for that purpose. Mom got out a box of colored pencils and a pad of graph paper so I could sketch the blanket in its current state. Then we talked about and tried out several different design ideas for the extended corners. After about 1.5 hours or so, we finally agreed on a design that works well with the original pattern Greg created.

So, 32 more squares...a few more weeks...more yarn ends...the border...and it'll be done - probably by mid-to-late October...still before it gets cold in Virginia.

[Update August 31, 2003]

Hmmm, he doesn't want it bigger...he wants it lap-sized. So, I'll be adding the border soon...

I brought squares of Greg's reds-white-blues blanket to Doug's BBQ yesterday afternoon so I could continue to weave in yarn ends while we visited. I finished 24 squares in 5 hours at Doug's and 2 hours afterward at home yesterday evening. I had already completed the first 24 squares. I'm now ready for the next step: Connecting squares into rows. Then, the rows need to be sewn together, resulting yarn ends need to be woven in, and a border needs to be added. Whew! I estimate 32 hours already spend on the blanket... I love my boy!

I finally finished making the 48 squares for Greg's reds-white-blues blanket. I'm making it a little bigger than lap size so he can use it to cover himself when laying on the couch or on his bed, but it won't be bed size. Last night, I laid out the squares in the pattern he had drawn so I could get a feel for how big it would be (I needed to decide whether or not to make another 2 rows and 2 columns if it wasn't big enough). I was impressed at how good it looked! It's going to be fun to see the finished product!

While Greg was here visiting us before he left for law school in Virginia this past Sunday, he went through my crochet pattern books, picked out a pattern he liked, and then redesigned it. To make sure the blanket has the colors he wanted, we went to Michaels Craft Store and picked out 2 reds, 2 blues, and a white. I've been working on squares for the blanket here and there...gardening and other things keep me busy too, so I have only about 10 of the 48 squares done. I told him I'd definitely have it done before it began to get cold in Virginia!

Size: 31.5 inches x 45 inches
Colors: Brown, Taupe, Claret, Painted Desert (multi)
Pattern: Nine Patch Granny - Design by Martha Brooks Stein
Book: Granny's Delight Afghans - Leaflet number not indicated - Copyright 2000 - Leisure Arts
Date: July 2003

Just in case you think I've done only gardening recently...here's the latest lap blanket, completed last night.

I customized the pattern to use 6 9-patch squares (2 x 3) instead of 12 (3 x 4). This made the blanket smaller. I wasn't getting a 3-inch square using the I crochet hook so I moved up to a J. Even with the J hook, the blanket was still not wide enough so I customized the border by adding a row of double-crochet in Claret and finished it off with another 2 rows of the pattern's single-crochet border in Brown. The blanket still isn't as wide as I usually make them (about 35 inches), but it is good enough.

I also had some trouble sewing all the squares together - I was apparently pulling too tight so the squares pucker a bit. That's probably another reason why the blanket isn't wide enough.

165 squares = Lots of yarn ends. Let's see:

• 165 squares x 2 yarn ends per square = 330 yarn ends
• 11 rows of 15 squares = 14 seams per row x 2 yarn ends per seam = 28 yarn ends
• 11 rows = 10 seams but since I must use yarn matching the color of one of the squares being sewn together, let's assume there are 4 colors changes on average per row, so 10 seams x 4 color changes x 2 yarn ends per color change = 80 yarn ends

So, I've woven in approximately 330 + 28 + 80 = 438 yarn ends into this blanket. The tip of my thumb has been a bit sore for a few days.

Repeat after me: I will never do a blanket with so many small squares or color changes ever again.

Size: 38 inches x 53 1/2 inches
Colors: Navy, Baby Blue, White, Cream, Beige, Gold, Light Yellow, Light Pink, Mint Green, Grass Green, Dark Green, Plum, and other coordinating colors
Pattern: Bright Memories - Design by Kelly Robinson
Book: The Ultimate Book of Scrap Afghans - 20 designs - Leaflet 1272 - Price not indicated - Copyright 1999 - American School of Needlework
Date: June 2003

The border is something I made up based on the design.

As I was finishing this blanket, Greg asked me to make a blanket for his lap for the winters in Virginia when he's in law school. Since there may not be enough time for me to complete a blanket before he leaves for Virginia, I offered to give him the scrap blanket I was currently finishing up (or select any of the other lap blankets I've already completed). He liked the scrap blanket so I've given it to him (even though this is a blanket on which I used some donated yarn). UPDATE: He changed his mind and will design his own blanket pattern.

Size: 38 inches x 51 inches
Colors: Orange, Burnt Orange
Pattern: Double Shell Stitch
Book: Leisure Arts - Snuggle-Up Baby Afghans - 8 Afghans - Design by Carole Rutter Tippett - Price not indicated - Copyright 2000
Date: May 2003

This lap blanket uses skeins of orange yarn donated by Toni S. at work. The pattern was fast and fun to make. I like the brightness of this blanket! I know it's probably too much for many people, but I'm hoping it'll brighten someone's day.

Size: 35 inches x 44.5 inches
Colors: Scraps
Pattern: Varied Squares Afghan
Book: Woman's Day Super Special Granny Squares & Crocheted Fashions (magazine) - published September 1988 - Copyright 1988
Date: May 2003

I wanted to try this pattern because it is so different from other granny square blanket patterns. Granny square blankets usually have squares all the same size created using the same pattern (which helps keep the gauge the same for all squares), although the patterns can be different if the gauge is the same for each square. This pattern uses squares of different sizes: 4 rows for the smallest to 16 rows for the largest. The squares are arranged to form a rectangle. The actual pattern makes a larger blanket than the one I made since I had to trim off a section of it to make it lap blanket size instead of full size. So, what you see in the photo is the first two-thirds of a full-size blanket. With a full-size blanket, there would be another section of mixed-size squares on the right side of the blanket.

I switched colors every 4 rows for each square. The pattern actually says to switch colors for the fourth row and then switch back again - so that the blanket is more uniform in design. Since I'm mostly using scraps, I did my own thing with the pattern.

Since the yarn I used was not the same type/brand/thickness, the squares didn't all meet in the right places so some of the squares are a little puffy instead of smooth, but overall I like the pattern so will probably try it again using the same type of yarn next time.

Size: 37.5 inches x 41 inches
Colors: Black, Purple, Variegated Purple
Pattern: #9 Floral Sampler
Book: Romancing the Afghan - Leaflet 2881 - Copyright 1996 - Leisure Arts
Date: May 2003

Earlier this month, Leslie B. from work visited Michaels Craft Store with her mom and bought 4 skeins of yarn to donate to my lap blanket projects! Very sweet! I used the solid purple and mixed purple skeins with some black yarn I already had on hand to make this hexagon granny blanket.

I've never made a hexagon blanket before and realized after putting the blanket togther that I shouldn't have added one more row to each of the hexagons. The hexagons are sewn together in columns and only every other column is the same length - the columns in between are either shorter or longer, depending on how the hexagons are arranged. So, there were spaces the size of 1/2 a hexagon on the top and bottom edges - spaces which were larger than they should have been because of the extra row I added to each hexagon, spaces which made the blanket less efficient for keeping feet and tops of thighs warm. So, I made up a half circle pattern to fill-in the spaces on the top and bottom edges. The last photo is a closeup of one of the filled-in half-circle spaces.

[Update December 2, 2003]

Here's a half hexagon pattern I created.

Size: 33.5 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Forest Green, Army Green, Cream
Pattern: European Afghan (variation of Basic Granny Square)
Book: Woman's Day Super Special Granny Squares & Crocheted Fashions (magazine) - published September 1988 - Copyright 1988
Date: April 2003

I love forest green and since I hadn't done a green blanket yet, this was just the right project. The variation of the basic granny square is so fast to make - it requires almost no thought (i.e., is automatic and soothing). The beige/off-white yarn has a slightly yellow tint to it. I used the basic pattern of the European Afghan squares and did my own thing.

Size: 34 inches x 48 inches
Colors: Black, Scraps
Pattern: Stained Glass Afghan (Basic Granny Square)
Book: Woman's Day Super Special Granny Squares & Crocheted Fashions (magazine) - published September 1988 - Copyright 1988
Date: April 2003

I finished this multicolored and solid basic granny square lap blanket around mid-April. It was inspired by a blanket the Stained Glass pattern which had some squares in solid colors and other squares in a multi-colored yarn of the same tones. Since I didn't have any multicolored yarn, I used other colors. I decided to create alternating strips of solid squares and multicolored squares. There is a scheme to the placement of the multi-colored squares - can you see it? (Answer: From left to right, the inner color in one square becomes the outer color of the next square.)

Size: 33 inches x 43.5 inches
Colors: Aran (taupe/light beige with spots of brownish colors)
Pattern: Basketweave
Book: Snuggle-Up Baby Afghans - Leaflet 3205 - Designs by Carole Rutter Tippett - Copyright 2000 - Leisure Arts
Date: April 2003

Two copy paper boxes of yarn were donated to me from Alice, a woman I met at Kaiser, who now has rhematoid arthritis and cannot do much craftwork anymore. One of the boxes had 5 skeins of this wonderful yarn.

I decided to use it for this basket weave pattern from a baby blanket book. The basket weave pattern made a heavy blanket. My gauge is different from the original pattern so I ran out of yarn but was able to pick up another skein that matched perfectly from Michaels Craft Store to finish the blanket.

This blanket was well-liked by people at work. It is heavy and warm. And it is a perfect design, texture and color for a man.

Size: 35 inches x 47 inches
Colors: Navy
Pattern: Spiderweb (spider web)
Book: Snuggle-Up Baby Afghans - Leaflet 3205 - Designs by Carole Rutter Tippett - Copyright 2000 - Leisure Arts
Date: February 2003

I really like this navy blue lap blanket. The pattern is from a baby afghans pattern book. By using regular yarn (i.e., not baby yarn) the pattern makes an excellent adult lap blanket. It is rare that I have enough yarn to make a blanket all the same color.

This blanket has also been well-liked by the people I've shown it to at work, so I know it'll find someone who will enjoy it.

Size: 32.5 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Yellow, Cyan
Pattern: Basic Granny Square
Book: None
Date: February 2003

I had so much yellow yarn leftover from the Yellow Lace Swirls blanket. It was the same type of yarn as some leftover cyan yarn, so I decided to make a lap blanket using this unusual combination of colors. I don't necessary like the combo, but someone else might.

The pattern is a basic granny square. Each square is unique. I tried to place the squares in a pattern that was balanced overall for the entire blanket.

Size: 34.5 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Navy, Royal Blue, Sky Blue, White
Pattern: Clay's Choice Afghan (pattern modified to lap blanket size)
Book: Patchwork Grannys for Afghans, Pillows & Bedspreads - Leaflet 267 - Designs by Diane Marie Goff - Copyright 1983 - Leisure Arts
Date: January 2003

In December 2002 when my husband was looking for Christmas tree decorations in the "attic" of our garage, he came across a box marked "Cheryl's Yarn." Lo-and-behold! Guess what was in it? 2 unfinished blankets I had started in the late 1980s or early 1990s before I stopped crocheting due to tendonitis in both wrists in March 1992.

There were 99 3.5-inch squares for this blanket in the box. The original afghan pattern needs 176 squares. I redesigned the pattern to be a lap blanket size (about 35 inches x 45 inches) requiring 130 squares and made the additional squares. 2 squares from the original 99 didn't fit into the redesigned pattern so these will be taken apart and used for scrap blanket yarn.

When I was putting together the blues-and-white "found" blanket, I discovered that I didn't have any more Royal Blue or Soft White yarn needed to stitch together about half of the squares. Using the Light Navy or Baby Blue on the Soft White and Royal Blue seams wouldn't look good. So, I stopped by Michaels Craft Store, compared the squares I'd brought as samples with the yarn they had and bought just what I needed! The Royal Blue matches exactly. The Soft White is just a little off, but good enough. Fancy that - matching yarn that is 10+ years old!

The first photo above is the blanket after I laid it out on the kitchen table. I managed to get the rows organized before any of the cats decided to "help" me.

I will probably never do another blanket like this - it has entirely too many small squares which means entirely too many ends to hide and too many squares to sew together. Although I do like the detail provided by smaller squares. Hmmm, maybe one day I'll feel like doing a small square blanket again.

Size: 34 inches x 44.5 inches
Colors: Navy, Scraps
Pattern: Granny Stripes
Book: Scrap Happy Afghans - Leaflet 2750 - Designs by Judy Bolin - Copyright 1995 - Leisure Arts
Date: December 2002

Mom let me borrow several of her scrap blanket pattern books. I fell in love with this easy and fast pattern. It is so different from the squares and rows usually found in pattern books. The strips are made using scrap colors alternating with a base color (in this case, navy blue). Then, when the strip is the right length, you add a border all around it in the base color. Then all the tall strips are connected to form the blanket.

I tried to balance the colors and to not arrange colors next to each other, either side by side or diagonally. I missed one in this blanket - can you find it? (Answer: On the right side in rows 2 and 3 are 2 medium pink strips next to each other diagonally.) Hmmm, Mom says it's lucky to have a mistake. Thank goodness for that since I usually make at least one mistake in each blanket.

Size: (Unknown) (donated in December 2002 to the convalescent home where my grandfather stayed; estimate 35 inches x 45 inches)
Colors: White, Baby Yellow, Baby Light Yellow, Baby Pink, Baby Light Pink, Baby Blue, Baby Light Blue
Pattern: Diagonal Rainbow - Design by Pat Gibbons
Book: Over the Rainbow Baby Afghans - Leaflet number not indicated - Copyright 2001 - Leisure Arts
Date: November 2002

I will probably never do something like this again! Each color change requires 2 yarn ends, one at the start and one at the end. There were so many yarn ends to hide (tuck back into the stitches) that it was daunting. But I did it! I like the pattern - except for the triangles of white in the lower left and upper right corners.

This pattern came from a baby blanket crochet pattern book, which is where a lot of the patterns I use for lap blankets come from. I had so much pink and blue and yellow and white yarn left that it made sense to do something with those colors, even though the target audience for the lap blankets are not babies. I thought a woman might like the color combination.

Size: (Unknown) (donated in December 2002 to the convalescent home where my grandfather stayed; estimate 35 inches x 45 inches)
Colors: Rose, Pink, Light Pink
Pattern: 6 patterns make up this lap blanket: (1-light pink) #51 Star Stitch, (2-light pink) #55 Parallel Post Stitch, (3-pink) #27 Block and Offset Shell Stitch, (4-pink) #62 Basket Weave, (5-rose) #12 Open Ridge Stitch (which I modified to not have a ridge), (6-rose) #32 Aligned Cable Stitch
Book: 63 Easy-To-Crochet Pattern Stitches Combine To Make An Heirloom Afghan - Leaflet 555 - Designs by Darla Sims - Copyright 1987 - Leisure Arts
Date: November 2002

The colors are a little off: they are light pink, medium pink, and a deep rose.

The patterns for this lap blanket are from a book of 63 crochet patterns. If you follow the directions properly to get an accurate gauge, the squares should all be the same size. I had some problems with gauge so one of the squares is loose and stretchy, and other squares were too small so I had to add a single crocheted border of 1-3 rows around those to make them an appropriate size. If I had used the same pattern for each square, each would have been the same size. Ah, well, live and learn.

Size: (Unknown) (donated in December 2002 to the convalescent home where my grandfather stayed; estimate 35 inches x 45 inches)
Colors: Navy, Green, Purple (fuzzy soft yarn - Lion Brand Homespun)
Pattern: (Unknown)
Book: (Unknown)
Date: November 2002

I was so tired of the colors of the yarn I had in my collection. So I went to Michaels Craft Store to see what I could find for inspiration. I saw this really soft, fuzzy yarn in these colors, so different from the colors I had been working with. So, I bought the yarn, which was expensive compared to the prices of regular acrylic yarn. Ah, well, it was nice to work with something different.

The strand of soft yarn is twisted with a strand of thin, narrow cord-like string/yarn, which makes it a little difficult to see where stitches are. The blanket felt so good to cuddle with when it was done!

Size: (1) 36 inches x 45 inches, (2, 3) 36 inches x 54 inches
Colors: Mixed Rose/Pinks, Mixed Blues, Mixed Purples, Mixed Yellows, White, Navy
Pattern: (Unknown) (Mom thinks she may have the pattern somewhere though so I may get that info here someday.) [Update May 2, 2004: I wrote down the pattern by studying the squares and posted it here.]
Book: (Unknown)
Date: Squares started sometime in 1990; completed October 2002; donated in December 2002 to the convalescent home where my grandfather stayed.

The colors are a bit off - that is not red or dark orange in the multicolored blanket; it is supposed to be a deep rose.

In late September 2002, I went through the yarn, crochet books, and crocheted squares for the king-size bedspread blanket I was making in 1991 before my wrists problems started. Because we have 3 cats now (we had only 1 then) and because there were so many more squares to make (that I didn't want to do) to finish the king-size blanket, I decided to make 3 lap blankets with the 68 squares instead.

Each square is 9 inches x 9 inches, so that makes the 20-square blue-and-purple blanket about 36 inches x 45 inches and the 24-square multicolored (blue, rose, yellow and purple) blankets about 36 inches x 54 inches.

Hmmm, can you spot the mistake in the blue-and-purple blanket? Hint: No 2 squares alike should be adjacent to each other, including diagonally.

I started planning the king-size blanket in 1990 or 1991. The colors are great! Each square has 3 coordinated colors with a navy blue border. There are 4 sets of colors, with 3 colors in each set (13 colors total). I bought all the yarn, made a plan for how many squares I'd need, and began making a lot of squares.

I stopped working on the king-size blanket (and cross-stitch crafts) in March 1992 after being diagnosed with repetitive stress in both wrists/arms.

The notes I found with the blanket squares indicate that I made some more squares for the blanket in January 1993. It bothered my wrists so I stopped working on it and put all my craft stuff away again.

In September last year, about 10 years later, I dragged it all out out again. I'd been thinking about it off and on since at least early June but hadn't actually done anything about it.

There were about 50 skeins of unused yarn in a variety of colors, most of was bought for the king-size blanket. A lot of the lap blankets I've created use this left-over yarn.

Crocheting is relaxing and I can listen to TV or talk while doing it. So, I can be doing something more useful while I watch TV and hang out with my hubby in the living room. I've been enjoying crocheting again - I used to enjoy doing a lot before I had to stop. It was a destressor and a creative pursuit. It's even better when there's a purpose for what I'm making - such as the lap blankets for the convalescent home or a gift for a baby.