AN AFGHAN FINISHED

As will happen to one who plays with yarn, my stash had grown to a proportion that was infringing on my inspiration. I wanted more yarn – new yarn in today’s colors – but my accumulation was pushing me out of my sewing room. Something had to be done – either use it NOW or pass it along.

At the same time, I began to see that afghans are now being crafted in larger sizes to be used as blankets. Perhaps it’s because we can’t find good, warm blankets at a decent price. I’ve always made afghans as throws, but now enlightened and having lots of yarn, I decided to see if I could make a blanket.

I started this “scrap afghan” with a basic rectangular granny block (pattern here) just after Labor Day. I remember because I discussed it with Hallie, and we agreed I should use the dusty shades and forget the brights for now. I began with dark blue 4-ply worsted and added five more colors to the rounds, one round each – gray, light slate blue, burgundy red, off-white, and dusty rose pink. Shading occurred within those colors depending on available yarn.  Two months later, the result is this blanket large enough to cover a bed.

 

I absolutely would not let myself abandon this project until it was finished. As the blanket grew and grew, it took up more space than was practical in our small house. Nevertheless, I persevered and finished. Now it’s stored in the linen closet instead of my yarn tub.

Several years ago I noticed that my wrists ached when I crocheted, so I had all but given up bigger projects. A while back, I bought some ergonomic crochet hooks offered on Amazon, and these seemed to solve the problem. A lot of crochet time went into this afghan and the finished product is heavy. Mike laughs that it must weigh seven pounds.

Up next – a plethora of small projects for Christmas. KW