The Project

A month or so ago, I got this bright idea to make my son an afghan. I had walked over to Neighbor Debbie's one morning (probably for a Crafts and Conversation consult) and she was crocheting with a mutual friend of ours, Judy. Wow. They were actually making something. I knew a little bit about crocheting, thanks to my Mom, but I never really learned how to make anything and I can't read a pattern for squat. Add in the fact that I'm left handed while most of the rest of the world is right handed....I just never pursued it.

Both friends assured me I could most definitely make an afghan and they would help me figure it out. Neighbor Debbie and found out quick that if she stood in front of me like a mirror, I could grasp what she was showing me and copy it.

An Idea was born!

Now to figure out what color to use. Duh. The Boy is all about some green, so that was a no-brainer. I wanted a solid neutral boy color to go with it. Enter the color barley. A good brown to go with the green. I wanted it to be dark and comfy and not show dirt so much.

When I went to start it, Neighbor Debbie told me I was going to do two strands at one time to make it fluffy and thick. I am? She was showing me how and picked up a green and brown and demonstrate. Hmmm. Neighbor Greg commented that he really like the two colors mixed together. Well, there ya go.

Many hours later. Many ripped out rows. Many cramped fingers. Many frantic calls for Neighbor Debbie to check and see if I had screwed up. Many times hearing my sweet Kid say, "Is it finished yet? Is this mine, Mama? It's MINE!". All those "manys" and it was done this past weekend.

It took me a little over a month to finish my very first blanket. Oh, man, does it have flaws in it. A hole here that's bigger than it should be. Slightly crooked on one side where I will not show you because it embarrasses me. Best thing about it? The Boy doesn't care. He LOVES his blanket and totes it all over the house. It helps him slide across the tile floor with ease. It keeps him warm at night while he sleeps. That makes it a perfect completed project to me.

Being the seasoned blogger that I am, of course I took some pictures to show my blanket journey.

Who knew these skeins of yarn could make a blanket?

My family got used to seeing this on a regular basis.

This also became the norm. When the blanket got big enough, people (namely The Boy) would gravitate to it and try to cover up with it while I was working. Please note how his big toe found a hole. Lovely.

To finish it off, I did a simple green border and a slightly bigger brown border. Gave it some definition and make it look complete.

It...uh...ended up bigger than we anticipated. He can totally take it to college with him.

That concludes my first crocheting project. It wasn't bad at all. I have some yarn left over and I'm contemplating making him a MUCH smaller blanket to have in the truck when we travel. No need to let it go to waste. Like I said, it's not perfect, but he loves it and that's all that matters.