Posted on 13 Comments

Crochet Blanket #4

Afghan in progress, at Polka Dot Cottage

As I sit here in my cozy family room enjoying my Mod Floral Blanket, it strikes me as the perfect time to tell you about the other Christmas gift I was working on. I was unable to talk about it, since it was a surprise for Neil.

Of course, it’s hard to surprise someone you live with when you are working on something for them that is as big and involved as a lap afghan, but I didn’t let that stop me. I worked on it mainly during the day when he wasn’t around. Or if I had to do it when he was there, I’d just work on the individual squares. Once in a while, if I had to attach some squares to the body of the blanket, I’d put the in-progress work on my lap, and then cover it up with my floral blanket, exposing only the little tiny edge I needed.

Oh, he knew what I was up to, alright, but at least he didn’t get to really see it until Christmas.

Afghan in progress, at Polka Dot Cottage

Afghan in progress, at Polka Dot Cottage

Afghan in progress, at Polka Dot Cottage

This blanket, like the sweater for my mother-in-law, had to be gifted before it was complete. There are still 36 little squares to go, as well as a wide border. And wouldn’t you know it? I am out of three colors of the yarn. It pains me to buy three full hanks that will only each become four small squares, but there’s not much of a choice.

I went with neutrals, and a very very simple construction for this. Neil once joked that he didn’t want me to make him a blanket unless it was all one color. If you’ve ever stitched anything this size before, you know that doing it in a single color could make you die of boredom. Still, I feel I can tell him that I have risen to the challenge – the whole blanket is brown! (Nine different shades of brown, but brown nonetheless…)

In it’s incomplete state, the blanket is kind of small, but that hasn’t stopped Neil from using it during this recent cold spell.

Afghan in progress, at Polka Dot Cottage

I’m really quite excited about this simple little afghan. Once it’s done, all four of us will have our own family room lap blankets for those cozy winter evenings. Blankets get a lot of use around here, and it makes me happy that I’ve been able keep everybody warm with my hook (and lots and lots of yarn…).

Of all of the blankets I’ve made (see Eamonn‘s, Aidan‘s, and mine), this one is by far the most straightforward. (I’ll be publishing the pattern in February, and it will be perfect for beginners. Keep an eye out for that if you want to get your feet wet in crochet.)

I’m thinking it will have a wide dark brown border around the edge, once all of the squares are finished.

It needs a name, though. We have Flufy’s Granny Square Blanket, the Lakeside Forest Blanket, and the Mod Floral Blanket. What shall we call this one?

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Posted on 13 Comments

13 thoughts on “Crochet Blanket #4

  1. You can always name it “Woody” or “Carpenter Squares”… when I see the browns it reminds me of those cute inlaid wood tables. Also faux wood PC canes… what can I say, everything reminds me of PC 🙂

    1. Hm, I like the idea of relating it to wood in some way.

  2. Chocolate Caramel Fudge Brownie Delight!!!!
    It represents all the decadent tastes we all love soooooo much!!

    1. Now I’m hungry 🙂

  3. Dad’s sweater.
    It looks like a sweater I wish my dad would have had so I could steal it for my own.
    Also, that way Neil would have a “sweater” that he wore a lot 🙂

    1. Clever 🙂 It’s probably the only way there will ever be a sweater for Neil from me!

  4. Love it! It’s so difficult to find handmade things the men will actually wear/ use. At least the men in my life anyway, but this is perfect!

    1. I agree! Nobody wants a sweater, or even a hat, but all of my guys love their blankets 😉

  5. The first word that popped in my mind when I saw it was “manly.” But I love the name “dad’s sweater” — it’s funny and clever. Although I don’t know about selling it. Might be confusing.

    1. Yeah, it does have to be sellable. I’ve heard the term “man-ghan” before, which I find kind of funny, but I don’t want to steal someone else’s idea. But, yeah, definitely want something the gets across the point that it’s a good design for a man.

  6. Love the colors!

    1. Thanks! I’m not usually into neutrals so much, but I do like these a lot 🙂

  7. […] I gave the blanket to Neil over two months ago, it still needed about 36 squares and a border, but I wasn’t too concerned about it. That […]

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