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This blog was started in 2008 when we did IVF for the first time to build our family after 5 1/2 years of infertility. We now have 14 and 8 year old boys (thanks to modern medicine) and we are enjoying our blessed life as parents ♥ In the summer of 2016 we took another huge step and moved across the country from Oklahoma to New York! This blog is about life and everything in between



Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The 4 1/2 Year Afghan Story

This blanket has a story...

We bought our current house in July of 2006 right after I graduated nursing school. The master bedroom was already a gorgeous textured color of sage green, so we went with it and bought matching bed linens and such. I got the great idea to crochet a coordinating blanket for the foot of the bed.

So I picked 3 complimentary shades of greens and cream, learned a cute stitch, and got started. I did row after row after row...and quickly got disheartened and burned out. It was so long that I felt like I wasn't making any progress! So after a few months, I put the leftover yarn and unfinished blanket away in the closet.

Fast forward to November 2010--I magically remember that I have an unfinished project rotting in my closet! I dig it out and begin where I left off with renewed fervor. Unfortunately, I quickly remember why I gave it up in the first place! I worked on it for days and only added a few rows! I measured the length of the stupid thing--it was EIGHT feet long! I have a queen bed but they are not that big. I stopped working on it again, and thought long and hard about what I would do with it.

It took a couple weeks to come up with the balls guts to do it, but I decided to UNRAVEL everything I had already done, and restart the blanket. I know, I know...I felt anguish with each stitch I pulled out. Nick, on the other hand, enjoyed it because he sat there and made yarn balls out of the mass of yarn that was used. So that's what I did! I restarted the blanket--same stitch, same colors--but this time I made it shorter. FIVE feet to be exact! That may not seem like much, but it made all the difference in the world!

The first night I worked on it, I got about 5 inches width done in just a couple hours! I proceeded to work on it when I had free time, and I got the blanket FINISHED within a few weeks! I only used the yarn that I already had, and I even had a new unused skein of each color that I was able to take back and exchange for other yarns! Thankfully my crazy idea worked out, and I was very happy to see this poor blanket that had been ignored for so many years come to new light and be appreciated for its beauty!


After I made it as wide as I wanted, I went back and did a pretty picot edging along all of the sides. Then I washed it (to soften it up) and tucked in all of the yarn tails.



It hasn't made it upstairs to our bedroom yet--it is still downstairs on the couch being showed off! I like happy endings!

On another note, let me introduce you to my new favorite friends:



These are two books my dear mother has recently gotten me (with my guidance) and I just LOVE the wealth of information that is in them. The "A to Z" one is full of stitches, techniques, edgings, finishes, and joining that all of color step-by-step instructions! The other one is simply 200 different styles of crocheted squares with color combination suggestions. Some of them are so beautiful and intricate; I can't wait to try them!

The blanket I just started is a baby blanket for my little angel. I don't know why it has taken me this long to make him one, but I am making it special nonetheless! I wanted it to be very colorful b/c his next room theme is going to be robots and bright colors. The pattern I am doing is one from the 200 blocks book, and the stitch I am using is from the A to Z book! I'm about half done now, so I will show you pics soon!
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1 comment:

  1. That is a beautiful pattern and beautiful colors! These projects that go unfinished are always the best once re-evaluated and completed!!! I'm sure it will look fabulous in your bedroom!!!

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