Hook in hand

I haven’t totally forgotten about crocheting you know.

I just haven’t had chance to blog about it (bar my post about SIBOL and my first blanket).

Behind the scenes I have been wielding my hook about in a frantic fashion, in the process of making another blanket.

This blanket is special. It will be for my new niece or nephew (please be a niece please be a niece I already have three nephews thank you please) who will be joining us at the end of October/beginning of November. Not knowing the sex I went out and tried to pick out neutral baby colours, so the yellows and greens and whites. I snuck a bit of purple in there which I know is a little on the girly side and is probably a case of wishful thinking but I’m hoping it’s not too girlified?

I know that some of you (especially Heather!) are going to be recoiling in horror at the sight of all this pastel going on but in my head a baby blanket is a pastel thing. I just couldn’t go brighter I’m afraid. Plus my brother and his wife are kind of traditional, I think if I handed them anything more garish they wouldn’t know what to do about it.

I started this little bad boy days after the ex and I split up, I needed something to keep my hands busy and my mind off what I’d just done. There were plans for this blanket to actually be a ripple but those plans fell through when I realised I CAN’T RIPPLE.* Rather than give myself a brain aneurism about it I decided to put rippling aside and stick with what I knew. Heather’s lovely granny squares.

I set about like a mad woman, smoke was coming from my hook and I was like something obsessed. And soon I had lovely little piles of grannies all ready to be joined together.

And then I stalled.

I just have this brain block when it comes to joining them together. I know it’s not difficult, I discovered that when I got over my brain block with my blanket and yet still, whenever I think about it my brain makes groaning and clanking noises and I just have to banish all thoughts until peace is restored.

However, when I saw my sister-in-law this weekend and realised that she’s now entering her final trimester I realised that I’d better get my backside in gear (nothing like an impending deadline to kick you into action). So I have begun the joining up process. Life is pretty busy at the moment so I’m trying not to be too hard on myself and have set myself the task of joining just two rows together a night. And what do you know? It's now all joined together.

Still. Next (!) time I do this I’m learning how to join as I go to avoid all this nonsense again.

Since getting the squares all joined together I have been on a crochet frenzy, getting the edging sorted but haven't got around to taking photos yet. I reckon I'm going to be sorted well before the due date (she says confidently and inviting trouble).

*I haven’t given up on the idea of rippling. I will re-commence efforts soon. And yes I’ve tried Lucy’s pattern and it was hers I was struggling with. I have strong suspicions this is a left-handed problem and I have plans to try and mess about and figure it out. I just don’t have time right now!