I purchased the first yarn for this blanket in November, 2010. I thought my life was busy then: my family of ten was moving to a new house and I was heavily involved in the remodeling being done to fit our needs.
I had no idea I would just be putting the finishing touches on this blanket seven years later or that my life would change so drastically in that time. When I made my first test square to see if the colors worked, I was single - not even dating anyone - and just approaching my 28th birthday. I was coming to the conclusion I was going to be the quintessential maiden aunt sitting in her rocker crocheting when I was 80.
But in the week I tested the first square, I received an email from a man named Ben who rapidly took up the bulk of my time over the next few months. We were married about a year later and moved to our new home to begin caring for his elderly grandmother. I was expecting our first child within three weeks of our wedding: and then I miscarried, became pregnant again and had our first living child two months after our first anniversary. Other children quickly followed, amid Grandma's final few bedridden months and a house under extensive construction.
Yeah...I've been busy. I look back on my life back then and laugh at the oodles of time I had no idea I possessed.
Making Time Again
Ironically, it was about the time our third child was born that I became organized enough to devote some time to needlework. So far, I've fit in a little crocheting, knitting and sewing. I haven't even tried to start any embroidery projects since I'm pretty sure the needles and floss would be problematic with my very inquisitive and proactive 19 month old involved. Maybe next year.
When I picked up work on this afghan again, I discovered that I had miscounted somewhere along the line and was twelve squares short of the number needed. Oops.
I'd also forgotten which hook I'd used, but that was easier to fix.
I thought about just making the afghan smaller, but when I pieced together all the squares I had I realized not only was it an awkward size, but I was going to have to rework all the border pieces. That's a pain in the neck.
The Color Conundrum
Deciding to make my missing twelve squares required finding more yarn, and predictably the colors I'd chosen from the local Hobby Lobby seven years ago were no longer all available. Someday I'd like to know why perfectly normal colors become discontinued all the time, but that's a subject for another post.
I ended up acquiring three of the four colors fairly easily, but the main color - a soft off-white appropriately called "Lamb" - had been discontinued and took quite a hunt to locate enough without breaking the bank. One by one, I've collected everything and I'm now waiting on the last ball of "Lamb" to finish up the popcorn stitches on one border pieces and the plinth block corners.
Nuts and Bolts
This afghan is from a collection of Vanna White patterns in the book "Afghans A to Z" which I received as a gift when I was 16 or 17. I've made a pretty good selection of the afghans in the book and am now on my second copy.
This pattern is called "Granny's Delight" and the first afghan I made from the pattern actually did use the mauve, royal blue, burgundy and off-white colors featured in the original pattern. I gave that one away as a wedding present. The second afghan used completely different colors (green, purple, brown and pure white) and was made almost exclusively while I listened to coverage of the 2000 presidential election. I think I was putting the last border strip in place while listening to Al Gore's concession speech. (That should tell you two things: how long that election dragged out and conversely how fast I made that afghan.)
This latest project color combination was chosen to match my family's new house since we didn't have any throw blankets to match the house colors at the time. Thankfully, my family hasn't redecorated and the afghan will be going to them when it's fully completed.
Assembly
The pattern calls for a J hook, but I typically have to drop the hook sizes down by two in order to make the gauge. I'm guessing I have a loose hand on the tension. The yarn is all 100% acrylic Vanna's Choice yarn - the center is "Burgundy", the next row is "Beige", the third "Seaspray Mist" and the popcorn border is the infamous "Lamb".
In an attempt to save as much of the hard-to-find Lamb yarn, I've used a slightly different shade of yarn to assemble most of the afghan. You can tell the color difference if you inspect closely, but at this point I'm fairly satisfied with how it all looks and figure this is the price I pay by procrastinating too long on finishing the project.
I used a tapestry needle and whipstitch to assemble my first two Granny's Delight afghans but discovered the weight of the overall blanket tended to cause the stitching yarn to break in places and the afghans would need repair fairly frequently. I've put this one together with a slipstitch seam and a smaller crochet hook and am hoping it'll hold up to use and washing better. The seams don't feel too bulky and aren't noticeable, so that's a bonus.
So there you have it: my longest ever crocheting project to date finally coming to a close. I think it might be my tenth or eleventh completed afghan, but I've lost count over time since I learned to crochet at age 10.
WOW! Just wow! Your afgans are stunning! I must say, I'd really like one Heee! Sever years later--now that it dedication.
The colors are delightful and I am so glad you were able to find the yarns you needed in order to finish. Agree about the discontinuation of normal colors, so annoying.
What a wonderful post. Happy #NeedleworkMonay!
We are running a contest for the creation of a NeedlworkMonday group logo! Artists are posting their submissions through this coming Saturday. Please vote for your favorite submission and feel free to resteem for more submissions. https://steemit.com/contest/@crystalize/contest-create-a-group-logo-win-4-sbd. Thank you!
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Thank you! Lol...I'd offer to make you one but you might have to wait eight or ten years for me to finish it at this rate. I thought about selling them at one time but figured I'd need to be a whole lot faster for that to make sense!
The contest sounds like fun! I'm terrible at that kind of stuff, though my sister @curlygirl85 is pretty good. I'll have to ask her if she wants to give it a shot.
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I can wait eight years. Heee hee heeeee!! Say, for the contest, all you need to do is vote on the art you like the best. Much appreciated!
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Oh, right - okay!
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Love this - it is so nice! Glad to have you joining Needle Work Monday! :) It is annoying when they discontinue items!! Nice to get them on clearance but not nice if you end up needing the color again.
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Thank you! So many interesting things going on, so little time...I really enjoy the needlework crafts a lot. I have a gigantic Pinterest folder filled with all the projects I'd like to do, like toy food for the kids' kitchen and lots and lots of afghans and beautiful hats and sweaters and...no time.
Yeah, I have a suspicion when I bought most of the Lamb yarn it was being clearanced out because it was discontinued and all I thought was, "Oh, nice yarn and good price." I'm relieved I could still find enough to finish the afghan.
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Yes, it is good that you were able to get enough to finish!! :) I used to do pinterest and then I realized I was NEVER going to get to those projects. ;) Ha ha! Now I have a ton of pins, no time or energy...and no Hobby Lobby. ;) There are so many fun ideas out there. It's hard to know where to start!!
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Now that is one long time frame to finish a project but yes all the details in between were so worth it! Beautiful work!
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Lol...thank you! Yes, I don't typically like to have a project hang out there uncompleted that long. Sheesh. And I always feel obligated to finish my unfinished projects before starting a new one.
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What an exquisite afghan and what a wonderful story that goes with it. I find with crocheting, or any kind of needlework, it's the journey not the destination. (That's what I tell myself, anyway, as I gaze upon my half a dozen or so "in progress" projects!)
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Thank you! The story makes the time lost more worthwhile to me - I was looking back on it yesterday a little awed at how much life happened in such a relatively short period of time.
I also use various consoling reminders when I look at unfinished business around the house. They are all true, but they certainly are consolation!
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It looks pretty. I have a problem of crocheting to tightly and have to go to a larger hook size.
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Thank you! Heh...that's NEVER been my problem! I'm always finishing the gauge swatch and saying, "Well...need a smaller hook, I guess."
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Awesome post, awesome afghan, and even cooler story. How it all ties in, I'm sure that blanket will be special to the family. Great work, cheers!
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Thank you! I hope they get some use out of it, but I'll at least get the satisfaction of a job completed.
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oy I do relate! I'm glad you're going to get to finish it.
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Thank you! It's amazing how this stuff gets away from us, eh?
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Yes! Very quickly. Yet, rather slowly too.
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Great article and congratulations on finishing! While I have not learned any needlework myself, I come from families on both sides that have done plenty. I hope this one holds together well with the new stitching. It looks great and I'm sure your family will love it!
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Thank you! Yes, I really hope this one holds together better - I spent a whole lot of time doing repairs on the last one. It was my Dad's favorite and he didn't like when his foot stuck through it -grin-.
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Hehe, I would imagine he wouldn't. I'm sure this one will hold together better. On the bright side, even if it doesn't, at least you are able to repair it (though hopefully you will not have to use the precious "lamb" colored yarn to do so).
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Well, if I have to do repairs I'm going to have to search out more yarn. I think I bought the last ball on the Internet this week (just kidding...but it felt like it at the price!)
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Ha! I can imagine. It's crazy how some things can shoot up in price like that when they discontinue it/reduce production. Not entirely related, but I remember a few years back I wanted to buy a couple more sets of silverware for my parents (it was their wedding silverware, but they never ended up getting as many place settings as they wanted). I think for 2 sets I paid more than 8 would have cost at the original price. It was nuts! The worst part was, since it had been discontinued for quite some time, I had to buy used silverware and still paid that much.
Long story short, I hope you never have to repair it, hehe.
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Never heard of an Afghan before, but I like the symmetry and the popcorn border. So it goes as a sort of chair cover? Seems soft and comfy. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you! I like the popcorn border too - it uses an incredible amount of yarn but it's so soft and fluffy.
Really? I thought "afghan" was a pretty familiar term...but then I haven't been around much and you always think your own vernacular is used everywhere. An afghan is typically either lap-rug sized or twin-blanket sized, more or less a single-person wrap. It's often folded over chair arms or couches and used in a living space versus something to go on a bed.
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it's worth it for you to finish it. stunningly beautiful thing !!!!! I never dared to do such projects
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Thank you! I probably wouldn't have dared either, but my grandma bought me all the yarn for my first afghan, handed me a hook and the pattern and said, "Here. Read the directions. You'll enjoy this."
Nothing like jumping in head first!
It's not nearly as hard as it looks, by the way. Knitting projects...now THOSE are complicated!
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wow !!!! it was a great gift!
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It really was! I appreciate more now how special it was - that's an expensive present. It was well appreciated, though, and the afghan is still in use after about 20 years.
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Wow! That is really gorgeous and I can definitely appreciate the amount of work that went into it. Nice work - your perseverance clearly paid off :D
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This is really nice work. It reminds me of a blanket my mum crocheted from me when I was a teenager.
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Hey, there's no higher compliment. The granny square style is used pretty extensively in a variety of different ways (there are whole blankets made as just one giant granny square). My grandfather has a small baby afghan framed in his living room made by his grandmother out of scraps of yarn in all different colors in the granny square style - she would've been born in the 1800s.
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That is really nice Afghan. I never knew about this until I read your post. So wonderful. :)
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Thank you!
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@originalworks
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The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @lturner to be original material and upvoted it!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
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Wow @lturner, that is a beautiful afghan! I have a afghan project I started in 2006, lots of squares, and still haven't finished! That is my next project, I also hope to finish! I've never made an afghan so... wish me luck. I will probably have to hunt for yarn in colors close to the original to finish mine also. By the way I love the stitch for the "lamb" color of yarn. Is that a border finish stitch?
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I missed this comment! Even though it's 11 days old, I'm hoping you'll see this in your replies box and get my answer anyway: I'm not sure what the popcorn stitch qualifies as, but it's probably some type of border finish since it's so different than the standard granny square motif. It's worked in two rows, with the first row setting the base for the cluster stitches that go into the second row and then the squares are stitched together. The basic pattern is sc in first granny square outside edge space, ch 3, sc in next space, repeat to corner, (sc, ch 3, sc) in the corners, repeat all the way around and join to first sc with a slip st; ch 1 and turn. (Sc, ch 1, sc) in first ch 3 space, yo and insert hook in front loop of first foundation sc, pull through to make three loops on hook, yo and repeat until you have 5 loops on the hook and pull through all five at once for a popcorn stitch. (Sc, ch 1, sc) in next ch 3 space and do a popcorn stitch in every base sc. (Sc, ch 3, sc) in corners. Join with slip stitch to first sc of popcorn stitch row.
And hopefully that makes sense as I'm describing it from memory instead of the actual pattern!
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Yay @lturner!! It’s so good to have you posting for #NeedleWorkMonday!! I was hoping you came over and showed off this Afghan you’ve been working on. Thank you so much for sharing with us this week.
I am so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. It’s not easy getting through those. I don’t think I will ever get over losing one of our twins last year, every time I think about it I cry.
Good for you to have found the supplies you needed to get back to it. It is very frustrating when materials are discontinued. I have started to save up all the money I need to get all of the supplies I need upfront in case that happens. It’s a very beautiful Afghan! I look forward to seeing the next project you have in mind :)
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I must've missed a few replies in my reply tracker and this is one of them - I'm so sorry and hopefully you'll end up seeing this!
I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of one of your twins - it took me about two years before I didn't cry when I thought of losing our first. I find I don't anymore, although the death of other peoples' children affects me more than it ever has and I'm not sure if it's from that loss or just from imagining what it would be like losing one of our living children. Hug your babies. Real tight.
That's a good piece of advice on getting all the supplies up front! I really thought I had, but it was such a strange time in my life that I was a little scattered when it came to assembly - that's all I can figure about miscounting an entire row of squares in the first place. I just didn't make the centers for them and the mistake grew from there, I guess.
My next project is trying to get all those baby hats done in time since the yarn just arrived. :-P
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It’s totally okay. Sometimes I miss a few replies too ;)
Thank you so much. Yes it was really hard to get through. It’s been a year and I haven’t cried about it since his birthday. It was a moment while he was eating his birthday cake I thought, “he should be sharing that with his twin.” It’s gotten a little easier until I see twins or something else triggers my sadness.
Looking forward to seeing your baby hats!!! Yay :D
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I remember my mom losing one of her babies and someone we knew had a baby born about the same time that baby should've been born. I found that miscarriage very difficult myself and I remember crying when I saw the other baby thinking about the tiny little brother we'd buried months before. What a blessing you still have one twin to hold and hug - it's never easy to lose the babies but the ones we get to have are such a comfort.
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Oh wow. Yes it does trigger those thoughts when you see other babies around the same age as the miscarried baby. We truly are blessed to still have had one of our babies survive and who is alive and healthy today. The baby we lost can never be replaced but as you said holding my baby boy now is such a comfort :) Thank you for your sweet words~
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What a lovely pattern!! Glad to read you found time for your hobby again and that it started something lovely for you =D
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Hi @lturner, I just stopped back to let you know your post was one of my favourite reads and I included it in my Steemit Ramble. You can read what I wrote about your post here.
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