Wherein Pinterest Helps Me Finish My Afghan

We had big plans to head up to the mountains this past weekend and see the amazing Ice Castles at Silverthorne, but it was really cold, and we were feeling really lazy. So instead, we split our day between a run to Ikea, and seaming together all my afghan blocks. Well, only 2 members of the family worked on the afghan blocks- me, and…

…Wally, of course.

Because the crocheted blocks were too heavy to stick up on my quilt design wall, I resorted to laying them out on my bed. (Or as Wally thinks of it, “My bed which I begrudgingly let the humans use at night.”) I realized with all the variations in pattern and color from block to  block I was never going to be 100% satisfied with the layout, but, I did finally settle on one and start sewing the blocks together.

I turned to my trusty “Crochet Goodness” Pinterest Board, and actually used some of the great links I’ve been collecting. I settled on a method I learned at Craftyminx’s Crochet School– an absolutely amazing free crochet resource. While Cat taught us how to seam blocks together invisibly by sewing them, I went for a faster visible method.  I crocheted the blocks together,which resulted in a really delineated outline around each block, in the dark purple yarn. Which you totally cannot see in this fabulous camera phone photo, but I’m going to post it anyway.

Look, it’s starting to look like a blanket.

The squares went together incredibly quickly using this method, and that left me ready for the final outer borders. I went with 1 row of HDC in the dark purple yarn (which is also what every square is bordered in)- that really seems to balance the thick connection between the blocks nicely. Then 3 rows of HDC in the brighter green yarn, followed by the final row- which is now partway done.

I’m using an edging stitch called “crown picot” that I found through, can you guess? Pinterest! It’s a great tutorial…super easy, and adding a really fun pop to the edge of the blanket.

I am so excited to be so close to the end of this year long odyssey. I finally feel like I have a comfortable grasp of crochet. I made new friends through my class. And I’m about to be able to snuggle under the world’s most fabulous blanket.