11-16-2017

Lucy just announced a new CAL with a gorgeous color scheme (she really is the queen of color).

The CAL will begin on Friday, the 6th of January and will run for 8 weeks.

I’m looking forward to seeing the pattern when the CAL begins. I hope it’s not mind-numbingly boring for a whole blanket (yet require too much attention to be mindless.)

I went and bought the yarn pack right away so I don’t have to worry about it selling out.

01-06-2017

I’m excited to begin this blanket! It seemed like a long wait.

Part 1 Link

I will start with the gauge swatch, as Lucy suggests. But I can’t believe I’ve misplaced my favorite 4.0 mm hook!

I’m going to make the basic, single-pack size, so I’ll start with 180 foundation sc. I’ll also use the magic knot when changing colors to avoid weaving in ends.

01-09-2017

My replacement hook arrived in the mail yesterday. Yay! Now my favorite one will turn up I’m sure. Swatch made and measured. The standard 4.0 mm hook will be fine.

Note that 3 turning chains for a dc (UK tr) was too much for my tension. I will do a starting dc Instead. I’m also doing ch1 and sc in the first space instead of ch2 for the other rows.

01-17-2017

As of this morning, I have 18 colors done. It was a struggle at the beginning. It currently takes me about 45 minutes for each color, including changing colors. Maybe I will get faster, but I doubt it at this point.

I am going to make my goal to be caught up by near the end of the CAL, Feb 17, but my overall goal is to keep this fun. Now that I’m into the rhythm of it and haven’t had to frog anything for days, it is very enjoyable but I do still have the two #CrochetGirlGang blankets to put together and border, not to mention several smaller WIPs. My Moorland will be done when it is done.

It’s now evening and I’ve finished the last two colors of Part 1. Onward to…

Part 2

01-24-2017

Finished Part 2 tonight. Now on to Part 3!

The height is exactly 60cm as Lucy said it should be.

Someone on the Facebook group said that there will be a “catch up week”, so now I’m really not worried about keeping up with this CAL.

I need to be more careful. I skipped a grape row and had to add it in out of sequence. It won’t be noticeable to anybody, and frogging is a pain when using the magic knot join method of changing color, so I’m just going to leave it, but my goal is to have no more such mistakes for the rest of the blanket. I’ll copy and paste the color sequence here and delete them as I finish them.

01-31-2017

Finished Part 3 tonight.

Time to start Part 4.

02-07-2017

Now on to Part 5!

02-15-2017

Part 5 is done, now ready for the final 15 stripes of Part 6,

02-20-2017

All done Part 6! Now just waiting for the border pattern to be released next Friday.

I did get faster in the end -- it took me about 15 minutes per row, or 30 minutes per stripe. This sure is a long, narrow blankie. It should be nice for cuddling on the couch though I may just leave to folded up at the foot of K’s bed. I spent a fair amount of time working on it in her room this week (keeping my flu germs away from the rest of the family) and it struck me how well the colors go.

I have more than 20g of all the colors left. It will be interesting to see what Lucy does with her border and the variations everyone comes up with.

02-26-2017

Starting the border today.

02-27-2017

I’m supposed to say I’m sad that I’m finished but I have to admit it’s so lovely to have it done. What a pretty blanket! So many other enticing things to make I’m happy to be moving on to another. I’m not going to give this one away, it’s a keeper! I did the border just as Lucy suggested and I think it is a wonderful frame for a real work of art.

I have a decent amount of yarn left, about the equivalent of 3.25 skeins of yarn. I think it will be enough for a cushion, perhaps Lucy’s Raindrops Cushion.