1/5/12
Finished!!! I can hardly take in the scope of this project. Between the anticipation of learning to crochet - specifically for this project - and the final result, my year has been one of many changes. This year in my life has been a circuitous route of joy, sadness, pain & suffering (literally), health, sexuality, relationships, artistic projects, and new directions in my career. All of those are woven into this blanket. I hope I have created an heirloom to pass on when the time is right.

For now - it is a thing of beauty for me to enjoy.

11/30/11
With all the squares stitched together, I have gently steam-blocked and shaped the blanket before moving on to do the border. This blanket measures approx 44” x 64”. This is larger than the size of the original pattern instructions which find the completed blanket at 43” x 40”. I wanted this to be larger to accommodate an adult male from waist to toes.

11/20/11
So close to being finished and feeling a little sad that this project will soon be over. The constant sense of accomplishment and variety in this pattern have kept me interested since April. I learned to crochet just for this blanket and my skills have increased enormously.

This is an easy project for a beginner with enough challenges to make learning possible. It also put to the test my eye for color. Thoroughly enjoyable and most satisfying.

10/2/11
Having decided that I will almost triple the size of this blanket, the project will take much longer to finish than originally planned. I believe I have about a month’s work left.

Working over the yarn ends when adding new colors has saved a vast amount of time but each square still has a modest amount of finishing work before it can be sewn into the blanket.

The final product will be approximately 62” x 42”, big enough to cover my 5’9” frame from chest to toes. (And who doesn’t want warm toes on a chilly night?)

6/28/11
The project goes on.

I have added a panel to the blanket (for those of you following the pattern, it is Panel 10 and I have added it at the opposite end of the blanket so that it will join with sections 8 & 9 (while at the other end Panel 10 joins with sections 7 & 9.)

This will add some length, making it more appropriate for covering the legs and feet on a chilly night.

5/3/11
As I continue working on the blanket, the color arrangement is coming into focus. I have completely dispensed with designer Kathy Merrick’s palette and her detailed chart indicating how to use those colors for each square. As a result, the project has taken on a life of its own.

Some colors are being used more than others, which means I have had to go back and purchase duplicate yarns, while, at the same time, I will have to return certain skeins to the yarn shop. For instance, I am working the KPM Beeswax, Moss, Baby Blue and the Tosh Sock Terra, Teddy Bear and Curiosity quite a bit.

I continue using the corresponding markers in my 14-color spectrum to “paint” as I go - in other words, coloring in the graphic chart approximately 8-15 squares ahead, then returning to my hook & yarn to build the squares. As ideas come to me - usually in a flash of inspiration - I “paint” the chart and then proceed with the crochet.

I plan to build a chart on Merrick’s model, indicating which colors to use in each square, so that this exact design can be replicated - by me or someone else!!!

4/18/11
Anyone who has looked at this pattern knows it is a big project, with over 100 granny squares, and a more than 4 times as many changes of color. It’s a project that will keep you interested and which you can adapt to your personal taste. I’ve chosen to do my own color scheme, which will radically alter the look of the blanket. That also means the project will take a good deal of extra time as I experiment with color.

I have an old set of color markers with about 30 colors. I have found corresponding colors for each of the yarns I’ve purchased and am charting the blanket by coloring in the blanket graph on the existing pattern, working a few sections at a time. So far, so good!

4/2/11 - The Beginning
The pattern calls for 16 colors. I am reducing that, though still trying to decide by how much. I’ve reduced it to 14 and may still eliminate more. My inspiration is the work of symbolist painter Gustav Klimt. Best known for THE KISS, one tends to think of his work being full of metallic tones, especially gold and copper, but I have looked to his other works which feature a fascinating palette and fewer metallics.