This project is going to be the death of me! SO MANY ENDS TO WEAVE IN! And then I get to what sounds like it will be the “easy” joining, only to find not only does each of the 36 blocks still need another row around them, but with sticking with the same color for that row and the next, I’m still expected to break and join yarn! Come on! This was such a mistake to take on. I’m sure it will be beautiful when it’s done, but it’s SO time consuming (and I’m not a beginning crocheter). I definitely have a different definition of “easy” from the pattern author.

1/25/17
The magic circle is dead to me! One washing on gentle cycle and three of the centers came apart. I did a long tail, wove through 2-3 times, looped through a stitch to lock the thread… and it still fell apart. So I’m weaving new yarn through, then I’m going through with cotton quilting thread and square knotting it. This blanket will be well used and washed a lot… I can’t be fixing it after every wash.

3/11/17
My beautiful boy, Sebastian, was born still two days before his due date (born 2/7/17). So many people have comforted me with the fact that this labor of love was the perfect blanket for him, all the time that went into it and was spent just for him. I won’t have to worry about all the washings making it fall apart - it has been washed once more to remove some of the blood stains from the hospital before his funeral, but barring other disaster (I do have four other children…), that will be the last time. I washed it by hand in the baby bath tub, pressed it out in towels, and laid it flat to dry for a few days, turning it now and then to air the opposite side. Very minimal unknotting that way.