Too Much Crocheting Still to Do

I first mentioned this blanket wayyyyy back in September.  I started the blanket a few days before Chloe was born in May 2011, while my Mum was here to teach me to crochet (she was actually here to help with the girls!).  I was already 5 days overdue.  While I was in labour, I bounced on a gym ball, crocheting a flower square.  Ok, so I didn't actually realise I was in labour - I was just having a few twinges.  Anyhow, something like 2 hours later, and 10 days late, Chloe popped out and changed life forever.

We started with the flower squares - twas an Enormous learning curve.  To make it even more tricky, my Mum is left handed, and crochet's left handed.  I had intended on the whole blanket being made up of flower squares - but very quickly realised what a massive endeavour that was going to be, so I have added in some simpler granny squares - built on with Lucy's Summer Garden granny square.

The yarn I have used in this blanket is Sirdar Calico DK Cotton yarn.  The colours are quite pretty, but I couldn't find the nice off white creamy colour I wanted for joining all the squares, so have ended up with a kind of putty colour.  Which will be ok, I think.

I NEED for this blanket to be finished by the time Chloe is 1.  But with all the weaving in that needs to be done along the way....I think that it will end up taking longer than that.  Weaving in is an absolute pain in the butt.  As much as I love granny squares, or squares with lots of colour (meaning lots of colour changing!! Ugh!), I am kind of put off ever doing another one like this.

In October last year, I also joined in with the Attic 24/Little Tin Bird ripple along.  Well, this blanket has not grown a great deal....I think that the sheer size of the thing kind of freaks me out!  Never mind the number of balls of wool I am going to need to finish the darn thing.  I am using Sublime Extra Fine Merino, at something like £4.50/ball.  This is crochet/yarn novice for you.  Silly me did not realise How Much Yarn I was going to need to finish a stupidly big blanket - never mind the price of each of these balls of yarn!  Each ball is enough to crochet 4 rows, with a little bit left over.  Ouch.  {am trying to stop my silly brain from thinking about granny squares with the left over yarn - imagine it...pretty fruity colours surrounded with pale creamy-ness....Nooooooooooooooo!}

It's a nice easy pattern to crochet with a half dead brain in the evenings, with TV on in the background.  There have been mistakes along the way.  But I have fudged them right - enough that you can't notice them, and enough that I am forgetting where they are. 

I have 4 balls of yarn left.  The pale blue (bottom right) will be the next colour.  Am doing a whole warm/cool/warm/cool colour mix.  I see that I only have 1 warm colour next, the purple, then I will need to get a few more colours.  {Thinking about it....am not sure I want that purple to follow the blue.  Me thinks something a bit gentler would be better?}  But, at the speed this blanket is growing, that is a way off yet.

The long and the short of it....I need a particular Granny to come help me finish these off!

Enjoy!