I had six skeins of yarn left from Taylor’s blanket. The yarn is very thick so my choice of patterns was limited. It would have made a soft blanket but I didn’t think the yarn would be good to have around babies; it shed a lot while I was knitting and I’m not sure if it was just from where I cut it.

I used a simple K1, P1 pattern with just nine stitches so each one took only one evening to knit up. The scarves may not be as long as I would normally make but it is hard to join the yarn when it was so thick so one skein made one scarf.

These will be donated but when the winter weather arrives I may pull one out for myself; I think it will go nicely with my winter coat.

This is the same crochet pattern that I’ve used before and, since it is a pattern that is easy to remember, I’m sure I’ll use it many more times.

This will be a donation to BOND.

Taylor saw a photo of a blanket online and wondered if I could make one for her. She had a very specific colour, pattern and size in mind so there was a lot of back and forth before we got it all settled. I wasn’t able to get the yarn that was called for in the pattern so I started looking for substitutions. With each suggestion of a different yarn Taylor (and her Mum and/or Dad) would go to Michael’s to see if it would do. Once she was okay with the yarn I had to translate the pattern so I would know how much yarn I needed. I had never ordered from Michael’s online and although the site wasn’t the easiest to navigate I eventually got my yarn.

I also had to wait a couple of weeks for the right sized needles to arrive from Amazon. I didn’t measure but I think the needles were probably the size of my broom handle.

Taylor wanted a blanket that was 60″ x 90″ (she was very precise). I started knitting as soon as I had everything I needed. And I knit and knit and knit. Fortunately the pattern was very simple because I’d never find my way back if I had to start tearing it out. By the time it was finished I’m sure it weighed more than Taylor. The measurements worked out perfectly (more luck than planning) but I thought if it was either too narrow or too wide it could easily be stretched.

It was worth all the effort to see Taylor with the blanket. Christy said she’s been snuggled with it since it arrived in the mail.

I am very happy making these afghans. The pattern works for various weights of yarn and it is easy to get into the rhythm of the pattern. If I make a mistake in counting the stitches it soon becomes apparent and I’m easily able to take it back and fix it. And afghan’s really use up a lot of yarn.

This yellow yarn came from Pat’s Mum’s stash. It will likely be a donation but Taylor likes to go through my “blankets” when she comes in case there is something she’d like. She’s even picked afghans that are still unfinished in my basket.

I also have this same yarn in blue and I’ll make another one but adjust the width a bit so that I’ll have more length.