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I mentioned a couple of posts ago that a common Granny Square blanket style is to make one giant square, but that I couldn’t find a picture of the one I made back when I first learned how to crochet.

Well, I’ve done one better… I found the actualy blanket itself! As I was laying it out I took note of various lessons we can learn from it.

1. Don’t ch3 between EVERY cluster of 3 dc stitches, unless you want a really holey and ruffly shawl of some sort.

2. Don’t use yarn you’re allergic to. (I’m itchy just from laying it out on the bed to take the pic!)

3. Some kind of border wouldn’t kill you.

Like I said, I made this “blanket” back when I first learned how to crochet. It brought back some fun memories, too.

For example, my vision for this blanket was simple. “I like rainbows!” and “rainbows are seen in the sky!”. I had odds and ends of this yarn – enough to make the rainbow part – but I didn’t have any blue. So, Mom and I headed out to Michaels.

Michaels was having a sale! If memory serves, this yarn was on for 50 cents a ball. We bought a few balls. Enough to make this blanket shawl, anyway!

So, when I finished this thing (?), obviously I had a TON of the light blue yarn left over.

My next Big Plan was a ripple blanket for my brother and his at-the-time-girlfriend. I asked my brother what his favourite colour was which, apparently, is the wrong question to ask a Monte Python fan. Since I had all of this sky-blue yarn, I decided to make them a blue blanket. Makes sense, no?

The plan was to gradually shift from navy blue, through blue, to a medium blue, to the sky blue. It was to be glorious!

I was new to crochet, and so decided to aim my sights low. I’d make a twin-sized blanket.

Off I went to buy a small handful of the other three colours of blue yarn, and I started with the navy blue. Did a bunch of rows. A row of blue, then a bunch more of navy. Then a couple of blue, and a few less of the navy. And on it went.

Of course, the blanket wasn’t just growing in length, it somehow managed to expand sideways into a blanke that was too big for my double bed. I also managed to mis-judge how many rows I’d need, and managed to not use ANY of the sky blue yarn that was the inspiration for the blanket in the first place.

Also, it wasn’t until I was almost finished the blanket that I discovered that I was really allergic to the yarn I was using. (Geez, why do my hands keep turning bright pink when I work on this thing? Scratch scratch scratch scratch….)

Oh, and it took me 3 years to finish the damned thing. In that time my brother and his girlfriend had gotten married. It was a while ago, but I think I ended up giving them this blanket for their first anniversary.

I did luck out in one department, though: their main wedding colour was blue. Success!