know thyself

Flushed with the fairly recent success of my dotty crochet blanket, I rashly offered to produce something similar for my son's soon-to-be-born baby.

However, when deciding on a pattern, I stupidly overlooked some rather basic self-knowledge:

1. I get bored easily.

2. I like things to grow fast.

3. I like using different colours.

4. I like to spread small squares out on the floor and move them around whilst having a cup of tea and imagining what the whole thing will soon look like.

5. Variety is the spice of life.

Having ignored all of this, and despite having put in several hours work already, I find myself less than eight inches into a single-colour, one-piece baby blanket in dreary old double crochet*, the slowest stitch possible. I am now thoroughly bored of lime green, and I have arm ache.

In addition, the baby is due in only four days.

There are no prizes for guessing
a) What I am doing all day
b) What the moral of this post is.

*This means single crochet to all North American hookers.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

how exciting a new baby... if you focus on that then it is certain to make the hooking pass by a little more quickly... here's hoping you get a wee bit more time than 4 days though!
ginny x

Malissa said...

I LOVE that dotty crochet blanket. It's so interesting how the process of that is similar to the hexagon quilt -- making and collecting pieces, arranging them, being able to start/stop.

Sorry you chose the wrong project. I bet the baby will love it, though!

Jackie said...

The one on the bench is beee oooo teee ful. I'm sure the baby wouldn't mind a few other colours and patterns in there.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps like me you get carried away with an idea. How about adding differently coloured bands of crochet in treble around the bit you have done already? Though I think for a baby a quilt without 'holes' is a good idea; little fingers don't get caught. All the best with finishing this project.

N. said...

I'm working on a dotty crochet blanket too now after seeing yours! I wanted to make a granny blanket for my youngest, but I wanted it to be a little different. I saw yours and was hooked. har har. Sorry for the pun...

Anyway, I'm sure your soon-to-arrive-grandchild's blanket will be beautiful. I did one in lime green as well, but I did a combo of stitches and while I got sick of it and in the end I edged it with some really ugly yarn when it would have looked better plain and simple, the recipient loved it and that made it all worth it!

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

But the one you are doing is beautiful Sue! If I am honest I like it better than the mixed up one, just so perfect and regular and the colour is to die for.
Anyway, soon be done! Maybe you just have to achieve a zen like state of crocheting, meditation rather than boredom.

Hollace said...

I adore the one in the photo because of the wonderful geometric mix of colors. However, the all-green is the IN color this season. Do you have any of the other colors left to band it in?
Congratulations on the new baby--he won't mind if the blanket is late.

Narelle Badalassi said...

This sounds like the story of my life hehe

Gilly said...

Are you laying bets on which comes first? Finished blanket or the baby??

Frances said...

Hello Sue...please don't stop crocheting to read this! Your crocheting is beautiful ... the baby blanket will be done when it is done. No need to rush.

I absolutely loved your report of the trip to the press. Wow. Just the sort of place that I'd also want to visit.

I remember when on my only trip to Basel Switzerland meeting someone by chance in a restaurant who told me about the Paper Museum, housed in an old paper mill by the river. I went to it and was entranced.

Wish right now I had more free time to do all sorts of creative things. xo

A time to dance said...

Your blanket is lovely...I love those colours...do you hav a pattern as I have just finished Pollys blanket of 2 mark 2 and have some yarn to make one for me...I know what you mean about wanting things to grow...i am finishing off some socks where there is always light at the end of the tunnel....I need a rest fom all these huge projects...good luck with the blanket...love H

hens teeth said...

Oh dear, the things we promise. At least you are seeing it through and I wish you all the very best. x

www.potsandpins.com said...

The moral or reason for your post was so I could stumble upon it and find the great picture of your new blanket...it's stunning! My friends and I had ourselves a little crochet-bee yesterday - we're all trying to learn to crochet and we had a picture of a blanket we wanted to make but yours beats it - hands down! Thanks so much!! xo, Nan

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, this sounds familiar to me too! At least you can console yourself with the thought that there is no sewing-up to be done at the end! :) (love your handiwork) xx

Karin said...

I love the dotty blanket too! I can see how a single-color blanket would get a bit boring after a while, but I'm sure you'll make it!

Ruth said...

1.Think of your single-colour dc crochet blanket as a meditation. Repetition like chanting or rosary beads, incorporating all your good wishes for the expected baby and its life ahead.
2. Use this as an excuse to watch a DVD without feeling guilty that you should be doing something else.
3. Ditto some "rubbish" TV
4. Catch up on listening to some music - listen to Radio 3 / Classic FM / Radio 1 and hear something that you don'tusually listen to.

5. No one can say that you aren't being GREEN!!!

Sue said...

Ruth, thank you for your wise words! I shall bear them all in mind :-)