I know, mum is the word lately from our side of the world. I’ve been trying to get a handle again on my health. Not that there’s anything too seriously wrong with it, just a lot of mismanagement in the last year. And I’m paying for it dearly.
So, while I go back to a sugar-free lifestyle, a drink-lite lifestyle, and one day soon a more active lifestyle, I’m getting ready for that lovely day called Christmas.
And it’s coming up FAST!
As we get deeper into the holiday season, I get more and more frustrated. It’s my favorite holiday. More discussion on why and why you shouldn’t balk at that (it’s more a sentiment/spirit-of-the-season thing than a commercial thing) in another post.
As you saw with my last post, this year’s big present project is crochet. It’s my first year actually finishing crochet projects and I’m learning a lot. I’ve finished four hat and scarf sets and two neck-warmer type pieces, plus a scarf for Mike in a brown scratchy wool. And with only 15 days left until Christmas, I had a plan.
You see, a little over 5 years ago, I was going back for my last semester in college in September of ’08, and I told myself I was going to make Mike a blanket for Christmas. A John Deere blanket. I don’t think it ever got more than 4 inches wide, and I told Mike it was a bust after the holidays.
He’s never let me live it down since.
So, to make up for it, I have this big vision. A John Deere blanket by Christmas. Me being me, I like to have a plan, preferably one with an unrealistic deadline.
Remember–I’m learning. So every time I feel close, like it might happen, it gets further and further away. First, I’m at perhaps 11 inches wide with 2 days’ worth of work (approx. 8 hours total). I’m aiming for a 60-inch wide blanket, and by that count I need to get at least 2 hours in every night before Christmas morning.
That’s just for a blank green blanket with two yellow stripes. I admit, I don’t know how to crochet designs in a blanket as I go, so I was going to do a surface stitch. Then I learned more about that, too, and realized it will leave an ugly backing, even if a pretty front.
So I will need to sew a back to the blanket to make up for it. Have I mentioned it took me an hour to get my sewing machine up and running last week?
Let’s just say, Mike may get his plain blanket for Christmas, with a printout picture of the final dream. Because for now? I’m in way over my head.
But, below you can see the start of what I have done and the pattern I created for myself to try and center the surface stitching properly on the blanket when I get there (I needed it to know how many rows I needed).
Tips are appreciated!
I did this manually in Excel before I realized that there is software that will do this for you.
Oh, and did I mention that in addition to the blanket, I’m making pajamas and still need to make bags (trying to go green-er this year!) for presents under the tree? WAY over my head!
