Summer.

School is out, summer is in full swing. I decided that I am going to finally make myself a granny square blanket. I've made grannies before, usually for swaps or giant grannies for other people, but never for myself. Originally I was going to make a Babette. For those that don't remember the babette craze, that inspired CAL's ( crochet a-longs) all over the interwebs, let me take a stroll down memory lane. Picture this, sicily 1912..... Well not really, more like the internet, 2006.  Ok so in 2006 interweave crochet magazine published a pattern called the Babette designed by Kathy Merrick. The design itself was simple, solid granny squares in various sizes put together to look like a patchwork quilt.

(picture from interweave crochet website) 

This blanket made people go crazy. They couldn't keep the issue on the shelves and in the end they put out a digital pattern for it. So the big thing with this blanket is the placement of squares.The pattern includes a diagram, and a detailed chart with which squares can be made with which colours. The pattern is a genius pattern, the biggest issue with the original is that it the designer used Koigu wool. Which is very pricey, and also uses small hooks. The original blanket calls for 17 different colours of wool using a C and E hook. Now, if you have never crocheted before, the C and E hooks are small, like really small. They make small stitches. First I crochet tightly in general, and this blanket is quite small already, so this means using the yarn weight and hook sizes suggested my toddler's dolls would have a lovely blanket. I wanted to make a new template, but this involves being a puzzle maker.

Which of course as we all remember from the bobbin post I am no puzzle maker. I tried. I failed. It wasn't pretty. Also this blanket is made with solid granny squares and with solid granny squares you would have to make each square and then sew them together when you are done. In the immortal words of grumpy cat:

I decided to troll ravelry ( FYI I know I 'm using troll incorrectly here, but don't care LIVE WITH IT) and the finished babettes to get ideas. And boom, angels sang, light shone, a heavenly choir the whole thing. Someone ( Maryfairy) so lovely made a square chart for me to follow and made the most beautiful blanket, she called it a cross between the Nanny McPhee blanket ( which is the traditional granny square type blanket) and babette. GENIUS.  (Link to Maryfairy's project) I love this woman, seriously I do. Because she included a chart so I wouldn't have to. Love.

Anyway... I decided this was it, I was going to do this and this would be my blanket. MINE. Not yours. Mine. So let me present to you my granny mcphee in progress.

Because it is summer I decided being outside at the park is the way to go with this blanket. 

see at the park enjoying the day.

So I have a love affair with Vanna's Choice. 

Impeccable isn't bad either

I'm not sure on the colour next to the yellow, I'm holding it to see if it grows on me. I haven't used it yet, but we will see. 

I have 29 skeins of yarn. I'm going through my yarn stash to kinda bust it ( really so I can buy more yarn *snickers*) I really wanted my blanket to have a common theme of colour and not be a funky mishmash of colours that make no sense. ( which is why I'm still holding that one colour, not sure if it goes with my flow) * side bar* this is why I love Vanna's Choice, all of the colours go together no matter which ones you pair together they look great together. /love of Vanna's Choice

So here I am right now. I am loving the join as you go. No squares hanging around getting lost, as soon as I make it, it goes on the blanket. It feels like I'm making progress every time I finish a square.

If anyone is interested in following my progress on Ravelry, here is the link to my blanket on ravelry.  

**disclaimer, it is late, I'm late night blogging, this leads to potential incoherent thoughts and sentences that probably make sense in my tired state, but won't when I'm fully awake. I apologize and will fix it in the morning.**