I started crocheting this blanket in January, I think.  I purchased the yarn online from Wool Warehouse; it was the Attic 24 Original Stylecraft Special DK yarn pack.

The thing about following a pattern that’s already laid out for me is that I don’t have to think.  I can just sit with my hook and yarn, zone out, and fall into the rhythm of crochet, which can go by very quickly.  This is a particularly soothing activity when I’ve spent all day in prison being a psychologist and need to unwind.

One thing I did differently from the pattern, though, was the border.  I substituted a scalloped edging instead.

Overall, I think it turned out well.  Crocheting this particular style of blanket was such an enjoyable and satisfying project that I’m already planning to make another one.

I was really trying to stick to just one project and not start another one until I finished the granny stripe blanket.  I couldn’t do it.  This week I started knitting a new sock, and then I began crocheting a new afghan.  It’s the Attic 24 Cottage Blanket yarn pack and pattern.

You’ll notice that I didn’t take the time to weave in those tail ends.  Old habits die hard.

I’ve made more progress on the Attic 24 Granny Stripe afghan.  It’s going a lot faster than the Coast Ripples blanket, mainly because I’m crocheting clusters of three double crochet, rather than two hundred-something double crochets per row.  It’s been a lot of fun to change colors and see the contrasting stripes emerge, but oh man, do those tail ends kill me.

My feet.  Hiding my embarrassing need for a pedicure.

I’m obsessed with crocheted blankets right now.  Shortly after I finished the Coast Ripples afghan, I started the Attic 24 Granny Stripe blanket.  For this particular project, I like having a predetermined sequence of colors to follow.  I enjoy not having to think at all about which color goes well with what, and it’s fun to see the big picture unfold in a paint-by-numbers sort of way.

I’ve also been spending a lot of time daydreaming about making another granny square afghan, especially after seeing Rosina’s lovely blanket on Zeens and Roger.  Then I have to remind myself that a) I’m trying to be more disciplined about having less WIPs, b) I don’t enjoy weaving in tail ends, and c) a blanket made entirely of granny squares would mean a shit ton of tail ends and heartache.  The last granny square afghan that I made still has half its tail ends hanging out.

Anyway, so there’s all that, and then another part of me wants to just start casting on for a new pair of socks.

I finally, finally finished my Coast Ripple afghan.  I actually completed the border a few days ago, but only got around to taking a decent photo today because the sun finally came out.

It had been overcast and gray around here the last few days, which was actually okay with me.  I had this nice large blanket to keep me warm.

I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been working on this afghan.  It seems like months.  All those hours have paid off, though.  Today I finished the last row of the body and started the border.  The end of this project is near, and I couldn’t be happier.