So Close to Finishing My Pumpkin Spice Throw Blanket

Right now, I'm feverishly making a pumpkin-spice throw blanket. I got this kit from Sirdar, who I actually love. They do a lot of these crochet-along projects throughout the year. If you order everything through them, you get a box with all the yarn you need and the pattern, and they break it down into about six or seven weeks' worth of work.

So each week you get a new portion of the pattern, and it's just really easy to follow along and not feel overwhelmed when they break it down that way.
sirdar.com

Three Days Left Before Fall Arrives

I'm so close to finishing this blanket that I should get up from writing this blog and go do it now! It's killing me. I've probably got about another three days' worth of work, is all.

I did fall a little behind on the pattern and the schedule that they were posting. Life just came up, and on certain evenings I couldn't sit down to crochet, but I'm super close to being done. My hope is to get it done in the next few days so I can display it all for the fall season.

Mushroom Leaf and Wheat Stitches Up Close

I think I finished most of the detailed borders on this blanket, but they turned out beautifully. In this picture, you can see that there's a border of mushroom stitches. There's a border that looks like leaf stitches, and then the top border actually looks like wheat. It's so fun for me to learn these stitches that actually end up looking like something else. I love these small details.

When you lay the blanket down or put it somewhere on display, people probably won't notice until they get really, really close to it. And I love pushing myself on these throw blankets to learn those new things.

Why I Would Size Down My Hook Next Time

For this particular pattern, my swatches are coming out slightly bigger than the pattern suggests. So, if I were to do this again, I would probably go down one hook size, if not two. It all just kind of depends on who designs these patterns and what their tension looks like. You never know if yours will match theirs exactly.

I'm not upset. Mine is just slightly, slightly bigger. I haven't run out of yarn or anything, but I probably could go a little smaller if I were to do it all over again.

The Missed Stitch That Cost Me Two Hours

Oh man, when you do these large throw blankets, you have to be so, so careful and precise as you're working. When I was doing the leaf border in particular, I probably got two or three rounds away and noticed I'd missed a whole stitch, which was throwing my count off. And that's just because I stopped counting one time. And sure enough, I wasn't accurate.

So I had to frog the entire thing. It was probably two and a half hours' worth of work to go back and fix that one stitch that I missed. Old me, inexperienced crochet me, probably wouldn't have gone back and done that. But I'm now at the point where I want to be as accurate and as detailed as I can. So I went back because I wanted it to be perfect.

Why I Finally Started Blocking My Blankets

As I started making these large throw blankets, one thing I've invested in is blocking squares. Again, when I was first learning, I didn't think blocking was important. I didn't want to take the time to do it. And I probably made a couple of blankets that way, and you can see it just doesn't fit together well. Some parts are scrunched up, some are stretched too thin.

I purchased blocking squares only about a year ago, and I make myself use them when making these throw blankets. It does slow down the process. You do need to give it 24 to 48 hours on those blocking squares, but it's so worth it in the end.

A Pocketed Cardigan for My Mother Is Next

Next up is a white cardigan that my mother has requested I make for her. I've got all the yarn purchased and the pattern found. She specifically wants one with pockets, which I've never made before, so wish me luck there.

I haven't started it because I really want to finish this fall blanket first, especially before fall comes and goes, so that I can display it this year. Next, I will move on to the cardigan.