I intended to finish the kitten blanket before the winter arrived, but with one thing and another (namely ny own lack of interest in all things woolen over the summer months) I ended up with a bag full of squares, which do not quite have the same impact as a blanket. I thought it would be a relatively simple task to join them all together, right up until I opened the book and read the pattern again, when I realised that each of these little squares is supposed to have a nice border before they can be joined.

Now I realise that there will be those of you who will say ‘pattern schmattern’ and suggest that I could have just plunged on, joined the squares and finished the thing at Christmas. I’m afraid that’s just not possible for me – if I’m following a pattern then I’m following a pattern. Well, at least the first time I make something. Being a new crochet convert makes it seem all the more important that I follow it through, simply because I don’t have that innate sense of what would happen if I did or didn’t. When you can cook you can look at a recipe and mentally subtract an egg, or the rosemary, because your experience tells you what it can and can’t do without, and with this I simply don’t know what I’d get if I subtracted the egg, aside from a smaller blanket.  I’m sure I’ll get there with the wool thing, but for now I’m edging.

As part of my commitment to wool I bought this in the sale at Johnny L. It’s a silk/rayon/cotton mix and feels very soft to the touch. Mr J asked me what it was for. ‘It’ll be the next blanket,’ I said. He looked at the pile of squares, some edged, some not, looked back at me with his mouth open to ask the inevitable question, but then said ‘oh never mind’ and went back to his laptop.  Sensible fellow.

I bought this book for the next blanket, which has been on my wishlist for ages. I can see this keeping me happy for a good number of years to come, since I’m not feeling the need to branch out from making squares. Crochet is something I do to keep my hands busy while watching TV or listening to an audio book, so I’m not sure I’ll want to complicate it. When Helen said this week that working with wool is a craft that keeps itself to itself I knew exactly what she meant, since I too have been neglecting my sewing machine. Like all things I’m sure it’s temporary, and it probably has a lot to do with it being so cold and wanting to sit in front of the fire.