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Wednesday, September 08, 2010

A Blanket for Peachy

Hi Knitters,
Do you remember Peachy's squares from a long time ago? Peachy loves to go to the knitting group with our neighbors which she has done for the last couple of years or more. Over these years she has knitted square after square at the knitting group but I know that she mainly goes for the cookies and hot chocolate and fun with her friends. I can relate to that.

I finally pulled out her squares and rectangles and oblong shapes again as I had promised her I would help pull them together into a blanket of sorts. The squares had been hiding in a bucket in my closet for many months. The shame.
Let me tell you that putting this blanket together wasn't an easy task. The squares had no real rhyme or reason and to get them to form into a blanket took some serious prep work and figuring out. I decided in order to get a little more consistency I would first add two rounds of single crochet around the edges of each square. This helped so much. I wove in all of the ends at this point as well.

After each square had the crochet edging in place I steamed, pulled and stretched it to form a square or really more of a rectangular shape. The squares became so neat and tidy and Peachy was beyond excited about all of the progress. She couldn't believe how good her knitting looked. She is so funny about it like there is no expectation at all. I set out all of the pieces on the kitchen table and I was pretty pleased to see that the funny little squares would actually form a blanket.

Next I set out crocheting the squares together using a slip stitch seam which made a fantastic little decorative ridge. I love the ridges. First I crocheted the horizontal seams together and then the vertical seams together.
Seam, seam, seaming..... You can see the horizontal slip stitch seams (the camera angle makes them look vertical here) and the open vertical seams.
Now I've got the seams finished and running both ways. Peachy used all sorts of yarn for her squares. There is wool, acrylic, blends of all sorts and even a little sparkly yarn thrown in. Some were yarns she picked up at the knitting group and some were from balls she picked out from home, various yarn shops locally and also from shops we visited while on vacation. Her squares tell many stories.
After all of the seams were complete I went on to add three rounds of single crochet around the entire outer edge. This made the blanket really come together.

By the way, crochet makes my hands hurt in the most awful way. I couldn't wait to put the hook down. I don't know what that is all about.
Peachy is thrilled with the outcome of her hard work. She has decided to keep her blanket and now has it proudly displayed on her bed. I don't blame her for keeping the blanket. It took her years to make all of those squares and I think it is sweet that she wants to hang onto her work. Peachy is not a passionate crafter but will join in on occasion and that is why this blanket seems like a monumental achievement for her.

Will she start another? That is yet to be determined.
best, susie

17 comments:

  1. I think Peachy did a great job! Way to go Peachy!!! I doubt she will ever get rid of it. It's a life long buddy now. :)

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  2. What an awesome feat! It must feel so good to own something that was made by one's self.

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  3. Super cute blanket! I love the way you made order out of sweet chaos. :-)

    As to your hands hurting, it might be the way you are holding your hook or the size hook was too small. :-( The end result really is cool though, so I hope you are all healed up.

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  4. Wow what a great accomplishment! I actually remember your earlier posts about her squares, so it's so fun to see the finished blanket! My hands get sore when I crochet a lot too...like the tendons on the top. I think I grip the hook too tightly!

    Sarah R.

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  5. Peachy's blanket has turned out beautiful. I loved reading about her knitting months ago. I had forgotten about the squares. What a pleasure to see her finished work. Mom, you did a great job connecting the dots.
    Lovely.

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  6. I'm so glad you posted this. I was actually wondering about it the other day. I remember the post a long time ago about the squares.

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  7. Hands hurting? Maybe because you have knitting muscles! Mine hurt from knitting! Haha! :)

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  8. What a treasure! Make sure that she knows how to wash it before it goes off to college with her in a few years!
    You did a beautiful job joining the squares in an artistic way! When I absolutely Have to crochet for finishing, I put a big cushy cover on the handle part. I try to avoid crocheting at all costs, however!

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  9. Wow, what a Peachy and what a mom! That's a power of knitting for a little 'un!

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  10. Wow, I love it - it looks great!

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  11. Ah, a mother's love!! So wonderful that you are able to showcase her hard work in this loving way! Cudos to you both!

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  12. Que linda te ha quedado la mantita, bien aprovechado los restitos de lana.
    Cariños,
    VERO

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  13. I love your blog, books and patterns! People always compliment and exclaim over the hats I make for my girls. I in turn tell them how wonderful you are and reccomend your books! Peachy will treasure that blanket and your help forever. By the way crochet is horrible on my hands too. It makes them feel old and arthritic when I'm only in my twenties! Thanks for all the fabulous patterns and tutorials!

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  14. I wonder if someday this blanket will be used by a child of Peachy's?

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  15. Your new animals are incredible. How do you do it every time? I want them all!!
    Your birthday photos of your son brought tears to my eyes...
    Carolknits

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