The Latest in Crochet

I made my first scarf of the year in a week or so. This one took three months. And now we're out of winter and headed for summer. Oh well, I finished it. This is the Granny Takes a Dip scarf in Red Heart soft navy and gold. Not ironically, these are the colors of my alma mater.

This scarf is part shawl, part scarf, and part blanket, which you can see in this progression of pictures:

And the finished product:

I sent this scarf to my best Arkansas friend who stills works at our school. We'll see how she uses it.

What would you do if you had a scarf this large? Please share in the comments section.

Afghan 53

I've been crocheting three rows a day, almost every day, since I started my new job. It's a self-care practice, a way to de-stress, time to listen to podcasts and get in "the flow." Completing crochet projects is also a reminder to me that life isn't perfect, that things can be beautiful even if flawed, and that sometimes finishing is all it takes.

Take for instance, the afghan below. The pattern confused me a bit and I improvised to make it work. The afghan turned out smaller than I would have liked. (I also omitted the fringe since I didn't think that would be good for a baby.) In all honestly, I'm a little bit embarrassed to show it, but here it is:

I pray that this afghan will bless some baby somewhere, even if it's just in the form of covering a baby carrier or being drug around as "blankie."

This pattern is another from my friend's great pattern compilation: The Southwest Afghan by Katherine Eng. I completed it using my favorite size J Boye ergonomic crochet hook (the only one I use anymore) and Red Heart soft navy yarn.