Day 42: The Albatross, A History Of

Matt's mum, who is possibly the nicest lady in the world, saw me crocheting... a year and a half ago. I forget what I was making then, though we can all rest assured it was never finished. There was the adorable and terrible companion cube scarf, any number of half finished and lumpy hats.. who knows? My lack of follow through didn't bother Mum, though, and she asked me to make her a blanket. Something bright, she said. And a year and five months ago, I started working on this. Red and orange, in stripes of graduating sizes. I can't say I have worked it for all this time, and for months it sat in my room, its weight heavy around my neck. Now, I am a one and a half rows from finishing the main body, and then I just need to edge it. The end.

A made a few mistakes with this. I picked a crochet needle so small (a J) the blanket is kind of flat. It's not all that fluffy or comfy. I don't even known how it make a granny square, so there is nothing astounding about it. Just.. flat stitches. A smaller stitch would have taken even longer, but made it more like a sheet.. a bigger one would have made it cuddly and fluffy. I picked the maximum amount of stitches for the least amount of reward. Terrible. So much work for not too much. I am a bit embarrassed to give it to her... But at least it will be done, and I can work on giving her something better. On the plus side, it's a strong (and cheap) acrylic, so it'll at least get washed well and hard. So. It has that going for it.

On the more amazing and pathetic side, this blanket has gone across the country, from Connecticut to Denver, to LA, to San Fran, and back home.. Oh yes, and it's still not finished. But I am close. So close.