12-Point Baby Blanket

Well folks, I’ve started yet another project. This one should go fast, though. I anticipate that I’ll have it done by the end of this month. I am using this pattern, but I’ve modified it slightly. Instead of doing two rounds of big shells and two rounds of small shells per repeat, I’m doing two rounds of big shells and one round of small shells. Many of the Ravelry users who have already completed this project say that the blanket lays better if a 2-to-1 ratio is used. I am not terribly experienced at crocheting, so we’ll see how this goes. I’m already confused about where the increases take place on the small shell rounds, if they do at all.

Originally I wanted to make the blanket in black, white, and varying shades of pink. Unfortunately, I could not find varying shades of pink at Michaels, and I had only $12 to spend. I ended up with one skein of Red Heart Soft in “Black,” two skeins of Vanna’s Choice Baby in “Pink Poodle,” and one skein each of Vanna’s Choice Baby in “Angel White” and “Sweet Pea.” The Red Heart Soft feels very nice, but the Vanna’s Choice Baby leaves much to be desired. I’m surprised that it feels so rough – being a baby yarn and all. I hope a run through the washer and dryer will soften it.

Here’s a picture of my progress as of a few days ago:

I didn’t realize until after crocheting this far that I chose watermelon colors.
I have a particular stripe sequence in mind, but I’m not sure how far I’ll get with the small amount of yarn I purchased. I will be switching back and forth between this and my Thermal. I have less than three inches to go on the body before splitting for the neck placket. That’s when things will get hairy. Yikes!

And now for a bit of sad news – I’m considering throwing away my Palindrome. Yes, you read that right. I would very much like to take what I’ve done, snip it from the skein, and throw it in the trash. I hate the way it looks, and I would be embarrassed to give it to anyone. Some of the cables are messed up, it’s fuzzy and worn looking, and I doubt it’ll be useful in actual winter weather. The yarn isn’t worth frogging. It’s already nasty looking, and it’s just Caron Simply Soft. I think I need to be honest with myself and frog all of the projects that I know I’ll never finish. I have some projects that have been hibernating for so long that I didn’t mention them in my list. Most of those need to go. And I should photograph the ones I can’t part with, so that I can put them on Ravelry and hold myself accountable.