Ah, finally - I’m done with the primary color on my Summer Baby Blanket.  Bound off.  Goodbye Pear, hello Birch.

bind-off-blanket

The appearance of Birch means it’s time to forge ahead to the questionably-gender-neutral-but-I-don’t-care-if-it’s-feminine crochet border.

I’m excited about the crochet bit.  I know I’ve mentioned this before.  Not that I’m thinking of switching teams or anything, because I think it’s fair to say I’m firmly rooted in Team Knit.

But.

Mom crocheted back in the day (she also went through a macramé phase in the early 80s, a fad that seemed to crash and burn as the cool thing to do shortly thereafter - at least in the hip happenings of the church craft circle).  She didn’t knit, so crochet is it in terms of my maternal influence in all things yarn.  Well, if you don’t count the little projects with snippets of yarn, Tacky Glue, and popsicle sticks, because that featured pretty heavily.

color-crochet1

I’ve never more than dabbled in the single-needle hookiness of crochet, and in the few times I’ve tried it, it’s weird how vividly it brings to mind the smooth, repetitive movement of my mother’s hand, from my child’s view.  Not that weird, I guess, considering that when you’re a kid that’s what you do - watch your mom’s every move - but it’s cool to remember something that seems unuseful for the brain to store. 

The only time I ever crocheted with the intention of actually making something was for a little blanket in my university colors.  It was made out of scratchy acrylic, because A) that’s what I could afford, and B) I don’t think I knew that anyone bought yarn if it didn’t come from Jo-Ann’s.  Not that there’s anything wrong with Jo-Ann’s.  I just didn’t know.  Did. not. know what awaited outside the world of Jo-Ann’s.

But I digress.  I don’t think I even finished that blanket, which is understandable, considering I probably wouldn’t have used it unless it was sandwiched in-between two things appreciably softer.  It certainly wasn’t complicated:  I’m pretty sure it was entirely comprised of double-crochet stitches.  In two colors, though - hot stuff.

pattern

I think the Summer Blanket border will be pretty, based on the nice smorgasbord of stitches that are charted out on the pattern.  That and the proud-as-punch picture from the pattern that says, “Check me out, I look so awesome all finished.”

In planning ahead (a few minutes ago) by looking at my handy-dandy Ravelry needle chart (which took me a year to fill out, but I did it), I can see that I don’t have the crochet hook I need.  Um, not surprising considering that the only hooks I have (for weaving in ends) I bought in a little convenience pack.  F, H, I, J and K. 

Mr. G is suspiciously missing, so I might have lost him.  Who knows. 

Maybe he’s just less popular than the other kids and doesn’t get picked for the convenience packs.

So in Japan, where my designer originally slapped this border on the blanket, their millimeter-based sizes don’t always jive with the US lettering system.  Of course they used a 2.5-mm hook, which is between a B and a C.  Neither of which I have; guess I’ll round up and make this sucker with a C, 2.75 mm.

Come on, LYS - don’t let me down when I come knocking. I don’t want to drive all over creation.  Stock those crochet hooks.

Maybe I’ll go nuts and buy another convenience pack that has the rest of the elusive crochet needles I’m missing.  Maybe even Mr. G.

 

UPDATE:  LYS did not hook me up with the C.  The smallest they had was D, so for $1.95 and half a millimeter difference, I paid the lady and hustled out of there, slightly embarrassed to be popping in solely for crochet purposes.  I’ll give it a shot.  Scratch the itch for tonight.

Oh, and I saw Mr. G Hook.  There were plenty of him in stock, darn it.  Nobody wants to take him home. Poor little bugger.