Grab 'em by the Balls!

Right after this photo was taken, I ripped out the top three rows. The blanket had become, well,  a clusterfuck.  But that's totally cool.  The confidence in my crocheting skills have grown 'cause of all the mistakes I've made, and understanding the why of 'em, and most important, how to fix 'em!

In this case, the afghan was starting to curl 'cause I was PMSing and lost all brain function. Plus, I included too many stitches when I added onto the scarf (if you're new here, I'm turning a scarf into a blanket with my magic wand-hook) and my clusters (bobbles, puffs and other fancy stuff) were too big. All this resulted in the yarn pulling, causing the blanket to curl and me to curl up in a corner crying. But then I remembered that it's totally cool.

Then I got a migraine and it took me three hours just to remember how to hold the yarn in my hand to start crocheting. Eventually, after countless Excedrins and cups of coffee, I figured out the correct number of  turning chains and eliminated an extra loop count on the clusters, which totally eased up the tension, both in the blanket and my head.

I want the rows of clusters to all face the right side (when you turn your work to start another row, it develops what's called a "wrong/back" and "right/front" side). If you click on the photo on top,  you may be able to tell how the bottom row of  pink clusters look puffy, yet the top row of pink clusters look flatter. I wanted 'em all to look as bloated as I felt. So that means having to finish a row, fasten off, and start a whole new row back at the beginning. And since I have way more patience than that asshole behind me who honks as soon as the light turns green, I have no problem doing this. 

Check out this video at the 5:00 mark for a simple visual explanation of how to start a brand new row (or skein) to an existing crochet piece. This is great if you want all (or select) rows to face the front side! Just  keep in mind how many turning chains are needed for the stitch you're crochetin'.

Now that that's squared away, it's time to get crackin' on this blanket! We had wintery weather the other day, the kind when you need to turn on a lamp at two o'clock in the afternoon and the light casts a comforting golden glow in the room. I sat on the bed and went through bags and baskets of yarn, choosing the colors for the Bollywood Blanket. I rolled 'em into balls and put 'em all together so all I have to do is grab 'em as I need 'em.

It kind of makes me wonder if I can get this one done by Christmas too...