The Nemesis

In the beginning

It all started with an order of yarn in November...which arrived in February! Let's not dwell on that. The yarn arrived and I was hugely pregnant and hugely delusional as I thought I'd get the blanket made before the baby arrived. Originally it was intended for the said baby but when I saw the yarn I realised it wouldn't work with his nursery. "Hurrah" I secretly thought, a blanket all for me. Wah ha ha haaaaa I cackled as I wound the balls into, well, round pretty balls, just so I could take some pleasing blog pics. Ah come on, admit it, I'm not the only one! Own up, who else does this sort of thing, not necessarily with wool but other stuff?

I quickly abandoned the Circle Blanket as a) I'd not offset the circles in a brick laying fashion so it was too gappy and b) that damn yarn was hideous to hook. AbSoLuTeLy AwFuL. Cue quick rethink and readjustment of delusional mindset. This needed to be a quick blanket, an easy blanket, one I could do while I breast fed my baby. So I switched to the Vintage Stripe which would be sooooo easy and quick. Only, just like the breast feeding, it didn't go to plan.

I found the yarn too tricky, too splitty, too slow and I managed just 8 rows before Mini arrived.

I bagged it up for a while and felt I may have to give it away. I felt irrationally cross about it. All that waiting for the yarn, all that excitement and anticipation that only new yarn and a new project can incite. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

The bag containing the "Bloody Blanket" sat stuffed down the side of the sofa mocking me for weeks until my stubborn streak kicked in. Oh it kicked in a treat. The "Bloody Blanket" got re named "The Nemesis" and I took it everywhere. It was my nemesis to conquer. I figure it's quite a good idea to bestow the title of nemesis on to something one has a chance of beating. It's good for the soul to win a battle now and again. Even if that battle is in your own head.

The bag was removed from the side of the sofa and I took it everywhere with me. A few stitches completed here, a row there, then I ran out of pale pink yarn half way through a row ....................... ................... it grew slowly but surely...............

...Till one day it was FINISHED!!!!!!!!

TA DAH!!!

Phew!

...and I L♥VE it. 

I do! It's gorgeous. It's drapey and soft and pretty and warm. It even smells really really lovely and I've no idea why.

I learnt something along the way, the Rico Creative Cotton was only hard to hook with because I'd rolled it into balls. If I'd started with the end that was originally on the outside then it wouldn't have split so badly. Yes it would still have dragged but that was eased by using a smaller hook and making my tension slacker (bad grammar? ). Of course I only found this out when I had to order more of the pale pink yarn. I think I will buy Rico again but I'd not do a big project with it. The colours are too scrummy to get all uppity and start declaring an embargo.

The End.