This afghan pattern is what crocheters might call "a stash buster". My grandmother wrote "use up scraps!" at the top of the page on this pattern. She also writes that this is a "Colorful Summer Afghan", but my colors ended up making a colorful Autumnal afghan. As I worked on this project I found myself feeling overwhelmed and doubtful, and then foolish, as this is not a terribly complicated pattern. I worried that I would not have enough yarn to finish it, that my color sequence was all wrong. I started doing crazy lady crochet math, trying to work out my problems. I began to flip forward in the notebook and found a knitting pattern with Grandma's crafting math. It made me feel instantly better. I thought of how Grandma handled children's tantrums. She just let them happen. She had six children, and as we've been told, she raised them with a sense of humor and an acceptance that sometimes you have to abandon the illusion of control. If you don't you might miss out on the unexpected moments that make life delightful. I recalled stories of my uncle running away from certain punishment with Grandma giving chase. He ran straight for Grandma's bed, diving under the covers to hide, causing Grandma to laugh too much to follow through with the punishment. Then there is the story of my mother returning home late after a date with my father. Her brothers had locked the doors so that she could not get back in, so she climbed a ladder to get into her second story window. Grandma called out, "Rosa, are you in?" to which my mother responded, "halfway".
I let go of the worry, I relaxed and finished the blanket. I held it up and realized, this is beautiful in spite of all my frustrations as I made it. I might even make it again.
If you would like to make this afghan too,
click here to download a pdf of the pattern.
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