Oh My Aching Hands!

Seems I've taken a much longer break from blogging than I anticipated!  Excuses abound but I won't bore you with those...despite not writing about it I have been very busy crafting.  (mostly crocheting and boy do I have the cramped hands to show for it!)  The rush to get gifts completed in time for Xmas really wore me out, most were completed in time but some took a little longer than I planned.  This blankie for Shorty, for example.  Good thing she was understanding about it and glad to receive it, even if it was a few days late.

I used a fantastic new technique I discovered, that is almost as easy as a basic granny square blanket once you get the hang of it.  I first came across it while attempting the Swaddle Me blanket found on Ravelry, and after a little searching found this awesome tutorial on how to make a corner to corner afghan.

Finished blanket is about 50"x50" and I used about three skeins of each color, great for destashing but of course, typical for my projects, I did have to buy an extra skein of the white Red Heart Super Saver.  I'm ok with it, since I consider that to be a staple yarn you must have on hand at all times!  Still counts towards eliminating yarn mountain, right?

Can't say enough about how much I love this pattern, it creates a really dense fabric and Shorty says it is very warm.  I'm working right now on a baby blanket using this technique for a friend expecting February 1st, using a bulky yarn this time and I just think its gorgeous!  Here's a close up!

I've had a look around and have an extreme amount of WIP's hiding in drawers and bags...I'm not much for the New Year's Resolutions but I have decided to try to keep a list and actually finish some of these poor abandoned projects this year.  Now if I could just stop starting new ones....