"Chose Your Own Adventure" Mixed Stripe Blanket

Ever start a project in one place and have it end up in completely another? And when it does, you look back at it and realize not only is it OK that way, but it is even better than planned?

That's sort of how this blanket for my dad came to be. Letting go of any preconceived idea or vision for it was so freeing that each time I sat down to work on it, it was like a new playful adventure of "Let's see where we end up tonight!"

When I started considering colors with my father in mind, I gravitated to red, white, and blue for the basis. Dad served in the U.S. Air Force for a number of years, and still frequently attends air shows with his friends to this day. So we have to go patriotic.*

James C. Hord, U.S.A.F., back in the day.

I decided to use grey to soften the bold red, white, and blue. And that worked also because these shades of blue and grey were the school colors of my dad's high school, which I also graduated from 30 years after he did. I briefly considered continuing to play with his school colors, but that would mean working in the "big orange" of the University of Tennessee College of Law, and that would have meant a very different blanket entirely!

Finally I tossed in a deep forest green and a bit of black for accent.

I started with the lovely Country Fields Lapghan by Red Heart yarns. My starting chain was 148, and so each row is 145 DC. I wanted it longer than the original pattern because I planned it to be a vertical-stripe lapghan.

I hung with the Country Fields Lagphan pattern for awhile (first 10 rows or so?), then decided to add more visual interest with some zig-zag rows. I referenced the instructions for the As-We-Go Stripey Blanket to incorporate the zig zags and then return to straight double crochet. From there I just kind of did . . . whatever I . . . felt like. How freeing! How fun!

Early in the process. Those ends, though!!

The yarn I selected is Red Heart With Love, which creates nice, warm, huggable blankets. It's a worsted weight acrylic that suggests a K hook, so it's slightly thicker than normal, but not chunky. I used a J hook to keep the stitches all tight and tidy. 

Well, thanks for coming with me on the adventure of my "Choose Your Own Adventure" mixed-stripe blanket!

I've always loved the look of the mixed stripes, but thought they might be too tricky. Nonsense! Break out your crochet hook and break out of your comfort zone. You'll love the results!

*Yes, the photos I took of the blanket are all staged with my Union Jack pillow (Anglophile that I am) because the colors corresponded so well. But believe me, when I planned it and worked on it, it was with the good 'ole U.S. of A. in mind.