Stash Knitted Patchwork Blanket

I love making blankets and joined a knitted square swap. We knitted squares that were 8inch x 8inch and had a different partner each month to send them to. We knitted two squares one for your partner and one for yourself, then when you have enough squares your sew them together. People from all over the world were joining in from Europe, Australia, America and in the United Kingdom. Postage cost was getting expensive though and I gave up as I could not afford to keep sending them.
 I got some lovely knitted squares and loved them all the only problem was I got 6 inches square, 7inches square, 7 x8 inch, 8 inches square, 8x9 inches and some almost 10inches square.
 I had started to sort out the various sizes and thought I would make several blankets and simply knit squares to add to those I had already.
Then I decided why not make a patchwork blanket using all the odd sized squares I had. Question was how was I going to make them all fit together? Then I found this and the problem was solved. How to join Modular squares

So I gathered together my squares and started to add on so they were the same size.  Picking up stitches and doing a simple garter stitch worked well. I used various colours rather than trying to match the colour of the square I was adding on to. This made them all different and gives the blanket a real patchwork effect. I used a Baseball stitch to join the squares together and Mattress stitch for joining the long strips, both are shown in the link above How to join Modular squares.

The first strip looked great but then I started on the second strip and offered it up to the first, I did not like the effect at all. So now I had a new problem how to make them look effective.
Then it struck me make a strip with smaller squares then add the strip with the larger squares.

Result

This is the blanket folded in half, well to be accurate it is only part of the blanket as it will eventually fit a double bed.

This is the other side of the blanket if you know what I mean.
I will work on making the small square strip next and add this to the right hand  side and then add the larger squares again.

In November we have a new theme in the Knit it up team on Spark people. Holiday Stash Busting so I will continue with the blanket and knit squares that have Halloween and Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas themes to add to the mix. I have found various dishcloth patterns that I can use and it does not matter if they are odd sizes as I can add on to make them fit.
So lots of stash will be used up and the end result should be a very bright and colourful blanket that is totally unique.
I will add a border to it as well may be a knitted border or I may go with a crochet one it will depend on what I think will look best in the end.
So from a lot of odd sized squares I will have a Patchwork blanket from friends around the globe as well as lots of squares that I have made as well.

Blankets I finished off

I had a couple of things that needed to be finished off so I got stuck in to them and finished them off.

I had made this but not added the crochet border I went with Pink shells.

This blanket also needed the edging doing so whilst I was using the pink I did a shell border on this as well

This blanket was on my needles before all the upset so I set too and got it finished. This one is a little different. I have added a link to the pattern I used.
Simple Lines

I chose to make the first on called Squares it is so easy to do and the result is a soft blanket that has a Moss Stitch border and the squares are small so it works well for preemie babies to full term.

These will be given to the Neonatal unit soon as I want to make some more Angel pockets for them as they have asked for more to be made with Blue, Pink, Lemon and Peach borders. I have all these colours thanks to my friend Diana who sent me some lovely yarn.
So a big  

without you I could not have made these things. So I have plenty to keep me busy during October.

November will see me Stash busting again as there is a Challenge on one of my Sparkpeople teams for Stash busting for the Holidays so I will be working on a knitted patchwork blanket.
More on this later as I want to get on with making the Angel Pockets this month.

Getting back to knitting

Things have happened here that has taken its toll on me and as a result I have not been knitting.
My son who is 35 has decided to rake up the past and blame me for everything that went wrong with his Father and the fact that there were no Christmas's etc in the home. I was at the time married to a violent, abusive, control freak and was literally in fear of my life.
Well eventually I got divorced and lets say things went from bad to worse. It all ended with my eldest daughter being involved with crime and drugs and me refusing to lie for her in Court, my son left home saying I was out of order and my youngest deciding to follow the same path and taken into care at 14. With their Father causing trouble and my eldest daughter's friends making trouble I left the area.
I did eventually move back as my son was in contact with me and everything had calmed down.
Now I am being accused of being a bad mother and abandoning them.

Why all this now? He has a son of his own and has said that he would never do what I did as it was un-natural not to back up your own child no matter what they do.
I won't go into what he said but it really cut deep.I was so upset that it brought back all the memories and old feelings that I had  dealt with through a therapist. I am not going to made to feel guilty about the past I did what I could at the time and eventually my son will see that.
No one knows the pain I went through back then and what it has done to bring all this back up again.
 I am letting it alone and getting on with my life as dwelling on it is going to do nothing except make me depressed.

I left my son saying I loved him and always will.
I have lost all the children now and all the Grandchildren and it hurts so much that I could not do anything for a while but I am picking up the pieces and working through this again.

So I will be knitting again and posting what I make, you never know what is around the corner but I do know this I will bounce back and I will make things for others no matter what.