RWC Blanket

This is a long story and excuse me if you get bored.

As you might remember I am making a blanket during the AWESOME Rugby World Cup.  Alright maybe not so AWESOME, both my countries England (birth country) and South Africa are out!

Each country has a colour and the plan was to make a square for each game and then sew them all up, well you get the picture.  But I didn't start out with that, hooked by the Neat Ripple pattern and the fact that there would be NO sewing up of squares I started this pattern

And all seemed well until I realised I was making so many mistakes and it was supposed to be a big blanket for a king sized bed and it wasn't growing at all quick enough.  I did alot more rows of this and eventually frogged it.  I know I was just as upset but I couldn't carry on.

Then I said to myself I'm going back to the squares, I can do them quickly and make them bigger.  So I grabbed my Harmony guide and chose this pattern

When I had finished all the squares, I announced to the Bank Manager, I seriously dislike this pattern.  I have since then gone back and read the pattern and wow another one I didn't read properly.  So with 80 squares made and sewn up and then I had gone around 5 times, I had a pile of ugly squares.  And mind you I am now running out of time, to get a king size blanket out.

Now I am lacking inspiration and to say the least it's seriously getting me down.  I am paging through the piles of magazines I have and see a square that looks super cute.

This square called for a 6mm hook but I didn't like the way it was so holey, so I went down, and then down again to a 4mm hook.  But in doing that the square turned out tiny.  I carried on and made a total of 24 in one day.  So quick and easy.  I layed them out on my bed and well they ran the length of the bed but didn't cover the width.  I worked it out that I would need nearly 240 squares for the size I want.  That was so not happening!

I am now totally overwhelmed with this blanket.  My Bank Manager and boys look at me and say make a pattern you know.  So I grab my 6mm hook and chain 353 and yes another Neat Ripple is born, but this one is oh so spectacular.  Firstly there are no mistakes, secondly the way the colours are working out using the games that have been played at the RWC is spectacular. 

I have done 4 rows for the winning country and 2 for the loosing country.  For the one and only draw that has taken place I will do 3 rows for each country. 

The only gripe I have is that it takes me around 20min to do one row!  I know insane right!  So I will not be finished this by the end of the RWC.

I have done more than the next picture shows however I have left this post too late and have no daylight.

Iam managing to do 6 rows a day, so one game.  But still not going to be finished by the 23rd.  You are going to see alot of this blanket because I have decided that until it's finished there will be no other projects being done!

I think I am going to have to make a LYS run as I have make so many other squares that the two balls of each colour I purchased is almost depleted and these rows being so long are chewing up the remaining meters I have.

One last thing, I have missed you all and am very happy to be blogging again.