mending the Omama blanket

We have a naughty dog that likes to burrow under blankets. This unfortunately does not bode well for the peaceful co-existence of dog and precious blankets. One of my favourite blankets, the Omama blanket is also one of the most delicate blankets I have made. Coincidentally, it is also the first blanket I have ever completed, well before the time I had this blog. The photos above are from 2011, the year during which I worked on the blanket. Sam looks nothing like the teenager he is now! 

We always called my granny Omama. The blanket is made of granny squares, hence I called the blanket Omama blanket.

I used Noro Kureyon for this simple granny square blanket. You know by now that I have a bit of a soft spot for luxurious yarns, yes? Noro yarns are high up on my list of desirable yarns. Kureyon is pure wool and probably one of the least luxurious Noro yarns available. Most contain silk, or mohair or other scrumptious fibres. I have been hoarding this yarn for a long time and have been adding to the stash whenever I found some cheaply. Each square is made up of one ball of Noro Kureyon, 10 rounds. I used a basic granny square pattern you can find in so many places online and in crochet books that I won't explain here how to make one. 

Last winter I made the mistake of leaving the blanket in the living room, with puppy Jack. If you have used Noro Kureyon you'll know it is not a strong yarn, it is loosly spun and breaks easily. Not the best choice for a granny square blanket I shall admit but I was at the time infatuated with this yarn. This is what happened:

There were two ripped squares, unfortunately not next to each other. I shoved the blanket to the back of my wardrobe and ignored it for a long time. Every now and then I would remember it guiltily. Two weeks ago I decided it was time to get it out and fix the damage. I had to unravel the border and a large proportion of the joint squares to get to the two damaged ones. The damage was beyond my fix-it skills and I made replacement squares (because I still have some yarn left in my stash....). 

I then spent some time assembling the blanket to its former glory. I use a simple slip stitch to do that. For the assembly and the border, I used New Lanark Aran yarn from my stash, 'bramble' is the colour I think. I just love this yarn. It is made in New Lanark, which is very close to us. It is a really interesting place to visit if you are ever up here. The mill owner back in the 1900s was a bit of a innovator in that he offered his mill workers and their families unusually good working conditions, and ensured that all children were schooled. I made a two round border with American single crochet stitches.

I am happy to have my blanket back. It is just a shame I am not sitting in this armchair at the moment but at my desk at work. In my time management system, I have a project called 'general faffing', which is exactly what I am doing just now (most of the post was written last night, I only added one photo and this last paragraph today, in case you are wondering if I ever get any work done).

As always, thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. I do appreciate your visits and love to read every comment. There are moments when your comments are the kindest thing that happens to me. This morning for example my six year old called me a stupid pig because I asked him to put his pjs away before breakfast. There is some sort of name calling competition in our house at the moment I think. Alistair may well be in the lead....

Have a good week. Cxx