Return of the Scrap Eating Blanket!

I've finished my Virus Blanket that I made of leftover fingering scraps.  It's just under 36 inches square, which is perfect for a lap blanket if you sit Criss Cross Applesauce (which I do).  The pattern is the Virus Blanket which is free.  The written pattern has a You Tube link in it and honestly I used them both.  The verbiage in the written directions was inconsistent and confusing (to my brain at least), so when I started the project I used the video to clarify things.  Once you get going, it's an easy pattern to memorize and you don't need the directions.  It's a great pattern and obviously perfect for using scraps.  It will work in any weight of yarn just by choosing the appropriately sized hook.

I went through my leftover, plied fingering weight and sock scraps and found some that would work for a fade and just started crocheting.  I used a 3.25mm hook and 1,531 yards of yarn to get this size.  The nice thing about this pattern is that you can keep going until your blanket is as big as you want or until you run out of yarn.  I crocheted each color until I had about six inches left, and then started the next color.  I didn't stress about where I was in the pattern because I figured the fade would deal with any color changes.  I'm happy with how that worked.  The only exception was the white I was using at the end.  I stopped after working a Round 4 even though I had a little bit of yarn left and switched to my edging color.  I worked a round of single crochet as an edging, decreasing in the V shaped dips of the pattern to keep the edge from flaring. 

This is the second scrap eating blanket I've made and I've pulled yarn and selected a pattern for a third one.  I can say that my bag of fingering weight leftovers is getting smaller!  I've decided that I like having a blanket going along with my other projects, so for the foreseeable future (or until I run out of yarn - like that's going to happen), I'll continue making them.

Have a great weekend!