Mario Brothers pixel blankets

Today is going to be a “how-to” post of sorts, but also a bit of bragging. A project that I started with in July, is finally finished (a little more than five months later): two pixel blankets that I crocheted for two brand new brothers that came into this world in September. Each of these blankets consists of 324 granny squares.

So since July, my house has been filled with little solid granny squares that I made my own blocking stations for. I got inspired from here. These little towers traveled throughout the house and even outside from time to time until they were finally finished. I finished the pixels one colour at a time and also only started joining when they were all finished.

Although the crocheting took ages, there is something very satisfying in being able to finish a little piece in a few minutes knowing that you are closer to the final product. I also sewed in the ends as a colour was finished.

I crocheted my blankets together using this tutorial. I however used a matching colour to the squares that I was busy with (so yes, more ends to be sewn in) but apparently, an invisible stitch is not so invisible when I try to do it.

These blankets came out quite big, so I would suggest that if you want to do a baby blanket, like these were supposed to be, to make the pixels one round smaller. Mine are three rounds.

Lessons learnt through this:

  1. My hobbies are definitely seasonal, I do not enjoy putting a blanket together in Summer time.
  2. Everything you attempt is made up of little parts, and every one of those parts need to be completed and maybe even put away for a while before you can finalise the bigger picture.
  3. You can learn anything on Pinterest.
  4. There are join as you go ideas on Youtube (I only saw this after all my blocks were done and it was too late then).
  5. As with anything, it is important to track your progress. I did a weekly “pixel audit” on a Saturday morning, to keep myself motivated.
  6. Everything made in my house always has some dog hair on it, it means that I really made it myself!