I’ll admit it. I’m NOTORIOUSLY bad about guestimating the yardage for a crochet blanket. I get burned: EVERY TIME.

Back around Christmas, spouse and I were at Ollie’s (a discount liquidator) just wasting time together while the kids were at school. The week’s flyer stated there was Bernat Blanket Yarns for $5 a ball: that’s a good price! I was curious so I found the world’s tiniest display stand full of yarn. I got 6 balls of the Bernat Blanket (which was actually NOT enough for what I had planned and I had to modify my pattern so it would be a serviceable size). They also had the prettiest shade of Caron Skinny Cakes, a discountinued color called Tarte Tatin. Also for $5 each, I got 2. Two.

Now, IF I made the crochet scarf I had intended, this would be fine. We would all be admiring my pretty wheat ear stitch stole and patting my cleverness on the back. I had 1590 yards.

A few weeks ago, I needed a new project. I haven’t crocheted a blanket in a few months: lets have a go. So I chained a HUGE number (215!!), then did a row of SC (American style) before moving onto the V-stitch. It will come a surprise to NO ONE when I ran out of yarn 28″ in.

Dilemma.

I searched the internet for MORE of the yarn. Its a discontinued color I purchased at a discount liquidator. I wasn’t going to get a good deal. But I REFUSED to pay MORE than the full retail price. I found a seller on EBay and ordered 2 more cakes- with shipping and tax, its about full retail price. But HONESTLY, I had already decided I wanted this blanket to be HUGE. Four was not going to be enough. 3180 yards.

I did what any reasonable person would do. I looked at some contrast colors. I need an acrylic DK. I can’t just walk into my local big box craft store, NO NO NO. I haunted the WEBS sale “bin” online instead. I guessed at a color (Merlot) and said, “Sure, 7 balls at 273 yards each should surely be enough to make an appropriately sized blanket. I acquired an additional 1911 yards.

My blanket is no longer a value. Had I purchased 6 balls in a go, this project would have been about HALF the cost, including tax. Instead this “great value” turned into a money pit. At least it’ll be pretty. And HUGE, really, really HUGE. Approximately 66″ wide and (I’m just spit-balling here) +/- 84″ tall.

And there is the tale of the crochet blanket I’m working on now. I expect to finish it sometime in October.