Crochet and the space-time continuum

I've gotten to *that* point with the ripple blanket. The bit where I keep plugging away at the rows but no matter how many I do, I still have only half a blanket. I've been here before. Every blanket I've ever made has involved a week or two of endless crochet and seemingly no growth.  Do knitters have this? Or is it just crochet which bends the laws of space and time in this way? Here's the ripple at the moment:

I'm on an enforced pause so that the universe can go about its business in its usual linear format because I have run out of yarn. I know. Sensible people buy all the yarn for a project at the beginning so that it's all the same dyelot etc. etc. I'm not too worried about the dyelot thing. I get four rows out of each 50g ball, so I don't have to join a colour mid way through and if one stripe fades a bit more or seems a shade different than another of the same colour, I don't think it will make much difference in this project.

Not buying all the yarn at the start though does leave you open to one particular problem: the green I am using is now discontinued. Because I started using the yarn from the stash, I have struggled to find more of it. Thankfully I found 10 balls on ebay. Phew!

While I wait for yarn to arrive, I'll be keeping myself busy sewing in all those ends. I hate sewing in ends.

The Ripple

I thought I'd share my progress on the ripple blanket. It seems to be going quite slowly, but I am quite pleased with how it's shaping up.

I want it to be bed-sized, so I've got a way to go yet.

I can't help thinking it looks quite good on the back of the sofa though...

It's going slowly because cat #2 has taken quite a shine to it and it's difficult to manage half a blanket, various balls of yarn and a (not very small) cat who's determined to sit on said blanket while I work.

Ooman! Why you no finish my blanky yet?

And I haven't forgotten that I promised to post the pattern for the bunting curtain ties. I will, soon, honest...

Name that NUNO

Remember my post about NUNOs? The unfinished projects which are Neither Use Nor Ornament? I may have found the NUNO of all NUNOs.  This:

I have no idea what it is, or what its intended purpose may have been.  It's just a square (probably 30x30cm) of starburst stitch.  It's also in need of blocking.

I do really want to do something with it, to give it purpose and (most importantly) not either frog it or put it back in the bag until later. So, dear readers, any suggestions?*


*Please don't say cushion cover - I have so may already....

Wippitty WIP: NUNOs

The Beloved thinks I'm blanket-obsessed. To be honest, I don't have a problem with this. As I see it, my biggest problem is having them hanging around half-made and as my mother would put it, 'Neither Use Nor Ornament'. A quick glance around the room tells me I have three such NUNOs. Oh dear! Maybe if I tell you about them, it will shame me into working on them a bit more.  Want to see them?

Well, there's the mutant blanket. I've already told you about this one, but it's not grown since my last post about it...

This yarn-eater has been on the go for a while (and on the shelf for even longer).

It's quite a heavy blanket already and being yarn-hungry, it's also time-hungry. It does have a gorgeous scrunchy feel to it, especially the flip side of it...

And despite already having two time- and yarn-hungry projects on the go, I thought it'd be a good idea to start a ripple blanket. I have no excuse. My only defence is that everyone else is making them and I was feeling a bit left out.

Goodness only knows how long that's going to take to finish. You can't really see it in the picture, but it's really quite wide.

As I get fours rows out of each ball, it's also pretty yarn-hungry.

I'm pretty sure that's all the blankets I have on the go. Needless to say, there are one or two other bits hanging around - the one-eared bunny, for instance, and the half-made highland cow, and the baubles in need of bells...

Am I alone in this, or do you also have a stack of NUNOs peeping out from carrier bags, cupboards and crates?  Do share!