When 80 Blankets Became 125

If you’ve been following along with my #80Blankets posts then you already know a piece of my story. In case this is our first meeting, let me share some of the blanket history.

My wedding was scheduled for December 2020. (“Was” being the key word in this sentence.) We planned to have our ceremony outdoors under a heated tent. As a little something extra to fight the cold I decided I wanted to hand out hand made blankets. (Sort of an apology for making everyone freeze.) I planned to make 80, which would mean 1 for every household of our 175 invited guests.

Well, things don’t always go as you plan them. After speaking with family and friends we realized a few things about December. Many of our guests were going to pass on traveling to Long Island (from California and several states in between) due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year. The idea of a second wave of the virus has everyone, including myself, acting with caution. Even if there is no second wave (can we say right now? So much uncertainty….) it will be flu season and I think extra precautions will be in place. With that in mind I began exploring some other options like live-streaming the ceremony and important moments for those family members that weren’t comfortable traveling in the wake of COVID-19 and a potential second wave.

As more time passed we decided we were happy to wait for a time when our friends and family felt more comfortable about attending our celebration. So we have a new date. One year from today, on June 12, 2021, we will have a wedding that looks much different from the one we originally planned. We moved away from the catering hall and stepped into more DIY territory, which excites my craft-loving self.

And so, my original 80 blankets have turned into 125. We won’t need blankets for warmth during the ceremony, but I will still give them as favors as guests leave the party. Why 125? We had to downsize the guest list a little and now each person will leave with a blanket! I have an extra 6 months to craft, so why not add another 45 blankets?! The act of making them is giving me much peace of mind and happiness during these few months.

I have discovered a favorite crochet stitch for blankets during this project. You can see it HERE: The Wavy Chevron. It’s perfect for all yarns and weights. Also, I really love, love, love Turnstyles and Stitchbird yarns. The colors of the yarn are amazing and make each blanket beautiful with a simple stitch.