Patchwork crochet blanket

Give the lady a beer.  It's done.  It took 13 hours to stitch the squares together and then add the border, so I was MIA this weekend.  My husband, as patient as he is, is pretty pleased to have his wife back.  When I tallied up the total amount of time it took to make this blanket, he said, "Now multiply that by the minimum wage".  Point taken.  But isn't crafting as a hobby more about the enjoyment rather than any monetary gain?

Anyway, I am really pleased with how the blanket turned out, it's exactly as I imagined it to look even with a couple of happy mistakes.  Two squares are out of sequence because I crocheted a flower using white yarn rather than red, but you would never know unless I told you.  I also stitched the squares with the right sides facing rather than the prescribed wrong sides together so the raised ridges are on the back of the blanket.  It just looks nicer to me to have a smooth seam on the front.

However, just to spoil my party, my aching shoulder was the annoying uninvited guest who just refused to leave and now my wrist has pulled up a chair next to it.  Crochet - hazardous to your health. I might have to learn to crochet using my left hand.  Or my elbow.

Here is the amended Krista throw pattern that was helpfully compiled by members of a crochet support group on Facebook.  I have asked permission to post a link to it.  I wish I had waited and worked from this updated guide instead of enduring weeks of working from mistake-riddled patterns. It is a massive file, be warned, but the instructions are clear, there are step-by-step photographs and it will make for a much better crochet experience.

Cost: nearly my marriage
Time taken: Four and a half weeks

Result: I love it and I double dare anybody to disagree.