It all started with this picture that came up on my social media feed back in January of 2015:
I LOVED how it looked like a sewn quilt, but was actually crocheted. I did some research and I think the pattern was called Grandmother’s Flower Garden… At that time, I was looking for a project that was portable with the potential to be connected into something bigger. Also, our down comforter seemed to be losing some of its warmth, so the thought of making something functional AND pretty was intriguing.đ§ś
I decided to create my own pattern since I wasn’t finding what I wanted as I searched. We found some hexagon graph paper, and Mike helped me map it out.đ¤
After researching all about different fibers, we decided to use wool.đ
And even though I knew the cost to make it would be higher, I really wanted to use yarn from a smaller company. I was excited when I learned about Brown Sheep Yarn, and that a small, local yarn shop had it in stock.đ§ś
In October of 2015, we started acquiring skeins. (I could crochet 21 hexagons from each skein.) Each one was $8, so we just purchased them for the flower petals as we had the funds. We waited until we had a larger chunk saved up to purchase all the yellow at once. A benefit to this kind of patchwork project is that dye lots are really not that important. Any slight color variations wouldn’t really be noticed. We also did not assign flower colors on our graphed pattern until after I had most of the flowers done. I had no color preferences for the flower petals going into the project, but I wanted the middle of each flower to be the same yellow. I wanted the flowers to be random. (In reality, it is more like planned random, lol.đ) I wanted there to be enough flower colors that when I laid them all out, I wouldn’t have two of the same color next to one another.đ¸
Next, I found a hexagon pattern I liked. I didn’t want something that used a ton of yarn (like the one in the original picture), or that was complicated to make. The one I settled on only had 3 rounds, and I could complete one in under 8 minutes. It was perfect.đđź (I used a size “F” hook.)
Click here for the link to its pattern.
In September of 2018, it was nearing the time we’d need to make the biggest purchase – all the green. We learned of an online warehouse inventory sale that Little Knits was having for Brown Sheep Nature Spun yarn, so we investigated the price for the 30 skeins. To our amazement, each one would only be $2.65!! We did a quick inventory of how many other colors we needed to complete the remaining flowers, and placed an order for what we needed. It was so exciting to actually have all the supplies here to complete the project!â¤ď¸
It took 16 months from that point to finish those remaining flowers, all the green hexagons, and then connect everything.đđź
When this project started, our boys were in their junior year of high school.đŻ I crocheted as we watched their final two years of baseball gamesâžď¸, it’s been my travel companion in the car wherever we’ve driven for the past four yearsđ, and it was in my hands during many evenings of the colder Ohio seasonsâď¸. Many prayers, tears, laughs, and even irritations have all gone with this project. I’ve learned much about my creative abilities AND its limitations, lol. Creating the hexagons and flowers was easy. Making the flowers was easy. Connecting it ALL together was NOT. Ugh.đ¤Śđťââď¸ Once the connecting got to the point of long, heavier strips of blanket, it was easy for me to get lost where I was on my pattern. Straight lines became “bendy,” and well…I often didn’t know which end was up!đł I’ll just say I’m very grateful the Lord gave me Mike to double check my work and help dig me out of messes.đ I became an expert on how to disconnect hexagons without ruining them.đ <For those who are not familiar with crochet – one wrong snip of the yarn and the entire hexagon could unravel.đŹ>
I’ll end with the funniest mistake I made the day before completion. I was down to my final group of flowers to connect to unite the two sides of my blanket. <In hindsight, with my connecting-challenged abilities, I SHOULD have just worked from left to right.> Mike helped me line up the first flower, and went to bed. Some time between picking up both sides of the blankets and getting situated on my chair to crochet it, I must have moved the flower’s position to the wrong set of green hexagons. AND I NEVER DOUBLE CHECKED ANYTHING UNTIL I WAS DONE. I had decided I was going to stay up as late as it took since the end was so close… So at 12:30am, everything was connected, all my ends were tucked in, and I was ready to lay it out and admire its beauty…đ
Ugh. I couldn’t believe it.đŤđ
Needless-to-say, it was NOT finished that day.𤪠I spent Sunday afternoon, evening, and late night disconnecting the entire strip, fixing all my ends, and re-attaching to the correct location.đđźđđźđđź
Last night was the first night we had it on our bed. LOVED IT! It was toasty warm and didn’t slide off the down comforter like other blankets have.â¤ď¸ Now I’ll be on the lookout for a bed-skirt when we hit the estate sales. I think that would be a nice finishing touch.đ
I’m excited to crochet some new projects now – but I think it will be awhile before I do another BIG one, lol.đ
Might as well end with my nerdy detailsđ:
53 full flowers and 14 half flowers
Grand total of 875 hexagons.
875 x 7.75 minutes each = 113 hours in crocheting hexagons, and no idea how many hours in connecting everything…đ¤ˇđťââď¸đ
Thank You, Lord, for giving me the ability to crochet. What a fun activity to keep my hands from being idle! I’ll always treasure the time that was invested in this blanket. Thank You for giving me Your Word to meditate on, personal circumstances to talk to You about in prayer, conversations I was able to have with others as I worked on it, and for the activities I was able to watch while crocheting. May the warmth of Your love be felt by each person who is wrapped up in it, for however long it lasts. Amen
After that, I ran cold water over them and started by peeling skin off with a knife but ended with just using my hands and rubbing the skin off. Came off SO easy!đđź
Had about 50 grams more than the one pound of sweet potatoes the recipe called for, but decided to just use it all.
Mixed above well, and then added the rest of the ingredients:
Baked it for about 1 hour and 5 minutes at 350°.
And here you can really see the purple vs. blue color next to this blue lid…đ
Tasted great and was fun to celebrate Mom’s birthday with this pie!â¤ď¸
Thank You, Lord, for the gifts of family, friends, harvests, sharing, and celebrations. You weave everything together in amazing ways…Amenâ¤ď¸
This cute kittie just showed up and wanted some attention. Made Andy smile as it reminded him of one of the cats he had growing up…đť
This outdoor orchestra shell holds many memories… Andy’s dad was a conductor/teacher and very passionate about music. It is in really good condition, and looks like it is still used today.đś
Next stop was to 
Of course you take a picture of random ducks swimming under the mill, lol…đŚ
I was trying to take a picture of the water below, but the sun/shadows were making it a challenge. Then I realized how cool the shadow was of Mike & I. So we just had fun with shadow pictures, lol! Love this man!đ
Pictures like this are necessary when you are terrified of mice (all rodentsđŹđ), so that your sons can make fun of you upon return…đ
No idea why there’s a covered wagon inside the mill, lol. Appeased Mike by climbing up for a pic!đ
Next stop was at the 
Here’s a cute, hand-painted mixer they had on display for the holidays.đ
A fun mixer we knew our patriotic son would love… đşđ¸â¤ď¸
And our last stop of that area was for lunch at 
The outside of the building was a bit unique.đŽ
Wondering what all the speckles are???? CHEWED UP PIECES OF GUM!!!đˇđ¤˘
The scenery for most of the drive was pretty repetitive: lots of flat land, grain farms, and windmill farms….
Spent the night in Hannibal, MO. Plan for the next morning was to visit the Lock and Dam No. 22 (on the Mississippi River) in Saverton a few miles south of our hotel. Read there was an observation area to see bald eagles, so we brought our binoculars to check things out. WELL, we found the area, but not any public viewing area. (And we didn’t want to spend any more time searching.) There was restricted/gated area for employees, and this funny sign. Took that as our “sign” we would just move on!đ
Stopped at an antique mall in St. Joseph, MO to stretch our legs and grab lunch. Mike found some treasures from his favorite actor that were a bit out of our price range, lol, so we took pics instead, lol…đ
And finally – we made it to Lincoln, NE! What a joy to see our family and capture some moments on “film”. â¤ď¸
Had fun showing them some of our pics from home…đˇ
With the twins having such light hair, they match well with Mike & Ben, lol!â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Sawyer especially loved looking at Uncle Mike’s pics from the farm and of his cousins back in Ohio.âşď¸
Mike’s sister flew in from Mississippi to join in on the fun, too…â¤ď¸
Feeding moving targets is quite the challenge, but Grandma was up for it!đđź (Probably didn’t help that Aunt Dawn was distracting with picture taking, lol…đ)
Stayed in a 3 bedroom basement of an airb&b home while we were in Lincoln. Overall, a good experience (and definitely cost effective), but not without some drama/laughs. Had to get aggressive with an unwanted-banana-eating kitchen “visitor”…đđđŁ
And learned our bed was held up by a lone stilt…đ´đŻđ¤Ł
But it did get upgraded to 4 stilts the next day.đđđź
Did some shopping and ate lunch at Noodles with my sisters…đ
Ben took Mike, Dad, & Sawyer for a drive in the country. They stopped at the Haymaker District so Sawyer could show Uncle Mike a BIG train…đ
Celebrated Christmas on Saturday, so lots of laughs, games, eating, and snuggles!đđâ¤ď¸
After worship and a 
And ended the day with celebrating the twins’ first birthday. First was a big family meal at 
The Grandpas: 
Ended the day with presents, cake, and BATHS…đđđ 
The trip back home…đ We were on the road early since Aunt Jenny had to leave before 5 to get to the airport. Always love catching the sunrise!đ
Got to cross the Mississippi River in daylight this time…đđź
Stopped for lunch in Springfield, IL. Looked for something non-mainstream-chain and found 
Passed by a Nestle plant, and snapped a pic…because it’s not everyday you see a giant Bugs Bunny on the side of the highway, lol…đ
Spent the night in Decatur, IN. That left us with just a 4 hour drive to get home on Tuesday. Thought about driving straight through, but decided we’d rather not arrive home completely exhausted. These bodies enjoyed the break, and felt refreshed for the final leg…đŞđź
Mike and I LOVE finding small-town coffee shops. Both to support local small businesses and because we love coffee…âď¸â¤ď¸
My favorite part were the loyalty mugs! My mug would be here if this was in my neighborhood – just sayin’…đ
Kinda fun to see the line of lake effect snow ahead of you while you watch the radar on your phone…âď¸
And our final stop before home was at Bob Evans outside of Mansfield.đłđĽ
Thank You, Lord, for giving us this opportunity to travel with Mom & Dad to see our family in Nebraska. We are grateful for the clear path You set out before us, and for how You equipped our sons to take care of the farm around their work schedules at home. Though our family members are spread all around the country, You unite us through modern technology; but boy is it a blessing when face-to-face moments arise! Continue to grow each one of us closer to You with every step we take. In Your Name, I pray. Amenđđź
Roberts' Farm Blog 