Yesterday I photographed a project I began last winter (I literally was pulling out the wool in my apartment... that wasn't just a catchy title folks!).   Like so many other folks, my crafts over the next month are going to be mostly for holiday gifting, but this afghan is going to get some serious attention when I'm done!

 I took pictures of the backs and fronts of some of the squares and used the handy mosiac maker on Flickr (FD's Flickr Toys)... oooh I love it.  Such a simple idea; get a million balls of Manos del Uruguay, and knit up each ball in a different stitch pattern.  I've seen other afghans like this online; I think Manos even has a published pattern for one.  (Oh wait! Quick check on Ravelry - yes indeed! They do! I heart Ravelry.)  For this one, I've just busted out the Barbara Walkers and am trying any knit/purl stitch or twisted stitch pattern that strikes my fancy.

The pictures above are of both the backs and the fronts of the squares so far, and were randomly ordered.  I just love those colors!  There are actually two very different blues - a deep teal and a brighter turquoise.  They photographed very similarly yesterday (which is why it looks like mostly the same blue above).  You can see inklings of each blue in the yarn ball below - I've reserved four balls of that colorway (my favorite Manos ever... ever!) for the border.  Or, possibly, borders... I'm not sure yet whether I'm going to make one big giant blanket or two smaller-but-still-cozy lap blankets.  I kind of feel like either way I can't go wrong... I love the idea of one big giant blanket for our bed, but then again, having our own lap blankets would be cozy, too. 

Sometimes it's just nice to pull out a project I haven't seen in a while... and still like it!  That does not always happen to me.  I'm not sure if this blanket (these blankets?) will be finished this winter, either.  I have many, many balls of Manos to knit up.  I just want to savor this seriously long-term project!