So, there's no better way than to hop right in.
Mostly, I make hats, scarves, gloves, and other such accessories that take maybe an hour or two, but currently I am working on this really, super awesome blanket that's totally customizable. For new and experienced knitters and crocheters (which I am somewhat surprised is actually a word ^^'), a great site to be a part of is Ravelry. It is a free site where you can find tons of free patterns for just about anything. I like simply browsing through it, seeing if anything strikes my interest. What's really great is that once you get a profile, you can search based on what gauge you want, types of yarn, and even the appropriate age range you want. This saves some serious time because you can start working instead of trying to convert between guages.Also, it helps keep you from finding something you love and then realizing you can't make it currently. Either way, great place to check out.
Anywho, I found the pattern for this blanket on Ravelry (hey look, I knew I talked about it for some reason!) published by Russ McAllister. He made an 8-bit granny square Mario blanket, which can be found here. Now, while I am a Mario fan, I am an even larger Legend of Zelda fan and I thought, "I wonder if I can make an 8-bit Link blanket...."
A few Google searches and bara-bing-bara-boom, I found a cross-stitch 8-bit Link pattern, which, believe it or not, actually made my life easier. Because the blanket is made up of individual granny squares, each about only 4-5 inches in size, you have to treat the final product as if it were a cross stitch. After further thinking, I also decided to find a pattern for the Hylian Shield. After I found these pattern, I made my life easier by basically transferring them into an excel spreadsheet, as can be seen below. Using McAllister's advice, I also totaled the amount of squares required for each color.
As you can see, the total number ends up being 270 squares per blanket, which sounds like a lot of work but actually goes really quick. Because the squares are small, there's a quick turn-around time, which actually helps me keep going. I am really bad at keeping up large projects because I always get bored of what I am doing and need to change. With this one, however, I am constantly starting and ending another square, which keeps adding pieces to the "puzzle" and which I can then cross off on the chart (a great way to keep track, btdubs).
This gets me to the real meaning behind this post: celebration! I decided to do the shield blanket first and so I have been switching between red, yellow and green (I mean, I still need variation while I work... :D). Aaaaaaand, I just finished the yellow squares! Woot! Now I get that someone's gonna be like: "Seriously, that was like 12 squares." I know, I know. shhhhhhhh. Don't spoil it for the rest of them (including me ^_^). For now, I will victory dance into the sunset!!!!
<(^^<) ^(^^)^ (>^^)> ^(^^)^ <(^^<) ^(^^)^ (>^^)> ^(^^)^ <(^^<) ^(^^)^ (>^^)> ^(^^)^ <(^^<)
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