Surgery and a Blanket

I will be having surgery in a little less than two weeks, so I decided that it was time to start working on a blanket project since I will be laid up soon and will be captive to my crochet hook. I am using a wave pattern in three colors. Here is a photo of the inspiration blanket for my project:

Source

This is made from the same pattern by Attic24 that I am using and with the same colors (basically). I am using Brava premium acrylic worsted weight yarn from KnitPicks.com in Solstice Heather, Clarity and Alfalfa. I decided on acrylic because I need to be able to machine wash and dry this blanket since we live in the country and have animals. I have already started working on the blanket. I am making a full size afghan rather than a baby blanket which is pictured above. I hope to feel well enough after my surgery to make quite a bit of progress while I am off work.

My goal is to be able to use the blanket on our full-size couch with both of us being able to use it when sitting on opposite ends of the couch. I also think it should be large enough to throw on top of our queen-size bed for a little extra warmth. This is the biggest project I have undertaken since learning how to crochet. The pattern is simple now that I know what I am doing, it's merely a matter of making sure I don't get off track if I am distracted by the TV or something else.

Also on the agenda: teaching myself how to knit. More on that later.