After completing a large, lacy, knitting project that took 3 months of consistently working on it, I needed a break from my go to DIY and thought it would be a good time to learn a new craft. After falling down a rabbit hole of possible projects to start, I came upon the Scheepjes Crochet-Along 2020 project “d’Histoire Naturelle” created by Christina Hadderingh from the A Spoonful of Yarn blog. The pictures of the finished blanket were phenomenal, and after some research into the skill level needed, I decided to take the plunge on this piece. The kit of yarn was pricey, but it was completely worth it in my opinion. Plus this kit included a reading schedule for Anthony Doerr’s novel All the Light We Cannot See, with each set of crochet instructions taking you through a different part of the museum.

The very center represents a botanical garden, surrounded by a hedge maze. This is followed by the Entomology section with bees and butterflies. I’ve been knitting since I was 13-years-old, and always felt like crocheting was more difficult. I was amazed at the versatility of shapes that can be made in crochet. The center medallion of this blanket starts as a circle, morphs into a square, then to an octagon, all based on the varying heights of the stitches being made. Mind = blown.

Followed by the butterflies and bees is a garden represented by the circle of leaves, then a Mineralogy lacy bit with embedded geodes.

The next bit is a greenhouse with elephants at the entry, which is described in Doerr’s novel as filled with a display of giraffes, elephants, antelopes, and other creatures in the evolutionary cycle. The border of the blanket represents the Anthropology section of the museum, with the various shell shapes, bulbous white stitches, and chevron border bringing fossils and skeletons to mind.

The kit was designed for “adventurous beginners and experienced crocheters,” of which I’m definitely the former. With the follow along videos for each bit of this blanket, as well as redoing a few rows that didn’t turn out how they should have, I think the final product turned out great and I’ve leveled up to an experienced crocheter! Here is the finished product: