Labour of Love Blanket

Not for a second did I think that my throw-away comment on Instagram would be taken seriously, or replied to by so many people.

You see, I'd started this project waaaaaaaay back a billionty years ago, after a meeting with the Stylecraft gang up at headquarters, when they first unveiled their new yarn; Linen Drape. Oh how me and my fellow Blogstars ooooooed and ahhhhhhed over its lovely colours and of course, its, er, drapey-ness. Perfect for a so many projects, but I fancied a big granny square.

So I started it. 

And I enjoyed adding rounds here and there.

And then it got a bit lost in everything else I was doing and I realised that I just didn't have the time to complete it. So I mentioned this on IG and the comments started coming in ...

... and it wasn't just people admiring the colours (because they ARE gorgeous); there were a few people who genuinely wanted to finish it for me.

I chose Ruth from Labours of Love Crochet (find her Instagram account here) because I've spoken to her (in the social media sense - you know what I mean) several times, and she's always struck me as such a kind, thoughtful and genuine soul; just the person I could trust to do this for me. And that was it - I sent the blanket and yarn and after a few short weeks and messages about colour choices and bordering (I left these to her discretion), Ruth had finished it for me!

And it's PERFECT - honestly - you cannot tell where I started and she has finished (except for a sweet little stitch marker Ruth added) - our tension and stitch formation are exactly the same and her colour choices are gorgeous.

Ruth, here's a BIG THANK YOU from me (and all the free patterns from my shop you'll ever want).

And so, it seems only right that it be called:

The Labour of Love blanket

Here's all the pattern details for anyone who would like to make their own (and no, you may NOT ask Ruth to finish yours!):

You will need:

Stylecraft Linen Drape 1 x ball each of Natural (3901), Lime (3902), Wheat (3903), River (3904), Peacock (3905), Coral (3906), Sangria (3907), Cranberry (3908)

4.5mm hook

Finished size approx 95 x 95 cm (depending on tension)

Tension - using a 4.5mm hook, we made 9 rounds to fit 10 cm / 4 in

Pattern 
The blanket is made using a classic granny square pattern (see below). To prevent the square from twisting, we turned it over every round and worked in the opposite direction.

Make a standard granny square, changing colour every round in the following order:

Cranberry, Peacock, Lime, River, Natural, Lime, Sangria, Coral, Wheat, Cranberry, (10 rounds)
Peacock, Natural, Lime, Cranberry, Coral, Wheat, River, Natural, Peacock, Sangria, (20 rounds)
Coral, Lime, Wheat, Natural, Cranberry, River, Coral, Sangria, Lime, Natural, (30 rounds)
Peacock, Natural, Cranberry, River, Sangria, Coral, Lime, Natural, Sangria, River (40 rounds)
Cranberry, Wheat, Peacock (43 rounds)

Border
This is where you'll play yarn-chicken a bit, depending on tension. Ruth managed to make 8 rounds of linen stitch (pattern below). Make colour changes in the following order:

Sangria, Natural, River, Cranberry, Wheat, Coral, Peacock, Lime (8 rounds)
In Coral make a sl st in every stitch.

Beautiful border of simple, linen stitch

Granny Square Pattern UK Terms

Ch 4, join with a sl st to make a ring.

Rnd 1: 3ch (counts as first tr), all into ring: 2tr, 2ch, *3tr, 2ch; rep from * twice more, join with a sl st to top of 3ch. (12 tr, 8 ch)

Rnd 2: sl st across to 2ch-sp, (3ch [counts as 1tr throughout], 2tr, 2ch, 3tr) in same 2ch-sp, *(3tr, 2ch, 3tr) in next 2ch-sp; rep from * twice more, join with a sl st to top of 3ch. (24 tr, 12 ch)

Rnd 3: sl st across to 2ch-sp, (3ch, 2tr, 2ch, 3tr) in same 2ch-sp, *3tr between clusters, (3tr, 2ch, 3tr) in 2ch-sp; rep from * twice more, 3tr between clusters,, join with a sl st to top of 3ch. (36 tr, 16 ch)

Rnds 4 onwards: sl st across to 2ch-sp, (3ch, 2tr, 2ch, 3tr) in same 2ch-sp, *3tr between clusters to corner, (3tr, 2ch, 3tr) in 2ch-sp; rep from * twice more, 3tr between clusters to corner, join with a sl st to top of 3ch.

Border Pattern UK Terms: 

Rnd 1: In any 2ch-sp, *1dc, 1ch, sk 1 st; repeat from * to next 2ch-sp, (1dc, 2ch, 1dc) in 2ch-sp. Repeat from beginning of round 1 around square until final 2ch-sp, 1dc, 2ch, join to first dc with sl st.

Rnds 2 onwards: In any 2ch-sp, 1dc, *1ch, sk 1 st, 1dc in 1ch-sp; repeat from * to next 2ch-sp, (1dc, 2ch, 1dc) in 2ch-sp. Repeat from beginning of round 2 around square until final 2ch-sp, 1dc, 2ch, join to first dc with sl st.

Final round: In coral, make a sl st in every stitch around.

Granny Square Pattern US Terms

Ch 4, join with a sl st to make a ring.

Rnd 1: 3ch (counts as first dc), all into ring: 2dc, 2ch, *3dc, 2ch; rep from * twice more, join with a sl st to top of 3ch. (12 dc, 8 ch)

Rnd 2: sl st across to 2ch-sp, (3ch [counts as 1dc throughout], 2dc, 2ch, 3dc) in same 2ch-sp, *(3dc, 2ch, 3dc) in next 2ch-sp; rep from * twice more, join with a sl st to top of 3ch. (24 dc, 12 ch)

Rnd 3: sl st across to 2ch-sp, (3ch, 2dc, 2ch, 3dc) in same 2ch-sp, *3dc between clusters (3dc, 2ch, 3dc) in 2ch-sp; rep from * twice more, 3dc between clusters, join with a sl st to top of 3ch. (36 dc, 16 ch)

Rnds 4 onwards: sl st across to 2ch-sp, (3ch, 2dc, 2ch, 3dc) in same 2ch-sp, *3dc between clusters to corner, (3dc, 2ch, 3dc) in 2ch-sp; rep from * twice more, 3dc between clusters to corner, join with a sl st to top of 3ch.

Border Pattern US Terms: 

Rnd 1: In any 2ch-sp, *1sc, 1ch, sk 1 st; repeat from * to next 2ch-sp, (1sc, 2ch, 1sc) in 2ch-sp. Repeat from beginning of round 1 around square until final 2ch-sp, 1sc, 2ch, join to first sc with sl st.

Rnds 2 onwards: In any 2ch-sp, 1sc, *1ch, sk 1 st, 1sc in 1ch-sp; repeat from * to next 2ch-sp, (1sc, 2ch, 1sc) in 2ch-sp. Repeat from beginning of round 2 around square until final 2ch-sp, 1sc, 2ch, join to first sc with sl st.

Final round: In coral, make a sl st in every stitch around.

I do hope you enjoy making your own Labour of Love Blanket, Ruth and I certainly did!!

Sarah xx

The Enormous, Squishy Blanket

It's that time of year when scarves, gloves, boots and warm coats come out of hiding.

And inside the house, there's a need to find the winter duvets, hot water bottles and of course, the blankets.

Ah, yes. The blankets.

Regular readers will know that my success with blankets is very limited. I make a good start, but that's all it ever is - a start.
The problem for me is that I get bored, I lose interest.
And it goes into the WIP pile of stuff and never re-surfaces.

Until now.
You see, I've discovered that if you choose really big squishy yarn, you get a really big squishy blanket in no time at all.
And using this principle, I've already made 2 (yes, 2!!) blankets for my next book.

This is my 3rd:

 

Isn't it a beauty?  I found this yarn from B&M homestores, but you could use any yarn you like.

And you can make this any size you like, too. Simply adjust the number of chains in your foundation and alter the number of rows you complete.


Enormous, Squishy Blanket Pattern (US pattern below)
 Finished size : 140 x 180 cm

UK pattern:

Stitches used:
Chain = ch
Double crochet = dc
Half-treble crochet = htr
Treble crochet = tr
Skip stitch = sk st

I used 27 x 150g balls of Cable Knit super-chunky yarn and a 15mm hook. (4 x blue, 5 x cream, 9 x coral, 9 x grey)

Chain 69 (any odd number of stitches will work)
Row 1- 64: ch1, (1htr, 1tr) in 2nd stitch from hook, sk st, *(1dc, 1tr) in next st, sk st; repeat from *. 1dc in last st. Turn.
Fasten off, weave in ends.

Colour changes:
Rows 1-2: Cream
Rows 3-4: Blue
Rows 5-6: Cream
Rows 7-8: Blue
Rows 9-10: Cream
Rows 11-21: Coral
Rows 22-43: Grey
Rows 44-54: Coral
Rows 55-56: Cream
Rows 57-58: Blue
Rows 59-60: Cream
Rows 61-62: Blue
Rows 63-64: Cream

US pattern:

Stitches used:
Chain = ch
Single crochet = sc
Double crochet = dc
Half-double crochet = hdc
Skip stitch = sk st

I used 27 x 150g balls of Cable Knit super-chunky yarn and a 15mm hook. (4 x blue, 5 x cream, 9 x coral, 9 x grey)

Chain 69 (any odd number of stitches will work)

Row 1- 64: ch1, (1hdc, 1dc) in 2nd stitch from hook, sk st, *(1sc, 1dc) in next st, sk st; repeat from *. 1sc in last st. Turn.
Fasten off, weave in ends.


Colour changes:
Rows 1-2: Cream
Rows 3-4: Blue
Rows 5-6: Cream
Rows 7-8: Blue
Rows 9-10: Cream
Rows 11-21: Coral
Rows 22-43: Grey
Rows 44-54: Coral
Rows 55-56: Cream
Rows 57-58: Blue
Rows 59-60: Cream
Rows 61-62: Blue
Rows 63-64: Cream

The Mister despairs. Where on earth are all these big blankets going to live, he wonders?

I ignore him, of course and plan to make more ginormous blankets in every colour of the rainbow.

Enjoy your week!
Sarah xx   

The Very Lazy Ombré Blanket

I love a crocheted blanket.

Made with love and received with joy, they really are the loveliest gift for a friend/relative's new baby/ puppy/ house.

Number of blankets pinned/coveted/added to my 'must-make list'?

A bazillion.

Number of blankets actually made by me?

Two.

Yep. Two.

And both were projects for my books. One is actually still with the publisher for promotional stuff.

But I have great intentions.... You may remember I started the Crochet Mood Blanket; one motif a day throughout the year 2014:

Unfinished.

Or my 'Very Lazy Blanket':

Unfinished.

So without further ado, let me introduce you to my next unfinished blanket:

The Very Lazy Ombré Blanket:

Look, I haven't even joined the squares... good so far, eh?

This time, I used some great yarn I was sent by Woolly and Warmy to try. 

Again, I chose a yarn which changes colour so that I don't have to deal with all the ends. It's acrylic, so will wash and wear well and is cheap as chips, too. I've got 10 balls of 100g each, which I think will be plenty for a single bed-sized blanket for the boy. My idea is to make all the squares and then order them ombré stylee, from dark to light. I think I might join and border them with plain white, but I'll wait until I get to that stage to decide (don't hold your breath...)

To make the blanket warm, I wanted a solid-ish square motif and fancied a circle in the middle.

Here's the pattern: UK first, US below.

UK Terms

Papatya Batik in colour 10

4mm hook

At the beginning of each round, make a 3ch for your first treble. At the end of each round, join with a slip stitch to the top of your ch-3.

Round 1: 2ch, 10tr in 2nd ch from hook (10 sts)

Round 2: 2tr in each st around (20)

Round 3: 2tr in each st around (40)

Round 4: (2tr, 2ch, 2tr) in first st, *1tr, 2htr, 3dc, 2htr, 1tr, (2tr, 2ch, 2tr) in next st* repeat from * to * around.

Fasten off

US terms

Papatya Batik in colour 10

4mm hook

At the beginning of each round, make a 3ch for your first double crochet. At the end of each round, join with a slip stitch to the top of your ch-3.

Round 1: 2ch, 10dc in 2nd ch from hook (10 sts)

Round 2: 2dc in each st around (20)

Round 3: 2dc in each st around (40)

Round 4: (2dc, 2ch, 2dc) in first st, *1dc, 2hdc, 3sc, 2hdc, 1dc, (2dc, 2ch, 2dc) in next st* repeat from * to * around.

Fasten off

To join the squares, try double crocheting (US single crochet) them together.

The boy asked if his blanket would be ready for his birthday.

Oh, how I laughed....

Sarah x

The Very Lazy Blanket

You know me - I loves an easy project.

I wanted something colourful that I could work on without having to faff around with lots of balls of yarn and weaving in lots of ends. (And don't get me wrong - I have one of those projects in my WIP pile, but I just yearned for something a bit more portable.)

And so, may I present the Very Lazy Blanket....

...er, well it's more like a Very Lazy table-runner at the moment, but it has every intention of becoming a blanket one day. My original plan was to finish it, do a big 'tadaaah' post and then share the pattern, but I just haven't managed it... And as lots of you have been asking for the pattern, I just couldn't wait any longer.

What makes this a Very Lazy Blanket are two vital components:

1. Self-striping yarn

The yarn I found is this very lovely stuff from Ice Yarns. It's called Magic Light and is acrylic DK/ Worsted weight in 100g balls. It's soft to the touch and works up very nicely indeed. I found it cheapest to buy direct from the manufacturer in Turkey and ordered 12 balls, so that I've got plenty. I've found that you can make around 18 squares with one ball, with each motif measuring 10cms (4 inches) square.

2. Join as you go method.

I have a handy YouTube tutorial to show you how- just click on the YouTube tab at the top of the page and you'll find it.

The Very Lazy Blanket Pattern (UK terms)  - U.S. Below

Stitches used

Chain = ch

Slip stitch = sl st 

Treble crochet = tr

Half Treble Crochet = htr

Ice Yarn Magic Light in Green, Pink, Blue, Purple, Yellow

4.5 mm hook

Ch4, join with a sl st to make a ring.

Round 1: Ch3 (counts as tr here and throughout), 11tr in ring. Join with sl st to top of ch-3. 

Round 2: Ch3, 1tr in same space, ch1, (2tr, ch1 between each of the trebles from Rnd 1). Join with sl st to top of ch-3.

Round 3: Ch3, 2tr in same space, ch1, (3tr, ch1 in each ch1-space). Join with sl st to top of ch-3.

Round 4: Ch3, 2tr, ch2, 3tr in same space, ch1, (3htr, ch1 in next ch1-space twice), *(3tr, ch2, 3tr in next ch1-space), ch1, (3htr, ch1 in next ch1-space twice)* repeat from * to * three times. Join with sl st to top of ch-3. Sl st across into ch2-space.

Round 5: Join as you go (see YouTube tutorial above) Or - 

Ch3, 2tr, ch2, 3tr in same space, ch1, (3tr, ch1 in next ch1-space 3 times), *(3tr, ch2, 3tr in next ch1-space), ch1, (3tr, ch1 in next ch1-space 3 times) * repeat from * to * 3 times. Join with sl st to top of ch-3.

The Very Lazy Blanket Pattern (US terms)

Stitches used:

Chain = ch

Slip stitch = sl st 

Double crochet = dc

Half Double Crochet = hdc

Ice Yarn Magic Light in Green, Pink, Blue, Purple, Yellow

4.5 mm hook

Ch4, join with a sl st to make a ring.

Round 1: Ch3 (counts as dc here and throughout), 11dc in ring. Join with sl st to top of ch-3. 

Round 2: Ch3, 1dc in same space, ch1, (2dc, ch1 between each of the doubles from Rnd 1). Join with sl st to top of ch-3.

Round 3: Ch3, 2dc in same space, ch1, (3dc, ch1 in each ch1-space). Join with sl st to top of ch-3.

Round 4: Ch3, 2dc, ch2, 3dc in same space, ch1, (3hdc, ch1 in next ch1-space twice), *(3dc, ch2, 3dc in next ch1-space), ch1, (3hdc, ch1 in next ch1-space twice)* repeat from * to * three times. Join with sl st to top of ch-3. Sl st across into ch2-space.

Round 5: Join as you go (see YouTube tutorial above) Or - 

Ch3, 2dc, ch2, 3dc in same space, ch1, (3dc, ch1 in next ch1-space 3 times), *(3dc, ch2, 3dc in next ch1-space), ch1, (3dc, ch1 in next ch1-space 3 times) * repeat from * to * 3 times. Join with sl st to top of ch-3.

I hope you enjoy the pattern. And I'd love to see your completed blankets, too.

Have a great week,

Sarah x

The one where she starts a blanket ...

Yes, I know.

A blanket is so not me. They take too long and I am something of a crochet butterfly, flitting between quick projects with the greatest of ease.

Or so I thought..

Then I came across lots of people talking about their #crochetmoodblanket2014 on IG, started by Stacey at FroFunky.

The idea is simple, yet genius;

Choose a motif. You make 1 motif a day, choosing your colours as your mood takes you.

T'is all.

By the end of the year you will have a huuuuuuuge blanket. 

Even I can manage this in amongst all my other projects.

I decided on the African Flower Hexagons, following instructions from Yvestown's blog. Aren't they great?

Needless to say, I am a little behind- I have been working on a new pattern for the shop - but still, I am enjoying seeing this grow immensely.

I will keep you posted on my (hopefully impressive) progress throughout the project.

Here's a teaser: Fancy making a little mouse?

Coming up in my next post will be the link to another free pattern! Yay!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Sarah x