I’m constantly crocheting, but my family have very little to show for it, and you wouldn’t know it to look at our home!
So this year, I’m trying to make a blanket for each of my children. The aim is to have all three ready for Christmas 2014, but even that might be a stretch!
Here’s the start of No 1 Child’s blanket, a classic ‘granny’ style in earthy colours:
I’m working a random pattern of the colours – sometimes one row deep, sometimes two rows – which is fun for me, as I’m not naturally comfortable with random and will usually try to make things regular and symmetrical if at all possible! I have got the colours completely planned though, so I know the finished blanket will be well balanced – I’m not making it up as I go along, that would be a step too far for me!
I had started another pattern, but you know when no matter how much you try to convince yourself you like something, because it’s unusual or clever or suitable, but when it comes down to it, you just don’t? Well, that was the case with this false start:
I think it was just too fussy, and too sort of dense. And also the scale was wrong – perhaps it would have worked for a pram or cot blanket size, but not for a full-size single bed blanket, which is what I’m aiming for with each of these. Sometimes simple is better, and I’m very happy now with the oldie-but-goldie ‘granny’ style.
No 3 Child’s blanket is a ripple pattern, and will be mainly in shades of green, with a nude and teal for variety:
To be honest I’m not overly happy with these colours or the yarn itself but it’s a question of using what I have available already, can source locally, and can afford. I think it will look better when the colours start to repeat, too.
My Little Conkers customers receive only the very best quality yarns, never acrylic and mainly organic too, so I’m quite spoiled in terms of what I usually crochet with. For my own family alas this isn’t affordable (certainly not for things the size of these blankets!)
I haven’t started No 2 Child’s blanket yet – I’ll have to wait till my birthday to get some more yarn! It’s going to be in shades of blue and hopefully a bit brighter.
Working on these blankets a row here and there is a pleasure for me, not least because they involve no counting! Normally I’ve got numbers for row, repeat and stitch in my head all the time I’m crocheting! And it’s nice to work on something really big with no frequent stopping to sew up, etc.
I’m starting to day-dream about having a proper big workbox on legs, or at least a bag to keep each project in again though, as they’re going to get unwieldy quite rapidly!
Update: See where I’m up to with these blankets on Ravelry!