Blanket love...

Do you remember way back in June when I decided that I really wanted to learn to crochet? It had kind of been one of those things that I'd been meaning to get round to having a go at for so long but never actually managed to. I did try to learn once years ago at Uni but it got the better of me before I could even produce a chain! Anyway I've had a longing for a granny blanket for a good few years now - I've looked in many many charity shops and scoured ebay but never found one I really liked. So there seemed to be nothing for it... I would just have to make my own!

I had great fun choosing my yarn colours...

Here they all are... all 15 of them... though I actually swapped the pale cloud blue for white in the end. On the recommendation of several lovely bloggers, I used Stylecraft Special DK yarn, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. I had bought a couple of cheapie balls too to practise with but discarded my first few squares with them in - the yarn quality wasn't nearly as nice and my OCD-ness wouldn't allow me to leave them in under any circumstances!

Anyway before I ramble on any further... would you like to see my finished masterpiece???

Ta-dah!!!! Here it is :)

Do you like it? I can't tell you how incredibly pleased I am to actually have made something out of crochet... and if I do say so myself, it is a pretty good first project! There was honestly a time I thought I would never be able to learn to crochet, especially without someone to show me how, but with perseverence and a LOT of You Tube video watching, I was away! 

I think it is such a great thing to acquire a new skill, and a new hobby all at once. Plus it's given me something to do in the evenings of these last couple of months instead of lurking on twitter and randomly looking on the laptop - I spend enough time as it is doing that! 

I've loved seeing the squares grow each day and I really am quite proud that I've managed to make something halfway decent. I love my snuggly colourful blanket!!!

In the end I made it 8 x 11 squares with 6 rounds per square, plus the stripy border. It's just the right size for me to snuggle under on the couch watching telly... and folded in half, it is a great lap blanket. Now we've actually got a kitchen table, I like to do all my laptop stuff on it, and sitting there in the morning doing emails etc with my cosy lamp on and my snuggly blanket is just lovely!

 

I couldn't tell you how long it's actually taken me to finish - I did start it back in June but then we were moving house and then I went away for a month so there was about a 2 month break in the middle. I've worked on it most evenings since I've been back though for an hour or two each night... Then last weekend, I got a stinky cold and it was all I could do to sit on the sofa all day working on my blanket (I was a little obsessed by this point being so near the end, I just wanted to finish - Think I did about 10 hours straight in the end - pretty good really considering how lousy I was feeling!) 

I really enjoyed doing the border after the boredom of the sewing together... striping up and down with no interuptions! Loved it so much in fact that I am now planning a granny stripe  blanket too (in fact I bought my yarn this morning so expect another yarn post in not too long!)

Anyway, so I hope you share my excitement and thanks for all your supportive comments on my progress over the last few months. Also thank you to these lovely ladies in particualar for their crochet blankety inspiration... Vanessa, Julia, Lucy and Jacquie - you have all inspired me no end with your lovely creations (plus your tutorials have been super helpful too!)

xxx