The Year of the Blanket
About this time last year, I embarked on a project that I was not 100% sure of. I wanted to crochet a blanket by adding a few rounds each week and sharing them on this blog. I was rather nervous as I did not know whether I would be able to make to the end of the year (the scary number of WIPs in my project bag play on my mind). Not to mention that I didn’t know how big the final blanket would be, how much yarn I would need and whether I would like the end effect.
Well, I can now confirm that I made it to the end of the year and I have a very pretty blanket sitting on my sofa. I managed to add a few rounds each week and with the exception of one time I was punctual in publishing the part on a Sunday. The blanket measures approx. 170 cm square and annoyingly, I cannot remember how many balls of the lovely Caron Simply Soft that I used. Despite the fact that I had real trouble sourcing it during the spring. Due to a combination of Covid and Brexit my usual yarn shops were running low so you would think I would have paid attention to how much of it I was crocheting.
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I tried (and often failed) to connect the stitches with the season or events going on, but mainly I focussed on creating a colourful blanket with just four colours and creating interesting patterns using a variety to textured stitches which I felt suited the chunkiness of the yarn. I wanted to be adventurous and not just use simple stitches to go round and round. I think these ideas worked well for the blossom stitch and for the four corner squares, and maybe not so well for the change in shape from weeks 6 to 11, which has admittedly taken a lot of blocking to straighten out. But all in all I like how my blanket looks and I am glad I went on this adventure.
It has also been lovely to share it with you, dear crochet friends. I have enjoyed documenting my project week by week and also writing up the stitches used for those of you who want to follow along. I have absolutely loved seeing progress pics and the variety of colour combinations. At times, I struggled to get nice pictures, once the blanket was too big to fit in the light box, I had to wait for sunny days. And towards the end, the blanket was simply too big to be photographed flat anywhere in my flat. My little helper Trixie, would also often wander through the photo shoot and as you can see from this week’s pics, she has commandeered the blanket for herself.
It leaves just one question: would I do it again? The answer is certainly yes, and in fact I am about to start another blanket of the year. However, I will make a few changes: I will record how many balls of yarn I use; I will use dk instead of aran weight to allow for stitches to appear differently and so that the final blanket may be a little smaller; and I might not commit to publishing at weekends, instead publishing it on a week day evening to allow a little more free time on Sundays, but we will see how that last one works in reality …😊
I will be publishing a start post about the new blanket soon. I am just waiting for my yarn to arrive, but my hook is itching with excitement.
