Crochet blanket WIP pt1

I am crocheting a blanket to give as a Christmas gift, which is a good time to choose because it's going to take ages. All together the whole blanket will be 15x15 squares, large enough to cover a UK double bed! I have toyed with the idea of making it smaller but it would only be by one or two squares. What I want is a luxurious throw that will cover a whole bed and drape elegantly to the floor, this fall will take the extra squares! With this being a gift I keep swinging wildly between being really happy to be making it for the person and being crippled with doubt that this archaic bed covering will be actually used. I think I have the crafters version of stage fright. Whatever I decide, it won't be because I'd like to abandon this WIP, it will be seen through to the end.

Here are the first twenty five squares sewn together. They are a simple granny square, I got a tutorial from here on YouTube, this is an amazing place to learn just about anything you want and there are so many people who want to show you their skills. There are many different ways to join squares together but I wanted the blanket to lie flat so opted for a double crochet join, which I found here on YouTube.

I learned to crochet when I was a wee girl but it didn't hold my interest, I only took it back up again about three years ago after finding a really cute crocheted baby dress pattern in a charity shop that I just had to make. I found it quite a challenge, learning all the crochet terms and following a pattern, but it was ultimately rewarding. I went on to crochet a small bag out of plarn I made from carrier bags but didn't do much for a while, then I had my newest daughter and decided to make her a version of the dress I made a few years before. From then on I haven't stopped for very long, learning how to do a baby blanket, out of one large granny square, for my nephews arrival and then a large throw for myself. I am planning on furthering my crochet by learning a bit of amigurimi, making plarn shopping bags and learning tatting.

Spring Update.

Today the natural light was good, so I got a few pictures of my WIP. First of all is my hand loom. I've only got as far as stringing it. I've used seven strands of cotton for a six bead strip. I'm unsure as to what I should make, I have toyed with the idea of a seaside inspired bracelet or a square of beads to hang off a chain. To know fully I'll just have to let the beads take me there. Wherever the journey takes me I'll be using a book I got out of the library called The Beaders Bible. It's a really good book for beginners as it has step by step guides as to how to string your loom, it even has a section on how to make a loom out of two pieces of doweling and two rubber bands! Now that would be cool.

I first got a hankering for loom beading when I saw some vintage work from the 1920's. I thought it was beautiful and skillful and I wanted to try it out. I also wanted a hand loom to do a wire weaving tutorial I had seen in a craft book called Design and Make Jewellery Using Textile Techniques. I absolutely love this book and I definitely need it on my bedside table for inspired reading before bed.

My second project is a granny square crocheted blanket I'm making as a gift. I love granny squares as they are pretty easy to do. I have tried doing straight lines in crochet by my work starts to slant. I have successfully crocheted a toddler dress but that pattern didn't have that many end of rows so for now I'm keeping it simple. I'm using up all my yarn bits and bobs but trying not to make doubles of the colours. This has been difficult because I had originally intended for the blanket to fit a double bed, this would require making approx 225 unique squares. I'm not sure making 225 unique squares would be possible unless I remortgaged the house and sent the kids to live with relatives. Thankfully there shouldn't be too many repeats on the colours as I was gifted a lot of odd ends of wool from my Grandmother in law and I can get pretty cheap yarn from a haberdashers in Newcastle Grainger Market. They usual have 100g balls of acrylic wool in impossible colours for about £1.50 and that does me fine for a project like this. For more muted colour  Wilkinson do a range of 100g acrylic baby wools for £1.79. These are often a lot better quality than the wools from the Grainger market. Here is a little pic of some of my squares.

I've used four double crochet in the corners to save on wool and I'm going to join the together with a running double crochet and hopefully they'll lie flat and neat. More pictures as I put the whole lot together.

The return of the Mumming Lady

I have been busy! After the arrival of Tiny Spark I have been Mumming on an Olympic level. What with Pinky Sparkle Cheeks going off to school, and me hitting the baby groups, I don't seem to have had time for much else. I know, but I haven't stopped craft hoarding. I have been gathering supplies for my next adventure in making. I have realised that I love creating, but I'm a bit of a craft octopus. I haven't been able to settle on one craft that keeps me busy, I prefer to have a go at most things until I learn them. Some of the crafts I've learned I've gone back to (knitting, sewing) and some have been left by the wayside (hand beaded felt), but all of them have been enjoyed. Right now I have quite a few new things I want to get into, but some or all require equipment. Things I want to do are loom beading, wire working with a jig, PMC and peg loom weaving. I also want to make a granny square blanket and some wall art, some upcycled clothes for my girls and some tie dyed stuff.
I have purchased a little Indian hand loom and have a large amount of wool, so I shall be trying out the granny square blanket (takes a bit longer than a month so will be doing it alongside another craft) and a beaded bracelet. Wish me luck!
p.s. I have included a bee mandala for you to colour in. x