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crochet blanket

Crochet blog – January update

January 3, 2021 by Annie Leave a Comment

Hello everyone. Welcome to my crochet blog – January update with a couple of free patterns to start 2021. I have been reviewing and overhauling old blog posts. Turns out the last time I sent a general update was back in April 2019! There is nothing that points to success as a blogger better than consistency πŸ™‚ Possibly why my little blog is still just that…. a very little blog!

Anyway – thank you for reading, despite my lack of proper application to the task.

Project Updates

Lockdown Lapghan

In recent months I have been working on two projects. Firstly I created a pattern for a Lapghan using only one stitch, five colours and a pattern suitable for beginners. I called it Lockdown Lapghan and have worked it up in two sets of colours. You can see these below.

Lockdown Lapghan - berries in snow
Lockdown lapghan – Berries in the snow (with Milo)

lockdown lapghan - autumn sunset
lockdown lapghan – Autumn Sunset

The pattern for the Lapghan is spread across three separate posts as follows:

Lockdown Lapghan charts available to download here

Lockdown Lapghan basic pattern in UK and US instructions here

Lockdown Lapghan finishing and edging instructions here

New Large Heart and Edged Heart patterns

The other project I have just completed is a new crochet heart pattern. This is based on my previous heart pattern which remains my most popular (only popular) blog post. I wanted to create a larger sized heart. This one is c 10cm across when worked in chunky yarn. The free pattern for the new large heart is available here and I have also just added an edging pattern which is shown below. The original post for crochet hearts in three sizes is here

free pattern for new large heart
new large heart pattern

New Large Heart Edging – UK instructions

Starting at the centre of the top of the heart in a contrasting colour work 6 Dc. At the top of the heart into the next stitch work 2Dc. Work 2Dc into the next stitch then Dc into the following stitch. Then work 2Dc into the next stitch and 13 Dc down the left hand side of the heart. At the bottom of the heart work 1 Dc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 3Dc into the bottom stitch of the heart.

We are going to complete the second half of the heart edging as a mirror to the first. Work 1 Dc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 13 Dc up the right hand side of the heart. Next work 2Dc into the next stitch then Dc into the following stitch. Work 2Dc into each of the next two stitches. Finally work 6Dc down the centre of the right hand side of the top of the heart and finish off.

New Large Heart Edging – US instructions

Starting at the centre of the top of the heart in a contrasting colour work 6 Sc. At the top of the heart into the next stitch work 2Sc. Work 2Sc into the next stitch then Sc into the following stitch. Then work 2Sc into the next stitch and 13 Sc down the left hand side of the heart. At the bottom of the heart work 1 Sc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 3Sc into the bottom stitch of the heart.

We are going to complete the second half of the heart edging as a mirror to the first. Work 1 Sc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 13 Sc up the right hand side of the heart. Next work 2Sc into the next stitch then Dc into the following stitch. Work 2Sc into each of the next two stitches. Finally work 6Sc down the centre of the right hand side of the top of the heart and finish off.

crochet blog January update - New Large Heart - edging
new large heart pattern with edging

That is it for the crochet blog – January update. Spot the new year’s resolution to be better at posting updates and newsletters and blogging in general. Expect more in February (or not πŸ™‚ ) Happy Crocheting!

Annie πŸ™‚

Filed Under: Blog diary, Crochet patterns Tagged With: crochet, crochet blanket, crochet blog, crochet design, crochet heart, crochet pattern, free crochet pattern, heart

Finishing your Lockdown Lapghan

December 28, 2020 by Annie Leave a Comment

This post is the third of my lockdown lapghan instructions. The first post covers the pattern for the basic square so if you are just starting you need to following this link to pick up the free pattern – Lockdown Lapghan free pattern. The second post covers the design of the lockdown lapghan. You can find the second post here – lockdown lapghan design. In this third post I will give you the instructions for finishing your lockdown lapghan.

Finishing off each square

The first job you have to complete is to finish off all the ends. Depending on your choice of colour changes you might have lots of these! Using a wool needle you need to weave each end into the work securely. Try to make them invisible by weaving in and out of a patch of the same colour. It is possible to make them ‘disappear’ from both sides with a little practice. Finishing off ends is not my favourite task but it is made an awful lot easier with the right equipment.

I highly recommend KnitPro Wool Needles. These have a big flexible loop rather than a fixed eye which makes threading eveng the thickest yarn very easy. You can find these easily on an Amazon search. They are less than Β£3 for three at the time of writing. Please note – I do try to work as an Amazon Affiliate from time to time. This means that it is possible that if you click on any advert or a link to Amazon in my blog I might receive a small payment. However, I only ever recommend products that I love – whether I am paid to say so or not!

I say above that I TRY to work as an Amazon Affiliate because if you sign up with Amazon and nobody clicks on any adverts for a few months, Amazon end your affiliate membership. So far it hasn’t worked for me – I think I have had my membership cancelled three times now πŸ™‚ I have written a series of posts on my blog progress if you would like to read more on this. I will keep trying!!

Finishing your lockdown lapghan – sewing up

Although I call this sewing up we will actually be joining the squares together using a very simple technique with a crochet hook. I covered this method in an earlier post which has full instructions and clear pictures. You can find these instructions here.

I like to lay out all my squares in the final positions once the ends are finished off and they are blocked. Blocking really helps with the appearance and is covered in my first post. I then gather up the squares for the two rows I am going to join into two piles. Starting at what will be the edge of the blanket I begin joining two squares along one edge. Once these are joined I pick up the next pair and join these without breaking the yarn. The advantage of not breaking the yarn? Fewer ends to finish off!

When I am joining my squares I work all the way down the blanket in one direction. After four joins, all the squares are attached at the top and bottom but not the sides. Then I start the four joins that run top to bottom and again work each of these in one continuous thread. I will add some pictures of this process when I am finishing my second blanket.

lockdown lapghan - autumn sunset
lockdown lapghan – Autumn Sunset

Finishing your lockdown lapghan – edging.

I promised this would be a very easy pattern so your edging can be very simple. Work one round of the same stitch we have used all the way through in a colour of your choice. At each corner follow the corner pattern from the odd rows of the block ie just do one Tr, 2CH, Tr (or DC, 2CH, DC in US terms) The picture of the finished blanket above includes just this simple edge as shown below.

lockdown lapghan treble edge
lockdown lapghan basic edge

There are other options with the edging though! If you are up for a little bit more complication, I would recommend adding a row of HTr (UK terms) or HDc (US instructions). This is a strong stitch for a border but does mean you need to learn another stitch! If you do go for an additional row of HTr work the corners as follows: UK terms – 2Htr, 2ch, 2Htr. US terms – 2HDc, 2CH, 2HDc. You can play with the colours in your border. Put in more than one row of different colours if you choose. The picture below shows the effect of adding a row of HTr (UK terms) or HDc (US terms).

edge with tr and htr
additional row of half trebles to give a stronger edge

If you are feeling more adventurous you could use one of my other favourite edging stitches. There is a free pattern on my blog for a three colour rope edging which I think I am going to use for my second blanket – pics to follow.

And you are done. Unless you feel like adding tassels to the corners πŸ™‚ I hope you have enjoyed this free pattern and that if you are new to crochet you manage to produce your first blanket! Happy crocheting!

Annie πŸ™‚

Filed Under: Crochet patterns Tagged With: beginner crochet, crochet, crochet beginner, crochet blanket, crochet blog, crochet design, easy crochet lapghan, free crochet pattern, Free pattern

Design your Lockdown Lapghan

December 28, 2020 by Annie Leave a Comment

The Lockdown Lapghan is a very easy crochet blanket for beginners. This is the second in a series of three posts. The first post contains the free pattern for each square of the blanket. You can read this post here. In this second post you will find the charts to help you design your Lockdown Lapghan.

The design is based on five colours. I have two suggests sets of colours in my first post but you can make your own choices. This way your Lockdown Lapghan will be your own design. There are two versions of the chart for you to download at the bottom of this post. The colour version follows the Autumn Sunset colours used in the completed blanket below. Sorry about this picture – all it has done here recently is rain!

lockdown lapghan - autumn sunset
lockdown lapghan – Autumn Sunset

The black and white version of the chart will be easier for you to follow if you are choosing your own colours. You could print this black and white version and do a bit of mindful colouring in as part of your process to select colours. I love a bit of colouring in πŸ™‚

Yarn Selection

The yarn I used for this blanket was Stylecraft Special Chunky. This yarn is very good value and there is a wide range of colours as you can see here at Woolwarehouse. As you design your lockdown lapghan, I recommend you start with a view of the colours available.

You don’t have to stick to the yarn I used. It is possible to use any yarn type as long as you adjust the tension to match. However, this can get a bit tricky and this pattern is designed for beginners so I won’t cover that here. Please let me know if you would like instruction on how to do this and I will put up a separate post.

Design your Lockdown Lapghan – Joining up and edging

The final touches to your lockdown lapghan design will be the joining colours and edging. For both the blankets I designed I used the strongest colour for the joins and edging. I think that this gives the squares more definition which is the look I was going for. However, the joining method I recommend can be ‘invisible’ if you use the colour of one of the squares you are joining. This is a design choice so over to you!

Your choice of joining colours will have a big impact on the appearance of the finished blanket. Similarly, the edging you choose will make a real difference to the look of your work. I like to edge in a darker colour, again this is partly for the definition I think it gives. Practicality also tells me that a white edge would be asking for trouble in terms of my ability to keep it clean. Maybe that is just me, in a house with three muddy dogs!

I think that is all you need from me so here are the two free downloads.

Lockdown Lapghan chart – colour (6 downloads)

Lockdown Lapghan chart – black and white (4 downloads)

I hope you have fun designing your own Lockdown Lapghan and if you are new to crochet I hope you come love it as much as I do. Please do let me know how you get on. I would love to get some comments. Happy crocheting!

Annie πŸ™‚

Filed Under: Crochet patterns Tagged With: beginner crochet, crochet, crochet beginner, crochet blanket, easy crochet lapghan, free crochet pattern, Free pattern, lapghan

Rainbows and Hearts crochet blanket

February 2, 2020 by Annie Leave a Comment

Here is a Rainbows and Hearts version of my hearts and stripes blanket. I didn’t design the original blanket this way deliberately but when I realised the striped squares have seven bars of colour I HAD to make a rainbow version πŸ™‚

One of the issues with using more colours is having more ends to finish off. I have to confess I actually shelved the project at one point because tying off all these ends in REALLY thick yarn was pretty grim. However, I have found the most AMAZING gadget to help.

This is probably old news to lots of you but I hadn’t found these before. A ‘Wool needle’ made by Knit Pro. This needle has a blunt end like a tapestry needle. It also has a big loop (rather than an eye) to make threading easy. I love it!! When I am more organised I will put a link to Amazon in here. Until then, all you have to do is search on ‘knit pro wool needle’ to find them. Like all great inventions I am wondering why it took this long to be available. It seems such an obvious design and perfect for the job when you use it.

I will make a PDF of this pattern for sale on my Etsy store when I get chance. I didn’t want to hold up posting because it does take me a while to scrape the time together sometimes. The pattern for the blocks and advice on joining etc is available for free here:

This is the link that takes you to the heart block pattern

Here is the link to the striped block pattern

Finally this link takes you to the instructions for making up and border pattern. For the rainbow version I kept the border very simple. For UK instructions work one round of DC in White. One round of HTR in black. For US instructions make that one round of SC in white. One round of HDC in black.

Sorry if that is a bit clunky – I will produce the PDF as soon as I can. When I produce the PDF I will do a colour chart. If you want to make a start here is a full picture of the blanket laid out flat. Hopefully you can take your colour instructions from this!

I am already onto the next project. I have decided to make a cushion with the left-over yarn. Pattern and pics to follow.

Happy crocheting!

Annie πŸ™‚

Filed Under: Crochet patterns Tagged With: crochet, crochet blanket, crochet blog, free crochet pattern, hearts, hearts and stripes blanket, rainbow

Yarn Salvage #3 – how best to use the yarn

April 27, 2019 by Annie Leave a Comment

Yarn recycling is fun, rewarding and good for the planet! In my two earlier posts I gave you tips on garment selection and salvage. Yarn Salvage #3 – How best to use the yarn….. will give more advice on how to process the yarn you collect and the best way to use the yarn. You can see the earlier posts here Yarn Salvage Tips #1 and Yarn Salvage Tips #2

There are a number of different aspects to yarn that influence how you treat it and the type of project it is suited to. The three main aspects I will cover here are yarn weight, ply and content.

Yarn Weight – wpi

This is an important aspect of the yarn when it comes to determining the type of project you can use the yarn for. We measure Yarn Weight in ‘wraps per inch’. You can pay a lot of money for a gadget that works out the wpi for any yarn. It really isn’t difficult though and in my view not worth spending hard earned cash on! Wraps per inch is the number strands of yarn that will fit into one inch. The strands should sit next to each other comfortably. There should be no overlap or stretch.

To make your own gadget to measure wpi you need a pen, ruler and piece of wood – ideally something rounded like a broom handle. We use an old clothes peg πŸ™‚

Take the ruler and place two marks on the wood one inch apart. Draw lines around the wood at the places you have marked. You are already ready to use the tool!

Take the yarn you want to assess and wrap it around the tool. Place the first strand of yarn just inside the first mark you made. Wind the yarn round the tool without stretching the yarn. Each strand of yarn should sit alongside the previous strand with no overlap. When the yarn wrapped around the tool reaches the second mark, stop winding. Count the number of wraps of yarn between the two markers. This is your wraps per inch for the yarn or wpi.

Yarn Ply

Ply is the number of individual strands that make up a yarn. Sometimes the strands are twisted so that the yarn handles as one strand. Sometimes you unravel a garment and find that the yarn is made up of several strands that have not been twisted. You can choose whether to separate out the strands or keep the yarn as multi-strand. What you choose to do will depend on the type of yarn and the type of project you want to use it for. I keep detailed records of recovered yarn. I write down the wpi and where the strands are not twisted, also note the ply. This gives me good information when planning projects.

Yarn content

The easiest way to identify the yarn content is to take the information from the garment label when you recover the yarn. I try to select garments with an element of natural fibre. When combining yarn in a project I try to match fibre types. This is not always possible. Yarn content will impact the way the yarn changes over time. It will also have a big impact on the way the yarn washes. If you have a project made from recycled yarn always wash on a wool/cool setting and dry flat. This is particularly important when combining more than one salvaged yarn.

Unravelled yarn often has a lot of ‘kinks’. When you crochet or knit with the yarn these kinks will disappear. If they bother you you can try to reduce them. I say ‘try’ because this method will produce varied results according to the yarn composition. The lower the percentage of natural fibre the less effective this method will be.

Flattening kinks in yarn containing natural fibres

Firstly, turn the yarn into hanks rather than balls. There are expensive machines that make this job easier but we are trying to save cash! You can wind yarn into hanks using your own arm winding the yarn between the base of your thumb and elbow. You can also use the back of a chair or enlist the help of a small human! I find small humans to be helpful and compliant until they hit teenage years. Teenagers are less than inspired by the idea of helping wind yarn πŸ™‚

Once the yarn is in hanks soak them in warm water – NOT HOT (unless you want to end up with felt). You can add wool washing liquid or powder. The kinks should begin to relax in the water. You may have to leave the yarn soaking for a few hours. Rinse and dry the yarn either flat on a towel or hanging over a bath. Do not squeeze or ring out the yarn. Finally you will need to reball the yarn for use.

Using the recycled yarn

Now you have added all this recycled yarn to your stash what will you make? It is possible to use the yarn recovered from one garment to make another garment. However, it is likely that during the recovery process some yarn will have been lost. This means that you might need to top up the quantity of yarn from one garment in order to have enough to make another.

You can top up the recovered yarn with yarn from your stash. You could buy some yarn to contrast or compliment the recovered yarn. Or you could combine different yarns that you have recovered into one project.

Most patterns are designed for yarn of a particular weight or wpi as above. One of the latest patterns I wrote was for a super chunky yarn worked up on a 9mm hook. I wanted something that would grow and complete quickly! I decided to use this pattern as an example of how I work with recycled yarn.

Much of the yarn I salvage has a high wpi. This is because most yarn used in the industrial manufacture of garments is lightweight around 14 wpi. I prefer to work with a heavier yarn, aran or chunky weight around 7 or 8 wpi. However, you can combine the yarns you recover to produce a heavier weight yarn. This is what I did in my latest project. The resulting yarn can look startling different to its component parts.

Hearts and Stripes Recycled Blanket

Here is my recycled project. The pattern is one I designed myself and is available for free here. The yarns I used are different ply and composition but worked up very easily as one yarn. Remember to test the wpi of your combined yarn before starting the project. I expected the crochet to be difficult and that the yarn would split but this was not the case. Finishing off the ends was the only part that I found more difficult but with a little extra patience and care even that was not too much of a challenge. Here are the recycled yarns I started with.

Salvaged yarn

I combined the recycled yarn with some super chunky white yarn from my stash. This was left over from a previous project. As you can see the finished result looks quite different to the four yarns that went into the work.

yarn salvage - how best to use the yarn

There are many ways to choose yarn for your projects. For me, there is nothing better than laying out all the balls of recovered yarn on the floor and playing with the colour combinations. This is how I get inspiration for my next project. Group the yarn by colour and see what works! Happy recycling!!

Annie πŸ™‚

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Upcycling Tagged With: crochet blanket, recycling, recycling yarn, super chunky yarn, yarn, yarn combining, yarn salvage

Hearts and Stripes blanket

April 27, 2019 by Annie Leave a Comment

Hello πŸ™‚here is my latest project – Hearts and Stripes Blanket. This pattern is based on the heart motif I created last year. For this project I wanted to produce a solid version of the heart square. To make a heavy duty lap blanket quickly! I used super chunky yarn and a 9mm hook. With this yarn I can easily make one of these blankets in a week or two.

Here is the finished blanket worked up in red white and blue yarn. You can use the blocks to make a blanket of any size. If you use a lighter weight yarn you will probably want to put in more blocks. I went for a seven by five block layout as that worked best for the quantity of yarn I had. The finished blanket measures about 34 inches by 48 inches or 85cm by 125cm in metric.

Hearts and Stripes Blanket

This pattern would also work very well as a stash-buster project. The yarn required for each area of colour is quite small. I salvage quite a lot of yarn and often end up with a large number of smaller balls of yarn. You can read my top tips for yarn salvage here.

The pattern took four 100g balls of the navy and 3 of each of the red and white.

The blanket pattern is made up of striped squares and full heart blocks. The pattern for the heart block in both UK and US terms are available here

The instructions for the striped block are here again in both UK and US terms.

Joining the Blocks to make the blanket

The blanket is made up of these two blocks worked in a seven by five alternating pattern. The join I used for this blanket is one that has minimal finishing off. The technique makes a feature of the joining thread.

Line up two squares edge to edge with the right side of the work facing up.

Place the yarn you are using for the join behind the work. Always keep the joining yarn behind the squares. Pick up stitches from the back of each of the two edges, as shown below.

Joining instructions 1 - Hearts and Stripes Blanket

Wrap the yarn round the hook working from behind. You need to keep the yarn behind the work at all times.

Joining instructions 2 - Hearts and Stripes Blanket

Pull the yarn through the two stitches you picked up to give you two loops on the hook.

Joining instructions 3 - Hearts and Stripes Blanket

Finally pull the yarn through the loop on the hook to form a slip stitch. From the picture above this means pulling the first loop nearest the end of the hook through the second loop on the hook. The result should look like the picture below.

Design choice – pick a highlight colour for the join and make it a feature. Or use the same colour as the borders of the squares. Using the same colour would make the join less visible.

Hearts and Stripes Blanket – Border

The border for this blanket is very simple and echos the stripes in the squares.

Hearts and Stripes Blanket - border

UK terms

First round – Join in yarn in the colour you used to join the blocks and work one round of DC working 1DC, 2CH, 1DC into each corner. For the design shown here yarn colour white.

Second round – Join in yarn A (red for the design shown here) and work a round of HTR working 1HTR, 2CH, 1HTR into each corner.

Third round – Join in the first yarn again (white) and repeat the first round.

Fourth round – for the final round use the border colour (Navy) and again repeat the first round above.

US terms

First round – Join in yarn in the colour you used to join the blocks and work one round of SC working 1SC, 2CH, 1SC into each corner. For the design shown here yarn colour white.

Second round – Join in yarn A (red for the design shown here) and work a round of HDC working 1HDC, 2CH, 1HDC into each corner.

Third round – Join in the first yarn again (white) and repeat the first round.

Fourth round – for the final round use the border colour (Navy) and again repeat the first round above.

Finish off your ends and there you have it – one Hearts and Stripes Blanket. Hope you like it!

Annie πŸ™‚

Filed Under: Crochet patterns Tagged With: afghan, crochet afghan, crochet blanket, crochet throw, free crochet pattern, Free pattern, heart blanket, hearts and stripes blanket, super chunky yarn, thick crochet throw, uk and us terms

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