The crochet hour

source

So, I'm thinking about crocheting a blanket. I'll need to find a 25th hour in my day as, quite frankly, I don't have the time, but I rather fancy giving it a go anyway. 

source

As you know, I run my own busines, the green gables. It takes up most waking hours, and the odd sleeping one, and I really love it. I get to be enormously creative in my work but there's a little part of me that thinks it might be a good idea if I did something creative for the fun of it, and in the evenings, to help me relax and switch off before bed. 

source

I seem to be incapable of devoting my full attention to most TV shows but rather than spend every evening on the laptop I think crocheting could be a good alternative occasionally. I'm not in a great hurry to complete a project (don't think I need to give myself any more deadlines), I just like the idea of crocheting of an evening, and eventually ending up with a pretty, cosy, useful blanket.

source

Have you crocheted a blanket? Do you have any tips or advice for me regarding pattern, yarn or timescale? I've dabbled in crochet but I'm not very experienced so any thoughts you have I would love to hear! Or read!

source

Comments

[Jenny]

It so could have been me writing this post a few months ago!! I wanted to learn to crochet for the same reasons as you, though also to learn a new skill too :) I found myself every evening being on the laptop in front of the tv, not even doing anything useful really, mainly just twitter/blog/random surfing! I so enjoy my couple of hours each day now that I make time to do something like crochet... it gives me something to think about other than my work and helps me sleep better as I'm not quite so full of ideas etc when I'm trying to go to sleep! I've started with Stylecraft special DK yarn - cheap and cheerful but surprisingly good quality (got mine from ebay, cheapest I found), and started with You tube to learn the basic stitches... I've documented my crochet progress on my blog over the last few months too if you fancy a read :) Good luck! xx

[Mwmyn]

Jenny's right to suggest an inexpensive yarn like Stylecraft, as crochet EATS yarn! However, it also grows much quicker than knitting, and makes a warmer blanket, due to the greater amount of air trapped.

I would suggest starting in rounds, with simple stitches to make the centre of the blanket, then you can add more texture and interest as the blanket gets bigger, and you get more proficient! Good luck, look forward to seeing the pics of your progress ;o)

[Emma Elizabeth Clease]

I am making a crochet blanket at the moment using this book - '200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afghans: Crochet Squares to Mix-and-Match'. It is great for experimenting with different patterns and stitches. I crochet in front of the TV in the evening as it stops me from falling asleep!