Crochet catch-up

It's a miracle ~ I've finally completed the guest bedroom blanket 😮 Clutching at the silver lining to the cloud that was gout, at least I was able to get some of my crochet WIPs/UFOs finished!  I'm glad it's done but must confess that it's not one of my most favourite things that I've ever made.  The pistachio green and raspberry shades are a little too dominant to my eyes, but it serves a purpose.  Of course, I now have yet more yarn to add to my leftovers stash 😏   

Talking of said stash, bonus blanket #3 is done.  I'm using it to keep my knees warm when using the computer as there can be a considerable draught when sitting there.

You may recall that I was plugging away at a Christmas gift blanket last year ~ needless to say, I didn't finish it!  Whilst I really loved the combination of colours and even the pattern that I had chosen, I was decidedly unhappy with the size of it.  I couldn't face frogging the bloody thing, so it's currently languishing in a corner waiting to be turned into a smaller lap blanket to keep for myself. 

I decided to start again using Sirdar Hayfield Bonus Aran Tweed which I bought from Wool Warehouse, my favourite wool supplier 😊 I chose the shades Honeycomb, Haze, Mill Blue, Light Natural, Green Heather, and Purple Heather, and decided that I would once again use my favourite chevron pattern from The Gentle Art of Knitting by Jane Brocket.  You can see the start of the blanket in the bottom right corner of the bonus blanket #3 photo.

Well, needless to say, once I'd crocheted a few rows it really wasn't calling to me ~ the colours just didn't seem to sit right together 😕  So yet again, I ended up frogging what I'd done and starting again.  This time I decided to order more of the shade Honeycomb (photo below) and crochet a very simple corner-to-corner blanket in a single colour.

image from Wool Warehouse

It's working up relatively quickly, I suppose because it's an Aran yarn as opposed to the double-knit that I usually use.  I've reached the width/length that I want the finished blanket to be, and am now working on the decreasing rows.  When it's finished I will be adding a border but at the moment can't decide whether to stay with Honeycomb or use a contrasting shade, perhaps the Mill Blue ~ oh well, I don't have to decide just yet!

I crocheted myself a little hen,

using two strands of double-knit from the leftovers yarn stash.  I was quite pleased with how she turned out, despite it being a tad tough-going using the two yarns together and a smallish hook to keep the stitches close 😄

And finally, I used more of the leftovers stash to crochet a corner-to-corner blanket for the sofa, as I've had a bit of a shuffling-about of the blankets in the house!  I used two strands of the double-knit held together and, I think, a 6mm hook.  It's a lovely cosy and squishy blanket, perfect for snuggling under when it's cold, wet, and windy outside 😊