Team Hooker - One pointy thing is better than two

[SoupDragon]

Quiche-tastic.

It's my holiday blanket. I'm hoping it will remind me of sun in the grey days of a British winter!

I've never made one before as this is the first holiday I've been crocheting. I think I may make one each time in future :) it's just done in Stylecraft DK so nothing fancy and it's incredibly garish

I'm just about to start Adi Keren's flower blanket from Etsy. I'm doing it in shades of pink 4ply cotton.

Hopefully this link will work. I've never done one on an iPad before.

flower blanket

Wow... That should look fabulous!

I need some advice, I'm thinking of making my mum a small blanket of squares for christmas. Would I be better off using cheaper cotton DK or sticking with the more expensive cashsoft DK type?

It's all a matter of personal taste, Wolfcub. I made a couple o f nice bay blankets using Patons Soothie. They needed tumble drying for about 15 minutes to make them soft as they did come up a little on the firm side but were nice after softening.

Baby blanket. Not bay

Hello, Hooky people. I started about two months' ago, having seen the ripple blanket thread - I'm now about 5 feet into my 6'x6' blanket and addicted.

May I ask about the ends? I've seen a few people refer to crocheting over the ends rather than darning them in - erm, what exactly does that mean? Can't be crocheting with both strands until the end runs out because that would leave a stripy set of stitches. Wouldn't it?

If I hadn't of been converted so heavily, I wouldn't mind. But I just KNOW I'm probably going to try the Attic4 Summer flower blanket next, and the thought of 8 ends per square to darn in just makes me feel like crying.

Any advice?

I crochet over my ends because I am lazy it doesn't seem to give striped stitches although it doesn't work where you have gaps (eg in a granny square)

For my Big ripple I'm doing at the moment, I'm crocheting over both ends at a colour change but leaving out the new colour end about an inch along. I'll go mac and weave these ones back towards the edge later. I'm not sure why I am doing this

When you say Rhubarbthefirst... Are you actually the original Rhubarb from days of yore when dinosaurs roamed the boards?

I'm sure someone will come along with some proper explanations or a you tube clip - but my explanation...

Say you are doing a simple double crochet square, then the stripes always have to be 2 rows wide, when you change colour and do the chain to start a new row I kind of wind in the old colour in the chain stitches so the length of old colour moves up with the new row, then leave it and carry on and do my 2 rows in the new colour. When I do the last stitch on the second row I again pick up the old colour so by the time that stitch is complete the old colour has moved up again. (Hope that makes sense)

Also the last pull through on the double crochet needs to be in the new colour so that when it gets 'dropped' as part of the next stitch its already in the right colour.

Hello all

Good post stuckinthefens. That's how I do it too but I think that works best if you are going to edge or sew together whatever it is otherwise it is a bit loopy. And I too always do the last pull through in the new colour.

Jollyhockeysticks I was going to suggest crocheting the pieces together to help give it a bit more shape, and that looks like what the pattern has done.

Wolfcub if you can afford it I'd go for the Cashsoft or similar type yarn. Saying that I have made blankets this year from Stylecraft and Sirdar Softy and they I have been very pleased with the way they have turned out.

I think if you are making a large blanket it can be frighteningly expensive. I've been buying balls of Sublime Cashmerino for about a year and have enough to start a blanket - I'm not even going to add up how much it will have cost in total.

Soupy, love the blanket btw!

I too am stashing sublime merino for a one day blanket.

I have a blanket's worth of cashmerino silk aran in my wardrobe.

"Oh this old stuff? I've had it ages"

I'm glad I'm not the only one who hoards yarn or buys it without any idea what to make with it

I'm tidying/reorganising my study craftroom this week - today I bought a 3 drawer unit to store my yarn in, but actually I think it may not be big enough.

You lot are wonderfully helpful and clever.

I love the projects/pics you are posting.

I've kind of started to make a granny square blanket. I've done 7 squares but they are random colours as I got a huge bag of yarn from my mum.

Not sure whether I'll make a blanket or leave them for just now and do something else.

Quick question for Soupy, was it you that said you kept all your crochet records in an Ipad app about a month ago? I meant to investigate it but didn't get round to it and I seem to be on so many crochet threads I can't find the original post, would you mind telling us what it was again?

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes I think the app was Penultimate

It was indeed Penultimate :)

Thank you both, I will go and check it out now.

does anyone know of a site with pattern for crochet clothing for adults that you would actually wear.
wolly that is sooo gorgeous, how are getting on with it, is there a lot of sewing stuff together?

No sites but there are a few crochet clothing books knocking around our library. I mostly dubious about crochet clothing. Oh, but I have a feeling there is some sort of mag special coming out. Vogue Knitting or something?

My lampshade is finished

Vogue knitting: crochet special

qazxc someone posted a great site with crochet clothes patterns but I can't find it. I'll keep trawling and put up a link if I find it.

Lovely lamp Dilly, very clever