Mixed Stitch Stripey Blanket - #2 Frog Post

Ok so here goes frog post #2...

Another thing the pattern clearly says is to COUNT YOUR STITCHES REGULARLY! After doing the zigzag pattern I somehow managed to pick up an extra 50 stitches (I started with 216) so the blanket bulged out all wokeye after that. Again I didn't notice it until 8 rows later...no fixing this one I just unravelled and started again from the top of of zigzag stitch decreasing one stitch every 5 stitches.

Its a good thing I love crochet so much!!! And kitty does too...

Mixed Stitch Stripey Blanket - #1 Frog post

I started a blanket (my first one!) and have been using the pattern by Hannah Davis at Not Your Average Crochet - you can find the link here.

This project highlights the problems you can come across WHEN YOU DONT READ THE INSTRUCTIONS PROPERLY!!  See the Catherine Wheel pattern in dark blue and white? Well the pattern clearly says to use a bigger hook or crochet very loosely as it will pull in your work. Being  my usual stubborn self thinking I would be fine I used the same crochet hook and didn't really try to crochet loosely and it did pull in dramatically. But did I stop and pull it out?  NO! I kept crocheting along another 20 rows thinking a good blocking at the end would fix it. It became painfully apparent that no amount of stretching or blocking would fix this. Faced with the prospect of unravelling about 20 cm of hard work I decided to fix it from the shorter end (about 10 cm). 

I couldn't find any instructions on the web on how to do it so I took a deep breath and undid the knot at the beginning of the Catherine wheel row and started unravelling. I was left with the bottom end of a double crochet row which did not look at all right to leave as is. 

So I had to work out a way of finishing off the row.  I used a larger hook (4.5 hook) and did a row of single crochet into the end of each of the double crochet that were left unfinished. 

Now I think about it more I could also have undone and then redone the Catherine wheel stitch and then joined the lower part with a row of single crochet in the same fashion. Too late now I unravelled all of the lower part. Not sure that the join would have looked so good to my perfectionist eye (what a curse that is!) anyway I am very happy with the progress ! 😊

Blue Mandala throw

Ohmygosh it has been so long since I have posted! Working two jobs that is why. I have been crocheting up a storm but I never seem to finish anything. I have about five projects on the go at the moment - but here is one that I have finished...

The free pattern for it can be found at Ravelry. Just make sure you look at the errata as well is is at the same site at the bottom of the page.

It is a bit tricky to start (it helped me to look at some finished projects to see how the spiral starts and the edging pattern works) but I got there in the end.

It gobbles up the wool though. I used Patons Cotton Blend 8 ply and a 5.5 hook.