Well, actually, it was done last week. But I’m just now getting around to showing you the photos! I decided to do this throw for our bed in crochet, because I just knew it would work up faster than knitting something 800 yds. in size (Camp Loopy’s Project Three stipulation). Since we moved cross-country in July, I figured a quicker project was better this particular summer.
Of course I didn’t realize that I was going to end up using 2600 yards instead of 800 yards, in order to make it big enough. That kind of defeats the purpose of using a crocheted project for “speed”. But I do love the end result. It’s big, thick, warm and heavy – perfect for a Sunday afternoon nap in the wintertime. This was made using Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes in Chocolate, Ecru, Lagoon and Tan.
I’m not sure I’ll ever be brave enough to crochet beyond these simple stitches and blankets, but this was fun to make. It ended up being wider than I needed it to be, in order to get the length I wanted. I had thought that if I made the very center of it long and narrow and I just kept going round and round the edges, then the throw itself would end up long and a bit more narrow. It ended up being 60″ x 64″. Shouldn’t it have worked out to be quite a bit longer than wider, considering how I started it in the middle?
Did you learn anything working on Project Three, or your last big project?
Sheri whonowhastwohexapuffsflatsdone.
Cutelittlethings.
I learned that I should have added rows to my shawl (widen) but instead I should have made it longer. Oh well, live and learn. I am still a somewhat novice knitter.
Wow, Sheri! Your blanket is beautiful! And it does look very warm and inviting for a nap. We are having a cool, rainy autumn day here and just at the mention of curling up with such squishy warmth I now am thinking of heading off for a nap!
Congratulations on finishing it! That is a lot of crocheting!
Yeah, the hexiflats are cute!
You will learn to love the speed of crochet. I am doing stuff for the Strange Folk Fest yarn bomb tonight, and a 10 ft circumference tree doesn’t even phase me-I crochet around it!
Nothing, nothing is like knitting. But crochet has its place and I love it.
That blanket is not done – where is the Gracie? Does the new size fit her?
Seriously – looks lovely!
I think I might have to learn to crochet so I can do a large blanket like that. It’s beautiful!
Lovely. I made a simple granny square afghan once. (years ago in college in bright red and yellow acrylic yarn, ugly as all get out now) To get mine oblong I made a number of squares and sewed them together. I couldn’t figure out how to get from a simple square to the oblong shape I wanted otherwise.
Yours is beautiful.
I love your blanket and your choice of colors. What did I learn? I learned that it is best to check errata (even though the pattern was still wrong) AND I learned that it is good to take creative license with patterns – it helped me to come up with the sleeves.
Thanks for the fun challenges.
I actually gained something….. The confidence I can do a sweater. Not afraid anymore!
P.S. Love your blanket Sheri.
Love, love, love your blanket. The colors are perfect!
I learned that 800 yds in a baby garment is still 800 yes, and doesn’t make it go any faster. I love the colors of your blanket.
Well for some reason I can’t seem to get a comment entered for the sock yarn ball giveaway… so I’m entering here and hoping that I can still get in on the fun. I made a hexagon quilt and loved making it, and would love, love, love to make a hexipuff blanket!!! I just love all the designs that can be embroidered on them, too.
Thanks,
Betsy
I learned that circular (shape of shawl – not just circular needles) knitting goes really fast since you keep going around & around without having to know if you are on right side or wrong, but beware of doubling your stitches along the way – those rows get very long, very fast. Instead of a little more than 800 yds, I used about 1600 yds.
Love the afghan. And I still haven’t knit a hexaflat. I think that shall be my weekend break from the lovely socks I’m getting tired of knitting again. WIP for over a year but will be finished by end of October. So many tiny cables to knit but lovely at the same time. Now where is some of my Lornas Lace bits for a hexaflat. Celebrating.
That was my first steek. I learned that I still have a drunken meandering stitch on the sewing machine and I probably should have sewn it by hand twice rather than by machine once. There was more area for freak out with the areas of the yoke where my stitches wandered willy nilly across the steek stitches.
Also, close isn’t great for lumps and bumps.
Love your afghan! About the length-to-width problem: It’s the difference in the side lengths, not their ratio, that determines the final size. It looks like your center rectangle is about 4 inches wider than it is tall, which is why your final afghan is 4 inches wider than tall.
Oh, and those colors are brilliant!
Love the blanket — bet it is really soft and cuddly. And since you are going around adding the same number of inches on each side, no it won’t be any longer than your center panel is longer than it is wide — sorry!
Ya know, it does seem like you’d keep the retangle until you think that you are adding the same number of stripes to the width as to the height. So if you start with 12″ wide by 8″ high, that’s a difference of 4″. If each stripe is 1″, and you do 26 stripes, you’ve added 52″ to the width (26 on each side) for a total width of 64″, and 52″ to the height (26 top, 26 bottom) for a total of 60″, still only 4″ difference.
Looking at the original ratio three squares wide of by two squares high, in order to keep the retangular shape you’d need to follow the original ratio by adding 3 stripes on the sides for every 2 on the top and bottom. Then your finished retangel would still have a 3 to 2 ratio.
But it really couldn’t be any lovlier!
my take on the shape is that the center section see looks almost square: 3 rectagles side by side. Or is half the rectangle falling over the fold??
Your blanket is lovely. I have several crocheted blankets my mother made, and one my grand(or great-grand?) mother made. I’m not a crochet-er, but I cherish those old ones.
Kitten with a whiplash is completely correct on the Math.
If you wanted a blanket that was (say) 40 by 60, you would have to start with a center triangle that was 1 by 21 (keeping the numerical difference between the desired final dimension, not the ratio).
I was going to chime in with my “rectangular afghan” story, but I’m too late – and the explanations above were much better than mine!
My afghan is still in regular use (if a bit worn-looking) after 28 years of marriage. I’d “lose” it but DH is still sentimentally attached… avocado and blue tell you anything about the era?
Your blankie looks like you–definitely Sheri colors! I think it’s perfectly swell.
Your afghan is beautiful..I haven’t crocheted in years, I just love to knit. My last granny square afghan was orange, green, and brown that I made for a friend’s wedding. Can anyone guess the year? See answer below.
I made the girasole shawl. Beautiful and fun to knit “in the round”. The final rounds were 640 stitches, so I went from knitting about 20 to 30 rounds per night to 4 or 5 near the end.
1978
Your afghan is lovely. I love crochet afghans, they are so snuggly. I learned that you can knit without thinking. It is a good thing. I also learned that when you mess with a pattern, or re-engineer something, it is not always a good thing. I love the way you made us think outside the box this summer. And I like my box. I can hardly wait til camp next year. Thanks for a welcome diversion.
I learned that despite the pattern not saying to go down a needle size on the ribbing at the bottom of the tunic, it really did need the smaller needles. Now I have to undo 2″ of ribbing and redo it; might make it longer at the same time
I learned how to put in a lifeline for lace. I had seen it done before, but had never actually tried it. After ripping out about 3hrs work of lace, I decided I’d better put that knowledge into practice! It doesn’t take too long to put in, and it is easy to work around.
I learned not to be so quick to decide what I wanted to knit. To take reasonable time! To choose colors wisely and not just what I liked.There were so many good patterns-I really enjoyed Camp Loopy! I am looking forward to next year.
I love your “blanket”. I want to get crochet better!
I learned that if I want to join Camp Loopy next year-and I do- that I need to make sure I pick difficult projects in the beginning of the summer, and then something that can be done fast, fast, fast in August because August is the fastest moving month of the year…………Where did it go?
Absolutely! I learn something every time I tackle a new big project. This time around? I re-taught (cuz it is really easy to forget) myself the importance of swatching for colour and planning. Had only 2 balls of a colour I had to make last and if I hadn’t taken the time to swatch and estimate, it could have spelled disaster. Worth the time, though it’s not as exciting as casting on and throwing caution to the wind!
I learned that I could work full time (really FULL time!!) and still complete a serious project. I’m pretty proud of myself!! I’m feeling fearless. Sheri, I love the colors in your blanket. I think I need to use those colors to make a baby blanket for someone. Hmmmm, maybe my girlfriend’s adorable grandson needs a new blanket for Christmas…thanks for the inspiration, my friend!!
I think from all three projects I learned how quickly I really can knit if I put my mind to it. However, I finished the largest of all three projects the fastest! A sweater in just 3 weeks is mind boggling to me!
Lovely afghan!!
Project 3 lessons for me:
1. Check errata. I can’t believe I forgot to!
2. EZ was right when she cautioned against cable patterns that give gauge “in patten”. I wish I had found her advice sooner about making a hat as a swatch for a cabled sweater!! (Next time I am going to try that.)
Thanks again for a lovely camping experience, Sheri!
I learned that I really can knit 6 hours at a stretch, just to get a project finished. 🙂
I also learned that I like knitting baby blankets. Who’d a thunk it? lol Since my project was a pink baby blanket, I’ve now started a blue on (just in case). The silly think is that I’ve now also bought yarn for another baby blanket! I think I’m on a binge. I also learned that blocking is a good idea, even if you think you like it the way it is. I like mine even better after blocking.
(I also learned that babies don’t mind a ‘few’ mistakes that weren’t corrected in order to get the project finished in time. 🙂
I had a blast this summer with Camp Loopy and I learned a lot. I loved having the discount so that I could try yarns I couldn’t normally afford. I could never have afforded HM Camelspin, but now I’m planning another project. It’s a wonderful base with lots of beautiful colors.
When I was in the store last Friday the elves asked me if I was going to play again next summer. Are we doing Camp Loopy again next summer? I hope so! I can’t wait to see what surprises we’ll have then!
Stacey – yes, we’re definitely having another adventure next summer!
The blanket turned out beautifully!
I learned that knitting a laceweight sweater was not nearly as scary as I had thought. I just knew that knitting a whole sweater in that weight of yarn would take a lifetime, but because of your Camp Loopy challenge, I decided to give it a try. I love the weight of the sweater, and I finished it in a much shorter time than I anticipated.
I love your blanket…but I learned that I like small,portable projects that can be worked on in the doctors officer in front of the TV. Don’ t get me wrong,I had a blast at Camp Loopy this summer and would do it again any time of the year. Tried a lot of new yarns and patterns.:-)
Sheri, I love your beautiful blanket! It will be so lovely and warm to snuggle under with DH and Gracie. Granny square crochet is very satisfying and looks stunning! Well done!!!
I was surprised to learn that if you actually follow the pattern to do slip stitch knitting it does work out pretty well. When I first looked at the pattern, I couldn’t fathom, from the directions, how it could possibly work! But I took a step of faith, followed the instructions and Viola! A Ballband Tote took beautiful shape and gave me so much pleasure! My friends all love it!
PS – Just found out my niece in Spokane WA has had her 6th baby!!! A little girl! Looks like I will have to find some pink yarn to knit something special for the dear wee soul!
Beautiful! Having learned to crochet at age 7, long before learning to knit 6 years ago, I still love to make a good granny square afghan every now and again. Your colors are gorgeous.
beautiful! I love the color scheme you chose. 😀