My First Crochet Project

I recently decided to subscribe to a Crochet Magazine online after deciding that I would love to make a blanket for my upcoming addition to the family, baby number 2. I tried a few magazines subscriptions via my Ipad as they seem to come with a month free trial and eventually decided on the Simply Crochet magazine. I found a lot of the magazines to be using the American format and using yarns only available in the U.S. With me being an absolute beginner I was not confident in substituting yarns. I found the Simply Crochet magazine to have clear instructions and gorgeous designs. In my first magazine I fell in love with a blanket that uses a shell stitch technique. I loved the colours and so, on a whim decided to buy the suggested yarn and give it a go. Now, this blanket was a bit pricey, but after reading reviews of the yarn online, I couldnt find any suggestions for an alternative to the Debbie Bliss Cotton DK yarn that was suggested. In total I think it was about £60 for all the wool. This isn't small change, but at this point I was 7 months pregnant and becoming obsessed with making my own blanket, this blanket. So I took the plunge, and I have zero regrets. The finished result is soft and pleasing to the eye, and if I do say so not bad for a first go! I went adventurous once I had made the blanket as, being a beginner I had not mastered weaving in the ends, so I improvised and tidied up the edges with a double crochet in the Ecru colour.

My Eldest daughter loved watching me make this, and now it is finished and I am 8 months pregnant, we love to snuggle up under it and watch Disney films.

Now in preparation for this I bought some cheap yarn from a local supplier and practised the stitches for this project for a few rows to get used to the stitches. The yarn I used was horrible, and split constantly which worried me that I would have the same trouble with the Debbie Bliss yarn. However, it was a dream to use in comparison, a pleasure to crochet with!

I made a few crochet flowers too, with the horrible yarn, to practise doing the Double Crochet (DC) and Treble Crochet (Tr) stitches. Here is a lovely tutorial on how to make crochet flowers.