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LoveCrafts

The Granny Stripe - Crochet Tutorial

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Who doesn't love a granny stripe?  The granny stripe blanket is in my opinion, the most quintessential crochet blanket of them all...  They have been around for decades and the basic pattern is so easy to master.  You only need to know a few basic stitches and in no time at all, you can create a gorgeous, squishy, stripy, colourful blanket, perfect for snuggles on the sofa. The Granny Stripe US terms are used throughout. Abbreviations  sc Single crochet   dc Double crochet   sl st Slip stitch   ch Chain   sp Space    sk skip  Notes:  You can use any yarn weight you like with this stitch, just use the hook size recommended on your yarn ball band. Foundation Chain    a multiple of 3 + 1 (keep chaining until you reach the required width of your blanket). Row 1 dc in the 4th chain from hook, *sk 2 chains, 3 dc in the next chain* repeat from * to * until the last 3 chains, sk 2 chains and 2 dc in the last chain. Turn. We will now be w

How to Make the Perfect Granny Square (without twisty corners) - Crochet Tutorial

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Everyone loves a granny square and there are many different ways to make them and many tutorials available on the web.  This tutorial particularly focuses on avoiding that "twist" you get after working a few rounds in the traditional method.  This is particularly helpful when making large granny squares or a giant granny square blanket. The Perfect Granny Square Abbreviations  (US terms) sc - single crochet dc - double crochet sl st - slip stitch  ch - chain  sp - space Other notes: I used a 5mm (H) hook with Aran weight cotton yarn to make my squares, but you can use any yarn you like, just use a hook recommended on your yarn ball band.  I like to start my rounds with a chainless dc, you can do this too if you wish, or just stick to the traditional ch3.  Join new colours with a sl st, if you wish to make your squares a single colour, sl st into the corner sp to start next round.   Foundation  Chain 4 and join with  sl st to form  r

Granny Flower Love!

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Well hello everyone!  If you have been waiting for another stash busting post please accept my apologies, I have had a couple of commissions that have taken up all of my time and the stash busting will have to wait.  So, I will share 1 of those with you instead. I was very fortunate enough to receive an order for a single bed blanket.  I don't make large blankets very often, so it was a refreshing change.  My customer chose the colours and the design.  She wanted granny flowers on a cream background.  The room the blanket was intended for was to have Cath Kidston wallpaper and so the colours were chosen around this... I used Stylecraft Special Aran for this project.  I find an aran weight yarn is much nicer for making bigger blankets and the Stylecraft aran is so soft and squishy.   Colours used  - Lemon, Pale Rose, Cloud, Aster, Pomegranate, Pistachio, Baby Pink and Cream. First I make all the flowers Then surround them with cream.  I a

Stash Busting Challenge - Week 2

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Hi everyone, sorry this post is a little late.  We have been super busy with half term activities, days out and visiting family.   So continuing with the stash busting, more granny squares, large ones this time.  For this blanket I have used Stylecraft Special dk in shades of Pale Rose, Mocha, Parchment, Duck Egg, Soft Peach and Cream.  I joined the squares with single crochet from the back in Pale Rose, which leaves a lovely dotted line of colour on the front of the blanket.  A simple border of pretty shells to finish it off. Ta Da! blanket three finished...  ...looking for a new home. I loved the way the pink and duck egg blanket turned out and wanted to make something similar for a boy.  So I exchanged the pink and peach for Copper and Stone Nepp in Life dk. For this blanket I used a round of bobble edging in Duck Egg to finish it off. Ta Da! Blanket four finished. Now available in my Etsy store...  The sta

Stash Busting Challenge - Week 1

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Well hello everyone!  This week has been all about grannies.  I have managed to burn through a substantial amount of my stash already and have two finished blankets to show you.  I have also made a start on two other blankets that will hopefully be ready to show you next week.  So with out further ado, here's what I've been up to this week... For my first blanket I wanted some very girly.  I first rummaged through my stash finding all the pinks and purples and any other shades that were colourful but nothing too dark.  I even used up some of those dodgy variegated yarns that I never could find a project for.  You know, the ones you buy on a whim, sure that you will find something amazing to make with them; but in reality they sit in a box under the bed never to see the light of day again. My first square... ...led to another...  ...and another... ...and another.  Making granny squares is very addictive. Very soon I had a whole stack of t