Cedar River Blanket

This is the first blanket I've made where have followed a whole pattern from start to finish. Normally I tinker around with directions, changing the yarn, colours or structure in some way or taking an image from one place and mixing it with an idea from somewhere else. But with this, I didn't once stray from the instructions, because I thought the pattern and colours were so lovely - so me - that they were perfect as they were. 

There are pros and cons with each way of working, of course. Following a pattern can be tedious and hard work if your heart's not really in it (or it's badly written, which luckily this one wasn't), but in some ways it's so liberating. No worrying about which colour works with the next one, no playing yarn chicken with scraps of leftover balls, hoping I'll have enough to finish a row. Just print out the pattern, order the yarn, check you have the right size hook. and off you go. Also, no worrying about what to call the finished article. This one comes ready named, the "Cedar River Blanket". I like that.

The pattern, which you can see here, is known as Corner to Corner crochet. You start small, increasing to a central point, then decrease along the opposite side. I don't know if there is a name for this stitch but it's just clusters of trebles pulled together into lovely shell-like shapes. Individual squares are bordered and crocheted together, then the whole blanket is edged with a simple, clean row of treble stitches. 

I chose to make the large throw, which is made up of 24 squares measuring 110 cm by 165 cm. It is very definitely a throw not a blanket - smallish, lightweight (the yarn is acrylic) and perfect to keep on the back of the sofa to pull over my legs during spring evenings. 

And look, those colours - just perfect for our living room!