Chunky Stripe Double Crochet Blanket

It took me around six months to finish this one, but even with the relentless knot behind my shoulder blade, I was determined to press on.  And I finished it!  What do you think?  I was a little hesitant about adding the gray in with the nice, bright pink and teal, but I think it looks good.  This time I decided to go with big chunky stripes, each making up a quarter of the blanket.

Overall this blanket took 8 regular sized skeins of yarn.   And besides the months long breaks I took, it really does work up quickly.  Click here and you can see the great yarn deal I got at Michaels.  This blanket cost me less than $15 to make!  I was itching to use this bright and cheery yarn for a project last fall and just before this summer rolled around I finished it up.  I think that's pretty good yarn turnover time!  Just ask a friend who knits or crochets.

I do have a question to ask of any fellow crochet bloggers.  How do you photograph your blankets?  I've tried several different ways and I just don't love any of them.  I found it difficult to take pictures of a blanket with stripes this big.  None of my pictures really portray how warm and cuddly it really is.  If you have any suggestions, leave them down below.

Here is a link to the pattern I used.  It's a pattern that doubles up on the yarn holding two strands and using them as one strand.  This time I used Craft Smart yarn in turquoise, white, fuchsia and gray.  Instead of switching out for the stripes on that pattern, just work two whole skeins (holding a strand from each and crocheting as one) of yarn then switch to the next color.  If you browse my page I'm sure you can see this is one of my favorite patterns!

Now I'm off to make a hat and figure out what I'm going to enter in the fair this year!


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Fall Haul
My Favorite Granny Afghan So Far!
Watermelon Candy Strip Afghan

Results From The Fair!! Were We Winners?

Are you ready for the results?!?

My kids, as I mentioned in the other post, thought it would be fun to enter Veggie Varmints in the creativity class at the fair.  We saw some friends who entered last year and decided to give it a go.  

A week ago, my daughter, son and I scoured Pinterest for ideas.  Pinterest has everything, you know!  My son didn't want to be boxed in by anyone else's design and decided to go freestyle. We purchased a variety of vegetables and he just went for it.  In the end he created the Lobwhale.  It was a very cute sea creature-looking creation.  He had a lot of fun making it and was happy with his result.  Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures when it was fresh, so you only get to see a wilted version after three days of being unrefrigerated.  So use your imagination and rehydrate those carrots!  My son didn't quite make the prize circle, but he had a great attitude and was very pleased that he had entered.  I even think he wants to do it again, so that's a win in my book!

My daughter found inspiration on Pinterest and had it in her mind for days that she was going to do this one specific thing.  She was almost swayed by her brother's free-styling idea, but in the end went with her original plan.  And it paid off!  She got the blue ribbon!  She won first prize for the eggplant penguin she named Happy Feet.  My daughter was so excited and very proud of herself.  I was happy for her as well, especially because there was a moment in there where I thought she might just throw in the towel.  But she persevered and in the end came out with a win!  

And me?

I did it!!

I got a blue ribbon, too!

I'm so excited.

Ok, there were only one or two other afghans in the class, but I won!!  I know it's quite the small victory, but I can't lie, it was gratifying to see that blue ribbon pinned to my project.  It makes me want to do it all again next year.  I'm already coming up with new ideas! 

So have you ever entered your project in a contest?  This was a first for me and it was so much fun.  It was motivating to have a goal to work towards.  Just like I talked about in my series, 30 Days 30 Recipes, having goal and accomplishing it is so incredibly rewarding.  And the win is just icing.

I've discovered some things about myself this year.  I need goals!  They don't have to be lofty goals or even anything I share with other people.  I just need something to strive towards. Contrived or not, goals create purpose and make me happy.  And I think that might be the secret for everything.


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30 Days 30 Recipes Wrap Up
My Favorite Granny Afghan So Far
Blanket Roundup

My favorite Granny Afghan so far!

Last year we went to the fair.  As usual, we checked out the exhibit hall and saw all the homemade creations displayed.  From jams and jellies to Lego creations and fantastical creatures constructed of vegetables, it was there.

Later that night, I saw on Facebook a friend of mine had pictures of her kids holding up their entries and blue ribbons.  That was awesome!  I asked her how hard it was to enter and she directed me to the page for the fair entries.  I read it and found out it was a cinch.  So this year my kids are planning on entering.  Fun!

Not to be left out of all the fun, I checked out the list of options for adult exhibits.  I saw granny square afghan there and I thought, perfect!  So this is what I came up with to enter into the fair this year.  I'm excited to see how I do and check out all the other items people enter.  I'll show you what the kids made as well in another post, so stay tuned!

Check out this post to see how we did!
Results From The Fair!! Were We Winners?

Blue, Brown and White Giant Granny Square

I've been gone for over a month!  But I haven't been sitting idly by.  Here is a blanket I finished up in January that I just hadn't gotten around to sharing with you.  It's a giant granny square much like this one.  I started it without a grand plan, just some yarn that I already had around from other projects.  I hope you like it!

Giant granny squares are so versatile.  Plus they're quick and easy.  They also lend themselves nicely to using up leftover yarn because the pattern possibilities are endless.

I'm on a bit of a crochet hiatus at the moment.  It's been busy around here!  I've been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  And after that, well, just getting rid of stuff!  Just before things got busy, I started making a blanket comprised of small granny squares.  I plan to post that in the coming months.

I have probably thirty granny squares worked up but I have yet to join them.  I was going to use a continuous join, but I think I'm opting for the single crochet join.  Do you have a favorite join for the classic granny square afghan?

If you want to see things I'm doing regularly, join me on Instagram @homecookedandhandmade.  Just type that in the search bar and you should see my page.

Anyway, here's the pattern from my giant granny square blanket.

Classic Giant Granny Square Afghan

Materials:

3 jumbo-sized skeins of yarn (you will have some extra but not too much)

size I hook

needle to weave ends

Shell -three double crochets together in one space

1.  Begin by chaining four.  Put your hook in the furthest chain from the hook and slip stitch.  Pull to make a circle.

2.  Chain 2.  Double crochet two into the space.  Chain two.  Double crochet 3, chain two.  Repeat this two more times.  Once you have four groups of three double crochet chain two, slip stitch to connect.  Slip stitch to the corner.  

3.  Chain 2.  Double crochet two, chain one, then double crochet three.  Chain two and make two shells in each corner followed by chain two.  Slip stitch to join and slip stitch to corner.

4.  Continue pattern with two shells in each corner separated by chain one, and one shell in each chain two space, separated by chain two.

This is a throw-sized blanket measuring approximately 53" X 53"

Here's a great YouTube tutorial if you would like to see a visual.  Videos like this one are how I taught myself to crochet a few short years ago.  Her pattern is a tiny bit different, but really, you could follow her and end up with a blanket basically the same as mine.

Thanks for stopping by!


Join me on Instagram @homecookedandhandmade



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Giant Granny Square Blanket
Watermelon Candy Granny Strip Afghan
Multicolor Crochet Scrap Blanket

Blanket Roundup

Looking for a personal gift idea?  Most of my blankets are very quick to make so you should be able to whip one up before Christmas.  Here's a roundup of many of the blankets I've crocheted and featured here on my blog.  Check it out, you might be inspired!

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Do you have scraps of yarn laying around?  Check out these scrap blankets!  They are the perfect solution if you have time and yarn but not a lot of money.

Double Crochet Scrap Blanket

Multicolor Crochet Scrap Blanket
This yarn came mostly from a bag of yarn a friend gave me.  It was so fun to go through and see what potential could come from a jumbled trash bag full of yarn.  I was happy with how it turned out!

Striped Double Crochet Blanket
This one is another double crochet blanket in stripes.  I love stripes!

Here are some blankets that work up super quick.  They combine two strands of yarn to make something nice, thick, quick and comfortable.

Coffee and Blue Jeans
This one is probably my favorite.  I gave it to one of my nephews as a gift.  You might recognize it from the homepage of my blog!

Boyish Stripes

I really like this one too.  I made it for another of my nephews and gave it to him for Christmas last year.  It's so warm and comfy!

Pink and Gray Double Crochet
This is a more recent one.  It's the same idea as the others just different colors and a different pattern of stripes.

Neapolitan
This one reminds me of the ice cream that you always seem to find at birthday parties: strawberry chocolate and vanilla.

These next ones are granny square and granny stripe blankets.  They are crocheted as just one giant granny square that continues to increase in size each round.  When you get to the size you like, just stop!


Giant Granny Square Blanket

Watermelon Candy
This next one is also a favorite of mine.  I gave it to my niece for Christmas last year.  I just love how all the colors came together.  It is a granny stripe as opposed to a granny square.  I also added a ruffle edge to make it just a little more special!

If you want to see more of my crochet items, just check out the Crochet/Knit page found on this blog!



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Neapolitan Double Crochet Blanket

I think my favorite crochet blanket to make is a striped, chunky double crochet blanket.  It's quick, easy and I love the result.  Here's the latest one I worked on.  As a reminder, to achieve the chunky look, I use a larger hook and crochet with two strands of yarn together.

It's such a simple design but I love the simplicity of it.  Double crochet is such an easy stitch, but you can do so much with it.  As I've said in the past, I learned to crochet using YouTube tutorials and I am so very grateful for the people who put out videos to learn new skills.  Who needs to pay for classes when everything is free on the internet!?!

Well, I suppose you do need to be discerning for some things, but I say if you can learn a skill that's a win in my book!

For the stripes on this blanket, I crocheted 8 rows of each color.  This made for a nice wide stripe.  I do like most any size stripe, but for this I was thinking of the box of ice cream and I thought the wider stripes gave it that feel.

To make one of these for yourself, simply chain until you reach the desired width of your blanket.  then, skipping the first chain, double crochet into each chain, repeating until you change colors.  Then continue, repeating the pattern until you get to the desired length.  

I purchased my yarn at Walmart for less than $6 per skein for the jumbo skeins.  You will need a total of two skeins for each color, or one jumbo skein and one regular sized skein.  Results may vary based on the tightness of your stitch.

Materials:

Red Heart Super Saver Cafe Late

Red Heart Super Saver White

Red Heart Super Saver Perfect Pink

Hook size: L

Click here for instructions on how to crochet a blanket just like this!

You might also like:

Coffee and Blue Jeans - Thick and Comfy Crochet Blanket

Striped Double Crochet Blanket

Watermelon Candy Granny Stripe Afghan

Multicolor Crochet Scrap Blanket

My friend, Amy, gave me a trash bag full of yarn not too long ago. Getting yarn is always a small celebration!  Some of the yarn in the bag was started into projects but I knew it would be perfect for a project of my own.  I took some time and untangled and sorted and organized.  After looking at it, I thought it would work nicely into a scrap afghan.  I sometimes don't like calling it scrap because it sounds like it's just leftovers, but in reality, it's like a little piece of everything.  It's not leftovers, it's creativity inspiration.

Either way, I took a lot of the yarn she gave me and combined it with some yarn I already had.  This blanket is the result!   It's eclectic and fun and I hope someone loves receiving it as a gift!

Instructions on how to make a double crochet scrap blanket here!



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Boyish Stripes Double Crochet Blanket

Striped Double Crochet Blanket

Striped Double Crochet Blanket

Here's a blanket using double crochet with single strand of yarn that I am currently working on.  I got some of the pastel multicolor yarn on sale some time ago and I thought it would look nice with blues and yellow.  This is yet another example of a blanket simple enough for a beginner, yet nice enough to give as a gift or display in your home.

When I am done with this blanket I may finish it up with a single crochet border.


 UPDATE!!

I did end up doing a single crochet border.  I tried a couple different times with different colors and had a hard time figuring out exactly what I wanted.  The dark blue and yellow didn't quite work and I ended up using the light multicolor yarn.  I like how it turned out.

If you're looking for double crochet blanket patterns, check these out!

Double Crochet Scrap Blanket

Coffee and Blue Jeans - Thick and Comfy Crochet Blanket

Pink and Gray Double Crochet

Here is a blanket I recently finished.  I think it turned out really cute.  I have made many others like it before, and you can see one here or here with a pattern.  The two-strand double crochet blanket is so quick and easy and the fun really comes in the color combinations.  I hope you like what you see!

You might also like:

Coffee and Blue Jeans Afghan

Boyish Stripes Afghan

Watermelon Candy Granny Stripe Afghan

This year has been the year of crochet blankets for me.  They work up so much faster than knit and are a lot of fun to make.  The most recent one I made was so bright and fun.  This blanket is an easy take on the granny square, only done in a stripe.  My kids loved the colors and commented as I was making it that it looked like watermelon.

Watermelon Candy Granny Stripe Afghan

Materials:
2-3 skeins Red Heart Spring Green
2-3 skeins Red Heart White
2-3 skeins Red Heart Pretty n' Pink

Hook Size: J

Instructions:

Here's a link to a site with instructions on how to make a blanket similar to this.

My color pattern, as you can see is two rows of white, two rows of pink, two rows of white, two rows of green, etc.

I finished this afghan with a single crochet and scalloped edge border.  First I did a row of white single crochet around the edge of the entire blanket, followed by a row of green single crochet.  Then, with the pink I made the scallop.  This is done by double crocheting three into one stitch, followed by a two slip stitches into the next two stitches.  The pattern is then repeated.

Giant Granny Square Blanket

I love receiving handmade gifts from people who care about me!  Each time I use the gift, I think of the person who gave it to me.  My friend, Annie, gave my husband and I a giant granny square blanket for Christmas a few years back.  It keeps us nice and warm on cool fall nights.

The simple granny square is a classic crochet pattern at which even the novice crocheter can excel.  Yet, for it's ease, it is a beautiful project.  The blanket that I made here is a take on this classic.  It's a version with three double crochet stitches in the spaces, followed by two chains.  Some people make the granny with only one chain between shells, or even none.  It's entirely up to you.  The more chains, the looser and lacier the look of the afghan.

A close up of the single crochet edging.  Row one is in the cafe late followed by one row of green.

Classic Giant Granny Square Afghan

Materials:

3 jumbo-sized skeins of yarn (you will have some extra but not too much)

size I hook

needle to weave ends

Shell -three double crochets together in one space

1.  Begin by chaining four.  Put your hook in the furthest chain from the hook and slip stitch.  Pull to make a circle.

2.  Chain 2.  Double crochet two into the space.  Chain two.  Double crochet 3, chain two.  Repeat this two more times.  Once you have four groups of three double crochet chain two, slip stitch to connect.  Slip stitch to the corner.  

3.  Chain 2.  Double crochet two, chain one, then double crochet three.  Chain two and make two shells in each corner followed by chain two.  Slip stitch to join and slip stitch to corner.

4.  Continue pattern with two shells in each corner separated by chain one, and one shell in each chain two space, separated by chain two.

This is a throw-sized blanket measuring approximately 53" X 53"

Here's a great YouTube tutorial if you would like to see a visual.  Videos like this one are how I taught myself to crochet a few short years ago.  Her pattern is a tiny bit different, but really, you could follow her and end up with a blanket basically the same as mine.

Boyish Stripes - Double Crochet Blanket

This blanket is another of the ones I like to make because of how it looks and how quick it is to make.  It's a double crochet stitch using two strands of yarn as one.  It has a coffee brown border on each of the sides.  

It turned out very nice, I think.  Typically I don't border a blanket like this, but it seemed this one needed it.  When I finished it, I was glad I added the border.

Boyish Stripes - Double Crochet Blanket

Materials: