Crochet along update .....

It looks a bit crooked, but I think it will be fine with some blocking!

Hello!

So I have done a bit more of the mixed stripe blanket.

I finished the 5 rows of hdc, and then decided to do the granny stripes in red and pink.

I know you all probably know how to do the granny stripe pattern, but I will try and explain it just in case you are starting out and are not sure. It is really only the start and end of the rows that are a tiny bit tricky...

( Sc = dc, dc = tr, tr = dtr, )

Granny stripes:

Row 1 : Ch 3, then 3dc in next st,  skip 2sts,  3dc in next st, skip 2sts, 3dc in next st ......and so on to the end of the row. Bind off.( My row did not finish off evenly so I did 2dc in the second last st, and then 1dc in the last stitch, to make a straighter edge)

 Row 2 :Join pink to red 3rd chain, and chain 3, 1dc in gap between the chain stitches and the 3dc clusters, then 3dc between each cluster of the first row till the end of the row . Bind off.

( To finish, I did my last dc into the last st of the row and made sure the stitch count stayed the same to avoid the blanket gaining stitches overall) 

Row 3 : Join red to pink 3rd ch, chain 3, and then 3dc in the gaps between the clusters of the previous row, continue till the end of the row, and finish with 3 dc in the last gap.

here are the ends of each row

After the 3 granny stripe rows, I did 2 rows of hdc.  In the dark blue row, every third stitch I did into the gap between the previous rows clusters. The pale blue row is just hdcs straight across.

Next I am doing a bit of a chevron type stitch.

Pattern: 

(On wrong side) Ch 1,  *1hdc into next st, 1dc into next st, 3tr into next st, 1dc into next st, 1hdc into next st, 1sc into next st ; rep from * to end.......turn.

Change colour for 2nd row..1ch, skip1 st, 1sc into next st (counts as sc2tog), 1sc into each of next 2 sts,  *3sc into next st, 1sc into each of of next 2 sts, over next 3 sts work sc3tog, 

1sc into each of next 2 sts; rep from*.........

....till the last 5sts, 3sc into next st, 1sc into each of next 2 sts, over last 2 sts work sc2tog, turn.

3rd row : as 2nd row.

how to do sc3tog, draw up the first loop of the next 3 stitches...... 

....then yarn over and draw through all  4  loops on hook, decreasing 3sts to 1.

So this is where I am up to at the moment, on the 3rd row of the chevron pattern, next I am going to use the green again to fill in the dips of the chevrons and make it flat again.

Sorry I haven't done that yet to complete this little pattern segment.  I will edit this post and add it in when I am up to that bit!

Of course you can do more granny stripes if you like, (and in your own colours!) or leave them out  completely, but they are one of the patterns that I will be repeating throughout this blanket, and I am liking the chevron wave too, so will be doing more of these too!  

I think once I have done one patch of all the patterns I am going to use, these posts will get shorter as I won't repeat all the detailed instructions, so sorry for this long winded post!  

Anyway, how is your blanket going, are you having fun ?

A few people have been a bit concerned about how the blanket stays straight with all the different patterns, but I think just remember to keep the same number of stitches in each row and it will all work out in the end. ( ie, if we decrease in one row, in the next we increase the same number to keep it all square, hope you get what I mean!)  I am sure it will all be fine!

Ok, I am going to go and hook a few stitches before bed!

Have a great day!