Foxtail and Flax

With a holidays coming up and all the craziness that brings with it, I’m craving just a couple minutes of comfy, cozy, down time. And one of the activities I reach for on my down time is crochet. So, grab a creamy hot cocoa, a piping hot tea or a delightfully dark coffee, pick up your current favorite project, and settle in for a cozy little story about my newest crochet project: The Braided Crochet Hope Blanket.

Intro

I’m fairly new to the art of crochet; I think I was taught about a year ago. My friend taught me before we were all gathered to spin yarn one afternoon. We were waiting for everyone to show up and she was showing me her recent crochet projects. When she offered to teach me I said yes. I felt I needed to learn a fiber skill that would help me use up some of the finished yarn I was spinning. She taught me the basics: chaining, single, half double, double, and triple crochet, and sent me home with a crochet book for beginners. I spent some time making practice swatches to get the hang of it. Also, I really didn’t know what to make.

I decided to start with a scarf. That’s where most people start right? I found a wonderful pattern to start with: the Wanderlust Scarf by Kirsten Holloway Designs. Her instructions were clear, I loved the pattern and I got to practice a couple new techniques in the midst of fairly basic stitches. I did alter the pattern just a smidge: its wider than the pattern intended, I decided at the end that it need a little bead embellishment, and I decided to use a different type of yarn than suggested (I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Roving Origins Yarn, in Olive color) but you have to put your mark on things, right?

I was pretty pleased with how this project turned out and added the copper colored glass beads as a contrasting accent at the last minute. Can’t recommend the pattern enough!

Planning my Braided Hope Blanket

I recently planned out my second project: a blanket. Maybe afghan is the correct term but I like blanket better so that’s what I’m going with. This project is debuting as my Braided Crochet Hope Blanket.  My goals for the project:

• Use a large amount of hand spun wool
• Learn several new techniques and/or stitches
• Follow a loose plan but basically free-ball the project
• Be able to take pieces of the project with me places
• Use only from my stash

Here’s the rough outline I came up with in the planning stage:

The main part of the afghan is going to be crocheted out of a gorgeously squishy, soft gray colored Border Leicester/ Tunis/ Icelandic cross, that I have been working on hand spinning since last Winter. The gorgeous-fleeced-cross in question is a ewe named Hope (hence the reason for the snappy name. I had to name it after her!) and I have two of her fleeces, 2023 and 2024. And they are hefty fleeces. She was destined for a blanket the moment I felt her and with so much to contribute, this felt like the right project.

Hope’s washed, unprocessed fleece from 2024 alongside her 2023 fleece hand spun into a 3-ply bulky yarn.

I envision this project being worked on in sections: There are 2 long skinny rectangles, 15 inches by 82 inches each; a center made up of many colorful 6 inch by 6 inch Granny Squares; and 2 almost square sections on top and bottom of the Granny Square Center, 18 inches by 20 inches each.

I chose the Braided Crochet Stitch for the 2 long skinny pieces on either side of the Granny Square Center. I had never done it before and I really love the way it looks. I’ve since found the 2-row repeat to be simple and meditative, a quality I appreciate on such a large project. Additionally, when I say “crocheted blanket,” a Braided Crochet Stitch isn’t the picture that pops into your mind. It’s different but still blanket-y, which was what I was going for.

The Granny Square Center will be a pop of bright color in the otherwise all gray blanket. I plan on using a variety of color and Granny Square styles. The squares need to be 6 inches by 6 inches and number 21 in total. I might just decide to play around with dyeing some wool from my stash for the project.

I’m undecided about the 2 nearly square sections. I figured I would mull it over while crocheting and figure it out by the time I get there. Or in all reality, I’ll get there, realize I haven’t thought much about it since I started, do a quick stitch search and make a last-minute decision. Either way, I’m sure I’ll be happy with the decisions that ultimately get made.

That’s a wrap…

The only piece of this project that is super transportable is the Granny Square Center which admittedly is only 21 pieces strong but there’s a lot of family events coming up for me this month and I think this is the perfect project for the task.

The whole project overall is supposed to help me bust through some stash, maybe learn some new skills and have fun. I’m not at worried about exact measurements so long as things look about even. I didn’t count my chain stitches to start and I’m not going to panic if my Granny Square gauges aren’t 100% on point. Things will be close enough and that’s all I’m looking for in this project: a low stress, cozy project I can relax to.

Here’s me wishing you a very Merry (and cozy!) Christmas and the Happiest of Holidays! And good fortune in all your fiber adventures!