Baby Blanket - Crochet

I'd made these patches a while ago, a bunch of little granny squares in pastel rainbow colours (I love rainbows), each one in a different order. The idea was to make the patches into a baby blanket for an old friend who I'd heard was going to be a dad, but he was so bad at keeping in touch I abandoned the idea, and the patches.

Then, recently, I found out that the Head of Science at the school I work at is going to be a dad in August. He was my tutor 13 years ago when I started at the same school at age 11, and had taught me A-level Chemistry, and was now a colleague, as well as my adopted mentor during my struggle through the end of school. So, I resurrected the patches, crocheted them together, and this blanket appeared. I sincerely hope that he, his wife, and their daughter, love the blanket and get good use out of it!

Jackie's Blanket - Crochet

This blanket is inspired by similar blankets and throws I've seen on TV usually in American programs thrown over the backs of sofas. It's made from individually crocheted Granny Squares (each one a unique combination of six differently coloured yarns) then crocheted together with black yarn and boardered.

My now ex-boyfriend's mum has been in and out of hospital having operations on her knee since I met her in 2007. Due to my obsessive creativity and being now physically unable to go anywhere without some knitting or crochet to do I'd always be making something when I went to visit, and she'd always comment how patient I must be to be able to do something to monotonous! Again, I'd gained another follower of my peculiar yarn addiction. So, as a Christmas present I made a lap blanket to keep her knee warm as she recovered after operations. Needless to say she was very happy to receive something so personal, and she still uses it (I always love to see something I make being put to use!)

Whole Blankets - Crochet

I've made two crochet blankets just going around in a big Granny Square. The first I made mostly over the Christmas/New Year of 2006/07 when on holiday to Denmark to take a break from the stresses of finishing my final year at University.

For some reason I had asked my mum to teach me how to crochet after seeing her creating a blanket and supposed it must be therapeutic, which it turned out to be! This was the first thing I made using yarn and I haven't looked back since.

I made this big "blanket" which I gave to my grandmother as a Christmas gift. She was diagnosed with cancer this Christmas (2008/09) and has worn it throughout her radiotherapy and time in hospital. So, my therapy has become hers! EDIT: when Nana died after fighting the cancer for most of 2009 she still had the blanket with her.

The blanket around Monkey was a quick job compared to the massive Nana blanket above. I finished it up after this photo was taken with some tassles, and sent it to a friend who'd just had a baby. She sent me back a photo of her baby wrapped up in the blanket :)

Tam o' Shanter - Crochet

Another gift for my ex-boyfriend, wasn't he lucky! Here's it's worn by me... Hideous!

*Ahem* Problem is, I don't have a clue how I made this. I just made it up as a went along, and if it was going a funny shape I'd just undo it and start again. That's the beauty of crochet as opposed to knitting, because you can't just undo a bit of knitting up to a certain point before it went wrong, it doesn't work that way! Because you're never having to hold stitches when you crochet, it's already binding itself off as you're making it, you can create and correct to your heart's content! However, you do not get the variety of stitches and shaping that you get with knitting, so I love both arts! :)

Watford United football scarf - Crochet

This was a birthday gift for my good friend Tom who supports Watford United Football club and had always wanted a supporters' scarf! It's crocheted in doubles, acrylic yarn (for easy washing, you know what boys are like!) in the club's colours. Making a crochet scarf like this is very easy, you just cast on (or whatever the equivalent is in crochet, I don't know) until you reach the width you want the scarf to be, and then crochet away! I've made several scarfs in this way, one in Gordon clan colours to match one of my friend's kilts (see below), one in "Magpie" colours for an ex who loved magpies, and one for myself to match my uniform where I used to work, to name a few!