Persian sweetie shop blanket #1

We have the last week of the holiday blues around here. Not because we are sorry it is the last week, but because the holidays have gone on sooooo looooong! What with a month off school for travelling, and a month over Christmas, by the time they go back on Tuesday the Smalls will have been off for eight of the last eleven weeks. We are all ready for the routine and stimulation that school brings. We are rubbing each other up the wrong way and all need a bit of space.

I have been retreating, when squabbling Smalls allow, into my new crochet books that arrived in the post-Christmas post. They are fab. Lots of lovely ideas and great instructions and photos.

I have also been enjoying a book from the library which I think I might just have to buy...

Back here and here I talked about a blanket plan that has been rumbling around in my head for a while. I was completely inspired by some blankets I saw via a giveaway here (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the 1 Oct entry).

I decided to crochet rather than knit, and saw in my little old head a brightly coloured Persian rug made in light but warm crocheted cotton. I am nothing if not ambitious! I bought the yummy yarn before leaving the UK and have been waiting more or less patiently for the new crochet books before getting down to a bit of planning...

I began by realising my dream in the medium of coloured pencil on printer paper (slightly crumpled).

Then the mathematician in me (yes it is long buried but not yet dead) had to break out the right angles. The blanket is going to be made up of squares of various sizes, joined as I go if I can figure out how, linked by stripes.

Then with the help of the new books, (but not following any of the patterns completely - you know I always have to go my own way) I hooked up some prototypes and worked out some stitch combinations to make patterns for the 2 inch and 4 inch squares.

I am quite pleased with them so far...

The middle of the blanket is going to be a 20 inch square made in a similar way. I have to stop it going all rainbow on me but want a sort of star-burst effect. I tried to plan it on paper but the result was so woeful that I discarded it in favour of jumping in with both feet and a 4.5mm hook.

Here we are... a 5inch circle that may (or may not) end up in the centre of a 72 inch square blanket.

Btw the mathematician popped up again and asked me to tell you that I have therefore completed 0.387% of the total area. Hmm. As I said, ambitious...

xx