The Granny Stripe :: ta-dah!

 

Hello my friends, thank you so much for being here with me. I 'm really happy that finally, finally, I've found a (relatively) quiet little spot in my busy-busy days to sit and whizz up a multi-coloured ta-dah post to share with you all. Pheww....for a while I thought it would never happen, I can't tell you how incredibly difficult it is at the moment for me to find time to sit and write.

When I first made the decision to go with the acrylic for this blanket, there was quite a bit of uncertainty and I really wasn't at all sure whether it would work out or not. I purchased the yarn (Stylecraft Special DK) on a bit of a whim really, chose the colours quite quickly in a dimly lit shop one lunch time. Brought them home in a big squishy bag, tumbled them out onto the floor, arranged them in rows, stood back and took a long hard look at my blanket-to-be. A few dubious colours, but mostly yes I was happy with them and felt they would work up nicely into stripes.

And oh-me-oh-my, I was not disappointed. This yarn, this cheap acrylic yarn, was an absolute dream to work with. You may remember me beginning this blanket at the very end of May (yarn info can found in that post too), it was such an exciting time for me. Well truthfully the beginning of any blanket is always hugely exciting, but somehow this one seemed more so than ever before.

I have loved every moment of working up these granny stripes (excepting perhaps the first couple of rows), and everything about it has been a surprising pleasure. And now it's finished, and the acrylic yarn has become an acrylic blanket, I am hugely happy with it. It's one warm, colourful, happy, snuggly, delicious bit of hooky.

 

I know that a great many of you Hooked-A-Long with me and embarked on your own Granny Stripe blankets. I can't tell you how wonderful this has been for me, and how glad I am that this simple pattern has delivered such a lot of world-wide hooky happiness!

One of the most exciting and rewarding bits of blanket making is working The Edge. It's that point in the blanket when there is still quite a bit of hooky left to do, yet the End is firmly in sight.

I think every blanket deserves an Edge, it totally transforms the whole thing, turns it from a rectangle of crochet into a proper blanket.

 

I love how my Granny Stripe edging turned out. I made a round of granny-clusters first, working into the spaces at the end of alternate rows. 

After the granny clusters, I worked two rows of treble crochet, followed by a thin row of pink double crochet. Then with the light blue I worked the final edge-of-the-edge :: this was one row of double crochet (US single crochet) then a dinky little sort of picot/shell pattern that I made up myself.

This is an easy pattern, and makes a very neat edging. Work with the right side facing, and work out of BACK LOOPS only (other wise it curls if you work through both loops).
**work 3 slip stitches, then in the next stitch work the following :: (dc, ch 2, dc)**. Repeat between **.
Remember when I say dc, this is UK terms (hook into stitch, yarn over, hook back through stitch (2 loops on hook), yarn over, draw through 2 loops)

Do you like it?

Ahhhhhh I do. I'm very happy with it. I did try out a normal bog standard picot stitch at first but it didn't seem to be right somehow. Plus, I really get a kick out of designing something myself, creating something new.

So.

I think it might be time.

Time for me to unfold my blankie, spread it out on the floor and start dancing my excited jiggety-jig around it.

Time to climb onto the coffee table and wibble-wobble on the edge while I try and take a halfway decent photograph.

Time to show you...................................

 

 

............The Granny Stripe Blanket :: ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In all it's stripy, gorgeously-gorgeous glory, there it is.

Sixty stripes in total, sixty stripes of happy colourful loveliness. 

Oh yes, I do reeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally adore this blanket.

 

Are you enjoying this Stripe fest????!!!! I think I went a bit bonkers taking pictures, sorry if it's all a bit much.

 

As you all know, I made this blanket for Connievan, and I think thats perhaps why it's turned out so happy and colourful and sort of holiday-ish, you know?

Actually I'm really looking forward to taking it and installing it in Connievan. Ok, so "looking forward" doesn't quite describe my true feelings here, I am actually ridiculously, stupidly almost peeing-my-pants-with-excitement happy at the prospect (which will occur on Saturday yippppeeeeee!!)

But, I shall miss having it around at number 24, even though there are oooooo let me see now, five blankets here in this room already. 

So shall we move right along and talk Riveting Facts?? Shall we?? Ok, here we go.....

Yarn :: 17 colours of Stylecraft Special DK, worked on a 4mm hook.

Measures :: 110 x 150 cm

Starting chain :: 239

Stripes :: 60

Balls :: approx 10 x 100g

Weight :: just less than 1kg

Cost :: not a lot. Cheapo. A bargain.

Photo :: me snuggled on the sofa trying not to look too weary

Blanket :: gorgeously gorgeous

Me :: happy

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Edited to add :: a little note about my colour sequences...totally random, although I did keep an eye on the more dominant colours and tried to space them out quite evenly (the red, dark purple, the very bright in-your-face green and the yellow). Choosing which colours went next to each other was a huuuuuge part of the excitement for me with this blanket, I just love doing random ♥

Also, I've put the pattern into my sidebar, usual place down at the bottom, listed as a page. No step-by-step photos yet I'm afraid, but I've tried to write it in Plain English so hoping you can follow it.

Comments

[Joan Brennan]

What are the colour names you used in the edging of the granny stripe blanket? I've just finished the blanket which is just beautiful and am now starting the edge.

[Sue johnson]

Hi lm Sue just wanted to tell you how much l love your stripe blanket l have bad right arm at the moment and am unable to chrochet and l must say it is driving me crazy ( as you know doubt would under stand but will be going out tomorrow and buying wool so l can get right onto it as soon as l am able to crochet again

[Anne A dkins]

Did your border but was a bit fluted
So l did 1 treble round one double crochet and then one single crochet
No more fluted border😏

[karen]

hi, love the pattern and now on the border, can you give me a bit more instruction please? i dont know what a slip stitch is

[Angela Burke]

Your instructions were exactly what I was looking for. Have nearly finished my blanket in only a few weeks but will need to do the edging. May take me another week or 2 to finish everything. Have used my own colour combination and bought the wool (acrylic) wholesale online, so the material is really cheap.
Thanks again!

[Tessa Wilson]

A link to show the picture to you x

http://ravel.me/SillyPerson/s3ha3

[Tessa Wilson]

I've made a small baby blanket version of almost your colour pattern for my newest grandson, born in Mexico last week on 21st October! I did it in Afghan or Tunisian crochet because I was worried about his little fingers getting caught in the granny triples. It looks amazing and is perfect for Mexico and salutes the famous Otomi embroidery so popular here. A photo for you to put on your site if you like y thank you so much for the inspiration and help. IMG_0194.JPG

[Dawn]

Hi I am thankful for your generosity. I made my own with a Christmas gift in mind so the colour palet is completely different. I wish I could show you. Thanks again xx. Loved the wavy edging again I did it my own way. The edge isn't like yours but I added the wavy part as I loved the look and if finished my blanket off beautifully. Almost want to keep it but it's will be loved, so I won't mind lol.

[Cass Micheli]

Lucy do you have a pattern for your circle cushion or is it two flat circles joined together? :)

[Caroline Sackley]

Hello, as I am ill at the moment I have abandoned the more complicated harmony blanket and am doing the granny stripe, happy, happy colours, just what I needed to cheer me up and simple!

[Emily]

How do you get the holes to be so small??? I am trying to use this pattern and the holes are as big as the clusters. Please help.

[Rachel]

Hey, thanks for this pattern! I found it over a year ago and started my boy's granny stripe blanket in November 2014. It's finally finished, here's my ravelry page with a few photos :) Now I just need to finish my daughter's ripple blanket (started over 2yrs ago, oops!). Love your patterns :)

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/rachelsea/granny-stripes

[Jan (A gluttonous wife)]

Thank so much for this wonderful blanket pattern. Here's a link to my finished baby :) Just ordered another bundle as I've had a few people wanting one.
http://agluttonouswife.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/granny-stripe-blanket-ta-dah.html
Warm regards,
Jan x

[Josephine Sims]

Hi do you have to 3 trebles and miss 3 chain to end please

[barbara pierce]

hello having trouble with my base chain the tension is too tight with test square ive bought the yarn for granny stripes but too scared to start until i get tension right any tips,ive even used a 7mm hook for base chain and 4mm for stitches ,

[Dora Berenyi]

Could I please have more detail regarding the edge. For example for the first round of trebles do you do one into each of the three trebles in the treble cluster?

[Toni Vince]

HI Lucy.
Am nearly at the edging stage of this beautiful blanket. I've read through your instructions, but can't work out how many dc are needed. Do I dc 3 times into the edge of the first tr cluster edge? And what about the sides? Where do the dc go? I don't want to end up with a saggy boarder or one that's too tight after putting in all the work. This is my first project so I really don't know what I'm doing! Would be grateful for further instructions.
Many thanks Lucy. I love all your work and am thinking of doing the beach wave blanket next.
Thanks, Toni Vince

[Kiss Marianne]

Dear Lucy, thank you very much your perfect and beautiful Granny Stripe blanket. Here in Budapest (Hungary) there are many kind of threads for crochet. I have at home many threads too, name is "Steinbach Wolle", 50% acryl and 50% wool. Do you think that it will be good for my blanket?
With love
Marianne

[Nolda Rokeh]

looking for instructions for granny stripe ta=dah!
blanket.I am 82 years old moved to USA in 1958 from Amsterdam married 57 years still cant read American instructions have no trouble with yours. found Chrochet magazine from U.K.with one of your perfect pedals instructions so lovely in soft pink and mint green to match my bed spread.Have a great summer find more colors for grannie summer squares.Thank you for all the work you put it to make us happy!God bless!

[Sherry Tingle]

I absolutely love this design, it bring me so much JOY to look at my accomplishment. Thank you so very much!

[Denise Ewin]

I love your patterns. Can you please tell me how you did the corner of the final edge with the scallops/picots?

[knitonegirl779@gmail.com]

Thanks i found the edge pattern, here i go im starting it now. Thanks

[Susan]

On the start of the edge you did the granny clusters around. When you came to the beginning of the blanket edge that has in American terms the single crochets and not spaces, did you put the clusters in between so many stitches to make it look like the rest of the first row of the edge? I think I will finish off the beginning row of single crochets around the edge with the first color used to make the entire edge match and forgo the granny cluster, otherwise the one end of the blanket will have this extra row of single crochets and the rest won't and to me it will stick out making that stripe look wider.

[Carol]

Love this granny striped afghan, almost finished and getting ready to do the border. How many ch in the corners of the border rows?

[Estella]

Hello Lucy, just love the blanket!! It is awesome and will have make one. I ordered the yarn and ready to go for it . Do you have a list of the color pattern you used? I know you you used them randomly and I really like how you combined them. Thanks in advance.