Not for a second did I think that my throw-away comment on Instagram would be taken seriously, or replied to by so many people.
You see, I’d started this project waaaaaaaay back a billionty years ago, after a meeting with the Stylecraft gang up at headquarters, when they first unveiled their new yarn; Linen Drape. Oh how me and my fellow Blogstars ooooooed and ahhhhhhed over its lovely colours and of course, its, er, drapey-ness. Perfect for a so many projects, but I fancied a big granny square.
So I started it.
And I enjoyed adding rounds here and there.
And then it got a bit lost in everything else I was doing and I realised that I just didn’t have the time to complete it. So I mentioned this on IG and the comments started coming in …
And it’s PERFECT – honestly – you cannot tell where I started and she has finished (except for a sweet little stitch marker Ruth added) – our tension and stitch formation are exactly the same and her colour choices are gorgeous.
Ruth, here’s a BIG THANK YOU from me (and all the free patterns from my shop you’ll ever want).
And so, it seems only right that it be called:
The Labour of Love blanket
Here’s all the pattern details for anyone who would like to make their own (and no, you may NOT ask Ruth to finish yours!):
You will need:
Stylecraft Linen Drape 1 x ball each of Natural (3901), Lime (3902), Wheat (3903), River (3904), Peacock (3905), Coral (3906), Sangria (3907), Cranberry (3908)
4.5mm hook
Tension – using a 4.5mm hook, we made 9 rounds to fit 10 cm / 4 in |
Pattern
The blanket is made using a classic granny square pattern (see below). To prevent the square from twisting, we turned it over every round and worked in the opposite direction.
Make a standard granny square, changing colour every round in the following order:
Cranberry, Peacock, Lime, River, Natural, Lime, Sangria, Coral, Wheat, Cranberry, (10 rounds)
Peacock, Natural, Lime, Cranberry, Coral, Wheat, River, Natural, Peacock, Sangria, (20 rounds)
Coral, Lime, Wheat, Natural, Cranberry, River, Coral, Sangria, Lime, Natural, (30 rounds)
Peacock, Natural, Cranberry, River, Sangria, Coral, Lime, Natural, Sangria, River (40 rounds)
Cranberry, Wheat, Peacock (43 rounds)
Border
This is where you’ll play yarn-chicken a bit, depending on tension. Ruth managed to make 8 rounds of linen stitch (pattern below). Make colour changes in the following order:
Sangria, Natural, River, Cranberry, Wheat, Coral, Peacock, Lime (8 rounds)
In Coral make a sl st in every stitch.
Beautiful border of simple, linen stitch |
Granny Square Pattern UK Terms
with a sl st to make a ring.
first tr), all into ring: 2tr, 2ch, *3tr, 2ch; rep from * twice more, join with
a sl st to top of 3ch. (12 tr, 8 ch)
to 2ch-sp, (3ch [counts as 1tr throughout], 2tr, 2ch, 3tr) in same 2ch-sp,
*(3tr, 2ch, 3tr) in next 2ch-sp; rep from * twice more, join with a sl st to
top of 3ch. (24 tr, 12 ch)
to 2ch-sp, (3ch, 2tr, 2ch, 3tr) in same 2ch-sp, *3tr between clusters, (3tr,
2ch, 3tr) in 2ch-sp; rep from * twice more, 3tr between clusters,, join with a
sl st to top of 3ch. (36 tr, 16 ch)
onwards: sl st across to 2ch-sp, (3ch, 2tr, 2ch, 3tr) in same 2ch-sp, *3tr between
clusters to corner, (3tr, 2ch, 3tr) in 2ch-sp; rep from * twice more, 3tr between
clusters to corner, join with a sl st to top of 3ch.
1ch, sk 1 st; repeat from * to next 2ch-sp, (1dc, 2ch, 1dc) in 2ch-sp. Repeat
from beginning of round 1 around square until final 2ch-sp, 1dc, 2ch, join to
first dc with sl st.
1dc, *1ch, sk 1 st, 1dc in 1ch-sp; repeat from * to next 2ch-sp, (1dc, 2ch,
1dc) in 2ch-sp. Repeat from beginning of round 2 around square until final
2ch-sp, 1dc, 2ch, join to first dc with sl st.
sl st in every stitch around.
Granny Square Pattern US Terms
Final round: In coral, make a sl st in every stitch around.
I do hope you enjoy making your own Labour of Love Blanket, Ruth and I certainly did!!
Sarah xx