Crochet Adventures

I’m not a crocheter.  I’m sure I’ve said this before but I have no interest in crocheting.  I don’t like the way the stitches look, generally, and I don’t like handling the hook, even for minor changes to my knitting.  

But there’s one thing I want to make that requires skills in crochet: the Battenberg Blanket. 

That Blanket

You’ve heard me talk about it before and my obsession has not waned.  I love the Battenberg Blanket, a pattern by Sandra Paul.  Most scrappy blankets look too messy to me, but this one, with the neutral yarn throughout, is just beautiful, in my opinion.  

Scrappy blankets – any of them – are great for using up those scraps of yarn that all knitters and crocheters have.  For the Battenberg, you only need to have enough natural color (or whichever color) yarn to use throughout the blanket.  

Crocheting

I tried and tried to learn how to make these squares by watching Sandra Paul’s YouTube video (and referencing other videos to re-acquaint myself with the various stitches).  But my square never turned out right.

And then my mom decided to take up crocheting late last year.   She had learned as a child and decided it was a good thing to do in the evenings while watching television with my dad.  (I’m ecstatic, by the way, that we can now buy yarn together!)  I immediately told her to learn how to make these squares so she could teach me. 

And she did!  And now, I can make them – almost without watching the video!  In fact, give me a few more squares and I won’t need the video anymore!   And these little things are so much fun to make!  You get to play with yarn you’ve already used – and loved – and they take no time at all.  And they get faster the more you do!

Conclusion

Give me 10-15 years and I’ll have a finished Battenberg Blanket!  Ha!  Yes, I have my first two official, mistake-free squares in the bag!  Only a hundred or two hundred more to go!  That sounds daunting but I honestly don’t care!  I’ll find some natural colored yarn whenever I can – no rush! – and will keep on using my scraps in the meantime. 

I never thought I would want to learn to crochet.  And, despite taking  a class years ago and crocheting these little squares, I’m not by any means a crocheter.   But I love to learn new things; it gives me such joy!  Just like these little squares bring me great joy!