A Little Crochet...

As if there wasn't enough to do at this time of year, last week I started to crochet a lap blanket.  Not just any lap blanket... a blanket for my Mother as a Christmas gift.  I had been toying with this idea for a little while but procrastinated for some unknown reason.  My mum often uses a lap blanket for comfort and warmth so it felt like a suitable homemade something to give.  Then, suddenly the perfect pattern was created, developed and shared by the wonderful Sandra of Cherry Heart.

Her beautiful Painted Roses Blanket was absolutely what I had imagined and had not been able to find beforehand!  It was fate and thanks to the beauty of the internet I purchased the pattern and started my very own Painted Roses Blanket.

This is a soothing, rhythmic pattern which is actually a surprise to me as I thought I'd need to really concentrate to create something so pretty.  Thankfully, after the first couple flowers I had the pattern down (thanks particularly to Sandra's wonderfully helpful hints and photos provided with the pattern).

I've made 15 flowers with their leaf component so far and think that I'll add the final rounds to make the squares once I've crocheted all the flower rounds.  I plan to add some plain granny squares to the blanket to add balance (considering I'm doing a larger size) and I wanted to use yarn that I already had to minimize cost.  I also aim to back the crocheted blanket with fleece to add extra snuggle factor.

I'm really enjoying this project and seeing my little pile of crocheted 'Painted Roses' gradually grow. I aim to have it finished by Christmas day, which is a time pressure I'm not really used to - I usually like to take my time but that often means I have many projects in progress yet to be finished.  Hopefully as it's a gift I'll actually finish it in time!!







I'm finding that tackling a big crochet project at this time of year is especially enjoyable as it has meant that I've needed to slow down and carve out some creative time amid the hustle and bustle.  I will share a full ta dah in the new year (fingers crossed I finish it in time!!)  I'm sure many of you are aware of Sandra's amazing patterns - I can definitely recommend this one!

J9 x