off the hook: over the rainbow crochet blanket

It's no secret – I've been AWOL for some time because I've been busy making all of the things ever. One of which is this crochet blanket. The fab news is, not only is my latest blanket off the hook, I designed it and the pattern is in the new issue of Simply Crochet magazine! Wahoo! Grab a copy of issue 56 if you fancy making it (shameless plug). 

Blankets are always a bit of commitment. They're a labour of love, really, as they take such a long time to make. But when I first clapped eyes on these fantastically over-saturated, Crayola-esque colours, I instantly felt a crochet blanket coming on. Have you ever had that feeling? When you discover a new yarn and it just shouts it's intentions at you? Sometimes it's "I NEED to be a cardigan!" or "I'm a shawl! I'm a shawl!", but it could equally be "Keep me in your stash and squish me". In fact, most yarns seem to say that to me. 

Not KnitPicks Shine Worsted, though. These babies were destined to become a rainbow crochet blanket and no mistake. Zig-zagging ripples were the order of the day, so I played with a few different stitch combos and settled on this repeat with clusters and back loop details to highlight the colour changes in the stripes. The texture and colour changes are what kept things interesting through this project. I just couldn't wait to see how the pattern would look in the next shade of yarn, and the next, and the next. Colour is very exciting, you guys. 

Naturally, I fell head-over-heels for this yarn during the process. The sheen, smoothness and depth of colour in KnitPick Shine Worsted is amazing, and it's loosely plied without being splitty at all. I'm currently plotting what to make with the leftover scraps. Maybe some granny squares for a rainbow cushion? I'll keep you posted.

Mr P kinda loves this design too. He keeps asking when we'll get the sample back and we've decided it'll take pride of place on the sofa for lap blanket duties. I often joke that I'm never happier than when I'm in a blanket, but in a rainbow crochet blanket of my own design I'm sure to be ecstatic.