It seems forever since I shared anything crochet with you but I can happily say, I actually finished something and I’m in love. You may remember last year I made a waffle stitch blanket for our utility room/boot room. You can read all about it here. I love the waffle stitch, it looks grand and the warmth is incredible. So when we decided to go the blanket route instead of a duvet in our camper Phillippe, I knew it would be the perfect pattern.

Yarn choice was simple, it had to be Scheepjes Namaste. It’s my go to favourite chunky yarn. I love it. ❤️                                                                   

The only down side to picking this scrumptious yarn is, it’s in the pricier bracket and I would need rather a lot of it to make a blanket that would fit a small double sized bed. 🛏 I very rarely treat myself or make myself anything so I threw caution to the wind and went for it. I just had to buy a little at a time and hope the dye lot colours weren’t going to be too different. Thankfully you can’t notice any colour difference at all.

I started my “Waffle Stitch Blanket” back in April, while working on other projects. As for many us, this year has been crazy, busy and very different. My normal routine isn’t the norm anymore and crochet at times became a chore instead of a passion. My crojo totally vanished which was pretty hard mentally as it’s always been my calm and a kinda therphy.  😞  I always find it harder to crochet when my hubby is home, and with lockdown he was here 24 7. We used that time to finish our coffee deck and continued working on our camper renovation. 🚍 Crochet was the last thing on my mind especially when the days grow warmer and the pull of the suns heat draw me outside. The sun always seems to improve my autoimmune conditions slightly so I made the most of feeling warm. Crocheting a large project in the heat isn’t fun, I’m sure your agree.☀️

My waffle Afghan grew extra slowly. As the weather began to change my rheumatoid arthritis grew worse, to the point crocheting was/is agony. I could only crochet a row a day due to the pain made it impossible.🤒

I needed to finish this Afghan as it was desperately needed to keep us warm in the camper. I soldiered on through the pain and finally finished the waffle blanket on the 30th of September.😍

We have spent many a night snuggled up under it since and it’s been truly toasty. I cannot praise this yarn enough. 💓 It’s incredibly soft, warm and the slightly heavier weight is perfect to sleep under. If I had to find a negative, the only thing I could come up with is, the dogs hair shows up. 🐕 I think that’s more to do with the colour I choose rather than the yarn.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.  

I used Amanda Crochets, “Waffle Stitch Blanket” pattern, from amandacrochets.com, which you can find here. It is a free pattern on her website but you can also buy a pdf copy from her Etsy shop.

The pattern is so relaxing and one of those patterns that takes next to no concentration so perfect for a quick pick up, throw down, tv watching project. It’s a great pattern to work on, when your mind needs resting. I think we all need a wip like that especially with the craziness of the world right now. ☮️

I made a starting chain of 183+2 (185) and followed the pattern for the first few rows, just to recap my memory. Once you get the hang of the repeat, it very simple to memorise and plain sailing from there on out. It truly is a great pattern and one of my favourites, if not my favourite go to pattern for those simple but stunning blankets we all need to make once in a while. It’s perfect for winter blankets and grows quite quickly when using a chunky yarn.  ☃️

 I ended up using 35 skeins of Scheepjes Namaste in the colour, Eagle (602).

Each skein costs £6.29 from Wool Warehouse. (They ship internationally.) The final cost of the yarn was £220.15. I know that’s a lot of money but if you buy a little at a time like I did, it somehow seems easier on the old bank balance. In my opinion it is worth every penny, I truly love the finished blanket. I hope you love it as much as I do.  ❤️    

                                                                 

I’m happy to say my crojo has now returned thanks to a delightful pattern I am now making in my absolute favourite yarn, Scheepjes Stone Washed XL. You’ll have to wait to see what it is, as it’s a Christmas pressie but if you can’t wait, pop on over to my Instagram, were you can find a little sneaky peek.🎅🏼🎁🎄

Until next time, stay safe.  

Too-da-loo.

🦋🦋🦋