Hi...and a blanket

Thanks for your warm welcome back to blogland, I really appreciate all the comments and new visitors to my page, all thanks to the generous Vanessa over at Coco Rose Diaries, undoubtedly one of my favourite blogs. One of things I'm really enjoying this week is having my comment form back! I couldn't manage my comments with the Etsy template- so do bear that in mind if you're thinking of buying a pre-made template. I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately, really gathering inspiration for the year ahead, and also connecting with hundreds of you over on Instagram. One thing I have been rather lazy about during my break from blogging has been properly visiting favourite blogs, however. It's so nice to connect with people like this! And I'm so grateful that you visit me and comment here, too. I've been using Bloglovin' lately, a great app version on my phone, in fact. It's good for reading blogs and discovering new ones, but you can only 'like' rather than comment. Do many of you use Bloglovin'? I really must gather all my blogs on there and add them to my sidebar list here. Also, I am loving my mustard background. I just love mustard, LOVE IT.

So anyway. Yesterday I gave this FINISHED OBJECT (yes! I know!) away to some friends who just had a baby...

Hi, baby Elliott. Welcome to the world. 

His mama and papa asked me to make this ages ago, inspired by a picture my friend had seen on Pinterest (where else?), so I duly ordered the yarn then completely avoided making it for about two months. Mainly due to deadlines, but also black yarn avoidance. 

Working with black yarn is a lot easier if it's chunky (like this), and in daylight. If you're thinking of embarking on a black project, make sure you're choosing a yarn that doesn't split easily, and perhaps invest in a hook that lights up! 

I kind of made the Hi baby blanket pattern up as I went along. 

BUT. I used chunky yarn and a 6mm hook. 

6 x 100g balls of black

2 x 100g balls of white

Foundation chain was worked until about 105cm long. Work in htr for about 16 rows. 

Then on row 17, 20htr in black, then change to white for 15 sts, change to black for 11sts, then back to white until you get to the last 20 sts, which are worked in black again. Turn. 

Row 18 is worked in reverse, then repeat the rows until you've worked 15 rows in total for your 'i'. Then switch back to black for 15 rows, then construct your 'h'. You basically work as for the i, matching the crown of the h with the long stroke of the i. it's all worked by eye really! the top of the h matches the top of the dot of the i, so it's nice and neat, and the posts of the h are the same width as the i. Then 16 more rows of black! It was 88cm in width for the edge- just 2 rows of simple dc around the edge to finish it off nicely. 

It's cot-size, as you can see here, modelled in George's cot bed, so in the end worked out about 90 x 107cm- an ideal lap blanket! Relatively quick and simple, too. 

See you soon hooky amigos

xxx