EMBELLISH A BLANKET
Simple ower accents and hand-stitched lines give a basic blanket a new lease of life. By Sara Huntington
YOU WILL NEED
■ Stylecraft Merry Go Round (100% acrylic, 100g/294m), 2 balls of Rainbow (3142)
■ Stylecraft Special DK (100% acrylic, 100g/295m), 1 ball of Midnight (1011)
■ A 3.5mm (US E/4) hook
■ A square blanket
■ A 2.5cm pompom maker
■ Air erasable fabric pen
For yarn stockists contact Stylecraft 01484 848435 www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk TENSION
Each Flower measures 6cm (2 in) in diameter
MEASUREMENTS
Finished Blanket will match the measurements of the blanket used
ABBREVIATIONS
For a full list, see page 92 If you’re after a throw or blanket but can’t find the shades to suit your space, then this quick-fix idea to embellish a plain base, is just the thing. The Stylecraft Merry Go Round multi-coloured yarn does all the colour coordinating for you!
NOTES
The Blanket was designed and made by a left-handed designer. If you are right-handed, the Flowers will twist in the opposite direction.
TO PREPARE
Using a fabric pen, measure out and mark a double-lined grid of squares on your blanket. You can choose the size of the squares on your grid. The squares shown on the sample blanket were 20x20cm.
Using Midnight, work a running stitch down each marked line. Flowers and pompoms will be placed at the intersection of each of the double lines.
FLOWERS
Make as many as there are intersections on your Blanket grid. Our sample required 42 Flowers.
Using Rainbow, make a magic loop.
Round 1 (RS) Ch2 (counts as htr), 11htr into the loop, ss into top of beg ch-2 to join.
[12 htr]
Round 2 Ch5 (counts as htr, ch3), *skip 1 htr, htr in next st, ch3, repeat from * 4 times more, ss into second ch of beg ch-5 to join. [6 htr, 6 ch-3 sps]
Round 3 *Ch5, turn the work so the WS is facing, ss into the top from the next htr to the left, turn so the RS is facing, ch2, 7htr into the ch-5 sp, 4htr around the post of the htr at the base of the last ch5, ss into the top of the next htr from Round 2; repeat from * 5 times more.
[6 interlocking petals]
Fasten off and weave in ends.
TO MAKE UP
Using Midnight, make the same number of 2.5cm pompoms as you have Flowers. Place a pompom at the centre of each Flower and sew into position.
Sew each Flower at every running stitch intersection on the Blanket. You can use the image as a guide.