Crochet Calm Cowl in Cottonwood

Making a Linen Stitch Blanket for our grandson was so much fun, I decided to carry on crocheting the linen stitch making a cowl following this free pattern on Ravelry called "Calm Cowl". It is a circular scarf crocheted in the round that can be worn wrapped like a cowl or hanging like a scarf. 

For the blanket, I bought two balls of each colour plus one extra of cottonwood, leaf and white totaling 15 balls of yarn. In the end, these extra balls were added to my alredy extensive stash. 

To crochet this cowl, I used the leftover ball of cottonwood yarn. 

I prefer to wear this scarf wrapped like a cowl to hide the crooked seam. You can see what I mean in the photo above. I worked and frogged the first 7 rows of this scarf a few times before finally giving up. I wasn't too worried as I knew wrapping would hide any imperfections. 

Technical details for this Crochet Crochet Calm Cowl in Cottonwood are listed below in case you would like to make one too. 

Hook size - 5 mm
Yarn Used (Worsted #4 weight):
Mary Maxim Best Value 100% acrylic (170 g/6 oz) - Cottonwood

Starting Chain - 211

37 rows

Finished size: 22" Folded in half - 44" circumference - 7" wide
Free pattern: Calm Cowl by Suzana Davidovic on Ravelry found here

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Crochet Colour Block Linen Stitch Blanket

I recently finished a Crochet Colour Block Linen Stitch Blanket for our oldest grandson. It was made using six colours of yarn worked in blocks of colour separated by two rows of white between each block. 

The linen stitch or moss stitch is a super easy 'mindless' stitch that creates a beautiful woven texture. It has a nice drape without being too stiff or too lacy. I've used the linen stitch for smaller projects, but never a blanket. I love how it turned out. 

After working 10 rows of each colour block repeated twice, I decided to change things up a bit. Instead of 10-row blocks, I worked the remainder of the blanket in 20-row blocks. Since I also wanted to mix up the order of colour changes, I created a colour chart (see below). It was much easier to keep track with this handy dandy visual reference.

When I created the chart above, I planned to add a border worked completely in single crochet alternating each colour with one row of white. That was my plan. I even worked nine rows of the border before I decided I didn't like it. Single crochet was too stiff worked alongside linen stitch plus it created a clear 'wrong' and 'right' side. In the end, I ripped out all nine rows and settled on a simpler border consisting of one row of linen stitch in white. It was perfect and exactly right for this blanket. 

In the photo above I zoomed in a bit to show the lovely texture created by the linen stitch. I also took a sideways photo of the blanket below.

I stretched the blanket out on the double mattress our grandson uses when he visits ... not quite big enough for full coverage.

The blanket looks great folded at the end of the mattress and will fit nicely on a twin size mattress.

For now, the blanket is folded and packed in a bag ready and waiting until we see our grandson again. A Crochet Colour Block Linen Stitch Blanket made with love by Grammeo. What could be better?

Technical details for this Crochet Colour Block Linen Stitch Blanket are listed below in case you would like to make one too. 

Starting Chain - 250
Finished Size - 45"x66" (large throw blanket)
316 rows
Border - 1 round
Time to Complete - Approximately 48 hours (9 mins per row + border)
Hook size - 5 mm

Yarn Used (Worsted #4 weight):
Mary Maxim Best Value 100% acrylic (170 g/6 oz)

• Leaf - 2 balls
• Deep Teal - 2 balls
• Mocha - 2 balls
• White - 2 balls
• Silver - 2 balls
• Cottonwood - 2 balls

Blanket colour blocks crocheted in order as listed separated by 2 rows of white between each block:

Cottonwood (10 rows)

Teal (10 rows)

Mocha (10 rows)

Silver (10 rows)

Leaf (10 rows)

Repeat above 5 blocks in same order

Cottonwood (20 rows)

Teal (20 rows)

Mocha (20 rows)

Silver (20 rows)

Leaf (20 rows)

Silver (20 rows)

Mocha (20 rows)

Teal (20 rows)

Cottonwood (20 rows)

Border - 1 row of white in linen stitch (corners work 2 single crochet, chain 2, 2 single crochet

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Cross Country Crochet

I decided to pack a crochet project for our drive to Boulder a couple weeks ago. It was a last minute decision I'm so glad I made.

I bought this special yarn a couple years ago intending to make a scarf for myself. Manos del Uruguay Alegria yarn is a hand-painted ultra fine merino blend. I love how soft it feels. I also love these colours. The soft greys and greens are perfect for me. 

I didn't crochet on our drive Friday night. I didn't crochet on our drive Saturday morning. I remembered to grab my crochet bag from the back of our SUV when we stopped for cappuccinos at Starbucks in Peru, Illinois - the one and only Starbucks we found en route.

I finished my cappuccino then pulled out my yarn. Before I could crochet, I needed to wind the skein into a ball.

I looped the skein around my knees and started winding. It tended to tangle, but with patience, I finally finished. It was time to crochet.

I crocheted all afternoon while my husband drove. I crocheted until the sun started to set. I took a photo before packing it away.

My crochet project stayed packed away until our return trip. I drove the first 4 hours on Saturday then crocheted until I ran out of yarn. I love how crochet makes a long drive bearable. I go from "Yuck, I'm stuck in the car with nothing to do" to "Yay, hours to crochet with no interruptions".

I finished on Saturday as the sun was starting to set. My Cross Country Crochet got me through much of the drive. Next time I'll take more yarn. It's a very long drive from London to Boulder and back again.

I love how this scarf turned out. It's even better than I imagined.

I followed this pattern designed by Heidi Beukelman. It is available for free on Ravelry. The moss or linen stitch is one of my favourites.

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Alegria

Hook size: 4.0 mm

Starting chain: 350 (instead of 400)

Worked first row into back bump of chain

Total Rows: 35 (odd # so both edges look similar)

Finished size: 63" x 5"

Time per row: 13-15 mins

Total time to crochet: 10 hours (approximately)

I crocheted until I ran out of yarn. I ripped out almost 2 rows because I was 10 stitches short of 37 rows. I wanted to end with an odd number of rows to keep the edges looking similar.

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