2017 Training Blanket

Every year over winter I knit.

Now while I love knitting, I’ve always been fascinated with crocheting.

I could only ever crochet a chain and nothing else.

So I consulted a friend who crochet’s as her business and got her to tutor me in crocheting the basics.

The first was to learn how to double crochet.

Once I got the hang of that it was then onto a granny square.

Now that I knew the basics, I could attempt a major project.

The idea came from the 365 temperature blanket.

Each day of the year you would crochet according to the temperature. The end result would be a gradient-style blanket.

I decided that instead of temperature I would do a training blanket instead.  Where each day would be the workout I did on that day.

At first, I decided to do a different colour for each type of run and workout.

With 8 different types of runs and 7 other workouts, I knew I wasn’t going to get 15 different colours, that just seem ridiculous.

I then narrowed it down to the following;

• HIIT & Weights
• Run (but not races)
• Yoga
• Walking & Hiking
• Races
• Rest

Choosing colours was easy, but deciding on a pattern, was a little more challenging.

I really like the Chevron pattern, so I consulted two of my crocheting friends, and neither had done this pattern before.  After watching a few youtube videos I realised while this pattern is lovely it is too advanced for this crochet beginner.

So onto Pinterest, I go to find a pattern that I like.  That is where I discovered the crochet stitch called Shell Stitch.

I tested this stitch on some old wool before attempting it with the wool that I purchased from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

Once I understood the stitch it was then a matter of starting the project.

Things I have learned so far;

• I grossly underestimated how much wool I would actually need. (More has been ordered, it has yet to arrive.)
• That it’s not wide enough (I changed 250, but should have gone 300)
• That it will be 3.12m in length!

Things I have decided;

• That I need to do 3-4 rows a day to finish by the end of the year (did I mention I only started this after I got back from holidays?)
• That I will do a border
• That it will be 2 blankets, 6 months to a blanket. (This way it’s 156cm, and not 3.12 long).

Right now this project is stalled while I wait on more wool.

January is complete, and to be honest, the colours are a bit boring, but the fun stuff will happen in months to come.

Follow me on Instagram to see my progress.