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My First Crochet Ripple Blanket

Well I am pretty chuffed with myself this week. I finished my first ever crochet project, and it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be.  A project like this ripple blanket is the perfect way to start, because the pattern just keeps repeating the whole way up the blanket. Once I got started, I could just keep doing the same thing over and over. I aimed to do one colour stripe (or 2 rows) each day. Of course some days this just didn’t happen – particularly when student reports were due at work, but I tried to make up for this on the weekends! I popped a photo on facebook and instagram, and there were lots of requests for details, so here they are:

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I used wool from Bendigo Woolen Mills‘ classic range in 8 ply. I bought one 200g ball each of pumpkin, celery, maize (it is sounding more like a soup!), smoke, and midnight blue. I have about 30g left of each colour after I finished. My hook was a 4.5mm hook. I have had lots of people ask me about the pattern. It’s by Pip from Meet Me At Mikes. I loved how easy it was to follow, and the photos are really helpful for a beginner like myself. I’ve ordered some more wool to make another one – this time for a little niece or nephew who is due to arrive later this year.

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The final size of the blanket was 94cm by 110cm. Of course I could have made it longer by just adding some more stripes, but I was just wanting to make a lap blanket.

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The hardest part (for me) was making sure I didn’t accidentally add an extra stitch at the end of each row, which is surprisingly easy to do. Counting at this point is really important to do. Luckily, if you do miscount, it isn’t too hard to undo (providing you notice fairly quickly). I did occasionally forget to put in the ripple in a single layer… don’t look too closely. Fortunately it didn’t seem to stuff the pattern up too much. I just fixed it up in the next row… just don’t tell anyone.

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Toby has decided that he would like this blanket though, and it is perfect for snuggling under on these frosty winters mornings. I might have to make one for the girls too!

If you want to learn to crochet (it really is so easy -I can’t believe that it took me this long to learn!), check out this post of mine which has all the resources I used to get started.

Can you crochet? What have you made? What should I try next?

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Comments

  1. Katie Writes Stuff says

    July 21, 2015 at 10:05 pm

    Your blanket looks lovely and snuggly warm – just perfect for the season! Crochet is such a rewarding craft, isn’t it? Plus, nothing looks as cosy and welcoming as a crochet blanket draped over a couch.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      July 21, 2015 at 11:07 pm

      Totally agree!

      Reply
  2. Rosehips and Rhubarb says

    July 14, 2015 at 10:27 pm

    What an impressive first effort. Whenever I see someone crocheting I think how difficult it looks, so I think you’ve done brilliantly. The colours are lovely too.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      July 21, 2015 at 11:08 pm

      I used to think the same thing, so I was surprised when it was actually pretty easy!

      Reply
  3. Mystery Case says

    July 14, 2015 at 11:55 am

    Just gorgeous. I crochet but only the one granny square stitch taught to me by my late grandmother. I really would love an actual lesson and to learn different stitches and how to read/interpret a pattern.

    Reply
  4. Fashionista says

    July 13, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    Your blanket looks great. I just finished a ripple blanket in Bendigo Luxury (I think, the machine washable one anyway) for a little lad. And I have just finished up the edging on a granny stripe blanket that has been hanging around for two years. So now I need a new crochet project and conveniently Bendigo Woolen Mills sent me some swatches this week……..

    My mother made my children crocheted blankets when they were born and those blankies still get trotted out in winter. The children are now 19 & 16 😉

    Reply
  5. Actually Amy says

    July 10, 2015 at 7:39 pm

    It looks great Jo! Love the colours you’ve used. I’m currently working on a ripple and two granny stripe blankets. It’s hard to keep up with the kids orders though. They keep requesting all sorts of crocheted things but don’t seem to have any understanding of the fact they these take time to make.

    Reply
  6. Emma Steendam says

    July 10, 2015 at 7:08 pm

    Bloody brilliant Jo! So impressive for one of your first ever crochet projects! I too have made a ripple blanket using Pip’s pattern, it’s quite addictive and satisfying isn’t it?! AND it’s definitely one of the biggest traffic drivers from Pinterest to SSS 😉 I have just got some Bendigo wool in the mail for a jumper for Eleanor, but am worried she won’t get much wear out of a size 1 this Winter so might start doing a size 2 so she can wear it next Winter…not that she won’t be wearing wooly jumpers through our Gippsland Summer! I got the luxury as recommended to me by Corrie/Retromummy, how did you find the classic? I’ve never used it, the luxury looks DELICIOUS though. Love your soup analogy hehehe

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      July 10, 2015 at 7:23 pm

      I have just ordered some luxury to whip up another blanket for a new little niece or nephew – I think it will be softer, though I didn’t find their classic range too rough. I think I would do a size 2 for Eleanor – they grow out of clothing so quickly at that age.

      Reply
      • PatriciaA says

        December 1, 2015 at 11:58 am

        I am using the Luxury and it is softer and lighter than any other blanket that I have made. Didn’t notice this until the blanket reached the ‘heavy’ stage as I wasn’t really checking them against each other.

        Reply
  7. Candice B says

    July 10, 2015 at 3:33 pm

    So beautiful. I have always wanted to learn how to crochet but always thought it would be too hard for me. Maybe I should give it a try!

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      July 10, 2015 at 4:09 pm

      You really should – I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I thought it was going to be hard too! Let me know how you go!

      Reply
  8. lifeatno2 says

    July 10, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    It looks great!! I love crocheting, got into it last year. I’m currently making a corner to corner blanket c2c which is so easy and very beautiful at the end

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      July 10, 2015 at 4:10 pm

      I will have to look that one up – where did you get the pattern from?

      Reply
      • lifeatno2 says

        July 10, 2015 at 4:57 pm

        I just watched YouTube tutorials, the start is the hardest but but then after that smooth sailing. There is a guy called Mikey who I learnt off

        Reply
  9. PipLincolne says

    July 10, 2015 at 12:44 pm

    You did a beautiful job! I love your blankie! xx

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      July 10, 2015 at 4:10 pm

      Thanks Pip – I love it too!

      Reply
  10. jan2132 says

    July 10, 2015 at 10:32 am

    I can crochet but don’t apart from a couple of hats. Oh, and a daisy pram cover for first baby. One grandmother king, the other did the most amazing crochet with a hook so small it was hard to see on the end of the needle. Bs he showed me her stitches and then just told me to follow what she had done from a finished piece. Not much use for a twelve year old. Retromummy has multisize crochet hat patterns for girl on her blog, although you may have to dig around. It is at least a couple of years ago. Quick and they would suit your girls.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      July 10, 2015 at 4:11 pm

      Love Retromummy’s work – will definitely look that pattern up!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a few presents, an afternoon swim and dinner on the veranda as the sun set. Time to stop and be thankful for the many blessings of the year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is of course not. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
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The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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