Half Double Crochet Lap Blanket

I've a funny story to share about the yarn I used in the lap blanket below. My friend and I got it into our heads to go to this specialty yarn shop one weekend. We couldn't go on the Saturday, though I can't remember why, so we drove out on the Sunday, and the shop was closed. Well, about a year later we thought we ought try that yarn shop again on a Saturday and so we drove out again only to find that the place was closed because the owners were at a craft show! So we got out our phones and found another yarn shop and made our way there, and that day I found the yarn I used in my lap blanket.

I looked for a pattern for a nice lap blanket, or afghan but I couldn't seem to find one that I wanted to use with this yarn. In the end, I decided to keep it simple and crocheted the blanket using the half double crochet stitch, and I edged it using the picot stitch. The colours of the blanket matched my reading room nicely, and so the lap blanket is one I use when I'm reading in my rocking chair. It turned out far prettier than I thought it would, considering I was using such a basic stitch, and I'm very happy with the result. In fact, the half double crochet is one of my favourite stitches now!

This is one my favourite blankets, and I love the feel of the soft yarn. I had enough yarn that this is a rather long lap blanket, and it was so much fun to crochet. I used a larger hook, an 8mm, so that the blanket didn't gobble up as much yarn as I was worried I might not have quite enough, and to create a chunkier effect. I think it turned out beautifully! If you've never used the half double crochet, I recommend you try it; it lends itself nicely to a lot of projects. 

Happy Hooking,

Jewels