cats

For any one looking for a very fast blanket stitch, Double crochet, chain one, and repeat. You’re stitching between the posts, going every other. It’s very “open”, blanket, almost net-like (it is warm, but so breathable.) Also, it’s not a “neat” pattern for any one that likes clean edges.

I’m sure grandma could have made them neat, she just didn’t care.

(I say the same about the yarn color ways. Great way to burn through yarn is to do a thermal stitch - but use a double crochet. instead of a single crochet. It’ll build faster but still have that bulk. Especially if you double up the yarn instead of going for a chunky yarn. Ugly blankets replaced ugly sweaters. And people do use them!)

Btw, a great project is a yarn basket- start with a round, put a slip stitch around the base (you’ll stitch over these to make the wall. It gives a bit of rigidity at the base without adding wire.). When you’ve slipped all thenlnway around, cut into the second to last row and begin crochet from there. Don’t do any increases, I did a spiral here instead of having a seam with chains.

(You can taper the spiral on both ends with a few slips. If you were going to double crochet, then you’d do a few singles, and a few half doubles and finally do doubles, I’d do the same number of each before doubles, and try to get halfway around before working doubles. Then keep track of where the “new” row starts and reverse the taper to make it flat. Once you’ve gotten to doubles, keep rolling around like an endless tube.)

Once you get to your height, tie off and leave a tail to tuck in later. Go back to that flange at the base, use a slip stitch to start again, and do a second wall. As you go, if you want walled-off pockets, work into the back wall. Alternatively, just use some yarn and sew them in later.

This is a great way to store hooks, but also I have a tin with my needles and stitch markers (okay, so that’s bits of left over yarn that I tie into a loop and girth hitch….)

(Oh, also, that’s secretly a cat cave….)