I have had a very busy week with my crochet. Firstly I made another corner to corner blanket to go in my Folksy shop.
I made this one like the last one, by working two strands of 4ply yarn together. This made the blanket extra thick and cosy. I just did a plain blanket stitch around the outside. There is something quite satisfying bout finishing a corner to corner blanket.

Once this blanket was finished...I rewound some beautiful purple glitter yarn. I wanted to make a retro 60's waistcoat but it is many years since I made one. In the 60;s I had them in by wardrobe in every imaginable colour and on holiday once, I sold TWO "off my back" to people who came up to me and asked where I had bought them......never one to refuse money !!!
Not being able to remember the mechanics of it (old age) I found a free pattern online and commenced to make it.
Mmmmm....that was NOT a good idea...there were mistakes in it right from the start!
The pattern had a shell stitch on every 5th chain and each size was 2 shells wider than the next size....so that is 10 ch per size (I may have failed at maths but I am sure that is right) SO WHY did it say 120 ch for the first size and 140 for the next size? yet every other size was just 10sts extra....
My brain might be getting older but I knew this wasn't right...When I got to the armhole shaping there mistakes there too.....Fortunately, because of my past designing experience, I was able to "cobble" and adjust the pattern to make it correct.
It makes me wonder though, how these patterns get through the loop.
When I worked for a well know Spinner back in the 60;s , each pattern was sent out to three knitters to be tested....
Moral.....design my own,.... just as I always have done.
Now I am designing a summer lady's bolero.
The main part is finished, I just have to do the sleeves. This one has been worked from the shoulders down . That makes it easier to pick up the sleeves and know that the shells are all facing in the same direction....watch this space !!!!!