Happy Hooker Backwards Project #40

Gosh, thank you very much for all the lovely comments on my bow bag! It really was just a bit of an experiment, a thoroughly enjoyable and educational experiment of course, and I never thought you would like it so much! A few people even asked about buying one, which is really exciting. I would love to make and sell bags, it just seems like such an enjoyable idea, though I have never taken the plunge with an Etsy/Folksy shop, but maybe one day :) 

Now, on with the first reveal of my Happy Hooker Backwards Project! I am actually stupidly excited about this, there is something very satisfying about setting out to do something, saying out loud to the great blogisphere that you are going to do it, then getting on with it. In case you need reminding the Happy Hooker Backwards Project is my mission to complete every pattern in the Happy Hooker book from last to first.

I wasn't sure if this was technically a post about project 1 of 40, or project 40 with 39 remaining, so I went with Project 40 to keep with the spirit of the whole backwards thing. My first project is on page 281, the last project in the book, the "Seija Set" Baby Hat and Stroller Blanket by Bev Ireland.

This project was incredibly easy, quick and enjoyable. It kept me occupied on my daily commute, during my evenings in front of the telly, and on long car journeys (obviously Mr Snipsnaphappy was doing the actual driving...) So the wool arrived on Monday and I put the finishing touches to the blanket this morning...

I used the same colours as in the picture in the book, purely because I really love the combination of brown, pink and white. The yarn is 100% acrylic, I got it on Ebay for £1.57 per 100g ball so it's very economical and, more importantly, very washable!

I made the blanket about 40% bigger than the pattern recommends as I want it to be used for a good few years...

I realised afterwards that I should have kept my feet in the above picture for perspective, oops. It's relatively small but big enough to keep even my 4-year-old quite snuggly in her car-seat. The pattern has an option to include a hole in the middle to allow for the buggy harness to come through, but I didn't do this because I...well...I forgot, I was having such fun with my nice easy lines of double crochet!

It has really lovely little braids at the bottom and top of the blanket, as well as on the sides of the hat.

I am really pleased with it. And the best thing is that I have enough yarn left to make at least two more hats and a smaller blanket (with the hole this time!)

So to sum up Project 40:

• Cost - about £4.71 - I used three balls in total, half of what the pattern recommends, and that was with making the blanket 40% bigger too. Total bargain.
• Yarn - Hayfields Bonus DK Extra Value, bought from Ebay, in "white", "chocolate" and "iced pink". Though any double-knit yarn would do it I suspect.
• Hook - 4mm
• Difficulty - Easy peasy lemon squeezey! If you can understand basic terminology and can do single and double crochet stitches then you can make this!
• Overall happiness with finished object - absolutely delighted! I am very hard to please but I love this. The hat especially is just adorable and I'll be making more for the various family members also due to have girls over the next few months.

So what's next? Well I am rather excited about the next pattern, but more on that in a day or two!