I Followed My Pumpkin Spice Blanket Pattern Exactly

I’m an instruction-kind of gal. This applies to anything in my life, whether I’m reading music and trying to play a song on the piano or baking a cake from a recipe. I always follow instructions to the max.

This comes as no surprise when I crochet; I do not wing it very often. I’m not very good at altering patterns myself anyway. But if I’ve got a pattern and I’ve got a project in mind, I want to follow it exactly as it’s written so that it turns out the way that the pattern designer intended it to.

The Pumpkin Spice Throw I Didn’t Touch

This one is super fun. I finally finished my fall pumpkin spice throw blanket. And this is one that I followed the pattern exactly the way it was intended.

I didn’t alter anything; I didn’t change the yarn, I didn’t change the colors, I didn’t change the size of the hook, I didn’t change the border; nothing about it was changed by me. It’s all done exactly as the pattern was written, and I particularly love the way it came out.

A Skull and Bat for Her Wedding Poncho

I spoke previously about a wedding poncho that I made for one of my very good friends. That one was something I did alter the tiniest bit from the pattern. That’s just because I wanted to add some of her personality into it.

So I did one square with a little skull in the middle of it, and I hit a bat somewhere else on the poncho, which, of course, was not in the normal pattern, but I just couldn’t help myself. I wanted her to have little touches that were her personality and would help her remember her amazing wedding day.

My Post-it Note Trick for Counting Rows

When it comes to counting, I do write this down. If your pattern calls for you to do rows 2 through 12 this exact same way, I have a nasty habit of losing count of which row I’m on. So what I’ll do is I have a stitch marker, which counts as the first stitch of my round.

Then, as I come back around and get back to that stitch, I will write down on a Post-it note that I’ve completed round number two, round number three, and so on. That way I will know when I’ve gotten to the end of that repeat pattern, and I don’t have to constantly count which row I’m on.

To keep track of this, I’ll put a stitch marker in my first stitch. Then, as I come back around to that stitch marker, I will know that I just completed round number three, round number four, and so on and so on. I have a little Post-it note that I wrote those down on as I’m working, and then I don’t have to go back and try to count all the rows that I’ve completed.

Why I Still Pay for Etsy Patterns

I find a good mix of all sorts of patterns. Lion Brand, for example, has tons of awesome free patterns that you can use to find ideas for their yarn or anyone else’s yarn, for that matter.

However, I love to pay for patterns. I love to find those Etsy people who have designed really cute patterns and worked really hard to build their business. They’re usually really cheap, a couple of dollars, and I find some really cute stuff.

Same thing with pattern books, or if you find crochet influencers. They usually have some really awesome books to create some cute things that they put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into, and I love to support them that way.

Make It Right Once Before You Change It

But don’t be afraid to change things if you want to. What I would recommend is that if you really want to change something, make it right, just as the pattern states, at least once. Then you get a feel for how it turned out, what you could change, what wouldn’t change, how the sizes need to be, and then you can start throwing your personality in there.

Try it out with different kinds of yarn. Make it a different size. Use a different hook. Add some different details in there that maybe aren’t in the pattern. And express yourself the way you want to.