Last Dance on the Beach Crochet Along Week 13

And onto the joining!!!!
Can you believe we are here already???!!!!
This week I'm sharing the blogpost of Esther....aka video Esther (It's All In a Nutshell). The lady with the beautiful hands and ever so soothing voice which keeps you totally calm when you want to scream swear words and stamp on your square in frustration ;-)
Esther has kept us on the straight and narrow throughout this journey and I know for sure that she has  been a lifeline to many with her clear instructions. You can read her blogpost here!
The zipper joining method isn't the easiest or the quickest joining methods. But! It gives, I think, the nicest finish. And after all the hard work we have put in while making our squares, doesn't your blanket deserve a beautiful finish?
I've used this method a few times now so am fairly proficient with the process. I can work fairly loosely so managed to join my blanket with a 4.5mm hook. My advice is to go up at least one hook size and keep checking your tension. If it looks a little tight then pull it out and use a bigger hook. Your finished blanket will thank you in the end and your squares will lie nice and flat. 

Your vertical joins will look something like this!

TOP TIP! 

When making the first vertical join you will have lots of fairly loose squares that twist very easily. To counter this I used some safety pin type stitch markers and joined the loose squares at the corners to hold them securely. (I forgot to take a photo....sorry!)

Next you do the horizontal joins and that's it! 

NB! I don't weave in my ends at this point. I find it neater to weave them into the completed border.

So here we have my Dance Around the Beach Huts blanket. I laid it out on the carpet to take a photo and boy! it's really tricky to get the lines straight!!!

That and I had to work quickly before a kitty decided to make a bed on my blanket ;-)

My muted and very sophisticated all grey blanket.

This blanket will live in my lounge. I'm about to buy a new sofa and chair and this colour way will work perfectly. I'm delighted that the single colour really makes the textures sing!

I've made this blanket with Scheepjes Merino Soft in colour 603 Michaelangelo.

And here is my Dance Around the Beach Huts blanket in it's bright bright glory!

This blanket will live in my guest bedroom....or possibly my bedroom. I haven't quite decided as yet!

Again it was made with Scheepjes Merino Soft in the following colours:

600 Malevich

632 Degas

635 Matisse

644 Duerer

645 Van Eyck

629 Botticelli

646 Miro

617 Cezanne

621 Picasso

620 Munch

UK peeps can buy the yarn from Wool Warehouse (this isn't an affiliate link....I just love this store!!!) Overseas peeps can check out the Scheepjes site here for their nearest stockists :-)

Ok so now I'm ready to make the border! The final stretch! 

I have to admit that I'll be a little sad once this journey is at an end. I have loved every minute of it!

Til next time x