Hello, so am I!
I'm new to the site and to crochet, and perhaps this has already been discussed, but I wanted to put in a plug for using an afghan stitch using the Caron Simply Soft. The Afghan stitch generates such a supple fabric (as long as you don't crochet too tight, which is something I have to resist constantly), and uses less yardage than a regular crochet stitch (or so all the patterns say; I haven't actually finished one yet!).
I use a big hook to help keep things loose; like about an I or J for the Caron simply soft. I've been crocheting since about May, and have a huge collection of yarn/thread and patterns already. Now, if I can just get some items done...
I have finished some Warm Up America squares in single crochet (and boy, do I feel for the person who gets to join them together; they were my first efforts, and were they ever compact and stiff!)
As for a baby blanket pattern, how about chaining 186, row 1 is sc, row 2 is dc, row 3 is sc, etc. and keep it up until the blanket measures about 33" by 46"? You could alternate colors to give it visual interest, or alternate between a pretty variegated yarn and a solid. (perhaps this is a pattern somewhere; if it is, I didn't intend to infringe on copyright; just thought it up (out of my limited experience). Come to think of it, if you do use the afghan stitch, you'll either need to make it in long strips that'll fit on a regular length hook and whipstitch them together at the end, or get an afghan cable hook - a double cable hook works just as well. On the other hand, a regular crochet hook is probably something you have on hand....
Just a thought (and please forgive if I've offended by hogging bandwidth..)
patricia
