I have been working on my first large crochet blanket. I am using my own design of Single-triple-single-triple-etc.
My first blanket was a baby blanket that was supposed to be a rectangle and it turned out looking like a star shape. It had an extra corner to it. (was using the “stripes itself” yarn and pattern) 
Now with this new project, I can’t seem to keep a straight line going. How hard can it be to crochet one line, then back accross? I’ve been told it’s because I’ve gotten loose in areas, but how do you keep the same tension during the whole project? I’m almost done with this one and I’ve been very proud of myself for getting this far, but I just wish it looked better.
Instead, it looks like a child crocheted it.:roflhard:
Any suggestions?
First of all… I’ve been crocheting for 20+ years and still have trouble with getting straight edges. For that reason I will usually pick a pattern that is more forgiving (like one using a huge hook) if I want pseudo-straight edges. Or do something in the round (I do great with granny squares, maybe you can try a granny square afghan?).
As for the tension, it’s a matter of how you hold the working yarn in your left hand. I actually hold the yarn exactly the same for crochet and knitting, which happens to be the way demonstrated in the videos here (around the pinkie then over the index finger). I’ve heard of people threading a bead on their yarn and working on keeping that bead between the pinkie and the palm as a way to work on tension. It is a matter of practice.
Another think you can do to work on the odd shaping, is to chain a small number, like for a washcloth. Work the next row and before you turn count the stitches. Work the next row and before you turn count the stitches. If your number is changing each row, rip it out and figure out why, keep trying until you can make a square dishcloth. It’s a little easier on the smaller scale.
Oh, and I’ll also point out that single-triple-single-triple will not give you a straight line at any point, your triples will curl because the singles don’t have the height they need if you try to pull it straight, or the base chain will go all wavy. The only way I can think of that that’d work is if each succeeding row puts a single in the top of a triple and a triple in the top of the single The rows still won’t look straight though, you’d have a bit of a zig-zag pattern going.
I’ve never made a large blanket of just straight stripes, but I’ve done many large ripple afghans. Because of the pattern, it makes it incredibly easy to tell where your rows begin and end. Instead of counting a hundred or so stitches across, you really only have to count the dozen or so stitches for each up and down. Something different to think about, if just working plain stripes doesn’t work for you. Here is the pattern I use the most.
http://home.att.net/~susanBinKC/patterns/ripple.html