Blanket Journey

Bringing home a bag full of new yarn has to be one of my tippety-top pleasures in life, it sends shivers of excitement down my spine. And when that yarn is new BLAnKeT-MaKiNg yarn, well now, that makes it Extremely tippety-top if you ask me. It's just so full of promise. A bag full of promise, how wonderful to think of it like that!

I look in my bag and see eighteen bundles of delicious colour and I squeeze my eyes tight shut and try to picture it all strung out and converted into blanket form. WoW. I see it! I can see it so clearly! This bag of yarn is going to transform into one a-MA-zing blanket, and I'm incredibly excited to be starting out on this new creative Blanket Journey.

This is my Blanket-to-be then, eighteen colours of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, details as follows ::

TOP ROW [left to right]

:: 044 jade :: 027  denim :: 059 teal :: 043 purple :: 37 maroon :: 700 red ::

MIDDLE ROW [let to right]

:: 047 green :: 046 turquoise :: 032 mid blue :: 060 magenta :: 042 cerise :: 023 bright orange ::

BOTTOM ROW [left to right]

:: 031 aqua :: 002 pale green :: 025 celery :: 062 mustard :: 063 tangerine :: 033 lavender ::

If you've been bobbing into the Attic for a while, you'll already know all about this yarn. You'll remember me showing you the shop it came from and you'll remember me nattering on about the process of choosing colours. You'll recall me having second thoughts and making changes. Trying hard to get it Just Right.

Choosing the colours for a blanket is a really fun process, but there is often a weeny bit of pressure. The colour choosing is such a crucial part of the whole process, and in my experience the colours do often become more important than the yarn itself. Ok admittedly I'm a right Spoilt Brat here cos the yarn itself is without doubt TO DIE FOR, but if this to-die-for yarn was given to me in cruddy colours I would find it incredibly difficult to create something lovely from it.

So how do I go about selecting my colours??? It's a veeeeeeeeeeeery tough question to answer! There is no magic formula folks, and truthfully it's really difficult to describe my method. I can tell you that I do appear to have a very consistent colour palette which doesn't seem to alter much from year to year or from project to project. So what defines it as Mine???

Well I start out by selecting what I call my "soul colours" first. For me these are the colours of the sea (the blues and greens). You probably know instinctively what your own soul colours are. They're the ones that you're naturally drawn towards without perhaps knowing why. They may be colours you like to wear, colours that you naturally surround yourself with. You can see in the selection above that half of them are either blue or green, there are three in each row.

As these colours are cool colours, I then instinctively balance them out by adding in some heat. So I select a good few pinks and purples, plus some red. Then last of all I look for some light relief, something to lift the whole scheme, and this is usually yellow and orange. 

As a general rule I tend to go for good, strong "pure" colours. Colours that are quite close to natures Spectrum. I don't often use colours that are too diluted with white (pastel colours) or grey (mucky colours).

I also keep the tonal values of the colours quite close, and by that I mean not much contrast between light and dark. If you look at the colours above, you can see I've arranged them into three rows. The top row shows the dark colours, the middle row show the mid colours and the bottom row shows the paler colours. But I haven't included any very dark colours (eg navy blue) or any very light colours (baby pastel colours). There is just enough contrast to keep it interesting, but not so much that it becomes hard to combine them successfully.

Another thing to mention is that some colours might not float your boat on their own, but combined with others, they work a treat. In my selection I have several colours that are like this eg. the rather acidic green (on the left, above) and the deep maroon red (on the left, below). These are both quite difficult colours to get to grips with on their own, but combined with the others they help to add some light/depth respectively.

Now take a look at this...............................

.......this selection of eighteen colours is not mine.

These belong to Heather of Little Tin Bird, it's her current stash of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK.

Now look at our collections together....can you see that we have a lot of similarities, but there are also some noticeable differences?

Heather has a lot more contrast in her selection. She has some very dark colours and some very light colours. She's also added in a neutral colour (bottom row). But interestingly, she has chosen 9 blue/greens and 7 red/purple/pinks, which is the exact same cool/hot balance that I have. 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh such  beautiful piles of lushness!! Don't they look incredible together?

Now then, we can't talk Blanket Stuff without discussing the design, can we?

Well.............it's going to be stripes, ripply, wavey stripes to be precise. Yup, I'm starting out on another happy Ripple Journey.

The ripple blanket I made way back in 2008 is always in great demand around here and is the cause of many sibling Sofa Battles. The Little Peeps quite literally fight over it, it's the warmest, softest and most snugglesome blanket ever. So in the interest of keeping the peace I'm making a second one, although this one is going to be worked slightly differently. I'm working the stripes in a combination of single and double rows. In the rough doodle above, can you see what I'm doing with the design? Each colour is worked up as three stripes (a double row in the middle, with a single row either side). The colours above and below are then sort of "interlocked" by their single rows, do you get what I mean? It'll become clearer when you see the blanket itself I hope.

I am often asked the same questions about my blankets, the ripple in particular. How many chains to start out with? And how many balls of yarn are required?

Firstly re the size and the number of chains....I'm aiming to make a good Snuggle Blanket, which shouldn't be skimpy on size. I think the size of a standard single bed is a good measure (roughly 110 x 180cm). You can see on the scrap of paper above how I calculated my starting chain, as follows ::

1. Make up a sample swatch by chaining 31 (14x2+3) and working 2 or 3 rows. 

2. Measure the width of the sample (mine measured 14cm).

3. Work out how many multiples you will need to get the required width (mine was 8 multiples, ie 8 x 14cm = 112cm)

4. Each multiple requires 28 stitches, so 8 x 28 stitches = 224, then +3 for turning. So chain 227 altogether.

As for the number of balls, roughly speaking, a blanket this size worked in a medium weight yarn would need approx 30 x 50g balls. As I have 18 colours worked at random, it's not a case of simply having 2 balls of each colour. I know I'll use less of some colours and more of others. So I tend to start out with 1 ball of each colour, then buy more as and when I need it. I know this isn't ideal if you are ordering via the internet, but this is the way I do it.

So. A new blanket begins. Ripple, ripple, ripple, it's love with every stitch. And the love grows with every row.

Can you get a better idea of the design now? The interlocking colours? I'm thrilled with the way it's already beginning to look. The colours are incredibly vibrant in real life. They sing such a beautiful colour-song!

I showed you Heather's yarn stash above because we are embarking on a joint Ripple-A-Long together (you can read Heather's ripply write-up here). I've not ever worked with a friend on a joint hook-a-long before and I'm really, REAlly excited to be doing this with Heather. I anticipate it taking us right through Autumn and Winter, my-my, what a delicious thought. My first ripple blanket was a Spring/Summer affair, so the very idea of cosy, fireside hooking with these rich colours is wonderful.

So the first 14 rows of our blankies are shown above....Heather's blankie is going to be chunkier than mine as the Baby Cashmerino I'm using is slightly thinner than standard DK weight and I'm using a 3.5mm hook.  Don't they look good together? Already very different too.

Ahhhhhhhhh, what sweet, neat ripples, I love love love them.

Love hooking them, love looking at them. A sea of glorious colour, wave upon wave upon wave.

It's going to be a wonderful creative Blanket Journey this one, I can just tell. And I'm soooooo much looking forward to sharing it with you!

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Edit to add :: if anyone is rippling at the moment or would like to join us in our ripple-a-long, it'd be fabulous to hear from you! Come join the Ripple Party! ♥

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[The Barefoot Crofter]

Hello - I am rippling at the moment too. Inspired by your good self, I must say. Loving the whole rhythm of it all.
xx

[heather]

Love the idea of working with a friend! And I really love how both of your blankets are already shaping up so differently!

[Lemanie]

Oh, what a gorgeous post, beautiful colours, beautiful wool,great pattern and imagine, double the fun. Coincidentally I have just started a blanket in your ripple pattern in blues for my littlest boy as he is very jealous of his sister's blanket and wanted one that looked like the sea. Thank you so much. Mel x

[Archie the wonder dog]

It's going to be fabulous!! I may have to ask for a voucher for a yarn shop for Christmas!!!

[Rachel]

you've probably answered this before, but I was wondering about your yarn basket. Did you make that? and if so, what pattern did you follow? I need to make some baskets for my baby's toys and such and that sort would be perfect!

[Allison from 2momstobe.blogspot.com]

It looks lovely! I can't wait to see the completed project!

I started a ripple blanket for our little bean back in April and am still working on it. I love the idea of blankets, but am not so good at executing them. :(

[Adina]

Wow!

[Claire]

hello there! i love all your crochet, and these ripple blankets are going to be beautiful! my sister and i started our own ripple along (she lives in scotland, I live in US) and we are about 60 rows in. its so fun, and motivating, to see each other's progress.

[Mo]

I just love your colours there Lucy and having a hook-a-long is a great idea. Wish I could join in but I'm intent on Christmas decorations & gifts just now although the temptation to get distracted is strong..... I-mUst-resist. I-mUst-resist,,, aaargh. Hahaha - maybe next time. Looking forward to the updates Lucy.
Love to you & yours
Mo x

[tizabell]

What fun! I can't wait to see it. I completed one the last time you got ripply. Here it is at the beginning:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51512455@N04/4737196169/in/photostream

This puts me in the mood to do another, mixing up the color scheme a bit.

[elizabeth]

Oooh it's all ready looking fantastic! :)

[Anne Marie]

Reading through the comments reminded me that I really MUST crochet a cover for the tube of my lovely blue Brompton, which because of the step over frame, gets kicked by the feet very often. The bike is in cornflower blue so I wonder what colours I should do it?

I bought some yarn last week and am going to start a ripple blanket, after drooling over yours.

[sewingaeon]

Great color choice!
I`m excited whith how it will be turning out in the end ;)

[Kate]

the really exciting thing about creating is that,even if you start with the same plan e.g. a ripple blanket using a certain number of colours, every single person will come up with a different result.Hurrah for individuality!

[Melissa P]

It's off to a gorgeous start. You are just so inspiring. Thank you!

[Emily]

I've been storing your neat ripple pattern for awhile just waiting to attempt it. I started on one about 3 weeks ago. Put it aside to make a smaller one for my sister-in-laws new baby boy and have since picked up the other one. I love the pattern! I'm crocheting in a heavy all cotton yarn and the weight of the blanket is wonderful!

[Sah Fenn]

Started my first ripple blanket using your 2008 pattern only a few days ago! Using Rowan Creative Focus in purple, pink, teal, and green. It makes me happy to hook it, so bright and cuddly. Thanks for a fab pattern, I'm only a beginner so the photos have been super helpful. Will be rippling along with my blanket. I'm sahfenn on Ravelry and will be posting pics there.

[Sarah Durham]

I have been so inspired to start hooking again after so long away from it. Your blog and wonderful creativity have eased my homesickness for old Blighty and made me hunt for yarn shops in Melbourne. Have just moved here and my ripple blanket is coming along now and made of all the extra yarn from other projects. I have lots of Sublime Baby yarn which is like the Debbie Bliss. Thanks so much for sharing all your ideas.

[Kashi Griffith]

How exciting! I have two blankets in the works. One is a Granny square for the One-a-Day group at Ravelry, and the other a gift. It has many different stitches in it. I may have to start another Ripple though. My daughter loves your color selection. I love buying yarn. Very addictive. I need to pop over to Heather's blog now. Thank you for inspiring.

[Earendil]

he he, i'm very excited at seeing the result! i love those colours!

[sumea]

sadly i will not be rippling along with you
but i will be admiring and cheering your and heather's ripples as they grow. both blankies-to-be are loooking lushiously lovely! ❤

p.s a very interesting read on how your colour choices and design progresses.
i am stuck with a stash or random yarn that i have either recycled or has been donated to me. so when i do find the time/ability to knit/crochet again, the formula will be so very different from someone that has the starting point of shopping and choosing. having a pot luck stash to work from is a real challenge, i can tell you. i'm not complaining though, it is actually quite fun and satisfying in it's own green, thrifty, gives the creative cells in the brainbox a good workout sort of way and the results can be rather fashionably vintage looking (at least that's what kind friends say to console me ;o). i think that many are in this boat, as new yarn is so bloomin' expensive. it is lovely though! and it is a delicious treat to come along here and feast my eyes on your gorgeous palette :o)

[Alison]

Oh! I started a ripple too recently, but just a baby one (am loving it though am and wishing I'd started a bigger one - gives me an excuse to buy some more yarn and start another!) Looking forward to following both your and Heathers progress!

[Kate]

I am busy doing your granny stripe but would love to do a ripple as well.

[Terrie]

It's been interesting seeing your different styles along side each other. Thanks for sharing! x

[Tara]

I was reading along, pondering color selection and swatches and then when I saw the first picture of your beginning blanket, I think my eyes popped out of my head a little bit. That red and turquoise together is amaaaazing. (I had a tshirt dress those colors when I was little.) Can't wait to see it grow.