Attic24

Sweet Pea Blanket CAL :: Part 6.5

Surprise!!!!!!

Bet you didn't expect to find a CAL post here this morning as we are officially on a "catch-up" week, but honestly it felt so strange for me not CAL-posting that I couldn't resist sneaking in a little extra Sweet Pea goodness. As usual, I've been catching up on all the SP comings and goings on social media and have a few things to share with you today in preparation for next week's border session.

I know many of you are appreciating having this extra catch-up week to continue working your stripes or darn in your ends, but I've also not been surprised to see some of you already finishing up your blankets. Some of you have told me that you were gifting your blankets and needed them finished before the official end of the CAL. Others simply knew what they wanted to do for their borders and didn't need to wait for me to lead the way. I want to reassure you that I am absolutely OK with this! My main aim with running an Attic24 CAL is to inspire community, connection, creativity and happiness, and I'm not at all offended if you wish to go #teamrogue with your blankets and give an individual spin to your creations.

With this in mind, I'm going to share some really super Sweet Pea borders that have come about this week ahead of my own borders which I'll share with you next week......

Sue chose five colours for her border, working 4 rounds of double crochet and finishing off with a very pretty scallop edging.

Mary decided to work a Block Stitch border, finishing off with a neat round of double crochet.

Maria went bold and wide with her border, choosing to use all fifteen shades in a glorious colourwash. She used my Linen Stitch Edging (full tutorial HERE) and I think it looks spectacular.

A note about Linen Stitch - remember this tends to have a tight tension and you will need to go up a whole millimetre hook size to prevent your border from pulling too tightly. So for example, if you worked your main blanket using a 4mm hook, then use a 5mm hook to work your linen stitch edging.

Lyn also chose a colourwash linen stitch border, although she chose to place the greens on the outer edge as rounds of double crochet. This is a bold choice, but I think it looks stunning.

I've chosen seven colours for my border : Meadow, Pistachio, Soft Peach, Wisteria, Magenta, Fuchsia and Violet.

If you're making the Posy Sweet Pea, you should have more of these colours left as there were only 5 stripes of each colour in the blanket (instead of 6). 

If you're making the Colourwash Sweet Pea, then you will have plenty of Pistachio and Violet left, but will need to check quantities of the other five colours.

You will need around 20g of each colour to work your border, so do try and see if you can weigh your yarn and make sure you'll have enough.

It's absolutely OK by me if you wish to choose your own colours - have a play around and see what brings you happiness.

I've designed a brand new edging pattern for the Sweet Pea blanket, and I can't wait to show you next week. It's killing me to keep the surprise!!!!!

While we are having our catch up week, I expect some of you will be using the time to darn in your ends. I confess that I saw Joanne's "Monster Ends" photo on Facebook and had a few heart palpitations!!! This would not suit me at all and I am always a darn-as-you-go-along gal, yet I hear many of you prefer to leave them and do them all in one go at the end. Whichever way you choose, you will need to have all your ends neatly tucked away before you embark on your border.

Merete finished darning in her ends and is now patiently waiting for me to share the border pattern - her  rather bemused looking Sweet Pea snake made me laugh out loud!

Not everyone is content to sit and wait though, and I've seen some lovely Sweet Pea stash-buster projects already off the starting blocks. Nic shared her gorgeous knitted shawl in progress which I think is so beautiful - she is using a pattern called the "Leftie Shawl" by Martina Behm - you can find it on Ravelry (HERE).

Now a quick little something before I let you get on with your day >>>>>>

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH BABY BLANKET AFTERTHOUGHTS!!!! 

I've been thinking a lot about the whole idea of using a palette of colours to work a Colourwash stripe, specifically how to try and keep the colourwash design concept while creating a shorter version suitable for baby blankets.

At first I didn't think it could be easily done, but the more I pondered on it, the more I wanted to try and work it out for you. I really, really, really wish that I'd been able to get my head around this at the start of the CAL so that I could've given you this option weeks ago, but alas my brain cells have felt very stretched coping with what has been a lot of work for me creating this CAL.

However, after much intense thought I have actually gone and done it!!

I've created two different versions :

One will make a 3ft/90cm length (so suitable for a 70 x 90 cm small pram blanket)

The other will make a 4ft / 120cm length (suitable for a 90 x 120cm cot blanket)

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH 70 x 90 cm BABY BLANKET

Chain 124 to begin, then work 43 stripes following the Trellis Stripe Pattern.

Hopefully you can read the above list clearly on your screen, but if you click on the image it'll pop up in a larger window. 

Here is the bigger baby blanket version ::

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH 90 x 120 cm BABY BLANKET

Chain 164 to begin, then work 58 stripes following the Trellis Stripe Pattern.

Note the stripes listed in RED are double width stripes.

I hope that's useful for you - do let me know if you decide to give the small Colourwash baby blankets a go, I'd love to see how they turn out.

Also giving thanks to my clever hubby who scoffed at my poor attempt at creating a typed list and took it in hand himself. He created some very cute little yarn ball graphics and made some rather posh colour lists for me, I'm super pleased with them! I'm going to ask him to do the same with the full size Sweet Pea blanket stripes so that I can add that info to the Trellis Tutorial once the CAL has finished next week.

Wishing you all a fabulous week whatever is on your hook, whether you are still jaunting through your Trellis Stripes or embarking on something completely new. Have fun - remember it's Border time next week on the 22nd, I can't WAIT!!!!! :)

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Here are all the CAL links you might need  ::

🌸 SWEET PEA YARN PACK

🌸TRELLIS STRIPE PATTERN🌸

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET Q&A

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET PREPARATION (includes a sneak peek of the Posy and Colourwash blankets)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 1 (colour info for stripes 1-15)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 2 (colour info for stripes 16-30)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 3 (colour info for stripes 31-45)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 4 (colour info for stripes 46-60)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 5 (colour info for stripes 61-75)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 6 (c0lour info for stripes 76-83/86)

 

 

Wintering

I seriously love the above photo in all it's faded, wintry mellowness. It was one of those misty, murky mornings that we seem to have experienced quite often this winter, when the days have felt very slow to get going. This type of weather makes me want to cosy up inside and drink endless mugs of strong, frothy coffee, and yet there is also something refreshing about being out and about and breathing in that damp, cold air.

Its snowdrop season, and our tiny clump of front garden flowers have pushed their way back through the earth for another year. Earlier today, we drove past the huge patch of snowdrops which always grow wild at the top entrance to the woods (see this post) and I made a mental note to walk up there very soon to see them. Whizzing past in the car just isn't good enough, these sweet flowers deserve to be given a thorough dose of heart-felt appreciation.

Top of my to-do list :: Go Appreciate Snowdrop Patch.

My weekend was slow and quiet, just the way I like it at this time of year. I spent much of Saturday sat at the dining table drinking coffee, knitting bits of sock and drooling over the pages in the latest Sarah Raven catalogue, specifically pages 4 - 21 which showcase the Exclusive Dahlia Collections. Oh my heart. Dahlias are just the bees knees, and I've been swooning over them for a great many years (just re-reading this post where I quite literally "fell" for the dahlias at Cragside - ha! True story, I do get giddy to the point of not being able to remain upright at times.

It was so nice to get back to a bit of knitting after such a lot of Sweet Pea-ing of late, and I did enjoy being quietly industrious with all those neat little knitty rounds. I turned heels and knitted gussets and made great progress on these belated Christmas gift socks for my patient father-in-law. For anyone interested, I knit my socks using the continental knitting method which allows me to tension the yarn in my left hand in exactly the same identical way as I do when I'm crocheting. It's absolutely marvelous and allows my hands to almost think they are crocheting when in fact they are being very clever and knitting instead. You can read more about my methods in this post. 

Something amazing has started to happen here in Atticland this winter, and it is SOoooooOoo amazing that I'm still feeling a bit in awe of it all. We've been living here for eleven years and have never witnessed it before - a daily starling murmuration. It's an absolutely incredible natural display (you can read more about it here, which includes a short video clip) and the fact that it's started happening literally right over our house is just mind blowing. It starts just as dusk is beginning (around 4.45pm at this time of year) and lasts around half an hour. The birds gather gradually and the flock gets bigger and bigger as the minutes pass until there are literally thousands and thousands of birds fluttering overhead. They fly together in the most mesmersing of ways, in twists and turns and undulating waves, it's impossible to take your eyes away and inspires you to take around 267 gazillion photos of the sky.

All my photos were pretty rubbish (I was doing the giddy thing again and leaping excitedly across the furniture), but I enjoyed myself trying. I really, really, really hope this is going to be an annual winter thing around here. 

We walked at Bolton Abbey on Sunday for the first time in a while, and it was just lovely. A bit cold, grey and dull but still so good to get out and about amongst the trees. We left the Teen in bed, waved Little Lady off to work (she has just started her very first weekend job waitressing in a cafe), and set off to walk with Little B in tow.

Despite the leaflessness of the winter season, I was overjoyed to see so many fresh new bluebell shoots already peeking through the undergrowth.

And moss too of course, I'm always excited to see how well it thrives at this time of year.

Mossy trees are just super aren't they? Kind of fairytale-ish and magical.

Sunday was also a day of doing allllllll the laundry which I didn't manage to do on Saturday because I was too busy knitting my gussets and slavering over photos of dahlias. I worked through four whole loads, washing and drying, then up to the bedroom to fold and stack on my bed. I am so in love with my bed, and can't tell you how much I look forward to climbing into it each night. I mean, I really do enjoy my days, but bedtime is always such a highlight! With the chilly weather I've got a double layer of blanket warmth on my bed at the moment, and as I was sorting through all the laundry yesterday I found myself really appreciating the spread of colour and pattern. The bottom layer is my beloved BB which is almost ten years old now - you can see more photos of it here). It's a big 180cm square beast made from Rowan Pure Wool DK and is extremely heavy and warm. On top of that I've got my Sunny Log Cabin blanket, and this stays on my bed all year round as it's quite light and is OK for the Summer months. Gosh, I do so love this blanket, it's one of my all time favourite makes. It uses 18 balls of Stylecraft Special DK which is called the Sunny yarn pack. I made this blanket as a CAL project at the end of 2015 - all the CAL installments are still on my blog if you fancy creating your own dreamy blanket.

Back downstairs and I've got a new candle on the go this week. It's another one from Next, I do so enjoy their scented candles as they are very economical and burn for aaaaages (50 hours in this jar, seriously!). Oh, and they smell gorgeous too - this one is Bergamot and Green Tea which I think I had last winter too. It's fresh and sweet without being overpowering and makes the living room smell really good.

We're still lighting our fire every day and appreciate it very much. The kitty is often sprawled out on my floor cushions right next to the hearth (one of my favourite places to sit and crochet) and I never have the heart to turf her off. So I feel as if I've not had the real benefit of quality fireside time just lately, although I do so love to see it (and hear it) as much as I like the warmth and comfort it provides.

This morning, and another outing to Bolton Abbey, just J and me this time. We hadn't planned on going seeing as we were only there yesterday, but after school drop off and a quick supermarket shop I just felt like I wanted to be back there again. The sunshine was calling me to go tramp those winding pathways....almost impossible to resist!

We walk further and faster when it's just us two, crossing bridges and taking a big loop around on both sides of the river.

I adore this tree and always feel compelled to photograph its magnificent roots every time I walk past it. Have to say, they were looking mighty mossy and even more magnificent than usual. #mossaddict (yes, this really is a bonafide hashtag, I tell you, I'm not alone!)

Another tree which caught my eye with its fabulous bark - it looked like it had been smocked! It reminded me that I went through an obsessive smocking phase when I was in my mid teens, painstakingly embroidering a whole collection of hand stitched and smocked dresses for a ragdoll that I made at school. I would so love to see those handmade things again, I was such a shy, quiet, daydreamy, stitch-obsessed type of teenager, always away in my own little private, creative world. Don't suppose I've altered all that much, come to think of it.

As well as mossy roots and smocked bark I spied catkins galore, gosh they are putting on a spectacular show this year.

I find them so charming - little dangly reminders that Spring isn't too far away. I dearly wanted to pick some to bring home, but didn't feel that it would be acceptable to steal from the trees so I left them hanging in the morning sunshine.

We stopped off at the farm shop on our way home to pick up a joint of meat (I'm making smoky barbecued pulled pork in the slow cooker tomorrow), and rather predictably I found myself drawn to the floral offerings before I could make it anywhere near the meat counter. I decided to treat myself to a small pot of Narcissus "Bridal Crown"which I know from past experience will smell divine when they flower. Having pots of bulbs growing in the house is such a pleasure, I can highly recommend it if you want to bring a dose of Spring cheer into the winter time.

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Sweet Pea Blanket CAL :: Part 6

I think in all the years that I've been creating and hosting my annual Crochet-A-Longs, the Sweet Pea has been the easiest blanket to keep up with. The Trellis Stripe is a fast pattern to hook, and once you've got the first few rows under your belt it's possible to switch off your mind a little and allow your hook and yarn to speed along quite happily. I can't tell you how good it has made me feel to hear about so many of you creating your stripes and keeping pace with me each week, it's been truly wonderful.

We all know that this isn't a race though, and many of you will be taking your time, for many varied reasons. Please believe me when I say that this is absolutely OK!! All CAL posts will stay here in the Attic waiting for when you are ready, and I like to think that as the months roll by there will be sweet pea blankets continuing to grow and bloom all over the world.

I've loved hearing about so many proud moments as new hookers have shared their first ever blanket projects. It's been joyful and encouraging to witness the happiness in all the photos and stories from those of you just starting out on your crochet journey. I've also read some very emotional stories from those of you who have found solace in your stripes as you've coped with illness, hospital visits and bereavement during the past month. My heart goes out to all of you who have been struggling, and I so hope that these gentle colours have lifted your spirits a little. Our crochet community is so special and it's genuinely heart warming to experience that unique sense of belonging and creative friendship. You are never alone when you are crocheting an Attic24 blanket that's for sure - you will always be in great company with friends all over the globe! Isn't that the best kind of realisation?!

I continue to be so impressed by the creativity within our Sweet Pea community, and have seen some gorgeous photos being shared. This beautiful bunny was knitted by Natasha, complete with her very own Sweet Pea dungarees, isn't she adorable? Natasha used a Little Cotton Rabbits pattern (see here) and this little Bunny has had a lot of admirers on Facebook this week.

Nic has been on a creative roll, do you remember the beautiful wreath I showed you last week? She went on to create a really lovely colourful nest for her kitty to curl up in. Gosh, I do really love to see all this creative energy, it makes me so happy!

Do you remember me telling you that on Sunday there was to be a Sweet Pea gathering down in Dorset, at my beloved West Bay? Well by all accounts it was a great success, and Sandra shared some wonderful photos with me a few days ago. You can read more about it over on Sandra's blog (here).

Hello lovely Dorset ladies, I'm waving to you from the Attic!! I gather it was rather windy down on the beach, but I'm so glad to see you with your blankets out in the wild!

Talking of Wild photos....a few weeks ago I came across the most fantastic hashtag on Instagram called #crochetinthewild which I thought was great fun. So this week I thought I'd run with this theme for my photo gallery and show you some Sweet Pea Blankies out and about on their adventures........

Sandra (the same lovely lady who organised the SP gathering) shared her blanket perched on the harbour wall at West Bay....

Sue shared her blanket looking very scenic on the island of Jersey....

Sandie took her SP to Aldeburgh beach in Suffolk and positioned so that we could also see Maggi Hambling's Scallop sculpture in the background (love this!)

Rachel took her blanket to the famous Stonehenge on a gorgeously bright and sunny day....

Cecily works near Barnard  Castle and showed us her blanket having a very chilly lunch time outing!

Cyndi braved the snow in the US and one of her kitties certainly seemed to appreciate the extra outdoor comfort!

Fran also braved the cold and shared this beautiful photograph with the famous Forth Bridge in the background.

We had some gorgeous photos from sunnier climes too..............

 

Jan was in Cypress (check out the lemons on the tree!)

Rebecca's work with native plant habitat restoration takes her out into the wilds of California and she says she often takes her crochet with her when she drives out to field sites.

Gaynor shared this stunning photo of her crocheting in New Zealand, aren't the colours of the landscape dreamy? She told us this is lake Hawea, near Wanaka, South Island.....oh, it really is beautiful.

Jennifer lives on Maui in Hawaai and took her Sweet Pea out to Ho’okipa Beach near where she lives. I loved the above photo, but when she moved the camera over to the beach, look what she showed us.......

.....Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles!!! Jennifer said "It’s common to see several on this beach in the morning, but 9 was a real treat!" Wonderful stuff.

I think this is my favourite photo from the #crochetinthewild hashtag on Instagram - it really made me laugh out loud! Laura took her blanket to Crosby beach in Merseyside and used it to add a little cosy warmth to one of Sir Antony Gormley's famous sculptures. This is just brilliant, thanks Laura!

Massive thanks to everyone who has joined in with this and taken the time and trouble to photograph their blankets outside for me. I have really love love loved seeing them all. xxxx

Back in the Attic and this week has been a little bit stressy for me and my Sweet Pea journey. Making two blankets for this CAL has been a challenge, and although I've really enjoyed it, the time pressure has added a certain urgency to my rows at times! I finished my Posy blanket stripes weeks ago, but due to me changing my mind about the border colours I had to pull back 8 stripes and remake them this week. Yesterday in fact. I sat on the floor next to the fire with the kitty close by and worked like the clappers to get to that final row....

.....ahhhh, just in time! Most of you will be heading through your final stripes during this next week, and let me tell you it's something of a bitter-sweet feeling when you get to that final top edge. Glad to have succeeded, but sad to see it end. Of course we've still got the border to make and I'll tell you a bit more about that a little later.

One thing that has pleased me enormously about the Posy Sweet Pea blanket is how true the colours are to the flowers which inspired it. I look at the above photo and immediately I can see this.......

.....a sweet posy of summer flowers sitting in a jam jar on my table. These colours make me so happy!

The Sweet Pea Posy has 83 stripes in total, and I think the glorious mixture of hues works extremely well.

There is a vibrant energy to these stripes which makes the blanket radiate with happiness, and there is nothing nicer than a truly happy-looking blanket to snuggle yourself into.

I'm so pleased with this blanket, it's everything I imagined when I was prancing about photographing my flowers back in July last year. It's the essence of Summer, right there. Love love love love love. I LOVE Sweet Peas (can you tell???!)

Here is the colour info you need for this week............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 6

🌸 POSY 🌸 

#teamposy #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Posy Part 5 should be Pistachio - that was stripe number 75.

And here is the colour information for Part 6 : stripes 76-83, working from the bottom upwards.

Yes, there are only 8 stripes to make this week - your blanket should be long enough with 83 stripes in total, measuring approx 175cm in length.

SWEET PEA POSY Part 6

76. Pomegranate

77. Wisteria

78. Plum

79. Lavender

80. Cypress

81. Blush

82. Cream

83. Candyfloss **remember to straighten the final row!

When you reach your final Candyfloss stripe, work the first row following the usual Trellis Stripe pattern, then for the second row of the last stripe, this is what you do ::

FINAL ROW TO CREATE STRAIGHT TOP EDGE

Chain 3 (counts as 1 tr);

1 tr into each of the next 2 stitches;

**1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches;

skip the chain-1 space (ignore it completely!);

1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches; 

1 tr into each of the next 3 stitches;

Repeat from ** to end, ending the row with 3 tr. Fasten off.

It's pretty straightforward, but if you need additional photos, I've added this final row to the Trellis Stripe Tutorial (click on the link below, then scroll on down to the end of the tutorial to find it)

{TRELLIS STRIPE TUTORIAL}

After part 6 (83 stripes) your blanket should be measuring around 6ft in length. If you are using two yarn packs and making a double or king size blanket, you might like to add some extra length so I've put together an optional set of stripes which you can add on. Remember that when you reach the final Magenta stripe, you need to follow my pattern to straighten out the top edge.

ADDITIONAL ROWS FOR DOUBLE/KING POSY BLANKETS (OPTIONAL)

84. Fuchsia Purple

85. Meadow

86. Plum

87.Lavender

88. Soft Peach

89. Blush

90. Pistachio

91. Lavender

92. Candyfloss

93. Pistachio

94. Cream

95. Candyfloss

96. Clematis

97. Wisteria

98. Cypress

99. Violet

100. Pomegranate

101. Magenta **remember to straighten the final row!

Now we're going to move on and take a look at the final colours for the Colourwash version of the Sweet Pea blanket. This week we are moving into the deep dark floral shades, and these are some of my absolute favourites. The sweet peas I grew at my allotment last year were from Sarah Raven and they included some stunning colours which were far removed from the usual soft pastel shades that are generally associated with these flowers.

There were beautiful deep plum colours (above).....

....and the most intense indigo/violet flowers too.

For my colour palette I chose Plum and Violet to represent these flowers.....

....and mixed in with a little Fuchsia Purple, the top end of the Colourwash blanket is absolutely beautiful. 

I love the transition in the top half of the sweet pea colourwash. It's not easy to move from the lightest to the darkest shades, but I love the dynamics of it very much. When you look at the blanket as a whole (I'll show you in a moment) you'll see how well these top colours compliment the greens and mauves down at the bottom. 

I really like how the above photo shows the Trellis stitch pattern so well and I hope you've enjoyed working this pattern and seeing it bloom with your colours. I've been besotted with it myself (it's sooooooooo fast and rhythmic!) and I can definitely see myself using this pattern again with a different set of colours.

And there we have it - the whole sweep of the colourwash from the leafy greens up to the deep floral purples. As you can see, it was a deliberate decision to keep the pale colours right in the centre. I didn't want the blanket to feel like it was fading out to nothing at the top (colourwash designs naturally want to run from dark to light). I spent a lot of time working out how to order the colours so that the whole blanket feels balanced and not bottom or top heavy.....

.....I'm so chuffed with it!

It's a beautiful blanket to play with and I already love having it in my home. 

Right, on with the all important colour info for this week's stripes...............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 6

🌸 COLOURWASH 🌸 

#teamcolourwash #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Colourwash Part 5 should be Plum - that was stripe number 75.

And here is the colour information for Part 6 : stripes 76-86, working from the bottom upwards.

We'll be adding 11 stripes this week.

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH Part 6

Note that throughout the colourwash blanket there are some double width stripes (4 crochet rows of the same colour). I've marked these in red so that they stand out for you. Remember you don't need to fasten off between the double rows.

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH Part 6

76. Fuchsia Purple

77. Plum

78. Fuchsia Purple

79. Plum (double stripe)

80. Plum (double stripe)

81. Violet

82. Plum

83. Violet

84. Plum

85. Violet (double stripe)

86.Violet (double stripe) **remember to straighten the final row!

The final colour of the Colourwash (Violet) is a double row, so work 3 rows as normal, then follow the straightening out pattern for the fourth row.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, I do so LOvE the colours!!!!!!!!

Many of you who have been following my Repeating colour order (above) have already finished your blankets, and it's been so satisfying to see your photos. 

Heather decided that her blanket was long enough after five repeats, and I think it looks terrific.

Patricia worked her stripes as "mirror" repeats and finished the blanket off with a deep linen stitch border. It's stunning, and looks so lovely draped over her bed.

The border pattern will be given out in Week 7 which is on 22nd February, so you've got a couple weeks to get everything in order and ready to go. I've chosen 7 colours to use for the border :

Meadow, Pistachio, Soft Peach, Wisteria, Magenta, Fuchsia Purple and Violet. 

I don't know exact quantities yet (still working it out!) but you will need around 18-20g of each colour for the border, with a little more for the final Violet round. If you've made your blanket following my gauge/tension guidelines, you should easily have enough yarn left. If you are unsure, the best way to check is to use accurate digital kitchen scales and weigh your balls.

To keep things simple, I'll be using the same border for both the Posy and the Colourwash blankets. I hope you like the colours I've chosen, I think they work beautifully together and contain the essence of sweet peas goodness.

Next week will be our "catch up" week where we'll be taking a little breather. Use the time to catch up if you need to, darn in your ends if you need to or just snuggle your blanket if you're all up to date. As mentioned above, it's also a good time to weigh/check your yarn quantities and make sure you're all set for the final edging stage. 

I'll be back with Part 7 (the border) on Friday 22nd February.....enjoy your final stripes!

Here are all the CAL links you might need  ::

🌸 SWEET PEA YARN PACK

🌸TRELLIS STRIPE PATTERN🌸

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET Q&A

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET PREPARATION (includes a sneak peek of the Posy and Colourwash blankets)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 1 (colour info for stripes 1-15)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 2 (colour info for stripes 16-30)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 3 (colour info for stripes 31-45)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 4 (colour info for stripes 46-60)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 5 (colour info for stripes 61-75)

 

 

 

 

Sweet Pea Blanket CAL :: Part 5

One of the downsides of working on a striped blanket is that it does start to take up a lot of room in the bag when you need to bring it out and about. Often this leads me to have a smaller, more portable project on the go at the same time as a blanket (knitted socks, or a small mandala), but right now I just cannot think about anything other than Sweet Pea. I am obsessed with these stripy colours, and couldn't possibly contemplate heading to my twice weekly creative cafe sessions without it. Mind you, it's also been handy in recent weeks as I've been very glad of the extra warmth and cosyness that a blanket brings to the whole cafe experience. Chatting and laughing with my friends, a delicious frothy coffee to hand, my blanket draped over my lap and I've been in hooky heaven!

Here at home, my Sweet Pea blankets don't stay folded up in my bag as I much prefer to see them hanging out on the furniture and socialising with all my other blankets. I thought I'd show you my other sofa for a change - this is the sofa which sits nearest the fire and is where I have all my patchwork and applique cushions collected over the years. I have multiple blankets folded and draped over both arms of this sofa (currently out of view are the Woodland and Moorland on the left and the Hydrangea on the right). As you can see, Sweet Pea Colourwash is already looking very much at home. I dearly love the splash of summer cheer it brings to the room, the colours are very uplifting I think.

So how have you all been getting on this week? Have you enjoyed having your pretty blanket stripes keeping you company through your days? I continue to really enjoy all the comings and goings on social media, we belong to such a vibrant and happy community don't we? Lets take a look at some Sweet Pea-ish things that have caught my eye and tweaked at my heart strings this week..............

Sam shared this photo of her S-P gathering in Wiltshire where I think shes hoping to establish regular weekly sessions. If you are able to connect and meet with other crocheters in your own area, I can highly recommend it - social hooking is such a fantastic experience and really does elevate the joy of creating with yarn.

I know that Sandra's S-P gathering in Dorset is all set to happen this weekend and as it's being held in West Bay, I am a weeny bit jealous that I can't make it down there. I shall be there in spirit! If you are local to the Dorset area, you can find the details on Sandra's blog (here) - please take lots of photos to share with us!

As you know, during the CAL weeks I spend a ridiculous number of hours on social media attempting to keep up, and one of the definite positives of this is that I get to see all sorts of beautiful, inspiring projects taking shape.  These are all projects made using the Sweet Pea yarn pack, but there is so much more than blankets going on out there......

Ann has been making some seriously stunning cushions using patterns by the very talented Helen Shrimpton. This one is called "A Walk in the Garden" and literally made me gasp out loud with pleasure when I first saw it. I couldn't stop gazing at it - all the beautiful, intricate stitch patterns combined with the softness of the Sweet Pea colours is such a great combination I think.

Sharon has also made a cushion to go with her Sweet Pea blanket using my Blooming Flower pattern. I love the way she's arranged the colours, it really is beautiful.

Roz is using the Sweet Pea colours to make African Flower squares - it always amazes me how different the colours look when they are made into blocks or motifs rather than stripes.

Carol has been making some really lovely baby blankets by combing the Sweet Pea colours with a soft silver grey. You might remember I showed you her Granny Stripe baby blanket in part 2 of the CAL? This is her latest creation made up of two-round granny squares and I think it's such a success.

Helen has chosen Sandra Pauls "Spice of Life" pattern for her Sweet Pea blanket - I can see she is following the Posy colour order, but doesn't it look different?!

Judy has opted to use the Sweet Pea colours to crochet a most beautiful undulating wave throw. This is a pattern by Rachele Carmona called "Layered Waves", isn't it stunning?

I was mesmerised to see the making of Judy's tassels on Facebook, oh those colours!!! ALL the heart eyes (😍) for that arrangement!

And here is a close up look at the seriously gorgeous and plump looking tassels that Judy made to edge her throw, they are ever so photogenic and make me want to reach into my computer screen and run my fingers along them.

Amongst all the hooky action I've spotted some beautiful Sweet Pea knitting going on too. The knitters among us are a quiet bunch but my goodness there is some knitty talent and patience out there! I mean, just look at the blanket above, all those thousands of knit stitches to make a WHOLE BLANKET, I am in total awe. This is knitted on a 40 inch circular needle and is a variation on the old Feather and Fan pattern. I love it so much Nancy.

Liz shared this photo of her Mum's blanket in the making and I love the graphic simplicity of the triangles.

Sandra is also knitting with Sweet Pea colours and has made the most beautiful little Sweet Pea Flower Fairy outfit, isn't it delightful? You can buy the pattern for the jacket on Etsy if you are good with the sticks and have a little cutie in your life who would love to be a flower fairy.

Nic shared this beautifully simple butterfly wreath with us in Facebook, as well as this .....................

.......the makings of a summery Sweet Pea wreath!!

Prepare to be wowed.....

........

....WOWSERS!!! Isn't that stunning? I love the sweet knitted blue tit and all the gorgeous floral details in this wreath. A real triumph and a fabulous ta-dah moment - thanks for sharing with us Nic.

Rachel used her S-P colours to cosy up a hot water bottle (how perfect for the weather we're having here).

Teresa made a version of my Weekend Bag.....

Sarah made her tension sample, then kept on going with those short, satisfying rows to create a lovely Sweet Pea scarf.

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There have been some cute critters too, take a look .................

Dawn used a Jacquie (Bunny Mummy) pattern to make an adorable little Owl duo. I've made a few of these to give as gifts in the past and the pattern/tutorial is fabulous (find it for free on Jacquie's blog)

Sharon is a needle felter who makes the cutest little critters - this tiny hedgehog has a passion for crochet, and is making her very own sweet pea blanket!

Alexis shared her Sweet Pea hedgehog pincushion with us on Instagram (@hookedinthehighlands) and I immediately fell in love. She used a pattern by Marinda Jansen van Rensburg which you can find on Ravelry (here). I predict there will soon be an Array of hooky hedgehogs inspired by this cutie, it is rather irresistible.

I love love love all the creativity that springs forth from my yarny colour palettes, it's truly inspiring and wonderful in every way.

Now I think we need to take a look at this weeks CAL progress, to see how the stripes are looking as we approach the end of our blanket journey.....

.....well I do think they are looking mighty fine! 

The Posy blanket is blooming so beautifully, with it's soft but vibrant medley of floral colours.

I've found that as my blanket has grown in size and weight, the Trellis pattern has begun to stretch out and look a little more defined. I really love the look of it, it's just the right amount of lacy for me (I'm not too fond of very holey blankets).

I'm also enjoying the subtle texture of this pattern - when it's resting on my lap and I'm looking at it upside down, there is a delicious vertical texture to the pattern, can you see those lovely little vertical ridges in the above photo? It's not apparent when you look at the blanket the right way up so came as a lovely surprise!

Here is the colour info you need for this week............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 5

🌸 POSY 🌸 

#teamposy #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Posy Part 4 should be Pistachio - that was stripe number 60.

And here is the colour information for Part 5 : stripes 61-75, working from the bottom upwards.

Remember each stripe is worked in two rows, so 15 stripes = 30 rows of crochet.

SWEET PEA POSY Part 5

61.Clematis

62. Fuchsia Purple

63. Plum

64.Magenta

65. Cypress

66. Lavender

67. Pomegranate

68. Cream

69.Clematis

70. Meadow

71.Violet

72. Blush

73. Soft Peach

74. Candyfloss

75. Pistachio

Now lets take a look at part 5 of the Colourwash version....

This week is probably my most favourite part of the whole colourwash blanket as these rich reddish pink and purple blooms are my most favourite sweet peas of all.

I grew Sarah Raven sweet peas on my allotment last year, a mixture of varieties which included this two-tone beauty, and I do love it so - oh, those colours, just look how vibrant they are!!! From what I can remember, I think this particular variety is called "Prince Edward of York", very regal indeed.

It was a joy to match up the yarn to those beautiful petals!

In week 5 of the Colourwash you'll be celebrating these vibrant floral shades with Pomegranate, Magenta, Fuchsia Purple and a weeny but of Plum.

This week you'll start to see the the darker floral shades at the top of the blanket balancing out the greens and mauves at the bottom end.....

.....I am so happy with the overall balance of hues and tones in this blanket, it really does make my colour-loving heart very happy to see such harmony in play.

Right, on with the all important colour info for this week's stripes...............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 5

🌸 COLOURWASH 🌸 

#teamcolourwash #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Colourwash Part 4 should be Blush - that was stripe number 60.

And here is the colour information for Part 5 : stripes 61-75, working from the bottom upwards.

Remember each stripe is worked in two rows, so 15 stripes = 30 rows of crochet.

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH Part 5

Note that throughout the colourwash blanket there are some double width stripes (4 crochet rows of the same colour). I've marked these in red so that they stand out for you. Remember you don't need to fasten off between the double rows.

NOTE : please make sure that your Pomegranate and Fuchsia Purple yarns are clearly labeled so that you don't muddle them by mistake - in artificial light it's almost impossible to tell them apart.

61. Pomegranate (double stripe)

62. Pomegranate (double stripe)

63. Magenta

64. Pomegranate

65. Magenta

66. Pomegranate

67. Magenta (double stripe)

68. Magenta (double stripe)

69. Fuchsia Purple

70. Magenta

71. Fuchsia Purple

72. Magenta

73. Fuchsia Purple (double stripe)

74. Fuchsia Purple (double stripe)

75. Plum

Next week, part 6 will be the final set of stripes and will be slightly shorter than previous weeks.

The Posy blanket will have 84 stripes in total (so just 9 stripes to finish with next week).

The Colourwash blanket will have 86 stripes in total (11 stripes next week). 

As I mentioned last week, when you reach the final stripe, there is an alteration to the pattern which will create a straight top edge for your blanket. I thought it would be useful to give you that info now, as those of you who are making smaller blankets or working repeating colour stripes may well reach the top of your blanket sooner.

When you reach your final stripe colour, work the first row following the usual Trellis Stripe pattern, then for the second row of the last stripe, this is what you do ::

FINAL ROW TO CREATE STRAIGHT TOP EDGE

Chain 3 (counts as 1 tr);

1 tr into each of the next 2 stitches;

**1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches;

skip the chain-1 space (ignore it completely!);

1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches; 

1 tr into each of the next 3 stitches;

Repeat from ** to end, ending the row with 3 tr. Fasten off.

It's pretty straightforward, but if you need additional photos, I've added this final row to the Trellis Stripe Tutorial (click on the link below, then scroll on down to the end of the tutorial to find it)

{TRELLIS STRIPE TUTORIAL}

I'll be back with Part 6 (the final stripes) on Friday 8th February.....have a super-creative week and enjoy your sweet pea colours!

Here are all the CAL links you might need  ::

🌸 SWEET PEA YARN PACK

🌸TRELLIS STRIPE PATTERN🌸

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET Q&A

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET PREPARATION (includes a sneak peek of the Posy and Colourwash blankets)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 1 (colour info for stripes 1-15)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 2 (colour info for stripes 16-30)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 3 (colour info for stripes 31-45)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 4 (colour info for stripes 46-60)

 

Icy Cold

 

Oooooooooo it's a cold one here today! When we set out to school this morning there was a thick blanket of icy fog covering the landscape and my weather app was showing a -6° temperature. Minus SIX!! This is very cold for us Brits and not something we get to experience very often, even in the depths of our wintertime. Our hill view was completely invisible under the fog blanket for a while but it didn't last long and it was amazing to watch the white slowly lift and disappear. Once the fog was gone the temperature remained below zero for the whole day, but it's been so very lovely to see some blue sky.

One thing about freezing fog is that it leaves a remarkable dusting of delicate ice crystals over absolutely everything.....it's so very, very pretty! Humble spiders webs are completely transformed into delicate glimmering lace creations. The small patch of grass in our front garden was covered in frozen ice crystal beads. Even the dead plants growing along the footpath beside the canal were transformed into beautiful frosty things (sorry, couldn't think of an appropriate word for dead stuff).

I didn't need to walk along the canal but I did it anyways, taking the opportunity to crunch along the frozen narrow path which is usually very muddy at this time of year. This extra bit of walking added on maybe ten minutes to my journey home, and I enjoyed every single second of it. It was icy cold perfection.

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The Quiet of Winter

J and I took a short walk in the woods on Monday afternoon, you know when you sometimes crave the simplicity of nature, fresh air and a gentle tramp along familiar pathways? I honestly felt the pull so strongly on Monday, a deep need to be out of the house and among the winter trees. There was low slanting sunshine and an earthy smell which felt very beautiful to me after a tense morning of doing accounts and ticking off a list of mundane jobs. 

We walked the high pathway through the top of the woods which passes by the Stalking Horse, oh I do so love this willow sculpture. I had a sudden urge to drape my Sweet Pea blanket over his back just for the fun of seeing all those glorious colours against the brown of the winter woodland. Next time the sun shines brightly and I've got an hour to spare I think I shall do just that. I am smitten with the #crochetinthewild hashtag on Instagram (if you take a look HERE you can see plenty of Sweet Pea blankies braving the elements, love love love it!) - I want to be a part of it. And I shall.....the willow horse will help me!

Today, not a scrap of winter sunshine to be seen in Atticland, just dull white and varying shades of grey. It snowed in the night, a thin, crisp layer of icy flakes which lay frozen on the ground in the sub zero temperatures. We crunched to school along the canal, and Little B managed to scrape together the smallest, iciest little snowballs I think I've ever seen.

I'm feeling miffed because my camera has developed a dark smudge which is inside the lense somehow and no matter how much I wish it, I don't expect it'll magically go away. So that blob in the snowy sky isn't anything flying towards me, it's there inside my camera, and urrrghhhh. I really wish it wasn't.

It's truly the depths of winter here, and in the quiet of today I've been glad of it. I've wanted nothing more than to hide away and be still and silent, as I've felt rather drained of energy and lacking my usual bounce.

I was chatting about blogging to Christine today, and it made me realise that aside from my weekly CAL updates, the rest of my posts all seem to be ridiculously similar and filled with very little of note. Snow. Moss. Woodland. Coffee. Flowers. It's all so very unremarkable (and possibly rather boring), and yet I really do love to record these simple moments in time and share them with you. I've no idea why it makes me feel so good to do this, but I do thank you from the bottom of my heart for visiting and reading and commenting. You make me feel like I'm doing OK, even in the very quiet of winter when life is slow and predictable and not a lot is happening.

Oh, and how do you like the moss : winter edition, isn't it just a bit wonderful? That stuff is just so admirably hardy. 

I took the time to make myself some top notch lunch today, and bloomin' heck it was divine. DIViNe I tell you. Lightly toasted sourdough bread, a little mashed avocado (heavily seasoned with black pepper and sea salt and the weeniest drizzle of olive oil), then two creamy poached eggs plopped on top.

The eggs are supermarket ones, but the good posh variety where the chickens are named (they are Clarence Court Burford Browns, in case you wondered) and my goodness they are excellent. Anyone wanting the Poached Egg Know-how can go to my blog post (from almost SEVEN years ago!!!) - it's a skill that is well worth mastering and you will never look back I promise you. Eggs for days and days.

I spent this afternoon working on my CAL post ready for Friday. I carried my laptop away from my draughty desk under the window and set myself up in the Big Chair. Wriggled the chair forward and around so that I was facing the fire which we lit just after lunch. I had my Summer Ripple blanket wrapped around and it was so cosy! I spend a lot of time putting my weekly CAL posts together, creating a gallery of images to celebrate our crochet community as well as sharing my own photos of the two blankets I'm making. It's all-consuming at times, but I do love it.

Over on Facebook I'm already getting asked about what comes next after the Sweet Pea....well there is another blanket in the pipeline (rather far back in the pipe, but it's there), and that will be coming towards the end of April. I'll tell you more about it once the Sweet Pea is complete. I've also got a list of other things that need doing (my felted basket is top of that list) so my Creative Mind is pretty full right now. That's often the way of it I find - during the times when I feel like hibernating and being quiet and slow, my Creative Mind decides to ramp it up and all manner of things start to demand my attention. It promises to be an interesting few months ahead as I attempt to juggle it all. 

I hope that whatever you're juggling right now is making you happy and not overwhelmed (it's a fine balancing act), do share what is on your creative wish list for the next few months, I'd love to hear what you're planning.

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Sweet Pea Blanket CAL :: Part 4

Isn't it amazing how quickly Friday's seem to roll around, I swear it's only been 12.5 minutes since I was here chatting about part three of the SP-CAL and here we are already moving onto part four. I'm hoping your blankets are looking all swish and neat (are you darning in your ends, hmm??) and oh so snuggly. By the end of Part 3, you will be just over half way and should find yourself with something to drape comfortingly over your lap - I do so love it when a blanket project first starts to look and feel like an actual blanket instead of a random piece of crochet. 

If you are just starting out this week or choosing a slower pace, then please do enjoy the journey. I know I keep saying it, but it's worth repeating - there really is no rush, and all CAL posts and patterns will remain on my blog for you to access whenever you are ready. It's important to me that you really love your blanket from start to finish, whatever pace you're working at.

The further into the CAL we go, the more in awe I am of our wonderful crochet community. The "Attic24 Moorland & More" Facebook group continues to grow rapidly with almost nine thousand members now and it's hugely active too - I can't always keep up with the volume of posts there but I do try and it's such a source of joy for me. I have absolutely love love loved flitting in and out of Facebook and Insta this week catching up with you all and being drawn into the continuous stream of enthusiasm for all things sweet pea.....

Gillian sent us this gorgeous bunch of sweet peas all the way from Australia....

....and Lesley celebrated the growth of her new sweet pea seedlings.

Michelle felt inspired to get out her pencils and sketch these delicate blooms (I totally love this)....

.... and Elaine found herself unable to resist the fragrance of sweet pea (oh, such pretty bottles too!).

We've been celebrating some happy hooky meet-ups this week too - the above group of lovely ladies met in Jersey with their SP blankets......

.....and some more gorgeous Pea Podders met in South Oxfordshire. This aspect of the CAL (the friendships and connections) makes me so ridiculously happy, and I've felt very moved by it all. I've found myself crying over my keyboard on more than one occasion this week from the pure elation of belonging to such a kind, funny and talented worldwide creative community. It is quite simply BRILLIANT, all of it, all of you. ((thank you)).

As you know by now, I do quite like to have a little theme running through my CAL posts, and this week I've chosen to celebrate your furry (and feathery) companions. There have been dozens of shared photos of your pets enjoying the *snuggleability of your Sweet Pea blankets (*I know that's not a proper word but it really, really should be), so here are just a few of them to give you an awwwwwwww moment........

Nicky's cute doggie looks so blissed out right there among those floral colours....

Sarah and Rocket Dog just chillin' under the s-pea....

Awww, this is Betty having a cosy moment in Sarah's Hydrangea Trellis Stripe blanket. Betty is no stranger as she is a regular visitor to my weekly Coopers Cafe knit and natter group and therefore very used to yarny goings on.

Oh, just look at that sweet face! Toni is sharing her blankie with her cheeky looking little pooch!

Oh my.......Sophie's definitely getting The Look of Disapproval in no uncertain terms - no more crocheting for you Sophie, you need to give allllllll the attention to your fur baby!

Tilly is also rocking The Disapproving Look - Debbie, your kitty is too gorgeous to ignore!

Kelly and Piper look beautifully happy together as they work the Sweet Pea rows....

Nicola's kitty is going for the full-on snuggle experience (crochet blankets are irresistible we know)...

Rosy and Mr Posey are doubling up their comfort factor - the Summer Ripple and the Sweet Pea both looking oh so cosy here.

I mentioned feathers earlier, and maybe you didn't quite believe me, but look.......

.......

This is Josie, isn't she beautiful? Helen says she often likes to hang out with her while she crochets....

...and this handsome feathered chap is called Mr Bluebell, oh he is gorgeous! Thanks to Kathleen for introducing him to us, he's had quite a few ladies on Facebook swooning over the colour of his feathers.

Dogs, cats, birds, what else do we have................???

.............................

Oh !!!! Look at this cutie!! Julie's blanket is in good company with her beautiful little rabbit keeping watch.

And finally.....

.....be prepared for your heart to explode........

...........

.......Awwwwww, cuteness overload.........!!!!!

Jolanda shared these beautiful photos of her piggies Mavis and Daisy enjoying some together time in their blanket nest, gosh my heart wanted to burst with delight when I saw these!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who shared photos with me this week, it's so nice to peek into your daily lives and see how much your blankets are being loved already.

And back to the goings on in the Attic this week as we take a look at Part 4 of the CAL.........

.....and doesn't it look rather divine, in all it's neat stripyness? I'm finding with the Sweet Pea posy that the more it grows, the better the colours seem to look all together.

I wonder, have you noticed that the greens are kept as a constant in this colour scheme? It's not immediately obvious, but I decided to keep the Cyprus, Meadow and Pistachio stripes running through the whole blanket in the same order and at regular intervals to bring a little bit of quiet order to the jostle of the floral colours. I'm pleased with how this works, and honestly, I am desperately in love with this blanket. It's everything (and so much more) that I visualised when I first thought about using this particular palette of colours. It's delicious!

Right then, here is the colour info you need for this week............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 4

🌸 POSY 🌸 

#teamposy #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Posy Part 3 should be Pistachio - that was stripe number 45.

And here is the colour information for Part 4 : stripes 46-60, working from the bottom upwards.

Remember each stripe is worked in two rows, so 15 stripes = 30 rows of crochet.

SWEET PEA POSY Part 4

46. Blush
47. Soft Peach
48. Wisteria
49. Lavender
50. Cypress
51. Magenta
52. Plum
53. Pomegranate
54. Clematis
55. Meadow
56. Violet
57. Fuchsia Purple
58. Candyfloss
59. Cream
60. Pistachi0 

N0w lets take a look at part 4 of the Colourwash version....

In part 4 we'll be bridging the gap between the soft, pale colours and the more dominant, vibrant shades. This isn't an easy leap to make as there is a lot of tonal contrast to move through, but Candyfloss and Blush do the job beautifully.

So this week we'll be using four colours :: Candyfloss, Soft Peach, Blush and Pomegranate.

NOTE :: please do make sure you've got your Pomegranate yarn marked/labelled, as in artificial light it can be almost impossible to tell it apart from Fuchsia Purple.

As we move past the middle point of the blanket, this beautiful sequence of colours really starts to bring the whole Colourwash design to life.

You may have been doubting those pale middle shades last week, but trust me, they bring a very necessary light touch to the whole palette. It's a delicate colour balance, and one that I very much hope you're enjoying as your blanket grows.

I do love photographing my blankets, and I think the colourwash is especially photogenic. It really likes to play!

Right, on with the all important colour info for this week's stripes...............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 4

🌸 COLOURWASH 🌸 

#teamcolourwash #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Colourwash Part 3 should be Soft Peach - that was stripe number 45.

And here is the colour information for Part 4 : stripes 46-60, working from the bottom upwards.

Remember each stripe is worked in two rows, so 15 stripes = 30 rows of crochet.

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH Part 4

Note that throughout the colourwash blanket there are some double width stripes (4 crochet rows of the same colour). I've marked these in red so that they stand out for you. Remember you don't need to fasten off between the double rows.

46. Candyfloss

47. Soft Peach

48. Candyfloss

49. Soft Peach

50. Soft Peach

51. Blush

52.  Soft Peach

53. Blush

54. Soft Peach

55. Blush

56. Blush

57. Pomegranate (please double check you've got the right shade!)

58. Blush

59. Pomegranate

60. Blush

Those of you who are working the colour order from my sampler have been showing amazing progress, with many of you steaming ahead and celebrating the end of your Trellis Stripes this week.

The above photo is a reminder of the colour order - would you like to see how the #teamrepeat blankets are looking?

Dawn worked her stripes as a "mirror" repeat and this week completed all six sections of her blanket. Isn't it gorgeous? Beautiful work Dawn, such a joy to see.

Tamsin has worked equally quickly and her blanket shows all six repeats looking absolutely glorious. It really has been a delight to watch this blanket bloom.

NOTE :: there is an additional bit of the Trellis Stripe pattern which shows you how to crochet the last stripe to make a straight top edge to your blanket. I'll be sharing this as part of next week's installment (part 5) for those who are making smaller blankets or working ahead in your own way. Sorry I've not had chance to do it for this week.

I very much hope you are enjoying your Sweet Pea journey, whether you are Posying, Colourwashing or Repeating. I know I'm enjoying my own blanket journey very, very much - these easy stripes are bringing me a lot of soothing pleasure and relaxation as I cosy up indoors and hibernate a little.

I'll be back with Part 5 on Friday 1st February.....have a floraltastic week everyone!

Here are all the CAL links you might need  ::

🌸 SWEET PEA YARN PACK

🌸TRELLIS STRIPE PATTERN🌸

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET Q&A

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET PREPARATION (includes a sneak peek of the Posy and Colourwash blankets)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 1 (colour info for stripes 1-15)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 2 (colour info for stripes 16-30)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 3 (colour info for stripes 31-45)

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First Snow

It's been snowing here today in Atticland - not a huge amount, but enough to beautifully dust the hills and rooftops and see us setting out to school this morning fully wrapped up against the flurry of freezing flakes. Little B very excitedly (and rather optimistically) asked me if I could manage to find his ski goggles (old inherited ones, we aren't a ski-type of family) as he felt sure that a flurry of snow in the morning would equal some sledging action after school. Sweet boy, I didn't have the heart to tell him that the brief snow shower we walked to school in wouldn't be nearly enough to merit the wearing of extreme winter gear.

I walked up to the park on my way back from the studio mid morning, just to see if there was any remote chance of needing goggles, and it was oh-so-pretty out there. 

The snowy clouds were already drifting away to leave us with some weak winter sunshine....

....and there was a soft glow over the landscape which made me sigh with pleasure.

I can certainly appreciate the beauty of the winter landscape, even if I would much prefer to see dancing green leaves on those bare branches. There is a clean clarity which I do enjoy, the pared back bareness makes me feel like I can breathe more deeply somehow.

The trees were dripping wet and the sight of the light-filled water droplets stopped me in my tracks. Much like reflections on still water, I find myself captivated by the suspended beauty of water droplets, such a still, precious moment in time.

I was looking at these photos on my camera a short while ago before I uploaded them to my computer, and zoomed in on the droplet to take a closer look.....................

............isn't that something? My camera is a small point-and-shoot type with all settings on auto (it's a Sony - this one), but I do have a very steady hand and a good eye for pointing it at visually appealing things. I showed the photo to Little B, and explained about the image being upside-down as the water acts like a lens...I felt quite science-ish and intelligent for a brief moment in time (!) and he was suitably wowed. Nature is bloomin' mind blowing at times.

My "red" hyacinths came into bloom over the weekend, adding a beautiful dash of colour to my winter mantel...

....I think calling them Red is a bit of a stretch as they are very clearly not red, but they are more vibrant that the usual pale-pinky pink hyacinths which are actually labelled Pink. Lots of pinks in that sentence, I should probably edit that eh......

Coming home from school at 3.30 and not a scrap of snow remains here in the town, so no real need for protective eye wear after all. The hill was still looking mighty fine and winterish though, and it was most definitely hat weather. I noticed today how light it still was at 4.30pm and my heart literally felt like it was expanding with pleasure at that thought. We've still got a whole lot of winter to come through yet as Spring doesn't make an appearance in Atticland until well into April, but we are on our way. A whole month since the Solstice, we are On. Our. Way...............!!!! Very happy about that!!!

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Sweet Pea Blanket CAL :: Part 3

Mornin'!!! How are you all doing, have you had a  good week? All is grand here in the Attic and I've been enjoying the gentle rhythm of my days very much. Nothing really momentous has happened this week, but I've felt calmly energised and have managed a pretty good balance between doing the tedious but necessary worky things (annual accounts, I'm looking at you!) and the sweet, sweet creative things (sweet pea, I'm swooning over you!). It's just been a lovely week, in a very normal and ordinary kind of way. 

We were forecast snow for this week but as of yet (dare I say it?) it's remained dry and we've just had freezing temperatures instead. I love it when it's properly cold though, I enjoy seasonal weather when it's behaving and doing what it should be doing for the time of year. Below zero temperatures are good, cos it's January and I'm OK with winter weather happening, bring it on! When J and I are both working from home we sometimes light the fire during the afternoon and I do so appreciate the luxury of it. The warmth and light draws me to sit as close as I can get, and crocheting beside the hearth on a cold winters day is one of my greatest pleasures. 

As is usual for me during one of my CALs, I've spent another full week immersed in the land of social media, absorbing all the Sweet Pea comings and goings and attempting to keep up as best as I can. The fabulous "Attic24 Moorland and More" Facebook group now has more then 8,600 members, and there are hundreds and hundreds of photos on Instagram with the #sweetpeacal hashtag. To be honest it kind of blows my mind a little, but in a really super-duper good way. It's amazing! All the beautiful connections and friendships, all the happy joy over a shared passion, all the colour and yarny love, it's just incredible and I adore being a part of it.

The above photo was shared on Facebook this week when this gorgeous group of ladies met up in Perth, Western Australia with their Sweet Pea blankets. Oh my goodness, I was moved to tears by the very notion of this happening, and I know there are many more little groups planning on meeting up in various UK locations too. Thank you, to every single one of you hooking this journey with me, you make me so happy!

Before we come to Part Three of the CAL, I want to share some of the blankets that I've come across during my online travels. This week I'm going to show you some blankets that are all using my Trellis Stripe pattern, but with a good many colour variations. I often get asked if I mind that folks use their own colours instead of following my carefully selected CAL colour palette, and the answer is honestly a big resounding No! How can I possibly mind?? My main aim with my CAL is to inspire some happy hooky creativity and for us all to feel connected as we make a blanket (or two) together.  I really love to see new ideas and excited sparks of inspiration flying, so let me show you what I mean.......

Helen is using the Summer yarn pack.....

Jo is using the Cottage yarn pack....

Jo B is using the Coast yarn pack....

Vikki is using the Sunny yarn pack (minus Citron and Lipstick)....

...and Lesley is using the Hydrangea yarn pack.

I honestly love every single one of the above blankets and think they all look really great.

There are also plenty of folk who are taking this opportunity to use up yarn they already have, and the Trellis Stripe makes a perfect stash buster blanket. If you know that each stripe is going to need roughly 12g of yarn, you can dig into your stash and use up even the smallest odds and ends left over from other projects.

Let me show you how lovely these stash busting blankets are turning out....

Aline ^^^

Laura ^^^

Gaye ^^^

Diane ^^^

Lynne ^^^

Sandra S ^^^

Aren't they all fabulous? Each blanket has such a unique character and personality and I absolutely love the charm of them all. 

I've also spotted some beautiful blankets created with their very own colour palettes, and I find this so inspiring. It's actually not an easy thing to do - if you've attempted to put together a colour palette for yourself, you will know that it takes a certain amount of creative vision to achieve a harmonious overall look and feel.

Yvonne is using a collection of blue shades arranged in a perfect colourwash....

Nia has chosen a serene palette of subtle greens for her blanket.....

Sandra has selected five pastel shades which she's spacing out with cream stripes - this is a very effective way to harmonise colours and create a soft feel perfect for baby blankets.

Karen has selected a stunning rainbow palette for her Trellis stripe, it really sings JOY to me!

B Kae is making THREE trellis stripe blankets for her children using her own colour palettes and I love them all. The one on the left is based on the Sweet Pea palette but with some additional deeper colours added at the end. B is actually making her blankets chunkier by holding two strands of DK yarn together and using a larger hook - this suits the wider bands of colour beautifully.

Jan has carefully selected a colour palette to match her rug which is such a creative idea - I think she's done a terrific job of it too.

I've also noticed a couple of Trellis Stripe blankets being made using the ever popular "cakes" of yarn  - I wasn't sure how these built-in colour changes would work, but they are very effective and I imagine they make for a super-breezy crochet experience.....

Carissa is using Caron Cake "Turkish Delight"....

....and Nina is using Caron Cake "Bumbleberry". 

One last variation that I honestly didn't see coming, and that is the idea to use all one colour. Teresa is making a Sweet Pea posy blanket, but at the same time she decided to crochet up an all-white baby blanket. Isn't the simplicity appealing? I do love the way the stitch pattern shows up so beautifully. I've also seen an all-grey variation - it's a lovely idea that you can keep just one ball of yarn and a hook in the car or in your bag and you will instantly have an easy crochet project to work on whenever you need it.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the beautiful Trellis Stripe blankets.....shall we get back to the business of the Sweet Pea stripe now???

Here we are with week three, and at the end of this week you will be just over half way. Your blanket should be gaining roughly 30cm in height each week, so week three will see you with almost a metre of gorgeous summery colour to drape over your knees as you continue on your journey.

The more this blanket grows, the deeper in love I fall. The sweet medley of pretty pastels and brights just makes me swoon!

I also really, really love the way the stitch pattern is looking too. The bigger the blanket grows, the more it gently stretches out the Trellis pattern so that you can see the subtle vertical texture running through the stripes. It's very quickly become one of my all time favourite patterns to make, and to look at too.

Right then, here is the colour info you need for this week............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 3

🌸 POSY 🌸 

#teamposy #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Posy Part 2 should be Pistachio - that was stripe number 30.

And here is the colour information for Part 3 : stripes 31-45, working from the bottom upwards.

Remember each stripe is worked in two rows, so 15 stripes = 30 rows of crochet.

SWEET PEA POSY Part 3

31. Wisteria

32. Violet.

33. Soft Peach

34. Clematis

35. Cypress

36. Fuchsia Purple

37. Magenta

38. Blush

39. Candyfloss

40. Meadow

41. Plum

42. Pomegranate

43. Lavender

44. Cream

45. Pistachio

I hope you continue to enjoy these colours as you work through week three, they really are a visual pleasure.

Now lets take a look at Part 3 of the Colourwash version............

This week we'll be heading through the palest part of the colourwash which marks the centre of the blanket.

These pale coloured sweet pea flowers are so delicate and subtle, and I adore the softness of them. Truthfully they aren't my best favourite (the deep pinks and rich purples have my heart), but they are extremely pretty. 

As well as the cream, I chose three shades to represent the subtle pinks, and we'll be using all three of these colours in part 3 of the colourwash blanket this week.

You'll be continuing with Clematis, and adding in Cream, Candyfloss and Soft Peach.

You may find that you don't instinctively adore these pale colours all sitting together, and I know some of you find Candyfloss especially tricky to get on board with. Please remember that the remaining half of the blanket contains all the rich pinks and purples, and that this paler middle section provides a very necessary balance to all that is to come. I hope you can trust me on this!!

Ah Tilly, always front and centre when I'm attempting to do my thing!!! She spent ages rolling around on my blanket, looking as if she was truly enjoying the experience - she was very cross when I turfed her off!

I've been so lucky in having a small group of pattern testers to help me with the Sweet Pea colourwash blanket. I'm still in the midst of making it myself as I'm making it pretty much in real time along with you all, just one week ahead which is slightly stressful but I'm managing. So it's been invaluable for me to see in advance how the blanket will look as it grows each week. My testers did such a fantastic job photographing their blankets for me too, so I'm going to share a few of them with you......

This is Dawn's blanket ^^^

and Darlene's ^^^

and Heather's ^^^.

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Right, on with the all important colour info for this week's stripes...............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 3

🌸 COLOURWASH 🌸 

#teamcolourwash #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Colourwash Part 2 should be Wisteria - that was stripe number 30.

And here is the colour information for Part 3 : stripes 31-45, working from the bottom upwards.

Remember each stripe is worked in two rows, so 15 stripes = 30 rows of crochet.

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH Part 3

Note that throughout the colourwash blanket there are some double width stripes (4 crochet rows of the same colour). I've marked these in red so that they stand out for you. Remember you don't need to fasten off between the double rows.

31. Clematis

32. Clematis

33. Cream

34. Clematis

35. Cream

36. Clematis

37. Cream

38. Cream

39. Candyfloss

40. Cream

41. Candyfloss

42. Cream

43. Candyfloss

44. Candyfloss

45. Soft Peach

The two blankets {posy} and {colourwash} do look very different at this stage don't you think? I love them both, I honestly do.

I've enjoyed seeing some beautiful Repeating Sweet Pea blankets this week too.......

Tamsin is #teamrepeat and has completed four repeats so far.....

....and Dawn is #teammirror, which is looking fantastic the bigger it grows.

Wonderful work ladies, I've loved seeing all the love and admiration for these blankets on Facebook too.

I'm wishing you all a marvelous seven days ahead as you continue to jaunt along with your Trellis Stripes - ENJOY every minute!!!!

I'll be back with Part 4 on Friday 25th January.....until then, here are the links you might need this week ::

🌸 SWEET PEA YARN PACK

🌸TRELLIS STRIPE PATTERN🌸

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET Q&A

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET PREPARATION (includes a sneak peek of the Posy and Colourwash blankets)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 1 (colour info for stripes 1-15)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 2 (colour info for stripes 16-30)

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Winter Colour

We ventured out into the cold, cold wintry countryside yesterday, J and I, for a brisk walk around Grimwith reservoir. As you can see, the water levels are frightening low (photos from April last year show how full it was then) and I hope very much that we're not headed for any sort of water shortage situation.

It was blinkin' freezing out there in the Dales yesterday, and even though I was bundled up in extra layers, with my woolly hat pulled down low (yes I'm still wearing that very same hat), the cold wind seemed to reach my bones.

I am always fascinated by moss at all times of year (it's an enduring crush that I have), but in Winter it really makes me love it to distraction. It's so hardy and vibrant, like a bright beacon of natural positivity amongst all the muted dullness out there, and I adore it.

Now get this ---- I just did a quick online moss search and found a mossy blog!! It's called "Moss Musings" (seriously!!) and the tag line reads "for all the buzz about your favorite fuzz..." Oh. My. This is utterly brilliant. I'm laughing into my tea at this point, that tag line is just...well, beyond words really. Life is fantastic when you discover such small and quirky things that make you laugh out loud.

I like lichen too....any lichen fans out there? Its such a subtle and sublime colour, like the true essence of winter (along the lines of eucalyptus, that soft grey-green is just lovely). I do so enjoy the small details of a walk as much as the bigger long distance views.

Being out in the winter countryside is such a tonic, not just physically for the fresh air and exercise, but mentally too. It's like opening a window when the room becomes too stuffy, I find that having a stuffy brain can feel very draining at times, and fresh air and open views make a huge difference to my thought processes. It's liberating, and I really appreciate being able to do this on a Monday morning.

I like to chat to J about my crochet and blogging plans as we walk, I know he doesn't really "get it" but I enjoy offloading onto him regardless. I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind me laying it all out as we walk, it certainly helps me to feel clearer in my mind and more energised for the days that follow. I made massive in-roads into my ridiculous to-do list this morning, and I'm sure it was because of my outdoor walking therapy session yesterday. I can highly recommend it.

And to end the walk........a rainbow, the best winter colour of all.

Back here in the Attic, and Winter colour is mostly yarn related, of course it is. I gathered up a pile of clean socks this morning to take them upstairs - they'd been drying on the radiator downstairs and honestly I just swooned a little at the sight of all those delicious stripes. For those who don't know that I knit socks (I do, I do!), you can follow my "Socks" category in the sidebar for all previous sock posts with yarn and pattern details etc. I didn't make many pairs last year (I'm not sure why .... oh hang on .... yeah .... cross stitch happened!), but plan to have a few more pairs on and off the needles this year. 

I fear I am obsessing about my eucalyptus in a way that is a bit weird, but I can't seem to help it. Gawd, I love it so much. It's become my daily ritual....I sit and sip that delicious first coffee of the day, and rub a little euc leaf between my fingers to inhale at the same time. I think smelly pleasures are highly underrated. 

My sofa is a bit of a colourful mess right now, but I am really loving the riot of colour and pattern. In fact, the whole house is a mess, but I am going against the current January trend of decluttering and clearing and simplifying and choosing to embrace the cluttered, lived in look, just for the time being. Clearing may happen in the Spring, I'm in no rush. 

I was working on my sweet pea blanket for lots of hours over the weekend, and found myself wishing (for the umpteenth time) that the yarn would magically smell like sweet peas. Actually, I read on Facebook somewhere about a lady who puts a scented soap in her organza yarn bag along with her yarn and current project, and I thought that would be well worth a try. So I'm off to search for sweet pea soaps now, I think this could be a Good Thing.

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