Ahhh, here we are after a super-speedy week and I was thinking to myself this morning that Fridays have a completely different feel to them in January and February, don't they? I LOVE starting a brand new year with a crochet along, and each week I feel so happy to be immersed in all things yarn, colour, crochet and community.
I walked along the canal yesterday morning like I do most days and it was a freezing, frosty affair with the evocative wintry scent of woodsmoke in the air. I feel very lucky to live in a place where my day-to-day routine allows me to really live and breathe the seasons.....seventeen years of tow path walking and I never grow tired of it.
I've been sharing on my Facebook page during this past week, do most of you follow me there? It's a lively place with a very friendly vibe, both on my actual page {https://www.facebook.com/Attic24} and in the social groups that have formed over the years. I speak about the social groups every year because if you like to make my crochet blankets, there is a tremendously vibrant community on Facebook that you can join. It's brilliant for sharing progress photos, asking questions and generally chatting with like minded Attic24 friends - think of it as a giant, worldwide, virtual crochet café. Here are the links >>
And if you live down in Dorset, there is also a really lovely hooky gang there who chat on Facebook and also meet up once a month in real life to crochet together. I've been along myself a few times (read my Dorset blog here) and can tell you it's the most wonderful group of ladies and you'd be most welcome to join them >>
I think it's the sense of belonging that makes the CAL weeks so very special - not only do we get to make a rather gorgeous blanket, but we also get to connect with yarny friends online from all over the world. I mean, my blog is always here bobbing along and the Facebook groups run all year round too, but during the CAL it all feels extra special. I can't tell you how excited I've been hopping around online and seeing so many of you sharing your joy over these colours and this new design of mine, it's been amazing and humbling and just so full of happiness. You really do seem to be LoViNg these colours as much as me, which is wonderful!!
There has been lots of praise for the Yarnsimths Merino too, as many of you took a leap of faith and are using it for the first time. It really is utterly dreamy to work with, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
↑I thought you would all appreciate the aesthetics of my friend Alison's gorgeous wool box pictured above, doesn't it look appealing? Her talented hubby made it for her and it somehow makes the merino yarn look even more stunning when you can see all those lush colours on display.
This week I've collected together a lovely selection of Canalboat photos to share with you, some visual inspiration which I hope you enjoy....
↑My friend Jo shared the above photo of her Canalboat blanket which she's making for her daughter. She's picked a beautifully subdued palette of blues and greys (all Stylecraft Special) with the new "Milky Tea" shade for contrast which I think looks beautiful.
↑Penny is using last year's CAL yarn pack (the Sungold) to make her blanket, and the colours are absolutely glowing with sunshiney warmth.
Remember that if you're using your own colours (or using an alternative Attic24 yarn pack), this stripe pattern thrives on contrast. It's most effective when the shell rows really stand out against the colour placed either side, so use contrast in tone (light/dark) or in colour (eg a red against a green).
↑If you're part of the crochet community on Instagram, then you may well know Chris (she is @Krafty_Kris on insta). She is a prolific blanket maker and has made a lot of Attic24 designs over the years, often putting her own beautiful spin on the pattern or colours. For this CAL, she is making nine-round granny squares, and if you study them closely you'll see that she's very cleverly used my given colour order. Remember each week there are around 32 or 33 rows, so Chris has made four squares each with 9 rounds which follow the part 1 chart. I think this is sooo clever, and look how beautiful they are too.
↑There have been some absolutely adorable fur-babies shared too, oh my goodness, talk about heart-melting. The above cutie is called Arianwen and she is only 10 weeks old. Kate decided to make her a little miniature blanket, awww, I can barely cope with the sweetness of it all.
↑And this handsome chappie is called Taco, doesn't he look super-snuggly cosying up in the Canalboat blanket? Thank you Jen for sharing this wonderful photo, I think a lot of hearts will be melting along with mine. Adorable.
↑Lastly for today, I absolutely had to share this serene scene with you all, because well, it's just beautiful, isn't it? This is Martina sitting on her canalboat over the border from me in Lancashire. I hadn't contemplated that Canalboat blankets might actually be happening aboard real life canal boats, and honestly it's just the most wonderful thing to see.
Thank you so, so much to everyone who has commented on the social platforms and shared photos and encouragement and progress, our community is very special and makes me so happy. Over on Insta we are using the hashtag #canalboatcal so do tag me in to photos/stories over there so I can find you, and please do keep sharing the inspiration.
Now as we head into week two of the CAL I'm hoping that all is well with you if you're joining me on the Canalboat journey, and that you've enjoyed setting sail with this new pattern? I've especially enjoyed hearing from so many newbie hooksters who are joining in with one of my CAL's for the first time, what a joy! I know that in the beginning when you are first learning to crochet it can be daunting to think about embarking on such a big project, but honestly this pattern is waaaaaay easier than it looks at first glance and I would say is definitely achievable for a beginner. Remember I have my photo tutorial to help you learn the pattern and I'd like to reassure you (as I do every year) that the CAL is not a race to the finish line.....please do take your time and enjoy the process, you can take yeeeeears to complete it if you like!! No rush, just pleasure.
I took some time this week to update the CAL pattern page - I make these pages for each of my crochet along blankets, they sit within the long alphabetical list of patterns over to the left of my blog so that you can easily access all CAL information in one place. It makes it easier especially if you come to the CAL after it's finished, because you don't have to go hunting in my archives for the blog posts, they are listed on the CAL page along with all other links.
Just look for "CANALBOAT BLANKET CAL" in the list and you'll find everything you need (I'll update with CAL blog links as we go along).
Right, lets get on and take a look at this weeks stripes!!..............
This week we'll be adding a further 32 rows......taking us to 65 in total.
It's another week of bold colour combinations and joyful stripes to keep you and your hook happy :)
I especially love the final stripes in part 2 this week, oh they are very boaty indeed, haha!
I hope you are finding the worksheets helpful - here is Part 2 of the MIXED STRIPE for you to download/print this week , click on the following link >>
PART 2 MIXED STRIPE WORKSHEET PDF
My colourwash Canalboat blanket has been giving me all the happy, snuggly, contented vibes this week as I've worked my own colourful stripes and my goodness, I'm loving it very, very much.
The soft texture and density of the Yarnmiths Merino yarn makes this blanket feel amazing and I know so many of you are loving it too.
As you can see, part 2 is worked up with the same set of fifteen colours playing in a slightly different order to Part 1. It means that for the most part you are working different coloured shells this week (which should help to keep the yarn usage even for each colour).
I love the sweet balance of the colours and I don't mind admitting to you that getting the colour order right for this colourwash blanket has been extremely challenging. I worked up a sampler first to be sure I was on the right track and ended up frogging and re-working some sections over and over (three, four, five times) until I was happy. It's been frustrating and satisfying in equal measure, and I'm really thrilled with the end result.
So this week you'll be adding another 28 stripes, bringing you to 60 in total.
Here is Part 2 of the COLOURWASH for you to download/print this week , click on the following link >>
PART 2 COLOURWASH WORKSHEET PDF
I'm really enjoying the subtle differences between both of my Canalboat blankets and wouldn't be able to tell you which is my favourite. They both have great visual energy and are so much fun to crochet with many, many colour surprises happening along the way.
Before you go racing off to your own blankets, I'm whispering in your ear and reminding you gently about darning in your ends. Actually, no, I'm not - I'm not doing it gently or quietly....DARN IN YOUR ENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pleeeeeease darn in your ends, please take pride in finishing your work with love, and be your future friend. Trust me, you will not like to have four hundred trillion ends to tidy away at the very end of this journey. Make the chenille number 18 needle your bestie and enjoy some quiet stitchy time at the end of each stripe.
And finally.....a very pretty photo taken on Wednesday just before 5pm. Our daylight hours are slowly growing again as we tiptoe through the winter season and that is something to celebrate.
Have a wonderful week my lovelies, enjoy your quiet time with hook and yarn (and your darning needle....)
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♥ Part 2 Mixed Stripe worksheet
♥ Canalboat TUTORIAL (with lots of photos)
♥ CAL post Part 1 (stripes 1-33)