Ohh, January....why do you have to be so, so, so greeeeeyyyy???! I must admit I've been feeling a bit defeated by the weather this week, it's been oh-so-very gloomy and really a bit bleugh. Cold. Grey. Wet. Foggy. Did I mention grey? My lovely daughter said to me at the weekend something along the lines of "well it is winter and this kind of weather is perfect for January", and I had to admit she did have a point. I've always said that I enjoy living through each season if it's behaving in the appropriate manner, and yes this week has felt very Januaryish indeed.
I took the above photo a few days ago and I thought how wonderful the boats looked against the dull grey of the day. Red, yellow, dark green, orange, blue, sage....colours to cheer the soul.
Way back in the middle of last year when I was working on the colour palette for the Canalboat blanket, I bought myself a book. I found a second hand copy on Amazon (it's here if you are interested), and although it was first published over thirty years ago, these traditional designs don't really age.
The book is a delight, and gives instructions to help you paint canal roses which is something I would love to have a go at. I thought I might use the book to help guide me with my colour choices, but in the end didn't need it as I already had a tonne of visual inspiration of my own. I had gathered over a hundred photographs of canal boats which directly informed my colour decisions for this blanket....
....and I was lucky enough to spot some real life roses and castles decorating some of the visiting boats over the summer months.
It was the traditional painted canal roses that prompted my decision to include some pinks in my colour palette and I am so happy I followed my heart with this. The pinks really add a joyful lightness to the blanket (you'll especially see it in Part 3 this week) and the Canalboat blanket would look completely different without them.
This week I thought it would be inspirational to share some Canalboat blanket journeys which are using alternative colours to my own. I've seen quite a few fantastic blankets emerging in a whole variety of colours...this pattern is a very exciting one for colour play, as I'm sure you've already discovered. Lets take a look...
↑↑ Rebekah is making this very beautiful autumn colourwash blanket using my Woodland colour pack (I think she said she's leaving out the greys and adding in more blues as the blanket grows). I really think it's stunning.
↑↑Victoria is in the early rows of her Canalboat blanket using the Aria yarn pack, and I think it already looks really lovely.
↑↑Claire is making her boaty stripes using the Cottage yarn pack and is doing a fantastic job making those shell rows pop.
↑↑Melissa is using her own palette of Yarnsmiths Merino DK and making a brightly coloured scarf, isn't it wonderful?
↑↑Jen decided to take a more muted approach and is using a palette of very vintagey colours. She chose quite a few from the new Made in Yorkshire Stylecraft Special collection (I can certainly spot Milky Tea in there!)
↑↑Jane is taking a cool, watery approach to her sail down the canal - isn't this lovely? She's mixing a select palette of grey- toned blues with white for the contrast, making those shells really stand out.
↑↑This gorgeous version has had a lot of love on Facebook - Dina has made the pattern work in a very clever way by using a dark grey to surround the shell rows.
I've had a fantastic time on Insta and facebook this week, wow, there is SO much inspiration, support, friendship and community spirit in our online crochet world and it makes my heart unbelievably happy to see. Thank you to everyone who gave me their permission to share their photographs - there were too many to include in this weeks post, so you can look forward to more next week.
I've been working on my own blanket too this week, remember I'm also taking part in the Canalboat CAL and crocheting my stripes just a week ahead of you. Because of the complexity of the colour palette with this design I've had to tread very slowly, working in small sections at a time to makes sure the balance of colours is harmonious while still popping out those contrasting shell rows. Eeeep, it's a challenge! I try not to fixate on the individual colour clashes too much (sometimes they do make me toes curl), but instead I focus on the bigger picture. The bigger the blanket grows, the more harmonious it becomes.
I'm using my trusty yarn pegs of course...I love this rather rudimentary way of colour planning and feel comforted by the familiarity of it after designing this way for so many years.
I've been mostly crocheting my own stripes in the evenings, sat on the sofa with the kitty and keeping warm with the fire lit. I adore the gentle rhythm of these stripes, they are very therapeutic I have to say.....
....although I did find myself very distracted by the TV on more than one occasion. I generally don't watch television but J was watching an old film (Moby Dick) one evening and the shouting and whale chasing obviously really interrupted my flow. Ooops!
At the end of Week 3 you'll arrive at the halfway point of the blanket with another three weeks to go for the stripes.
There are some rather wonderful colour-combinations this week too - wow - this blanket has a LOT of energy about it! Even J said to me a few days ago how much he was enjoying seeing it grow and change each week. He very rarely comments on my blankets but does seem to be very taken with this one.
Shall we take a look?
..
....ohhhhhh, isn't it looking GLorIOuS???? Do you see what I meant when I said to focus on the bigger picture and not on each separate colour combination in isolation?
This colour palette and pattern combo is unlike anything I've done before, it really is very striking.
I absolutely LoVe it, especially now it's looking and behaving like a proper blankety-blanket.
BLANKET SIZES
Lets chat quickly about the size - if you are following the Stylecraft mixed stripe shown here, then your blanket should be measuring approx. 90cm long (half way) after you've completed part 3 this week. If you are using the Merino DK yarn, your blanket might be slightly smaller, but keep in mind the merino is a very bouncy yarn so your gauge might vary depending on your hooking style. Don't worry if yours is a little smaller/bigger (unless you're wildly out!), we will chat again at the end of part 5 in a few weeks time and see where we're all at.
If you are making the colourwash version, then you will have less rows (5 less at the end of part 3) so again, your blanket will be measuring slightly smaller.
If you are making baby or lap size blankets, do make sure you stop once you've reached a length you're happy with! For baby blankets I would usually aim for 70 x 90cm finished size, and for a lap throw it would be something like 90 x 120cm. It's up to you how you proportion your smaller blankets, so do please use your own judgement and feel free to down hooks and stop when you've reached the satisfaction point.
Something I've not talked about much is the texture of the Canalboat blanket which I am honestly loving. I had assumed in the beginning that it would be a pretty dense blanket with a flat, even surface texture but actually that isn't the case. Yes the stitch pattern is dense because there are no holes or chain spaces, but the texture is really great, especially on the reverse.....
....↑↑ there, can you see? The back of the shells come out all cute and pouffy, like little textured bobbles and I think they are sooo tactile and lovely. Maybe in the end when the blanket is finished we might switch it around and call the back the front and embrace the bobbliness?!
I was taking some photographs in Little Lady's bedroom yesterday, because in this week of low light and epic greyness, I needed to position myself in the window with the best light. I think I've mentioned before that she's adopted the Flowerpress blanket which is always neatly arranged on her bed...ahhh, I had a moment of pure, unadulterated visual JOY when I caught sight of both blankets together yesterday. The soft, faded vintage florals with this new bright and bold folksy diva, it was just magical seeing how my designs look so different and yet they most definitely belong to each other. Like two siblings who have the same parents and upbringing, yet have wildly different personalities.
I was wearing my Crazy Zauberball socks yesterday and couldn't resist also snapping a quick photo to share on instagram. I get a lot of joy out of playing with my yarny creations, arranging them, folding them, photographing them - it's a whole extra level of creativity and appreciation. Speaking of which....
....this photo was shared on Instagram this week under the #canalboatcal hashtag and it really made me smile BIG!! Let me introduce you to Verena and her utterly gorgeous bunny who is named Mrs Finka, all the way in Germany. I think Verena is giving an important colour lesson to Mrs Finka....ahh, it does make me so happy to see the enjoyment these blanket journeys are bringing to your worlds!
Right, let me stop waffling and loving on the bunny and give you PART 3 of the blanket........
This week we are crocheting another 32 stripes to reach the half way mark. Stripes 66-97.
Here is Part 3 of the MIXED STRIPE for you to download/print this week , click on the following link >>
PART 3 MIXED STRIPE WORKSHEET PDF
Now then, I have a confession to make. I'm so very sorry to announce that I haven't been able to complete Part 3 of my own Colourwash blanket to show you this week, I ran out of time and in this damp, cold weather my hands said No More Hooky. I hope you can forgive me, I tend to do things in a very spontaneous way and sometimes even with the best will in the world I run out of available time and hand power.
Above image is the first two parts of the colourwash that I showed you last week, and in Part 3 we are simply going to repeat Part 1 again.
This means you'll be adding a further 32 stripes to take you up to 92 in total.
↑↑ Thanks to J who helped me create the above graphic image to share, so you can clearly see how the repeat will work this week, it's mesmerising to look at, don't you think?
Here is Part 3 of the COLOURWASH for you to download/print this week , click on the following link >>
PART 3 COLOURWASH WORKSHEET PDF
And lastly before I pop off and leave you to your own blankets, I just wanted to remind you about the glorious Canalboat Harmony blanket that Kaz Hall created for this CAL. It's absolutely divine, and uses the same 15 Canalboat colours with 2 extra balls of Camel to complete the joining. You can find all the colour information on Kaz's webpage, she's known online as Insomnia Crochet.
I hope you all have a calm and peaceful week with lots of cosy moments and therapeutic creativity. Have fun with your yarn and enjoy the colour-fest!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
♥ Part 3 Mixed Stripe worksheet
♥ Canalboat TUTORIAL (with lots of photos)
♥ CAL post Part 1 (stripes 1-33)
♥ CAL post Part 2 (stripes 34-65)