Hand made blankets, don't you just love 'em? There's something so comforting and homely about having a pile of warm, snuggly blankets around the place, I don't think you can ever have too many.
So what do you think of these ones then? Colours a bit suspect? Yarn a bit dodgy? So they can't be creations of mine then, that much is true. I haven't been secretly learning to knit and staying up all night long producing hundreds of knitted squares in a feverish attempt to surround myself with blankety goodness.
No, these two blankets came from my local Oxfam
shop. They are called "Festival Blankets" (which I LoVe), as they are
made with the summer music festivals in mind. Apparently, Oxfam has a
large presence at festivals such as Glastonbury with a stall in
the marketplace selling (amongst other useful stuff like wellies and
waterproofs) these famous knitted blankets. The nice man in my local Oxfam told
me they have a dedicated team of avid knitters who produce these
wonderful blankets from all the donated wool they receive, so not only
are they handmade, but they are recycled as well...ahhh that warmed the very cockles of my heart, it truly did.
These
blankets are a fair size you know, and are made up from no less than
NinetySix knitted squares. And do you know what amazes me more than
anything else? That they cost a piffling £7.99 each. YES its true!!!
Less than eight UK pounds for a handmade blanket, I could hardly
contain myself.
So these two lovelies are destined to be Outdoor Blankets rather than housey blankets. You know, the sort that can be slung in the car and dragged out for picnics, or trips to the park, that kind of thing. Oh and camping. Yes camping, hooray!! We are off tomorrow on our first camp trip of the year, and I am very excited indeed. We LoVe camping and this trip is going to be great because it's not just the Attic24 household venturing forth, but a whole gang of us :: 6 families (12 rowdy Little People) descending on the picturesque town of Bakewell in Derbyshire. It promises to be a fun filled few days, our own little May Festival.
Now then, can't be chatting about blankets without quickly showing you my current two WIP's.....
...my hex blanket is progressing nicely and it's an absolute joy to work on. Yesterday I drew up a plan on paper to work out roughly how many hexagons I should be aiming for. The answer is 240. So yes, I fully expect to be working on this baby through to Christmas, which is fine by me.
And the ripple? Here it is basking in the morning sun. I am still working on this blanket a-stripe-a-night, and have 31 more to go. So another month or so to go then :: just as I predicted back in March, it'll be ready for mid-summer. Then it's full steam ahead with the Hex's :: life is looking good!
How can an American girl get a hold of those oxfam blankets? I LOVE them!
I also really love your blog. I just recently found you while trying to figure out how to make crochet flowers, and I fell in love with your granny squares and your tutorials!
Posted by: Susan | January 13, 2010 at 12:39 AM
Your ripple blanket is to-die-for. Gorgeous!
Posted by: Diana | June 20, 2008 at 09:14 PM
Hi, you've been tagged by meeeee, have a look at my blog hun!!!
Posted by: claire | May 27, 2008 at 11:45 PM
Your blankets are wonderful, especially the hex one. I'd like to do a ripple but may start with a cushion to get into the swing of it!
Posted by: dragonfly | May 27, 2008 at 09:57 PM
Oh I love your blankets, the ones you bought at Oxfam and the very beautiful ones you're making, they are so lovely
Kimx
Posted by: kim | May 25, 2008 at 09:23 AM
Your hex blanket is looking lovely. I had to have a little go to see if I could join the hexes. You're very good at choosing colours. I need to get some wool.
Have a lovely camping trip.
Posted by: marmaladerose | May 24, 2008 at 05:57 PM
Gorgeous blankets and totally agree for only £8 a handmade blanket. Your hex blanket colours are absolutely stunning, love them! Have a wonderful time camping, I think it is great to go camping with other families, if the kids are happy the parents are happy. Kathy
Posted by: kathy | May 23, 2008 at 07:59 PM
Oh, and your haircut looks great!
Posted by: Molly | May 23, 2008 at 03:23 PM
I've loved your last few posts! Have a great camping trip.
Posted by: Molly | May 23, 2008 at 03:21 PM
The blankets you are making are things of beauty. The oxfam blankets are great value for money and I would use them as outdoorsy blankets too.
Posted by: simone | May 23, 2008 at 02:25 PM
OH!! How I adore blankets, knitted, crocheted , I love them all. saturday afternoon, in winter, bette davies film, pot of earl grey and cake, snuggled on the sofa with a blankie, BLISS!
and of course i love your posts too. your hexegons are sooo neat!!
Posted by: crazyjane | May 23, 2008 at 01:42 PM