Blanket Journey

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

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

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

TOP ROW [left to right]

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

MIDDLE ROW [let to right]

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

BOTTOM ROW [left to right]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Hazel Raison]

What a lovely, interesting post about choosing your colours. Really inspiring. I'm planning on starting a ripple after finishing the (double bed sized) granny stripe I'm doing at the moment.

[Amy]

your post inspired me to start crocheting. ;) I started my own rippled blanket yesterday!! Thank you for your wonderful tutorial on the neat rippled pattern. It was so helpful!!

[Alita]

esos colores sí que vibran!, creo que tus hijos se van a pelear por tener esta nueva manta jaja
va a quedar muy, muy hermosa
no veo la hora de verla terminada, gracias por compartir tus secretos :)
Saludos Alita

[Nicky A]

I started a ripple blanket after discovering your blog and reading all the back posts - thank you for the tutorial. I love it. I'm allergic to wool so usually knit with acrylic or cotton but this blanket means I can use beautiful real wool in gorgious colours! It is taking me a while - children, job etc...and I'm OK with that but it has caused one problem.

The blanket has around 8 colours in Rowan DK. I decided I couldn't run to buying all the wool in one go so bought a couple of balls of each colour. After about 6 months (may be a little more!)went back for more only to find that Rowan had changed many of their colours and some of the ones I am using are no longer available. Searching on the internet found me a couple of balls of two colours but I am having to substitute for at least two. So a warning to other slow ripplers out there that you need to secure your colours!

[Victoria]

What a lovely post. All of the insight is fabulous, thank you. I made a ripple blanket before the summer that my husband thinks is the best thing I have ever made (!) and I am currently part way through a granny stripe (thanks for your tutorials). Good luck with your hook along :-)

[Emma]

Your new ripple reminds me of reflections of bright little boats in the sea. It is ace!

[Liz]

Hi Lucy,

Baby blanket tossed aside until Saturday, I am rippling too. Using up scraps and just experimenting. So rather than commit and join you all 100%, I will be there in the periphery, on my own ripply odyssey...much longer than a journey. Will post a pic soon.

Liz

[Kathy]

Lucy....you are so Mary Poppins....you add zest to whatever you do. Love experiencing your blog. You add joy to my day!

[Kashi Griffith]

Happy Birthday Lucy!

[Adreka]

Lucy you have inspired me to get my mum to teach me how to crochet. I'm only a beginner but have been attempting the ripple blanket. I wasn't happy with my first attempt - the colours were far too dark and it looked like a 1970's tank top! So I'm now on attempt no 2 and it is starting to look OK.

[Victoria]

As a lover of Baby Cashmerino and a yarn I almost use exclusively in most of my knitting....it covers all bases, bright, soft, muted, happy etc etc....There is a colour for all occasions...the colours suit, bub, kids and adults. I have the biggest leftover stash of Baby Cash...I keep all my bits left over from all knitting project....This blanket apart from the turquoise blue was a leftover make.

http://doverandmadden.blogspot.com/2011/10/bullseye.html

It was so much fun to make...I sort of used it as a square a day project.

I can't wait to see your cash ripple.

vicki x

[Jennifer McLachlan]

ahhhhhhhh ripples!!!!.....LOVE IT!!!!

love the green and deep red, go really well together, cant wait to see it when its finished!!

xxx

[moochiemum]

I am embarking on a rippley journey through a purple and pink wavey blanket...was meant to be finished for our caravan trip to Scotland at half term, alas it only covers my lap so far!

[Saskia @craftyvalley]

I've been Rippling too! I'm at one third of the blanket now and I still love it! Heather is right, every new colour makes me so happy to see! I use the Stylecraft now but I already have another Ripple in mind! SO yes, I would like to join the Riplle along! This is my Ripple-blog-post:
http://craftyvalley.blogspot.com/2011/10/haken-als-ontspanning-crochet-to-relax.html

[Esther]

Dear Lucy, I too am rippling my blanket.This is exciting!. Greetings from the summer still in the south of Spain.

[Debbie]

I`m rippling a baby blanket for a friend in cream and white and plan to edge it in blue or pink when I find out the sex of the baby.
After finding your blog I have made the oaty biscuits loads of times and put on 3lbs at Weight Watchers ooops. They are soooo delicious tho!
Dx

[Christina]

Hi, Lucy. Been a while since I've commented here, but I've been busy like you tryint to stick to my 'routine'! I am so excited you are doing a crochet a long! I just ordered some yarn to hook along with you and friends! Yay! I'll put pics of my yarn on my blog as soon as I have it in hand!

[Yarrow]

I meant, I love the way 'you' talk about yarn, not 'to'!!!

[Yarrow]

I love, adore and worship your blog :D I'm a recently self taught (I was going to say Hooker, haha) ummm, crocheter (is that right?). Crochet is my escape and new passion. I love the way to talk about yarn, it's how I feel too, and I love to lose myself in your patterns and scrumptious blankies :D

Thank you for the inspiration you share.x

[Mandy]

Loving your ripple blanket Lucy, never done a ripple, I have done your granny stripe and it turned out fab, thank you x

[Bria]

Oooo...I love your stashes. Gorgeous!

[Julia]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh it's just utterly amazing! Love the colours and your pattern is great too - it's going to look wonderful, and nice too that you have a crochet companion on which to share your ripply journey!

Much love
Julia x x x

[Pj]

Serious wool envy here! ;) Love the idea of sketching the design to work out colour placement. Such a simple and very clever idea. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished article. Best wishes, Pj x

[Allie]

Major Yarn lust right now! :-)I have some cashmirino coming in the post for winter gloves and headband/warmers, Cant wait!!! Allie from Cornwall xxx

[tracy]

I recently finished my first ripple blanket, not much in the way of colour choice as it was for my son, the ardent wales supporter so just red, white and green, although reading one of the other comments i maybe should have expanded on shades but as this was my first attempt and quite a big project (i am a confirmed project hopper) i didn't want to spend too much on the yarn so the choice was a little limited. I'm now probably at the same stage as you and heather into my second ripple blanket this has 7 colours as it is to match my daughters cath kidston bedding, i will be posting about my WIP sometime this week and will mention your ripple along!!!