Cottage Ripple blanket :: ta-dah!

I've been waiting for what seems like the longest time to share this beautiful colour story with you, and now I am more than a weeny bit excited! Although this particular blanket journey has been long (and slightly unusual, I'll explain in a bit) I feel as thrilled by the pretty colour palette today as I did twenty one months ago when it all first began.

The picture up above is a bit blurry and I'm sorry about that - I've just unearthed it from my January 2013 archives. I chose these two new blanket packs at the same time way back at the start of last year. They were meant to go together you see. You might recognise the fifteen colours on the right hand side as I used them to make my coast ripple blanket. On the left are the fifteen colours of the blanket I'm calling "Cottage". Don't they look good together? Both these blankets sing a Summer song to me and are loaded with my own summer memories. I don't need to waffle on again about the coast colours, but the sweet summer Cottage colours, well we can talk about those now, can't we?

As the name suggests, the Cottage colour pack is inspired by summer cottage gardens. Think of mellow terracotta and old stone, fragrant herbs and pretty summer flowers....sweet peas, lavender, clematis and roses. When I picture a cottage garden in my mind, I start dreaming of warm, sunshiny days, cool green grass, pale blue skies and a whole load of pinky-purple floral eye candy.

I chose the fifteen colours for this blanket with my heart and I remember it all so well. I went to my local yarn shop one cold January morning, and spent a delicious time pulling out balls of Stylecraft Special DK from the shelves. I spent ages playing with them, arranging and re-arranging them until I ended up with a perfect palette of pretty colours. I wanted to make a blanket that reminded me of the warmth and gentleness of a country garden in Summer, and this is what I came up with...

...the Attic24 Cottage colours....

Top row, left to right ♥ Parchment ♥ Camel ♥ Mocha ♥ Meadow ♥ Khaki ♥

Middle row, left to right  ♥ Sherbet ♥ Pale Rose ♥ Grape ♥ Raspberry ♥ Copper ♥

Bottom row, left to right  ♥ Cloud ♥ Denim ♥ Lavender ♥ Magenta ♥ Plum ♥

Now there is a bit of a story behind the start of this blanket. Shortly after I'd chosen the colours, I shared them with a very good friend of mine and she fell head over heels in love with them. At the time (January 2013), she was coming through some personal trauma and we had been chatting about the therapeutic value of crochet and in particular the way the ripple pattern could be used almost as a form of meditation (we agreed it really is the most soothing, rhythmic, pleasurable pattern to work). She was without a crochet project at that time and asked if she could take my colours and work up the ripple blanket for me. She couldn't wait to get lost in those rows of colour and to have something positive to occupy her thoughts and hands during the long, dark winter evenings.

And so we ended up sharing the joy of this blanket journey together, and it became a true friendship blanket. I would choose the colours (randomly selected, as is my usual habit) for just a  small section at a time and jot the sequence down on a piece of paper. My friend would then have a "colour map" to work from and once each section was made, we would get together over coffee and lay the blanket out on the floor so I could have a play and choose the next sequence of colours for her to work with. With each week the blanket grew a little bigger and my friend and I fell a little more deeply in love with those pretty colours.

After four months Spring had arrived and the blanket was almost finished. I had loooooooads of ends to darn in by then and also I just couldn't decided how to tackle the edging either. I ummed and ahhed and deliberated and finally I simply decided to leave it be for a while and come back to it at a later date. The almost finished blanket got folded up and put neatly on a shelf in my studio.

Fast forward more than a year later, and by this time my beautiful coast blanket had not only been started but made and finished with a lovely simple, neat edging.

I gave myself a talking to and decided that I should really get round to finishing up the almost-complete cottage blanket. After all,  I only needed to darn in those ends (aaargh!) and complete the edging in exactly the same way as I had done for the coast blanket (following my very own tutorial!). Plus Little Lady had taken a real shine to this pretty crochet blanket and was pestering me to finish it so that she could have it on her bed.

It was wonderful to finally get myself on the edge-of-the-edge, I enjoyed it enormously and couldn't wait to see the blanket all finished.

I think it's true to say that these colours do make me very, very happy indeed.

They are soft and pretty, but also vibrant and strong. They sing, don't you think?!

I love it very much....it's just so.....pretty!

oooooooo, I almost forgot to say it.................

Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So the Cottage blanket is made in exactly the same way as my Coast blanket, with the same number of starting chains (213), the same number of Stripes (84) and the same edging. The finished blanket measures approx. 4ft x 6ft (120cm x 180cm) which is roughly the size of a single bed.

You can find the complete tutorial here on my blog for free, I've called it Ripple Blanket Know-how.

Hey, would you like to see some more pictures of the Cottage Ripple blanket? At the beginning of September I took it out and about with me for a little bit of a photographic adventure.....

.....up the road to my lovely neighbour's back yard so that I could use her beautiful sky-blue chair as  a prop (thank you Helen!).

Then off I went around and about town, looking for a suitably pretty location to show off my Summer-coloured ripple.

I came across this old gate next to the church and thought it would suit my blanket perfectly. Let me tell you,  it's hard to look casual yet purposeful when you are attempting to drape a blanket over an old gate. I'm not sure what the two ladies thought when they walked through this narrow alleyway and caught me in the Arranging Act (the word BoNkErs springs to mind).

This gorgeous summer garden also belongs to a local church in town, it's always so tranquil here and that bench just called out to me and my blanket.....

....I think it looks very at home!

So that's the sweet story of this blanket that started it's journey one cold day in Winter at the beginning of last year. It's been fun to share it with you after all this time, and we are really enjoying using the blanket here in the Attic too (that's when Little Lady cares to share it, she has hogged it rather shamelessly since it was completed)

 As with my Coast Ripple, I thought it would be helpful to share my colour sequence with you, if you fancy making yourself a pretty Summery blankie like Little Lady's Mine.

Cottage Blanket colours :: remember to work 2 rows of each colour....

1.Grape	22. Cloud	43. Parchment	64. Copper
2. Lavender	23. Pale Rose	44. Cloud	65. Magenta
3. Copper	24. Mocha	45. Denim	66. Pale Rose
4. Magenta	25. Parchment	46. Meadow	67. Camel
5. Meadow	26. Khaki	47. Camel	68. Cloud
6. Khaki	27. Denim	48. Khaki	69. Denim
7. Camel	28. Plum	49. Mocha	70. Raspberry
8. Parchment	29. Magenta	50. Pale Rose	71. Mocha
9. Sherbet	30. Camel	51. Raspberry	72. Parchment
10. Pale Rose	31. Meadow	52. Copper	73. Meadow
11. Plum	32. Sherbet	53. Denim	74. Plum
12. Raspberry	33. Mocha	54. Sherbet	75. Copper
13. Cloud	34. Khaki	55. Lavender	76. Magenta
14. Denim	35.  Copper	56. Plum	77. Camel
15. Meadow	36. Pale Rose	57. Magenta	78. Khaki
16. Mocha	37. Plum	58. Cloud	79. Cloud
17. Camel	38. Lavender	59. Parchment	80. Raspberry
18. Copper	39. Sherbet	60. Mocha	81. Lavender
19. Raspberry	40. Magenta	61. Meadow	82. Denim
20. Grape	41. Raspberry	62. Sherbet	83. Sherbet
21. Lavender	42. Grape	63. Khaki	84. Grape

  Border colours

1. Grape (tr’s worked along the sides only, to match the first and last colour stripes)
2. Plum (dc’s worked on the sides, and ripple in-fill worked along top and bottom)
3. Lavender (dc’s worked all round)

You can find the Cottage Ripple yarn pack in my shop at Wool Warehouse* HERE. Each blanket pack contains a free printed pattern, but remember the pattern is also still avilable for free on my blog HERE.

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* a note about my blanket packs :: I love working with Wool Warehouse, they are a dedicated team of yarnoholics who share my passion for colour and crochet. I love that together we have enabled so many of you throughout the world to enjoy making beautifully colourful blankets that don't break the bank. I've been using Stylecraft yarn for making blankets for over 4 years now (the original Attic24 colour selection was first shared on my blog in May 2010), but I am only now this year (since May 2014) beginning to earn a commission from the packs sold through Wool Warehouse.

I would also like to make it clear that I do not work for Stylecraft Yarns. I use the Special DK because I genuinely love it for blanket making, and not because I am sponsored to use it. I love it for three reasons :: it comes in 60 wonderful colours (sixty!), it makes great, soft, durable, washable blankets and it is very good value. I have a genuine love of this yarn for those reasons and I'm sorry if this is boring or repetitive.

Thanks as always for the enthusiasm and encouragement you give me with my on going blanket-making obsession :) I know you understand my addiction perfectly well and it makes me so happy that you "get it" and enjoy sharing it with me. Thank you, thank you.

x

Comments

[Hemma Juch]

Hello, I was trying to get the tutorial for the wonderful cottage ripple blanket, but the link does not work for me unfortunately. Could you maybe send it please? I am just waiting to start, the yarn has been in my hands already:-)! This looks so great!!
Thank you for this inspiration!
Best regards,
H.

[Sarah Dawson-Spackman]

Well Done..lots of hours put into that blanket..and love the colours too.

[Katrien]

Hi, i'm making this blanket as well and i was wondering what size you used for this? I'm using a 4mm. When i hold it up it seems a bit "open".. Light can shine through. Is this the same with your blanket? Thank you!

[Pat]

Looked at the DK Special and there are 82 colours now!

[Yvonne from Sheffield]

Love the colours. I have just received my big bag of cottage colours and can't wait get started....

[Glenda]

Just beautiful! I ordered this yarn pack two weeks ago and I'm waiting very impatiently (I'm in the US). Can't wait to get started!

[Mel from Lincolnshire]

Hi I just wanted to thank you from a total newbie to crochet, am just doing the cosy blanket and will order the cottage blanket next. I love your choice of colours and find them a total delight to work with

[Neecy Weekes]

Just finished this. Took 3 months. Really enjoyed it. So relaxing. Thanks Lucy for the clear and easy to follow instructions. Going to do the coast one at some point in the future.

[Robin Beaver]

Hello from Utah (USA). Oh, my goodness! This is so lovely -- and you're an inspiration. Thank you!

[Liliana Carroll]

I am making the coastal blanket using your pattern and colors and I am in love with it! I will start the cottage next and will try to do others later, as they bring me joy and peace. Thank you for the inspiration, the generosity and the good heart :)

[Julie Sharrock]

Lucy, I just adore your eye for colour... I can't crochet and I wish I could but I love the way you have put the colours together on the Cottage blanket that I've ordered the pack from Wool Warehouse and I'm going to knit it with a wave or chevron pattern. I can't wait for the yarn to arrive. I love knitting, its a release and i love this Stylecraft yarn.. I actually almost stopped breathing when I saw Sherbert for the first time in the wool shop ha ha. Anyway waffling over.. Just want you to know that I'm hooked on your blog and I can't even crochet but I will adapt some of your stuff in a knitted way. Thank you for the inspiration :-) Julie x

[Callie from www.whimsicallycrocheted.com]

Thank you for all your beautiful posts! I love reading the story behind a blanket and of course, seeing the finished project. Your blog is my favorite crochet blog to read, I absolutely love it. :) And because of you, I've fallen in love with Stylecraft yarn too. It's hard to believe such affordable acrylic yarn could feel so lovely when it's all worked up, but it really, truly does. I'm so excited to get this pack and start working on this pattern again (I've made one ripple blanket already, and thoroughly agree the pattern is beyond soothing!).

[Shawna]

So since the border is grape what color do we start with?

[Sabiena]

You are so inspirational. I stumbled upon your blog by chance the day before yesterday and just can't stop looking at it. I did a crochet beginners workshop yesterday and am now itching to make something. I would love to make a ripple baby blanket(I have been practicing the stitches all day today) but am unsure which yarn to use. I love the range of colours of the Stylecraft Special DK, but am not sure if this particular yarn is suitable for babies. Your advise would be greatly appreciated.

[Barbara R.]

I just received my order of two sets of yarn...they are soooo beautiful. I live in PA, USA and am so thrilled and impressed with the fast shipping, the packaging, and the quality. I am only on row 3, but I am already in love with it. Your directions are so clear which is good because I am a beginner. I love the rhythm of the ripple. I wish I had ordered the Coastal collection also. I just got home from Turks and Caicos and those colors would be a great reminder of the beautiful island colors. I better get busy, so I can finish these two and order more. THANK YOU from your new follower in the USA,

[Bailey]

Great blog! I am loving all the colour and inspiration.

Do you think this 15 ball yarn pack will be enough if one changed alternating rows to a granny ripple? Not unlike the Cosy Stripe (which I am working on now, tysm!) but in ripple form. I would rather buy the yarn all at once, so I thought it better to ask first. :)

Happy hooking!

[Norma]

Love your choice of colors! This will be my next project.
As always, everything you do is absolutely beautiful and inspiring. Best wishes.

[nicola]

Just bought this pack and I'm soooooo excited to start it, waiting for the posty on my doorstep already!!! Thanks Lucy love, you're a star!!!!

[Hil]

Gorgeous love this one.

[Melissa Coffey]

I love these new colors :) I have made so many of your blankets without the Stylepack and they are fine and dandy.

As far as not posting what people want, when they want...oy. I know that my easier emails get a quick response, but those I really want to give my ALL to wait a bit longer. When I have MORE to say and MORE to show and yes, that includes time to take in the most wonderful things.....those emails AND blog posts need to simmer a bit so that I am sure to say everything I need to say. Am I ungrateful?? No, not at ALL. I am so overwhelmed with gratefulness that I am afraid to mess it up by being too quick to try to capture that moment.

Lucy, I have every faith that you feel the exact same way. You've shown yourself to be humble, and overwhelmed by the beauty in your life, including the spirit of love and generosity and I truly hope those harping on you would give you room to breathe.

And those who gave something and want something back in return? (a blog post, pictures, ON A SCHEDULE of your making) Next time, kindly remove yourself from participating. If you did it for something more than doing it, you did it for the wrong reason entirely. To hold someone emotionally hostage because they didn't do as you wished, for same. Over yarn? Really? Bashing another beautiful human being over something so trite. Wow.

[SarahStar]

Lucy your ripple blankets are SO BEAUTIFUL!! Once again you've totally inspired me, I'm just about to embark on my first one having done a 'sample' to try out the pattern. I love your Neat Ripple Pattern, thank you so much for your brilliant tutorials, so much easier to follow than the last rippley thing I made. And very addictive! Looking forward to a happy hooky winter project now... big hugs of appreication xxx

[Ann]

Beautiful colours! You have inspired me to start a ripple blanket. Ann

[Liz]

Just gorgeous. Those are totally "my" colors - love them all!

[Wendyb]

Do the critics not know that most online yarn shops
sell the lucy packs? She only gets commission from the ones sold through wool warehouse. Seems to me she has only written the more commercial posts all together like this because she was stretched for time. Also did you not
read that this is the last pack quite a while? Give Lucy time to recover from this flurry of commercial activity before you judge that is all sheis going to do from now on!

[Fran]

I think I must crochet much looser than you Lucy, as my blanket came out much much lager than 4X6 in fact I had to stop it before I got thru the whole 84 rows! Mine measured 5.5 feet wide and on Row 61 I was already a little over 8 feet long. I double and triple checked that I only had 213 chains to start also.I am using a 4mm clover Amour hook. Not sure why the size difference except maybe I crochet more loosely?