Sunny Crochet CAL

Do you know what, as soon as I uploaded these images to my blog I started singing that song inside my head, you know the one, that sunshiny song - ♬♪♬...you are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me haaaappppyyy when skies are grey....♬♪♬ etc etc. Hmm, are you also singing that song now, is it there inside your head?!

These colours are so uplifting and joyful, they really do make me feel very happy indeedy. They have been dancing in and out of my creative mind since early summer when I settled on this colour palette for blanket making. I focused on colours that I associate with the warmth of Summer, colours that remind of of brightly coloured flowers and clear blue skies. I chose them specifically for their feel-good factor (which is exceptionally high), a bright rainbow of heart-squeezy happiness to take us through the cold months of the year.

The Sunny yarn pack has 18 colours of my favourite Stylecraft Special DK for this blanket, as follows :

Claret, Lipstick, Bright Pink, Magenta, Fondant, Shrimp, Spice, Gold, Citron, Lime, Meadow, Sage, Petrol, Aster, Turquoise, Wisteria, Violet, Plum.

I've used most of these colours before in other projects, excepting for the Citron and Bright Pink. I have to confess these two colours are not particularly easy to work with, being that they are very, very vivid shades. On their own they are a little bit scary but when they are placed amongst the others, they bring a really lovely vibrancy to the whole. The more I use them, the more I love them, they do take time to grow on you!

I'm using these 18 colours to make myself a large square blanket, something striking that will look great either on my bed or draped over the back of my sofa. I've actually had something of this design idea swinging around inside my Creative Mind for a few years now - often this is the way of things I find. A nugget of an idea might sit quietly for several months/years before the time feels right to tease it out and bring it into reality.

Usually I find the process of bringing a crochet idea into reality a complete doddle. I am blessed with a very vivid imagination and can often see things so clearly in my Minds Eye, it's as if it already exists. Occasionally the transition from idea to reality takes a little more time and isn't always so easy. I make many mistakes and it takes a lot of time, patience and effort to finally nail it. This particular blanket design hasn't been straightforward, oh it's been a challenge all right! But over the weeks and months of the Summer, I sampled and re-sampled, worked my ideas over and over until finally I was able to produce something that totally rocked my boat.

So let me explain a little bit about this new blanket of mine. I've named it the "Sunny Log Cabin" - it's a large, square design based on traditional log cabin patchwork quilts. If you aren't familiar with log cabin quilts (like the one pictured above), do have a quick read here.

Early Log Cabin blocks were hand-pieced using strips of fabrics around a central square. In traditional Log Cabin blocks, one half is made of dark fabrics and the other half light. A red centre symbolized the hearth of home, and a yellow centre represented a welcoming light in the window.

I love the idea of traditional designs using yellow to represent light in a window, so I've chosen to take that idea and give it more of a summery spin. Not just light, but sunlight.

I designed a Sunny granny square, working in 5 rounds to make a neat 10cm square which will form the centre for each of the 16 larger blocks.

The colourful strips which make up the log cabin design are worked in 3 rows of treble crochet (that's UK treble crochet, which is equivalent to US double crochet). The logs are crocheted in a methodical way so that there is no stitching or joining up involved within the squares, just row upon row of easy trebles.

Using the two yellow shades for the Sunny centres leaves 16 colours to play with for the logs. Rather than use light and dark colours, I decided to play with a hot/cold colour divide (sunshine and shadow). Every square has every colour in it but the placement of the colours varies, making each square unique.

It really is a fun design, a total indulgence for my colour-addiction. Once the sunny centres have been made, the rows of logs crochet up surprisingly quickly. The inner logs are very speedy as the rows are quite short, getting gradually longer/slower as you work toward the outer edge.

The one downside of working squares with lots of colour changes is dealing with the inevitable ends. With this particular design, I am finding it easier to leave the ends until a square is complete, then sitting down and tackling them all in one go. I find that it is possible to enjoy this process (yes, it really is), so long as you can find the right frame of mind. I try to think of my blankets as gifts for my Little People, handmade gifts that I really hope will follow my offspring from childhood into adulthood. With every tail end securely darned in, I tell myself that I am stitching love into this blanket. And also that I really, really don't want it to fall apart. Made to last.

I'm sorry about this rather lame photo (J's handiwork) but I wanted to give you some perspective on the size of these log cabin squares. They measure approximately 35cm across. I love, love, love the size of them. This is the first time I've ever made such large squares, they really are rather big and bold and beautiful.....

.....so I've made four so far. One, Two, Three, Four. These will form the centre of my square blanket, with another twelve to go around. Sixteen in total.

I am wondering if you can look at the above squares and clearly see the hot/cold (sunshine and shadow) diagonal divide in each one? It's quite subtle, and is seen more clearly if you step back from the image....can you see it? It's a little bit of visual colour magic!

And this is the exciting thing about working Log Cabin squares. Each square is lovely in it's own right, but when you begin to place them together (which is known in quilting terms as the "setting"), you can create all sorts of bigger patterns. And these patterns all have traditional names too :: Straight Furrows, Zigzag, Chevron, Pinwheels, Stars, Barn Raising......I found a website that illustrates these settings really well {see here}

I have chosen to set my squares in the Barn Raising pattern............

........can you see?? Can you see how a diamond is formed???

It's really exciting to see how the colour placement forms this additional pattern, and I absolutely cannot wait to work on the remaining squares and see the bigger pattern emerge. It's about as thrilling as it gets for a colour-junkie like me. This is destined to be a very bright, bold blanket, a real eye-popper!

Now a few weeks ago when I was having a play with my Sunny yarn pegs, losing myself in all that glorious colour, I began to wonder what these colours would look like as stripes. And the more I thought about it, the more I felt a burning desire to make it happen. As exciting as the log cabin blocks are (and they really are), the soothing rhythm of the stripes began gently calling......

....so on impulse I decided to give in to the call and rustle up some Granny Stripes. I chained 200, then set to with my hook, up and down with those joyful summer colours.....

..........oh yes! Yes yes yes!!!!!!!!!! The resulting stripes are gloriously vibrant, they sort of radiate heat and energy like the brightest sunshiny day. They are rich and energetic and unashamedly cheerful, and I love them. I had forgotten how therapeutic the simple granny stripe is, so easy, so rhythmic, so fast too. I'm enjoying this journey enormously.

I thought I'd show you how the new Sunny stripes compare with my original Granny Stripe blanket.

In the above image, the blanket on the left is my made using my original 17-colour yarn pack. It's a mixture of soft pastels and brights, a kind of Spring/Summer palette. The blanket on the right uses the 18 Sunny colours - a mixture of brights and rich jewel tones, a Summer/Autumn palette if you like. Interesting eh?

THE SUNNY CROCHET-ALONG

As I am just beginning on these two blanket journeys, I thought it would be a great thing to share my progress with you all each week here on my blog. Those of you who have been visiting me for a while will remember my Cosy blanket Crochet-Along at this same time last year, in fact many of you will have made cosy blankets of your own too. The Sunny CAL will be similarly informal, no signing up required, just join in if you fancy a bit of hooky colour therapy. And as this is me being me, the blankets will be crocheted and shared as I make them for myself here in the Attic. I haven't got any finished blankets to Ta-dah with you in advance, the images above are exactly where I'm at right now. This is real crochet, in real time, Lucy style! Here is some more information about the CAL.....

♥ The CAL will begin this Sunday 1st November and will run for 10 weeks. There will be a full picture tutorial to help you make the Log Cabin Squares. Each week I'll share the colour placement for two large log cabin squares.

♥ In addition, each week I'll also share the random colour stripe order for the Granny Stripe blanket I'm making. This will also start on Sunday 1st November and run for 7 weeks (there will also be a full pattern/tutorial coming for the Granny Stripe blanket, to help any newbie crocheters who have blanket making ambitions!)

♥ The Sunny Yarn pack contains 18 x 100g balls of Stylecraft Special DK and is enough to make ONE of the above blankets. There is no printed pattern included in this pack, all pattern info will be here on my blog, with updates every Sunday throughout November and December 2015.

♥ The log cabin blanket will measure approx. 150cm square, and the Granny Stripe will measure approx. 120cm x 170cm.

I hope these colours make you happy, and I hope they will inspire creativity and some happy hooky times during the weeks and months ahead. Bring on the Sunshine!!!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps a note about my yarn packs - I am thrilled to be working with Wool Warehouse who do an absolutely amazing job of enabling crocheters all over the world to join me in my ongoing colourful blanket making. I earn a commission on all the Attic24 yarn packs sold through Wool Warehouse, and I am truly grateful to everyone who supports me in this way. Thank you. Thank you ever so much xxx

 

 

 

Comments

[Donetta]

I am so anxious to try out this Awesome pattern! Thank you for sharing this awesome pattern with us!

[Pamela Lawson]

Lucy I am doing the grannt stripe Sunny crochet along, but cannot find tehe colour sequence. Is there one for the Sunny graany stripe? Thks Pamela

[Tracey Bryan]

Ok I ordered your pack which is the first one I've ever ordered. I'm in Australia it arrived before Christmas I didn't open it and have just opened it on New Year's Day and just love the colours so I'm a little behind but wanted to savour the moment. It came in a see through bag to show off its beauty with a bow on top. Now to get started. Thankyou Tracey

[sumita anand]

Hello Lucky. I really love the colours and the design. Would love to do it. Could you please tell me how will I come to know that you are starting cal. Please enlighten me. Will highly appreciate. Thank you

[Joy Costello]

Hi Cherie George

Wash the Icelandic yarn in hair conditioner and it will be beautifully soft 😀

[Julie]

What time can we expect part 2 Lucy? So looking forward to it!!!!

[Shahida]

Simply beautiful:

[Teresa]

I love your new color pack. Each time the colors are so beautiful together yet different from the last one. I am amazed at your color expertise!!!

[Kaholly]

As a quilter, let me just say that the Courthouse Steps block is a variation of the Log Cabin. Don't see any need to nitpick over such a beautiful blanket as yours!

[Margaret]

Errr, Lucy - As a quilter, I thought I'd mention that your design is actually called Courthouse Steps. That has a strip added top and bottom to the central square, and then to both sides. Then top and bottom, then both sides, and so on, just as you've made it.
The Log Cabin has a piece added to the side of the central square, then pieces added continuously clockwise or anti-clockwise.
Love your work, and have been inspired over the years to produce some crochet blankets because of you!

[Oran]

Oh lors! I have three blankets to finish, two for Christmas and one for my Dad's 90th in early December... One cottage ripple, a Sophie's Universe and a granny stripe using the coastal pack. And I sooooo want to do this granny stripe! Well I am buying the yarn pack tonight and I'll just have to get started as soon as I can. *Wanders off muttering about there not being enough hours in the day to crochet all the things I want to crochet!*
Love O. xxx

[Haafner]

Simply LOVE your Sunny Log Cabin pattern!
Happy crocheting! :-)
xh

[Penny P]

C'mon Lucy, my pack is here and crochet hook poised ready!

[Karen W]

I'm really excited to be joining your CAL again. I did your cosy blanket last year and loved every stitch. The blanket is a permanent fixture on my sofa. My yarns arrived yesterday from wool warehouse packaged like a gift.
I'm going to do the granny stripe version for my toddler.I've found that the great advantage with striped designs is that I finish off each stripe and it's a usable blanket each time.... And will go in the washing machine after being loved by the kids even whilst only half made!

[Mary Walker]

Looking forward to starting here in the Uk what time does it start GMT?

[Christine Timpson]

Love the sunny yarn colours. Think I will try the granny stripe blanket.
Thank you Lucy for doing the CAL. Christine

[Susan Beard]

Just ordered my sunny pack to do the granny stripe blanket for my Granddaughter.

[delphine 44]

Hi Lucy,
What a great idea you by sharing with us this log cabin colouresd crochet cal. I just wait to recieve the yarn and i'll be ready to do it with all of the ladies who makes the cal.
thanks a lot for your lovely colored blog ; it 's the sunshine for me everyday when i open your blog and see that you've posted a new article.
thks from Nantes in France.

[Ann Boulton]

Gorgeous. I'm just finishing two little blankets for twins I love the log cabin blanket. I must do this one next.

[Alicia May]

You are an absolute creative genius! This is stunning. I thoroughly enjoy following your blog and crochet masterpieces.

[Cheri George]

I am currently making a Granny Stripe blanket for my grandson. I am using Red Heart Super Saver in Icelandic. He and his girlfriend picked the color. It is very scratchy, and will need to be rinsed with fabric softener when complete. I miss my Stylecraft and Ice Magic softness. Jeez, why does it have to be so scratchy!??

[Linda]

Wonderful colours, log cabin work looks so nice but is also lovely to crochet up isn't it!

[Lyn]

Looking forward to this CAL! My yarn arrived yesterday, and it was a welcome pop of color cheerfulness on a stormy day. Fast shipping from WoolWarehouse too...I ordered on the 21st and it arrived on the 29th....from the UK to San Antonio, TX. :-)

[Jen]

Technical question! Are they just regular wooden clothes pegs you use to hold the yarn? I'm just so excited about starting this xxx

[Rae]

It's a lovely pattern Lucy and I love the log cabin idea and of course the colours. I am unsure about the yellow,orange and spice group colours in the middle starter square and keep thinking that maybe for me that spice should be a more jolly pastel blue or lime green would that be OK I wonder...I shall have to try it. I do enjoy having a project for the winter month's and was intending to do the coastal ripple but I think maybe I shall join the CAL as I so enjoyed doing the Cosy Stripe one last year.Thank you x