As you are probably very well aware, I absolutely love to document my crochet projects here on my blog and I get a great deal of pleasure from sharing all elements of my creative journey with you. There is something so satisfying about the process of explaining and illustrating the inspiration behind my blankets, sharing the colour and pattern choices, photographing the entire making process and then finally dancing a grand ta-dah jig. It makes me really happy to write all these little chapters that make up a blanket story, and to ponder on the whole idea of being a Provider-of-Inspiration (which is something I am secretly rather proud of). I love every little bit of putting together these posts and I can honestly say that they are very well worth the time involved in creating them. Thank heavens for this super-precious blog space of mine which gives me such a perfect outlet for my overwhelming need to put it all out there for public consumption!
The idea of making the Summer Harmony blanket popped into my head around the beginning May at a time when I was looking for something joyful and colour-filled to take me over the summer months. I needed a happy, easy-going and portable project which would result in a gorgeous family picnic blanket/throw, so combining a familiar, well-loved colour palette with an already tried-and-tested pattern seemed like a good way to go.
I decided on my "Original" yarn pack which contains 17 colours of Stylecraft Special DK, using it to crochet 100 colourful Harmony Granny Squares.
The idea was a simple one - to crochet one hundred squares, changing colour every round so that each square would be made using six different colours. I also wanted to make each square different which gave me rather a juicy colour challenge, and I absolutely LOVED the whole process of working out the colours needed for each round of crochet. It's a good job I really enjoyed this bit, as there were 600 colour decisions in these squares!!
I hadn't originally planned for this blanket to be made as a CAL (Crochet-A-Long), but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of sharing regular progress updates as I went along. As the Harmony Square pattern was already written and shared here on my blog, these updates were purely colour focused. I wrote them in such a way that anyone wishing to make a Summer Harmony blanket of their own could follow my exact colour choices for every single round.
You can read about the start of my Summer Harmony blanket {here}.
As the summer got under way, my one hundred little squares began to slowly grow. You can read Part 2 of my Summer Harmony blanket journey {here}.
Part 3 is {here}.....
....part 4 is {here}....
....and finally at the start of July I had one hundred beautifully bright squares ready to be joined together. You can read Part 5 of my blanket journey {here}.
I really, really enjoyed the joining process - it's a huge amount of fun to turn a stack of individual squares into an actual blanket. I used a join-as-you-go method which involves attaching the squares at the same time as the sixth/final round of each square is crocheted. You can find the Harmony Square joining tutorial {here}. ....
During July the weather was often warm enough for me to crochet outside in my little back yard, and gradually the blanket began to take shape.
It took me three weeks to join all one hundred squares, and it was soooo exciting to see the result of my careful colour choices creating a "colourwash" effect across the blanket.
Finally, on the 24th July I darned in the very last ends.....
.....and got all giddy about spreading the blanket out and getting to finally see my colourwash design come to life.......
........yeeeeeeeeeeee-haaaaawwwwwwww!!!!!!
It worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such a special moment, I honestly felt so, so, so chuffed that I managed to create something that looked even better in real life than it had in my mind. So happy!
Once the one hundred squares had become a blanket, it was time to design and make a border. I knew that I wanted to create a deep border using every one of the 17 colours, and after a bit of playing around I came up with a pattern and a colour scheme that I hoped would make the perfect finish. You can read about my border design {here}
I absolutely LOVED making the border and I think it was my favourite part of the whole blanket. Making and joining squares is a huge amount of fun, but there is no denying that it involves quite a bit of faffery. There is a fair bit of snipping and darning that goes on, and a great deal of stopping and starting as you work your way through six hundred colour changes. So by the time you reach the border, those long, long rows suddenly feel like absolute bliss. It's hooky heaven!
This border is made in 17 rounds, and measures a fairly substantial 10 cm. I am so very pleased with how it worked out, it's everything I hoped it would be and as you'll see in just a moment, it does a perfectly amazing job of framing the squares and stopping them from feeling too chaotic. I've called this border "Skinny Block Stitch" and you can find the tutorial for it {here}.
I get asked frequently on social media about blocking my blankets, so I thought it might be useful to tell you how/why/when I go about it. Truthfully I don't often block my crochet blankets, as I find that they just don't seem to need it. Particularly when working striped designs, the stitches generally sit quite flat and the rows behave themselves and keep their shape. However, square designs do often benefit from a little bit of blocking, mainly to help neaten out any ridges or unevenness that occurs along the joined seams. You can see in the above photo (before blocking) that the join-as-you-go method created little ridges, which was mainly due to my tension being on the tight side. In time and with use, these ridges would have flattened out by themselves, but I felt I wanted to give my blanket a little bit of a head start on this process.
I'm lucky to have a reasonable stretch of furniture-less blue carpet on the Attic floor which is generally big enough for me to lay out small blankets for blocking. This old carpet strangely resembles the flocked boards that we used to use for fuzzy-felt, which means that I can flatten, smooth and gently stretch out my crochet directly on the carpet and it will stick fast without the need for pins. It's rather amazing, although it is an absolute mare to vacuum as every little bit of fluff sticks hard and fast.
Anyhow, once the blanket is gently stretched out with it's joins smoothed flat and it's corners straightened, it's time for the Steam Treatment.
I use a low to medium heat, with lots of water in the tank and set about moving the iron over the entire surface of the crochet so that the steam huffs and puffs right down into the yarn fibres.
The iron stays about an inch above the surface of the crochet and it's all about the heat and moisture from the steam. It's not about putting any pressure on the crochet at all, remember that the iron does not touch the yarn at any time!
You should find that the surface of the crochet feels quite damp when you've finished, so you need to leave it resting for a full day if possible to allow the crochet to dry completely. It's so tempting to just whip that baby up off the floor and snuggle it to bits as soon as you've switched the iron off, but honestly, the wait is really worth it.
The results of blocking not only improve the look and shape of the blanket, but the actual drape/feel of the crochet is altered as well. It's like all the twisted tension held in the stitches completely disappears and the whole of the blanket relaxes and breathes out. It feels pretty wonderful!
So....you've already seen the one hundred squares in all their joined-up blankety-ness....
....and you've already seen my 10 cm deep border.
But I'm thinking that now might be the time....
....to show you....
....how the squares and the border....
....look when they come....
....together.
The combined effect of one hundred Harmony Squares contained within a Skinny Block Stitch border.
Shall we take a look?
Are you ready to see?
Okeee-dokeeeee...
....here we go.........................................................................
Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, my heart skips a beat when I look at this image, I just love the colourwash effect so so so much!
As I've been crocheting this blanket here at home this summer, I've really enjoyed sharing snippets of the journey with the Little People. They've been curious about it and have asked lots of questions about my process of choosing the colours, which has happened mostly on the living room floor or out in the back yard. My crochet is really very much a part of family life here at number 24 as I sit at the dining table, on the sofa, or out in the yard to crochet, and I use the living room floor to photograph on. By default, the Little People (and the kitty) become involved in the whole creative process, which is something that isn't always easy but does make me feel happy.
And of course, by the time the blanket is declared finished it's already been assimilated into family life as if it was always here. It joins with all the other blankets and our worn out furniture and messy home life, and so the blanket story goes on. Memories of time and place caught up in those colourful stitches.
I love my Summer Harmony blanket so much, and the making of it has been hugely therapeutic for me as I've come to terms with life's ups and downs in recent months. It really has been the most joyful project from start to finish, and I am so grateful for the creative joy and colour therapy it has given me when I most needed it.
Thank you ever so much for joining me on this journey, I hope you've enjoyed watching the story unfold.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ps I created a special page for this blanket in my list of tutorials over in my left hand sidebar, so that all pattern details and colour information can be easily found in one place. It'll remain here on my blog for you to access at any time, for free.
x
At first time I dare to post a coment, because English is not my native language =p
I'd like to say THANK YOU Lucy for your blog & for your wonderful crochet!
I'm not such a mature crocheter as you are, I just borrow ideas from the net and adapt them for my needs. The border of your Summer Harmony Blanket inspired me to make a scarf for my babyboy =)
The colors repeat the colors of our greenish jumpers but the brighter ones.
So I decided to share some photos with you and wish you all the best as mom, wife and crocheter!
http://photouploads.com/image/a1d
http://photouploads.com/image/a1Y
Lidia
P.S. The photos are not professional...
Posted by: Lidia | October 09, 2017 at 09:00 PM
Beautiful as usual Lucy. Any chance of doing a blanket in block stitch and once again giving your colour addiction full reign?
Posted by: Marion Roebuck | September 14, 2017 at 04:09 PM
Just finished my blanket - thrilled with it. Only problem what do I do with the leftover yarn! Anybody got any suggestions.
Posted by: Lizzie Clark | September 10, 2017 at 04:19 PM
So excited. Have just ordered my pack of yarn to make this blanket. I have just returned from UK and have been looking for Stylecraft but couldn't find it anywhere. (Was up in Scotland mostly). I had wanted to feel it before committing, as I am fussy with the yarn I use, it just has to feel right. However based on comments from everyone else, I have made the purchase and now will wait for it to arrive.
Just love your posts. Follow all your travels and photos and of course the crochet. I also love stone walls, would not like to admit to how many photos I take of them whenever I come to UK. (It has become a family joke). I made a harmony blanket using up all my scraps to go in our holiday home, but it makes me feel sad leaving it there when we come away. Was really pleased with it.
Keep up your amazing work.
Dianne New Zealand
Posted by: Dianne Griffiths | September 08, 2017 at 03:31 AM
The combination of colours in this summer harmony blanket are so uplifting. It makes me smile just looking at it!
Would it be manageable to make it into a queen size coverlet?
Posted by: Maxine | September 06, 2017 at 11:40 AM
Gorgeous design! Thanks for so generously sharing your process.
Posted by: Kayla | September 01, 2017 at 07:34 PM
This blanket is SOOOOOOOOO beautiful!
The way you have put the colours together is like alchemy!
I have at last started on one of your blanket designs!!!! I'm doing a smaller version of your Cupcake Stripe blanket in shades of blue Stylecraft Special DK, for my hubby when we go camping in our motorhome. The yarn is SO lovely to crochet with and I am absolutely ADDICTED to it!. One of my friends started before me, using a sludgy/autumn colour palette. She was inspired by 2 of her friends who had bought Attic24 yarn packs from Wool Warehouse. Her mum started with me and she is also using Stylecraft Special DK.
I take it out with me and it has started conversations at the phlebotomy lab and at a campsite in Norfolk (where a lady asked me if it was a Spice of Life blanket - I directed her to your blog!)
Enjoy your blanket - and thank you for all the enjoyment you give us!
Debbie
x
Posted by: Debbie, Essex | September 01, 2017 at 03:44 PM
So beautiful! Xx
Posted by: creativemummybear.blogspot.co.uk | August 30, 2017 at 09:22 PM
Bloomin' brilliant! I love it :)
Posted by: Crafty Cath | August 30, 2017 at 01:02 PM
What a fantastic pattern! Love this blanket - can u tell me the finished size pls? Many thks xxx Mia
Posted by: Mia Robbins | August 27, 2017 at 06:36 PM
Wowsa!!! Shazam. You nailed it!!
A.w.e.s.o.m.e.s.a.u.c.e!!
Posted by: Mary Claire | August 27, 2017 at 02:13 PM
Wowsa!!!!
A blanket of color that is just lovely to behold. Wonderful!!
Luv it, Lucy.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Mary Claire | August 27, 2017 at 02:07 PM
Your blanket is wonderful. I love the colourwash and the border
Posted by: bekki | August 26, 2017 at 07:43 PM
What a gorgeously bright and happy blanket! To boot you are a talented "story" teller! You are blessed with talents. Thank you for sharing your inspiration!
Posted by: Mette Lourdes | August 26, 2017 at 04:14 PM
I ordered and received my yarn. I am on the second round of my squares and every day I look forward to evening when I sit ,watch tv and crochet : ) this pattern and the colors are amazing. It's like a beautiful puzzle to me and I'm enjoying it sooooo much. Thank you so much for sharing your whole process with us!!! I would have never figured it out on my own.
Posted by: ann | August 26, 2017 at 01:36 PM
Your Blanket is so beautiful and I understand about the therapy of crochet and and colour. It really does help. 21/2 years ago my mum passed away and I made a rainbow granny strip blanket. I needed some colour to lift me out of my dark place and this blanket really helped. Sadly I wasn't able to do this when my dad died earlier this year. But I am working on a knitted blaket.
Looking forward to your next project.
Carolx
Posted by: Carol Crane | August 26, 2017 at 08:36 AM
Lucy, you've done it again! A post full of blanket-y gorgeousness. I adore your blanket and am most definitely going to try your stunning border. You've added a good dose of colour and cheer to a wintery day here in NZ.
Have a fabulous week.
Leah
x
Posted by: Leah | August 26, 2017 at 04:39 AM
Lucy, this blanket is so so lovely! You are amazing to have been able to figure out the colorwash as well as having such a good eye for color to have thought of it. Oh, and patient as well :) Thank you so much for your very easy-to-follow posts and instructions. Your blog is one of my happy places!
Posted by: Susannah | August 26, 2017 at 02:38 AM
Bravo and *C*O*N*G*R*A*T*U*L*A*T*I*O*N*S*!* on a job well done! I love it and the border is amazing! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Posted by: Teresa Kasner | August 26, 2017 at 12:43 AM
I was unsure about the border, but you nailed it once again!
Posted by: Tina Kercher | August 26, 2017 at 12:31 AM
Gorgeous. Love those colours and the way they shade across the blanket. Congratulations Lucy!
Posted by: winifred waite | August 26, 2017 at 12:17 AM
Lucy, I'm absolutely loving this blanket! I think your color palette for this one is the best. Will ther be a written pattern and kit to order for this one?
Posted by: Hanna Farrell | August 25, 2017 at 07:05 PM
Another beautiful blanket, Lucy! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Posted by: Susan | August 25, 2017 at 06:01 PM
That is such a beautiful blanket. I've got to say, that border is so wonderful I'd be tempted to do an entire blanket in it!
Posted by: susan | August 25, 2017 at 05:33 PM
Wow- that is a beautiful blanket Lucy and the colour wash effect is stunning. Thank you for so generously sharing all the instructions with us. I recently finished my Moorland and am currently making a smallish granny stripe blanket using up some yarn from my stash-it's bright and cheerful and doesn't require too much thought!
Posted by: AnnieS | August 25, 2017 at 04:44 PM