Attic24

Sweet Pea Blanket CAL :: Part 7

Well here we are, ready for the final installment of the Sweet Pea CAL and what a bitter-sweet feeling it is to be nearing the end of our floral journey. I've been sat quietly working on the final border rows this week in preparation for sharing it with you today, and I've felt such a deep down sense of gratitude and joy. These twin blankets have been an absolute pleasure to design and make from start to finish, and I know I shall miss these easy, pretty rows of relaxing hooky. 

As I've crocheted my way through these long border rows, I've been remembering the very start of my own journey which was way back in May last year. This was when I received my twelve little sweet pea seedlings from Sarah Raven, all wrapped up in tissue paper (I really wish I'd photographed them to show you!), a bundle of hopeful colour inspiration waiting-to-happen. I knew way back then that I would be using the flowers to inspire a yarn palette, and they did not disappoint.....

.....oh, the colours!!! Such a delight and just as I expected, they evoke the very essence of summertime.

Creating the Sweet Pea colour palette was a true joy. I do ponder on my colours for a very long time (many, many weeks in fact), faffing and tweaking, playing with my pegs until I end up with something that makes my heart leap. It's a very emotional process and I put my whole heart and soul into getting this part of the design right. I know from the hundreds of comments I receive here on my blog and via social media that you often feel the same depth of connection as I do when you look at my colour choices - I always want my yarn palettes to make you feel deep-down happy - this is what sparks the creative joy and makes our blankets such a special journey right from the get-go.

But I'm sure you know all this by now, especially if you've made any of my blankets before. You get to know the stories behind my ideas, and isn't that just the loveliest thing? I think so.

As in previous weeks, I would like to share some images that have caught my eye on social media....there isn't really a theme to them, but I hope you enjoy......

@the_pink_rose_fairy on Instagram made the most delightful little posy of flowers from her sweet pea colours.

Lisa also chose to add some additional floral goodness to the corner of her blanket (I love her border too, which uses my Linen Stitch edging)

Nic shared a proud Ta-dah moment with us when she shared her finished sweet pea Leftie Shawl (I showed this in progress last week)

Ruth also wowed us with her Ta-dah moment - isn't this granny cardie beautiful? I shared the start of this in week two and it's so lovely to see it finished. Beautiful work, the sweet pea colours do look spectacular mixed with that soft silver grey.

Anne is onto her third sweet pea project, using the sweet pea yarn pack with one of Helen Shrimptons gorgeous designs - this is the start of The Lost Garden, and is absolutely stunning.

Sian shared this gorgeous blanket that she made to her own design, isn't it lovely? She created a patchwork of stripes and floral squares which show off the sweet pea colours beautifully.

Anja showed us this blanket that her Mum Anny made using the Sweet Pea yarn pack, and it received a lot of love on Facebook. I think the happy mix of colours describes a bunch of summery sweet pea flowers perfectly.

 It's also made me ridiculously happy to hear about more sweet pea gatherings happening around the world, it's hard to put into words what this means to me. Our online crochet community is absolutely thriving and really rather fabulous (there are over 9,200 members in the Attic24 Moorland More group on Facebook now), but I think real-life hooky get-togethers are beyond precious. These lovely ladies are known as the "YaYaYarners" (love that!) and they are all the way in Alabama! 

Sisters Jana and Jitka have been making the Sweet Pea blanket together (#teammirror and #teamrepeat!). Jana shared this stunning photo of them both at their parent's home in the highlands of the Czech Republic.

We are a truly international group of happy sweet pea hookers - did you know that Wool Warehouse ships my yarn packs out to more than a hundred countries around the globe, isn't that something? Love love love, times infinity (as Little B would say). 

Back in the Attic, and it's been a rather frantic dash around the edges of both my blankets during the past week. It always takes me a long, long time to deliberate what to do around the edges of my blankets, and I spend quite a lot of time sampling and trying out ideas. The edging on the Sweet Pea didn't come easily, but after a lot of effort I am so very happy with my final design.

As I explained to you last week, I chose seven colours for my border, and they are worked in the following order ::

🌸 1. Meadow 🌸 2. Pistachio 🌸 3. Soft peach 🌸 4. Wisteria 🌸

🌸 5. Magenta 🌸 6. Fuchsia Purple 🌸 7. Violet 🌸

The Trellis Edging is a simple pattern worked in UK double crochet and chains (that's single crochet in the US). It's like a mini condensed version of the Trellis Stripe (which stupidly really pleases me), and I think adds the perfect finish to the blanket.

As you have no doubt discovered, the Trellis Stripe produces quite a stretchy fabric. This means that the edging needs to have a certain amount of give in it to allow the blanket to look and feel relaxed and not all trussed up around the outer edge, if that makes sense.

YARN QUANTITIES

For the standard single-size bed blanket, I used around 18g for the first few colours, and 22g for the final few colours, with the middle rounds using something in between. I had plenty of yarn left after making my blanket stripes to make this edging comfortably, with the exception of Fuchsia Purple. For some reason there seemed to be less of this left than any of the other colours - you may find some of your balls look/feel smaller than the rest so before you begin your border, please do try and weigh your yarn to make sure you have enough. 

The other thing to mention is that you don't have to make all seven rounds if you don't want to. In the photo above there are five rounds, and I think this looks lovely. You can also change colours around to suit yourself if you wish, I am all for encouraging a bit of colour play and individuality! I've gone for the richer floral shades on my outer rows as these are the sweet peas that I love the most, but you might prefer the mid pink shades, or the soft pastels instead. 

There is (of course) a full photo tutorial for this new edging - I've named it "Trellis Edging" so that you can easily find it in the list of patterns in my sidebar. Click on the photo above, or click on the link below to go find it >>

🌸TRELLIS EDGING PATTERN🌸

Shall we take a look at how the edging finishes off the blankets?

Oh, it's rather delightful, don't you think? I wanted something soft and pretty and ever so slightly fluttery around the edges, just like the petals of sweet pea flowers. I'm honestly thrilled with the results.

This morning I had my two blankets stacked in a neat pile after taking lots of photographs, and I thought how very pretty they looked. This pile represents such a huge amount of work mind you - hours and hours of hooky time in those many thousands of stitches. I'm rather proud of them!

I didn't manage to take a huge number of photographs, but thought you might like to see how the blankets look with their borders.

First up is the Sweet Pea Posy....

....looking very jolly indeed with it's sweet jumble of floral stripes.

I'm so, so happy with this blanket, it makes me feel all fuzzy-good inside when I take in those beautiful colours.

I love the way the Trellis Edging adds a very defined finish to the blanket. Borders need to be very carefully considered (colours and width mainly, but the overall design is important too) and it's not an easy balance to achieve. 

But a good border design really makes a blanket come alive....

....and it's so much fun when the blanket finally gets it's Ta-dah moment.

The Sweet Pea Colourwash was given the exact same edging treatment as the Posy. 

The edging meanders around the changing washes of colour and does a good job of gently holding it all together.

You might be thinking that the Trellis Edging looks a bit frilly on the Colourwash blanket - that's because I used a slightly bigger hook (I went from a 4.5mm up to a 5mm to work the edging). It became pretty obvious when I'd finished that this particular edging design doesn't need the extra bit of give that edges usually require, so I would advise you to stick with the same hook that you used to work your stripes. No need to change. Aren't you happy I made that mistake in advance for you???!! You're welcome!

But frillyness aside, I'm still really happy with how this blanket turned out.

These are both beautiful blankets to have at home and I'm enjoying seeing them absorbed into family life here at number twenty four.

They are being used every day by myself and the Little People so can generally be found casually slung over the back of the sofa, or bundled up in an unglorious heap in the chair. But I LOVE that my blankets are all used and enjoyed, and I know that we've got that pleasure for many years to come.

Before I go, I wanted to to give you my heartfelt thanks for keeping me company on this sweet blanket journey. It's hard to put into words, but I am deeply grateful for you all, for your continued visits here to the Attic, for your generous comments and kindness, for simply keeping me company week after week. I would be very lonely without you. Thank you, very much.

So Part 7 might be the end of the Sweet Pea CAL, but the big question is.....................

...............what are you going to do with your leftover yarn???????

A cushion? A baby blanket? A wreath perhaps, or some bunting? A floral garland? A scarf or a shawl? Mandalas maybe? Granny squares?

Do tell!!! I hope your onward Sweet Pea journey is a happy one!!!

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Here are all the CAL links you might need  ::

🌸 SWEET PEA YARN PACK

🌸TRELLIS STRIPE PATTERN🌸

🌸 TRELLIS EDGING PATTERN 🌸

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET Q&A

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET PREPARATION (includes a sneak peek of the Posy and Colourwash blankets)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 1 (colour info for stripes 1-15)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 2 (colour info for stripes 16-30)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 3 (colour info for stripes 31-45)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 4 (colour info for stripes 46-60)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 5 (colour info for stripes 61-75)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 6 (c0lour info for stripes 76-83/86)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 6.5 (general chat, plus charts for Colourwash baby blankets)

 

Oh, Snowdrops!

We walked up to the top of town to Appreciate the Snowdrops on Friday. It was after lunch, a cold, sunny afternoon when it felt just right to be out doing such a simple thing. I've been visiting this patch of ground every February for a decade and it never fails to make my heart expand with happiness, which is especially welcome in the middle of an often weary, grey month.

It's funny doing these sorts of things with J, he never quite knows what to do with himself when I set off on a giddy moment out in public. He kind of loiters nearby as if he doesn't really want to be drawn into my particular kind of crazy, but at the same time he is quietly accepting and supportive. I took loads of photos, just as I do every single year when I am faced with this glorious carpet of living floral beauty. I can never seem to get enough of the way flowers makes me feel, I want to drink in the emotion of it, absorb the visual pleasure right into my very soul.

It's not just flowers though, it's the whole seasonal thing that continues to inspire me year after year after year. Which reminds me, now that I've ticked Snowdrop Patch Appreciation off my list, I really must head up to the allotment and see how it's all looking. It's nearly time for that particular seasonal year to begin again - my To-do list has >>Contact Poo Lady<< on it, which means calling up the lady who will come with a trailer load of well rotten horse manure. I've got big Floral Plans for my allotment patch this year, I am beyond excited thinking about all that I want to do.

I hope you've got some beautiful things on your to-do list this week, in amongst the chores and errands, there is definitely room for beauty and floral appreciation. 

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Sweet Pea Blanket CAL :: Part 6.5

Surprise!!!!!!

Bet you didn't expect to find a CAL post here this morning as we are officially on a "catch-up" week, but honestly it felt so strange for me not CAL-posting that I couldn't resist sneaking in a little extra Sweet Pea goodness. As usual, I've been catching up on all the SP comings and goings on social media and have a few things to share with you today in preparation for next week's border session.

I know many of you are appreciating having this extra catch-up week to continue working your stripes or darn in your ends, but I've also not been surprised to see some of you already finishing up your blankets. Some of you have told me that you were gifting your blankets and needed them finished before the official end of the CAL. Others simply knew what they wanted to do for their borders and didn't need to wait for me to lead the way. I want to reassure you that I am absolutely OK with this! My main aim with running an Attic24 CAL is to inspire community, connection, creativity and happiness, and I'm not at all offended if you wish to go #teamrogue with your blankets and give an individual spin to your creations.

With this in mind, I'm going to share some really super Sweet Pea borders that have come about this week ahead of my own borders which I'll share with you next week......

Sue chose five colours for her border, working 4 rounds of double crochet and finishing off with a very pretty scallop edging.

Mary decided to work a Block Stitch border, finishing off with a neat round of double crochet.

Maria went bold and wide with her border, choosing to use all fifteen shades in a glorious colourwash. She used my Linen Stitch Edging (full tutorial HERE) and I think it looks spectacular.

A note about Linen Stitch - remember this tends to have a tight tension and you will need to go up a whole millimetre hook size to prevent your border from pulling too tightly. So for example, if you worked your main blanket using a 4mm hook, then use a 5mm hook to work your linen stitch edging.

Lyn also chose a colourwash linen stitch border, although she chose to place the greens on the outer edge as rounds of double crochet. This is a bold choice, but I think it looks stunning.

I've chosen seven colours for my border : Meadow, Pistachio, Soft Peach, Wisteria, Magenta, Fuchsia and Violet.

If you're making the Posy Sweet Pea, you should have more of these colours left as there were only 5 stripes of each colour in the blanket (instead of 6). 

If you're making the Colourwash Sweet Pea, then you will have plenty of Pistachio and Violet left, but will need to check quantities of the other five colours.

You will need around 20g of each colour to work your border, so do try and see if you can weigh your yarn and make sure you'll have enough.

It's absolutely OK by me if you wish to choose your own colours - have a play around and see what brings you happiness.

I've designed a brand new edging pattern for the Sweet Pea blanket, and I can't wait to show you next week. It's killing me to keep the surprise!!!!!

While we are having our catch up week, I expect some of you will be using the time to darn in your ends. I confess that I saw Joanne's "Monster Ends" photo on Facebook and had a few heart palpitations!!! This would not suit me at all and I am always a darn-as-you-go-along gal, yet I hear many of you prefer to leave them and do them all in one go at the end. Whichever way you choose, you will need to have all your ends neatly tucked away before you embark on your border.

Merete finished darning in her ends and is now patiently waiting for me to share the border pattern - her  rather bemused looking Sweet Pea snake made me laugh out loud!

Not everyone is content to sit and wait though, and I've seen some lovely Sweet Pea stash-buster projects already off the starting blocks. Nic shared her gorgeous knitted shawl in progress which I think is so beautiful - she is using a pattern called the "Leftie Shawl" by Martina Behm - you can find it on Ravelry (HERE).

Now a quick little something before I let you get on with your day >>>>>>

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH BABY BLANKET AFTERTHOUGHTS!!!! 

I've been thinking a lot about the whole idea of using a palette of colours to work a Colourwash stripe, specifically how to try and keep the colourwash design concept while creating a shorter version suitable for baby blankets.

At first I didn't think it could be easily done, but the more I pondered on it, the more I wanted to try and work it out for you. I really, really, really wish that I'd been able to get my head around this at the start of the CAL so that I could've given you this option weeks ago, but alas my brain cells have felt very stretched coping with what has been a lot of work for me creating this CAL.

However, after much intense thought I have actually gone and done it!!

I've created two different versions :

One will make a 3ft/90cm length (so suitable for a 70 x 90 cm small pram blanket)

The other will make a 4ft / 120cm length (suitable for a 90 x 120cm cot blanket)

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH 70 x 90 cm BABY BLANKET

Chain 124 to begin, then work 43 stripes following the Trellis Stripe Pattern.

Hopefully you can read the above list clearly on your screen, but if you click on the image it'll pop up in a larger window. 

Here is the bigger baby blanket version ::

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH 90 x 120 cm BABY BLANKET

Chain 164 to begin, then work 58 stripes following the Trellis Stripe Pattern.

Note the stripes listed in RED are double width stripes.

I hope that's useful for you - do let me know if you decide to give the small Colourwash baby blankets a go, I'd love to see how they turn out.

Also giving thanks to my clever hubby who scoffed at my poor attempt at creating a typed list and took it in hand himself. He created some very cute little yarn ball graphics and made some rather posh colour lists for me, I'm super pleased with them! I'm going to ask him to do the same with the full size Sweet Pea blanket stripes so that I can add that info to the Trellis Tutorial once the CAL has finished next week.

Wishing you all a fabulous week whatever is on your hook, whether you are still jaunting through your Trellis Stripes or embarking on something completely new. Have fun - remember it's Border time next week on the 22nd, I can't WAIT!!!!! :)

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Here are all the CAL links you might need  ::

🌸 SWEET PEA YARN PACK

🌸TRELLIS STRIPE PATTERN🌸

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET Q&A

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET PREPARATION (includes a sneak peek of the Posy and Colourwash blankets)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 1 (colour info for stripes 1-15)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 2 (colour info for stripes 16-30)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 3 (colour info for stripes 31-45)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 4 (colour info for stripes 46-60)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 5 (colour info for stripes 61-75)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 6 (c0lour info for stripes 76-83/86)

 

 

Wintering

I seriously love the above photo in all it's faded, wintry mellowness. It was one of those misty, murky mornings that we seem to have experienced quite often this winter, when the days have felt very slow to get going. This type of weather makes me want to cosy up inside and drink endless mugs of strong, frothy coffee, and yet there is also something refreshing about being out and about and breathing in that damp, cold air.

Its snowdrop season, and our tiny clump of front garden flowers have pushed their way back through the earth for another year. Earlier today, we drove past the huge patch of snowdrops which always grow wild at the top entrance to the woods (see this post) and I made a mental note to walk up there very soon to see them. Whizzing past in the car just isn't good enough, these sweet flowers deserve to be given a thorough dose of heart-felt appreciation.

Top of my to-do list :: Go Appreciate Snowdrop Patch.

My weekend was slow and quiet, just the way I like it at this time of year. I spent much of Saturday sat at the dining table drinking coffee, knitting bits of sock and drooling over the pages in the latest Sarah Raven catalogue, specifically pages 4 - 21 which showcase the Exclusive Dahlia Collections. Oh my heart. Dahlias are just the bees knees, and I've been swooning over them for a great many years (just re-reading this post where I quite literally "fell" for the dahlias at Cragside - ha! True story, I do get giddy to the point of not being able to remain upright at times.

It was so nice to get back to a bit of knitting after such a lot of Sweet Pea-ing of late, and I did enjoy being quietly industrious with all those neat little knitty rounds. I turned heels and knitted gussets and made great progress on these belated Christmas gift socks for my patient father-in-law. For anyone interested, I knit my socks using the continental knitting method which allows me to tension the yarn in my left hand in exactly the same identical way as I do when I'm crocheting. It's absolutely marvelous and allows my hands to almost think they are crocheting when in fact they are being very clever and knitting instead. You can read more about my methods in this post. 

Something amazing has started to happen here in Atticland this winter, and it is SOoooooOoo amazing that I'm still feeling a bit in awe of it all. We've been living here for eleven years and have never witnessed it before - a daily starling murmuration. It's an absolutely incredible natural display (you can read more about it here, which includes a short video clip) and the fact that it's started happening literally right over our house is just mind blowing. It starts just as dusk is beginning (around 4.45pm at this time of year) and lasts around half an hour. The birds gather gradually and the flock gets bigger and bigger as the minutes pass until there are literally thousands and thousands of birds fluttering overhead. They fly together in the most mesmersing of ways, in twists and turns and undulating waves, it's impossible to take your eyes away and inspires you to take around 267 gazillion photos of the sky.

All my photos were pretty rubbish (I was doing the giddy thing again and leaping excitedly across the furniture), but I enjoyed myself trying. I really, really, really hope this is going to be an annual winter thing around here. 

We walked at Bolton Abbey on Sunday for the first time in a while, and it was just lovely. A bit cold, grey and dull but still so good to get out and about amongst the trees. We left the Teen in bed, waved Little Lady off to work (she has just started her very first weekend job waitressing in a cafe), and set off to walk with Little B in tow.

Despite the leaflessness of the winter season, I was overjoyed to see so many fresh new bluebell shoots already peeking through the undergrowth.

And moss too of course, I'm always excited to see how well it thrives at this time of year.

Mossy trees are just super aren't they? Kind of fairytale-ish and magical.

Sunday was also a day of doing allllllll the laundry which I didn't manage to do on Saturday because I was too busy knitting my gussets and slavering over photos of dahlias. I worked through four whole loads, washing and drying, then up to the bedroom to fold and stack on my bed. I am so in love with my bed, and can't tell you how much I look forward to climbing into it each night. I mean, I really do enjoy my days, but bedtime is always such a highlight! With the chilly weather I've got a double layer of blanket warmth on my bed at the moment, and as I was sorting through all the laundry yesterday I found myself really appreciating the spread of colour and pattern. The bottom layer is my beloved BB which is almost ten years old now - you can see more photos of it here). It's a big 180cm square beast made from Rowan Pure Wool DK and is extremely heavy and warm. On top of that I've got my Sunny Log Cabin blanket, and this stays on my bed all year round as it's quite light and is OK for the Summer months. Gosh, I do so love this blanket, it's one of my all time favourite makes. It uses 18 balls of Stylecraft Special DK which is called the Sunny yarn pack. I made this blanket as a CAL project at the end of 2015 - all the CAL installments are still on my blog if you fancy creating your own dreamy blanket.

Back downstairs and I've got a new candle on the go this week. It's another one from Next, I do so enjoy their scented candles as they are very economical and burn for aaaaages (50 hours in this jar, seriously!). Oh, and they smell gorgeous too - this one is Bergamot and Green Tea which I think I had last winter too. It's fresh and sweet without being overpowering and makes the living room smell really good.

We're still lighting our fire every day and appreciate it very much. The kitty is often sprawled out on my floor cushions right next to the hearth (one of my favourite places to sit and crochet) and I never have the heart to turf her off. So I feel as if I've not had the real benefit of quality fireside time just lately, although I do so love to see it (and hear it) as much as I like the warmth and comfort it provides.

This morning, and another outing to Bolton Abbey, just J and me this time. We hadn't planned on going seeing as we were only there yesterday, but after school drop off and a quick supermarket shop I just felt like I wanted to be back there again. The sunshine was calling me to go tramp those winding pathways....almost impossible to resist!

We walk further and faster when it's just us two, crossing bridges and taking a big loop around on both sides of the river.

I adore this tree and always feel compelled to photograph its magnificent roots every time I walk past it. Have to say, they were looking mighty mossy and even more magnificent than usual. #mossaddict (yes, this really is a bonafide hashtag, I tell you, I'm not alone!)

Another tree which caught my eye with its fabulous bark - it looked like it had been smocked! It reminded me that I went through an obsessive smocking phase when I was in my mid teens, painstakingly embroidering a whole collection of hand stitched and smocked dresses for a ragdoll that I made at school. I would so love to see those handmade things again, I was such a shy, quiet, daydreamy, stitch-obsessed type of teenager, always away in my own little private, creative world. Don't suppose I've altered all that much, come to think of it.

As well as mossy roots and smocked bark I spied catkins galore, gosh they are putting on a spectacular show this year.

I find them so charming - little dangly reminders that Spring isn't too far away. I dearly wanted to pick some to bring home, but didn't feel that it would be acceptable to steal from the trees so I left them hanging in the morning sunshine.

We stopped off at the farm shop on our way home to pick up a joint of meat (I'm making smoky barbecued pulled pork in the slow cooker tomorrow), and rather predictably I found myself drawn to the floral offerings before I could make it anywhere near the meat counter. I decided to treat myself to a small pot of Narcissus "Bridal Crown"which I know from past experience will smell divine when they flower. Having pots of bulbs growing in the house is such a pleasure, I can highly recommend it if you want to bring a dose of Spring cheer into the winter time.

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Sweet Pea Blanket CAL :: Part 6

I think in all the years that I've been creating and hosting my annual Crochet-A-Longs, the Sweet Pea has been the easiest blanket to keep up with. The Trellis Stripe is a fast pattern to hook, and once you've got the first few rows under your belt it's possible to switch off your mind a little and allow your hook and yarn to speed along quite happily. I can't tell you how good it has made me feel to hear about so many of you creating your stripes and keeping pace with me each week, it's been truly wonderful.

We all know that this isn't a race though, and many of you will be taking your time, for many varied reasons. Please believe me when I say that this is absolutely OK!! All CAL posts will stay here in the Attic waiting for when you are ready, and I like to think that as the months roll by there will be sweet pea blankets continuing to grow and bloom all over the world.

I've loved hearing about so many proud moments as new hookers have shared their first ever blanket projects. It's been joyful and encouraging to witness the happiness in all the photos and stories from those of you just starting out on your crochet journey. I've also read some very emotional stories from those of you who have found solace in your stripes as you've coped with illness, hospital visits and bereavement during the past month. My heart goes out to all of you who have been struggling, and I so hope that these gentle colours have lifted your spirits a little. Our crochet community is so special and it's genuinely heart warming to experience that unique sense of belonging and creative friendship. You are never alone when you are crocheting an Attic24 blanket that's for sure - you will always be in great company with friends all over the globe! Isn't that the best kind of realisation?!

I continue to be so impressed by the creativity within our Sweet Pea community, and have seen some gorgeous photos being shared. This beautiful bunny was knitted by Natasha, complete with her very own Sweet Pea dungarees, isn't she adorable? Natasha used a Little Cotton Rabbits pattern (see here) and this little Bunny has had a lot of admirers on Facebook this week.

Nic has been on a creative roll, do you remember the beautiful wreath I showed you last week? She went on to create a really lovely colourful nest for her kitty to curl up in. Gosh, I do really love to see all this creative energy, it makes me so happy!

Do you remember me telling you that on Sunday there was to be a Sweet Pea gathering down in Dorset, at my beloved West Bay? Well by all accounts it was a great success, and Sandra shared some wonderful photos with me a few days ago. You can read more about it over on Sandra's blog (here).

Hello lovely Dorset ladies, I'm waving to you from the Attic!! I gather it was rather windy down on the beach, but I'm so glad to see you with your blankets out in the wild!

Talking of Wild photos....a few weeks ago I came across the most fantastic hashtag on Instagram called #crochetinthewild which I thought was great fun. So this week I thought I'd run with this theme for my photo gallery and show you some Sweet Pea Blankies out and about on their adventures........

Sandra (the same lovely lady who organised the SP gathering) shared her blanket perched on the harbour wall at West Bay....

Sue shared her blanket looking very scenic on the island of Jersey....

Sandie took her SP to Aldeburgh beach in Suffolk and positioned so that we could also see Maggi Hambling's Scallop sculpture in the background (love this!)

Rachel took her blanket to the famous Stonehenge on a gorgeously bright and sunny day....

Cecily works near Barnard  Castle and showed us her blanket having a very chilly lunch time outing!

Cyndi braved the snow in the US and one of her kitties certainly seemed to appreciate the extra outdoor comfort!

Fran also braved the cold and shared this beautiful photograph with the famous Forth Bridge in the background.

We had some gorgeous photos from sunnier climes too..............

 

Jan was in Cypress (check out the lemons on the tree!)

Rebecca's work with native plant habitat restoration takes her out into the wilds of California and she says she often takes her crochet with her when she drives out to field sites.

Gaynor shared this stunning photo of her crocheting in New Zealand, aren't the colours of the landscape dreamy? She told us this is lake Hawea, near Wanaka, South Island.....oh, it really is beautiful.

Jennifer lives on Maui in Hawaai and took her Sweet Pea out to Ho’okipa Beach near where she lives. I loved the above photo, but when she moved the camera over to the beach, look what she showed us.......

.....Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles!!! Jennifer said "It’s common to see several on this beach in the morning, but 9 was a real treat!" Wonderful stuff.

I think this is my favourite photo from the #crochetinthewild hashtag on Instagram - it really made me laugh out loud! Laura took her blanket to Crosby beach in Merseyside and used it to add a little cosy warmth to one of Sir Antony Gormley's famous sculptures. This is just brilliant, thanks Laura!

Massive thanks to everyone who has joined in with this and taken the time and trouble to photograph their blankets outside for me. I have really love love loved seeing them all. xxxx

Back in the Attic and this week has been a little bit stressy for me and my Sweet Pea journey. Making two blankets for this CAL has been a challenge, and although I've really enjoyed it, the time pressure has added a certain urgency to my rows at times! I finished my Posy blanket stripes weeks ago, but due to me changing my mind about the border colours I had to pull back 8 stripes and remake them this week. Yesterday in fact. I sat on the floor next to the fire with the kitty close by and worked like the clappers to get to that final row....

.....ahhhh, just in time! Most of you will be heading through your final stripes during this next week, and let me tell you it's something of a bitter-sweet feeling when you get to that final top edge. Glad to have succeeded, but sad to see it end. Of course we've still got the border to make and I'll tell you a bit more about that a little later.

One thing that has pleased me enormously about the Posy Sweet Pea blanket is how true the colours are to the flowers which inspired it. I look at the above photo and immediately I can see this.......

.....a sweet posy of summer flowers sitting in a jam jar on my table. These colours make me so happy!

The Sweet Pea Posy has 83 stripes in total, and I think the glorious mixture of hues works extremely well.

There is a vibrant energy to these stripes which makes the blanket radiate with happiness, and there is nothing nicer than a truly happy-looking blanket to snuggle yourself into.

I'm so pleased with this blanket, it's everything I imagined when I was prancing about photographing my flowers back in July last year. It's the essence of Summer, right there. Love love love love love. I LOVE Sweet Peas (can you tell???!)

Here is the colour info you need for this week............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 6

🌸 POSY 🌸 

#teamposy #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Posy Part 5 should be Pistachio - that was stripe number 75.

And here is the colour information for Part 6 : stripes 76-83, working from the bottom upwards.

Yes, there are only 8 stripes to make this week - your blanket should be long enough with 83 stripes in total, measuring approx 175cm in length.

SWEET PEA POSY Part 6

76. Pomegranate

77. Wisteria

78. Plum

79. Lavender

80. Cypress

81. Blush

82. Cream

83. Candyfloss **remember to straighten the final row!

When you reach your final Candyfloss stripe, work the first row following the usual Trellis Stripe pattern, then for the second row of the last stripe, this is what you do ::

FINAL ROW TO CREATE STRAIGHT TOP EDGE

Chain 3 (counts as 1 tr);

1 tr into each of the next 2 stitches;

**1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches;

skip the chain-1 space (ignore it completely!);

1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches; 

1 tr into each of the next 3 stitches;

Repeat from ** to end, ending the row with 3 tr. Fasten off.

It's pretty straightforward, but if you need additional photos, I've added this final row to the Trellis Stripe Tutorial (click on the link below, then scroll on down to the end of the tutorial to find it)

{TRELLIS STRIPE TUTORIAL}

After part 6 (83 stripes) your blanket should be measuring around 6ft in length. If you are using two yarn packs and making a double or king size blanket, you might like to add some extra length so I've put together an optional set of stripes which you can add on. Remember that when you reach the final Magenta stripe, you need to follow my pattern to straighten out the top edge.

ADDITIONAL ROWS FOR DOUBLE/KING POSY BLANKETS (OPTIONAL)

84. Fuchsia Purple

85. Meadow

86. Plum

87.Lavender

88. Soft Peach

89. Blush

90. Pistachio

91. Lavender

92. Candyfloss

93. Pistachio

94. Cream

95. Candyfloss

96. Clematis

97. Wisteria

98. Cypress

99. Violet

100. Pomegranate

101. Magenta **remember to straighten the final row!

Now we're going to move on and take a look at the final colours for the Colourwash version of the Sweet Pea blanket. This week we are moving into the deep dark floral shades, and these are some of my absolute favourites. The sweet peas I grew at my allotment last year were from Sarah Raven and they included some stunning colours which were far removed from the usual soft pastel shades that are generally associated with these flowers.

There were beautiful deep plum colours (above).....

....and the most intense indigo/violet flowers too.

For my colour palette I chose Plum and Violet to represent these flowers.....

....and mixed in with a little Fuchsia Purple, the top end of the Colourwash blanket is absolutely beautiful. 

I love the transition in the top half of the sweet pea colourwash. It's not easy to move from the lightest to the darkest shades, but I love the dynamics of it very much. When you look at the blanket as a whole (I'll show you in a moment) you'll see how well these top colours compliment the greens and mauves down at the bottom. 

I really like how the above photo shows the Trellis stitch pattern so well and I hope you've enjoyed working this pattern and seeing it bloom with your colours. I've been besotted with it myself (it's sooooooooo fast and rhythmic!) and I can definitely see myself using this pattern again with a different set of colours.

And there we have it - the whole sweep of the colourwash from the leafy greens up to the deep floral purples. As you can see, it was a deliberate decision to keep the pale colours right in the centre. I didn't want the blanket to feel like it was fading out to nothing at the top (colourwash designs naturally want to run from dark to light). I spent a lot of time working out how to order the colours so that the whole blanket feels balanced and not bottom or top heavy.....

.....I'm so chuffed with it!

It's a beautiful blanket to play with and I already love having it in my home. 

Right, on with the all important colour info for this week's stripes...............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 6

🌸 COLOURWASH 🌸 

#teamcolourwash #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Colourwash Part 5 should be Plum - that was stripe number 75.

And here is the colour information for Part 6 : stripes 76-86, working from the bottom upwards.

We'll be adding 11 stripes this week.

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH Part 6

Note that throughout the colourwash blanket there are some double width stripes (4 crochet rows of the same colour). I've marked these in red so that they stand out for you. Remember you don't need to fasten off between the double rows.

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH Part 6

76. Fuchsia Purple

77. Plum

78. Fuchsia Purple

79. Plum (double stripe)

80. Plum (double stripe)

81. Violet

82. Plum

83. Violet

84. Plum

85. Violet (double stripe)

86.Violet (double stripe) **remember to straighten the final row!

The final colour of the Colourwash (Violet) is a double row, so work 3 rows as normal, then follow the straightening out pattern for the fourth row.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, I do so LOvE the colours!!!!!!!!

Many of you who have been following my Repeating colour order (above) have already finished your blankets, and it's been so satisfying to see your photos. 

Heather decided that her blanket was long enough after five repeats, and I think it looks terrific.

Patricia worked her stripes as "mirror" repeats and finished the blanket off with a deep linen stitch border. It's stunning, and looks so lovely draped over her bed.

The border pattern will be given out in Week 7 which is on 22nd February, so you've got a couple weeks to get everything in order and ready to go. I've chosen 7 colours to use for the border :

Meadow, Pistachio, Soft Peach, Wisteria, Magenta, Fuchsia Purple and Violet. 

I don't know exact quantities yet (still working it out!) but you will need around 18-20g of each colour for the border, with a little more for the final Violet round. If you've made your blanket following my gauge/tension guidelines, you should easily have enough yarn left. If you are unsure, the best way to check is to use accurate digital kitchen scales and weigh your balls.

To keep things simple, I'll be using the same border for both the Posy and the Colourwash blankets. I hope you like the colours I've chosen, I think they work beautifully together and contain the essence of sweet peas goodness.

Next week will be our "catch up" week where we'll be taking a little breather. Use the time to catch up if you need to, darn in your ends if you need to or just snuggle your blanket if you're all up to date. As mentioned above, it's also a good time to weigh/check your yarn quantities and make sure you're all set for the final edging stage. 

I'll be back with Part 7 (the border) on Friday 22nd February.....enjoy your final stripes!

Here are all the CAL links you might need  ::

🌸 SWEET PEA YARN PACK

🌸TRELLIS STRIPE PATTERN🌸

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET Q&A

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET PREPARATION (includes a sneak peek of the Posy and Colourwash blankets)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 1 (colour info for stripes 1-15)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 2 (colour info for stripes 16-30)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 3 (colour info for stripes 31-45)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 4 (colour info for stripes 46-60)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 5 (colour info for stripes 61-75)

 

 

 

 

Sweet Pea Blanket CAL :: Part 5

One of the downsides of working on a striped blanket is that it does start to take up a lot of room in the bag when you need to bring it out and about. Often this leads me to have a smaller, more portable project on the go at the same time as a blanket (knitted socks, or a small mandala), but right now I just cannot think about anything other than Sweet Pea. I am obsessed with these stripy colours, and couldn't possibly contemplate heading to my twice weekly creative cafe sessions without it. Mind you, it's also been handy in recent weeks as I've been very glad of the extra warmth and cosyness that a blanket brings to the whole cafe experience. Chatting and laughing with my friends, a delicious frothy coffee to hand, my blanket draped over my lap and I've been in hooky heaven!

Here at home, my Sweet Pea blankets don't stay folded up in my bag as I much prefer to see them hanging out on the furniture and socialising with all my other blankets. I thought I'd show you my other sofa for a change - this is the sofa which sits nearest the fire and is where I have all my patchwork and applique cushions collected over the years. I have multiple blankets folded and draped over both arms of this sofa (currently out of view are the Woodland and Moorland on the left and the Hydrangea on the right). As you can see, Sweet Pea Colourwash is already looking very much at home. I dearly love the splash of summer cheer it brings to the room, the colours are very uplifting I think.

So how have you all been getting on this week? Have you enjoyed having your pretty blanket stripes keeping you company through your days? I continue to really enjoy all the comings and goings on social media, we belong to such a vibrant and happy community don't we? Lets take a look at some Sweet Pea-ish things that have caught my eye and tweaked at my heart strings this week..............

Sam shared this photo of her S-P gathering in Wiltshire where I think shes hoping to establish regular weekly sessions. If you are able to connect and meet with other crocheters in your own area, I can highly recommend it - social hooking is such a fantastic experience and really does elevate the joy of creating with yarn.

I know that Sandra's S-P gathering in Dorset is all set to happen this weekend and as it's being held in West Bay, I am a weeny bit jealous that I can't make it down there. I shall be there in spirit! If you are local to the Dorset area, you can find the details on Sandra's blog (here) - please take lots of photos to share with us!

As you know, during the CAL weeks I spend a ridiculous number of hours on social media attempting to keep up, and one of the definite positives of this is that I get to see all sorts of beautiful, inspiring projects taking shape.  These are all projects made using the Sweet Pea yarn pack, but there is so much more than blankets going on out there......

Ann has been making some seriously stunning cushions using patterns by the very talented Helen Shrimpton. This one is called "A Walk in the Garden" and literally made me gasp out loud with pleasure when I first saw it. I couldn't stop gazing at it - all the beautiful, intricate stitch patterns combined with the softness of the Sweet Pea colours is such a great combination I think.

Sharon has also made a cushion to go with her Sweet Pea blanket using my Blooming Flower pattern. I love the way she's arranged the colours, it really is beautiful.

Roz is using the Sweet Pea colours to make African Flower squares - it always amazes me how different the colours look when they are made into blocks or motifs rather than stripes.

Carol has been making some really lovely baby blankets by combing the Sweet Pea colours with a soft silver grey. You might remember I showed you her Granny Stripe baby blanket in part 2 of the CAL? This is her latest creation made up of two-round granny squares and I think it's such a success.

Helen has chosen Sandra Pauls "Spice of Life" pattern for her Sweet Pea blanket - I can see she is following the Posy colour order, but doesn't it look different?!

Judy has opted to use the Sweet Pea colours to crochet a most beautiful undulating wave throw. This is a pattern by Rachele Carmona called "Layered Waves", isn't it stunning?

I was mesmerised to see the making of Judy's tassels on Facebook, oh those colours!!! ALL the heart eyes (😍) for that arrangement!

And here is a close up look at the seriously gorgeous and plump looking tassels that Judy made to edge her throw, they are ever so photogenic and make me want to reach into my computer screen and run my fingers along them.

Amongst all the hooky action I've spotted some beautiful Sweet Pea knitting going on too. The knitters among us are a quiet bunch but my goodness there is some knitty talent and patience out there! I mean, just look at the blanket above, all those thousands of knit stitches to make a WHOLE BLANKET, I am in total awe. This is knitted on a 40 inch circular needle and is a variation on the old Feather and Fan pattern. I love it so much Nancy.

Liz shared this photo of her Mum's blanket in the making and I love the graphic simplicity of the triangles.

Sandra is also knitting with Sweet Pea colours and has made the most beautiful little Sweet Pea Flower Fairy outfit, isn't it delightful? You can buy the pattern for the jacket on Etsy if you are good with the sticks and have a little cutie in your life who would love to be a flower fairy.

Nic shared this beautifully simple butterfly wreath with us in Facebook, as well as this .....................

.......the makings of a summery Sweet Pea wreath!!

Prepare to be wowed.....

........

....WOWSERS!!! Isn't that stunning? I love the sweet knitted blue tit and all the gorgeous floral details in this wreath. A real triumph and a fabulous ta-dah moment - thanks for sharing with us Nic.

Rachel used her S-P colours to cosy up a hot water bottle (how perfect for the weather we're having here).

Teresa made a version of my Weekend Bag.....

Sarah made her tension sample, then kept on going with those short, satisfying rows to create a lovely Sweet Pea scarf.

🌸

There have been some cute critters too, take a look .................

Dawn used a Jacquie (Bunny Mummy) pattern to make an adorable little Owl duo. I've made a few of these to give as gifts in the past and the pattern/tutorial is fabulous (find it for free on Jacquie's blog)

Sharon is a needle felter who makes the cutest little critters - this tiny hedgehog has a passion for crochet, and is making her very own sweet pea blanket!

Alexis shared her Sweet Pea hedgehog pincushion with us on Instagram (@hookedinthehighlands) and I immediately fell in love. She used a pattern by Marinda Jansen van Rensburg which you can find on Ravelry (here). I predict there will soon be an Array of hooky hedgehogs inspired by this cutie, it is rather irresistible.

I love love love all the creativity that springs forth from my yarny colour palettes, it's truly inspiring and wonderful in every way.

Now I think we need to take a look at this weeks CAL progress, to see how the stripes are looking as we approach the end of our blanket journey.....

.....well I do think they are looking mighty fine! 

The Posy blanket is blooming so beautifully, with it's soft but vibrant medley of floral colours.

I've found that as my blanket has grown in size and weight, the Trellis pattern has begun to stretch out and look a little more defined. I really love the look of it, it's just the right amount of lacy for me (I'm not too fond of very holey blankets).

I'm also enjoying the subtle texture of this pattern - when it's resting on my lap and I'm looking at it upside down, there is a delicious vertical texture to the pattern, can you see those lovely little vertical ridges in the above photo? It's not apparent when you look at the blanket the right way up so came as a lovely surprise!

Here is the colour info you need for this week............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 5

🌸 POSY 🌸 

#teamposy #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Posy Part 4 should be Pistachio - that was stripe number 60.

And here is the colour information for Part 5 : stripes 61-75, working from the bottom upwards.

Remember each stripe is worked in two rows, so 15 stripes = 30 rows of crochet.

SWEET PEA POSY Part 5

61.Clematis

62. Fuchsia Purple

63. Plum

64.Magenta

65. Cypress

66. Lavender

67. Pomegranate

68. Cream

69.Clematis

70. Meadow

71.Violet

72. Blush

73. Soft Peach

74. Candyfloss

75. Pistachio

Now lets take a look at part 5 of the Colourwash version....

This week is probably my most favourite part of the whole colourwash blanket as these rich reddish pink and purple blooms are my most favourite sweet peas of all.

I grew Sarah Raven sweet peas on my allotment last year, a mixture of varieties which included this two-tone beauty, and I do love it so - oh, those colours, just look how vibrant they are!!! From what I can remember, I think this particular variety is called "Prince Edward of York", very regal indeed.

It was a joy to match up the yarn to those beautiful petals!

In week 5 of the Colourwash you'll be celebrating these vibrant floral shades with Pomegranate, Magenta, Fuchsia Purple and a weeny but of Plum.

This week you'll start to see the the darker floral shades at the top of the blanket balancing out the greens and mauves at the bottom end.....

.....I am so happy with the overall balance of hues and tones in this blanket, it really does make my colour-loving heart very happy to see such harmony in play.

Right, on with the all important colour info for this week's stripes...............

SWEET PEA BLANKET CAL PART 5

🌸 COLOURWASH 🌸 

#teamcolourwash #sweetpeacal

So your last stripe from Colourwash Part 4 should be Blush - that was stripe number 60.

And here is the colour information for Part 5 : stripes 61-75, working from the bottom upwards.

Remember each stripe is worked in two rows, so 15 stripes = 30 rows of crochet.

SWEET PEA COLOURWASH Part 5

Note that throughout the colourwash blanket there are some double width stripes (4 crochet rows of the same colour). I've marked these in red so that they stand out for you. Remember you don't need to fasten off between the double rows.

NOTE : please make sure that your Pomegranate and Fuchsia Purple yarns are clearly labeled so that you don't muddle them by mistake - in artificial light it's almost impossible to tell them apart.

61. Pomegranate (double stripe)

62. Pomegranate (double stripe)

63. Magenta

64. Pomegranate

65. Magenta

66. Pomegranate

67. Magenta (double stripe)

68. Magenta (double stripe)

69. Fuchsia Purple

70. Magenta

71. Fuchsia Purple

72. Magenta

73. Fuchsia Purple (double stripe)

74. Fuchsia Purple (double stripe)

75. Plum

Next week, part 6 will be the final set of stripes and will be slightly shorter than previous weeks.

The Posy blanket will have 84 stripes in total (so just 9 stripes to finish with next week).

The Colourwash blanket will have 86 stripes in total (11 stripes next week). 

As I mentioned last week, when you reach the final stripe, there is an alteration to the pattern which will create a straight top edge for your blanket. I thought it would be useful to give you that info now, as those of you who are making smaller blankets or working repeating colour stripes may well reach the top of your blanket sooner.

When you reach your final stripe colour, work the first row following the usual Trellis Stripe pattern, then for the second row of the last stripe, this is what you do ::

FINAL ROW TO CREATE STRAIGHT TOP EDGE

Chain 3 (counts as 1 tr);

1 tr into each of the next 2 stitches;

**1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches;

skip the chain-1 space (ignore it completely!);

1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches; 

1 tr into each of the next 3 stitches;

Repeat from ** to end, ending the row with 3 tr. Fasten off.

It's pretty straightforward, but if you need additional photos, I've added this final row to the Trellis Stripe Tutorial (click on the link below, then scroll on down to the end of the tutorial to find it)

{TRELLIS STRIPE TUTORIAL}

I'll be back with Part 6 (the final stripes) on Friday 8th February.....have a super-creative week and enjoy your sweet pea colours!

Here are all the CAL links you might need  ::

🌸 SWEET PEA YARN PACK

🌸TRELLIS STRIPE PATTERN🌸

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET Q&A

🌸 SWEET PEA BLANKET PREPARATION (includes a sneak peek of the Posy and Colourwash blankets)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 1 (colour info for stripes 1-15)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 2 (colour info for stripes 16-30)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 3 (colour info for stripes 31-45)

🌸 SWEET PEA CAL PART 4 (colour info for stripes 46-60)