Dune Blanket :: Introduction

Before I begin posting proper today, I'd like to say a huge big ((thank you)) for all your lovely comments on posts just lately. I love hearing from you very, very much and I know it's not always easy in our busy, full-on days to make time to comment on blogs, Facebook, Instagram. It takes time and care to write thoughts and feelings, and I am so grateful that you send your warm words my way. I really do appreciate it! I often question myself when I'm writing about outings or holidays as they are very personal experiences and I do wonder whether anyone will really be interested in what I ate, what the weather was like, or what itty bitty things caught my eye. However, you repeatedly tell me that you enjoy my posts, so I am encouraged to keep sharing the minutiae of my ordinary life and hope to carry on brightening your days.

Following on from my coastal post yesterday, I thought it would be fun to share a little bit more of the inspiration behind my Dune blanket. If you've been following my blog over the years then you will be very familiar with my enduring obsession with the coast. I grew up on the south west coast of Dorset and my childhood memories are anchored to the beaches, clifftops and harbours there. Now that I live 300 miles away in North Yorkshire I've found new coastal places to satisfy my sea craving, so all is well in my world and I continue to try and take regular trips to see the sea. 

The Fylde coast (St Annes in particular) has been a beautiful discovery for me over the past three years, and I absolutely love it there. We visit whenever we can, often for quick day trips but a few times we've been lucky enough to rent a house to extend our stay for a couple days. 

We visit at all times of the year, but I think Winter and early Spring is my favourite season for beaching. There is something truly wonderful about having all that wide open, virtually deserted space for the taking, and walking on this vast sandy beach always makes me feel full to the brim with coastal feel-good.

Although I am a Summer loving soul, I really do love out-of-season beaches. With very few people choosing to walk when the weather is cold, it's often extremely quiet and I do love the feeling of being gifted a deserted expanse of space to roam in. I adore wrapping up warm and braving the elements, feeling the tang of cold, salty air on my face, the wind whipping my hair into knots, and my lungs filling to the brim with all that breezy freshness. It's peaceful and invigorating, calming and energising all at once. It never fails to make me feel really, really happy! 

It was last Autumn when the idea came to me for a blanket inspired by my feelings and memories of this particular coastal location. As you can see in the above photo it wasn't an especially nice day when I was on the beach at St Annes celebrating my birthday in October. In fact it was very grey, cold and fiercely windy but I was still so happy to be there. It was this deep-down contentment and bubbly joy that I wanted to remember and hold onto, and creating a blanket that would become a guardian of those memories seemed like such a good idea.

In the weeks that followed, my mind often drifted back to that day. I thought about the essence of the coast at St Annes, the things that make it special - the huge beach, the natural beauty of the sand dunes which lead down to the open sands, the endless views of the sky, the very gentle, shallow waves advancing and retreating, the abundance of sea shells to be found. It's natural and unspoilt - sea, sand, coastal vegetation, seagulls and seashells......blissful stuff for a sea-junkie like me.

Heading back there last month when the weather was light and bright and unseasonably warm was an utter delight. I had my camera with me everywhere we walked and spent lots of time photographing our holiday there. Dozens and dozens of photos which capture light, colour, texture and happiness.

My Creative Mind began to filter and distil all the images I was capturing on my camera, building an impression of colour and pattern which would represent everything that I love about this beach.

I searched for shells to see what delicate colours were held there. 

I observed light and shade, the changes from morning to night, the reflections and shadows which shifted constantly. But most importantly I began to think about the colours that would capture the emotion of spending such happy hours with family enjoying the fresh air and tranquillity.

Light, airy, breezy, soft, joyful colours, like a chilly gust of salty fresh air followed by a warm hug.

When I'm beginning to think about a new blanket journey, photographing the source of my inspiration and gathering visual material is a vital part of my creative process. I absolutely LOVE this element of design almost as much as the crochet itself. It's like being given permission to have a really good play, and who can resist that??!!

I chatted a little bit yesterday about the full family affair that surrounded this shell gathering mission....it's a really good memory I have of all of us searching the strand line for shells, laying them out on an old weathered wooden sleeper along with gathered driftwood, feathers and the distinctive silvery grey marram grasses which grow in abundance amongst the sand dunes.

Grass, wood, shells......add in some sea, sand, sky......and then finally add the breeze, the salty air and the deep down feel-good.

This is my Dune palette beginning to take shape.

I popped the shells we'd gathered into a paper bag and brought them home so that I could really study the colours in detail.

Some of the shells were familiar and I already knew the names - others I managed to look up online so that I could have that knowledge tucked away in my mind for the future.

Top row - Common Whelks

2nd and 3rd row - Necklace shells, also known as Moon Snails

4th row - Rayed Trough shells

5th row - Cockles

Bottom row - Baltic Tellins

I absolutely love the moon snails, they have such pretty markings and soft colours.

And the cockles and tellins are pretty too, those pale pinks are enchanting and I knew straight away that I would include some of these delicate shades in my Dune blanket. 

As lovely as these pale shell colours are, they would be lost without the rest. Soft neutrals and very pale pinks need to be enriched by the shades of sand, sea, sky and grass.......

....it's still pretty subtle as colour palettes go, but there is a gentle harmony which I find very appealing.

I'm really looking forward to sharing the exact colours I've chosen for my Dune blanket - you'll have to wait a little longer for this information as I won't be publishing the colour list until the yarn packs become available in my shop. I know, such a tease! I am going to show you some of my blanket though......

.....would you like to see?

When it came to deciding on a pattern for my Dune blanket, the obvious choice would have been something Ripple-ish or Wavy. I did ponder on this decision for quite some time (I so very nearly went with the Neat Wave), but I found that my Creative Mind had other ideas and I began to fixate on my collection of shells. 

Shell or scallop patterns are popular in crochet and there are masses to choose from once you go searching. After a lot of sampling, I settled for a type of shell pattern which is slightly different from the usual crochet shells, in that the pattern is worked up in two different rows. I can't tell you how much I love it! It's a fabulous pattern to crochet, easy to get to grips with and very, very therapeutic.

The other thing I really like about it is that it has two distinctly different sides. Both are lovely so there isn't really a right or wrong side as such. The above photo is what I'm calling the front.....

....and this is the reverse. 

The blanket has a gorgeous squishy texture, but the little holes at the base of the shells stop it from looking too dense. I'm so happy with it I have to say.

I've been asked if this would be a good pattern for beginners, perhaps those of you who are relatively new to crochet but have tackled the Sweet Pea, Cosy or Hydrangea stripe and are looking for your next project? I would say absolutely YES, this is a great next step. There is slightly more learning to do with this pattern in that the start and end of the rows change depending on whether you're working an even stripe or an odd stripe. But aside from that it's a very easy pattern to memorise and crochet, and I'll be making my usual full photo tutorial to help you step by step through the pattern.

As you can see, Tilly has been "helping" me to test the blanket for snuggleability qualities and I'm pretty certain she's given it the kitty seal of approval.

Currently, I'm about two thirds of the way through my Dune journey and absolutely love it to bits. I'm hoping that I'll have everything ready to share with you in about three weeks time, around the middle of April.

I won't be running this project as a Crochet-A-Long this time. There will be a Dune yarn pack which will contain a full colour printed pattern, and I'll share a full photo tutorial (with a complete stripe order) free here on my blog too. 

Thank you for always showing such enthusiasm for my designs and ideas, it means the world to me that you enjoy what I do.

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Comments

[Carolyn Coleman]

No wonder I’m drawn to your Dune colours. I’ve lived on the Fylde coast all my life and spent many hours on our beaches.
I look forward to making this blanket and using these beautiful colours.

[Carrie]

I love your colour choices, and the way you manage to capture the essence of an idea.

[Susan R]

I love your work and your wonderfully detailed blog. I find it both relaxing and inspiring.:What camera do you use, if you don’t mind me asking.

[Kari Quiros]

The colors and pattern of this blanket is absolutely gorgeous! Just out of curiosity (and I am sure that I am not the first person to ask this) but have you ever wanted to make a book of your past and present patterns?

[Debbie]

I am intrigued by your Dune blanket and am looking forward to more. Your blog writing is so detailed and interesting. You have a real talent for it! I also enjoy your patterns and the process you go through to arrive at them.

[Jan]

Please continue your posts. It’s great to see how your life continues as your children grow. Just finished your harmony blanket...it was a joy to do.

[Jessy]

omg it looks gorgeous!! so dreamy

dorky-and-weird.blogspot.com

xoxo <3

[sandra]

The new Dune blanket looks gorgeous and I look forward to making it. Your beautiful photos would make a very special coffee table book!

[CJ]

Lovely soft colours, I can't wait to see it in full. I always like your posts, the travel ones make me feel as though I was by the sea myself for just a moment, that's the magic of them I think. CJ xx

[Laura]

Love it! Your work inspires me!

[Charlotte.]

Great soft colors. Another winning blanket on the way.

[Sue Beneke]

I loved the scenery and your beautiful blanket.

[Deborah Whittingham]

Lucy, your posts and blankets are always so beautiful and it brings me so much joy to read/admire them. I joined in your Sweetpea CAL and thoroughly enjoyed it thank you; my dilemma is that my children have eczema and so need cotton blankets and when I contacted Wool Warehouse about you being remunerated if I bought a colour palette in similar colours but cotton, I was informed you were only credited if I bought the acrylic pack. I did do that on this occasion but wondered if you’d ever considered doing a cotton yarn to run alongside the Stylecraft special?! Huge thanks for all the joy you bring to me and so many. Best Wishes, Deborah

[Jo]

Oh, that close up of the moon snail shells made me Ooooh out loud!! Utter perfection! They are more lilac and silver-coloured on our beach here in Jersey, and are my favourites too.
I've been loving your blog and everything in it for the last eight years, so just carry on as you are, please, it really does bring joy and creative inspiration.
Love, Jo

[Melissa]

I positively adore the colors and inspiration! The water is a balm to me as well. I want to get your color pack and jump right in! I also love reading your minutia - so delightful.

[Jo]

Dear Lucy, your posts are such a TONIC! Having just spent a few days on the shore in beautiful Brittany doing just as you did , I thought what a lovely blanket the colours would make and here you are with those perfect colours all ready! Thank you for anticipated pleasure to come!

[Rahela]

Love it! How beautiful are those colours? And that stitch! Fabulous. Can't wait for when its released

[Esther Albors]

I absolutely love what I see, Lucy! I live on a tropical island filled with bright colors, but the seaside is calm and reflexive. I am looking forward to this one as I finish my Summer Ripple blanket.

[Pippa Moore]

Thankyou so much for your reply to your previous post. We are off this morning on holibobs. Cannot wait for a trip now to Lytham and also the dune blanket !
We've been holidaying up near Skipton for many years now and we first went there because of your blogg. Love it now so much and very much look forward to coming up north each year. I've visited many of the places you've talked about on your blogg , your certainly a great ambassador for Skipton !
Best wishes Pippa

[Andrea]

thank you Lucy for sharing the beauty of where you live , i enjoy it ALWAYS , i love your talent ,thank you for sharing , iam looking so forward to April when the Dune Blanket starts ,by then i will be finished whith my sweet pea blanket,I love love love your talent of choosing the right colors

[Alexandra]

Looking amazing, as a beach babe this is a lovely combination of colours; does it include any of the new ones - Cornish Blue, Spearmint, Toy, and the pink one?

[Jenny Boucher]

Oh Lucy, I am so excited about your Dune Blanket. What I have seen so far is gorgeous. Loving the colours in your photos too. You have such a wonderful way of 'talking' about what you have done and what you will be doing, I can't help but be excited. Thank you so much for such a fabulous blog. I absolutely love all the information you put into them.

[Jane M]

You have such a wonderful eye for colour, Lucy. I can’t wait to see the finished article 👍🏻

[Susan]

This is such a pretty pattern and I love the colours you have chosen you amaze us every time with your lovely creations once again another to look forward to making.
I am on the last 8 rows of my hydrangea blanket so not long until it is finished.
Thank you Lucy for all of you wonderful blankets this is my 5th blanket I just love making them you encouraged me after 30years to pick up my crouching hook and start again.

[Laura]

We (my daughters included!) love it! Can't wait to see the whole blanket. Beautiful photos, my favourite times at the beaches are when they are deserted too.