Dahlia Blanket CAL :: Part 5

I have to say, I absolutely love love love Friday's during my crochet-a-long months, they shine up ahead, a beacon of brightness lighting up the end of each slow week. The gentle rhythm that the CAL brings to my life in the midst of winter is so very welcome, it really is the very best thing for keeping me afloat in what can often be rather difficult months. I know I've said this already but it never hurts to repeat the sentiment - thank you SO MUCH for joining me on this colourful journey, I really appreciate your company more than I am able to say.

I hope you've all had a good week and if you've enjoyed having some colourful crochet in your hands then I hope it has brought you comfort and pleasure. I know there are a good many of you reading my blog who don't actually crochet (and that's absolutely OK with me), so I hope you still find something in these weekly CAL updates to uplift you.

This week on social media, I've been thoroughly enjoying getting to meet so many furry (and feathered) friends of yours who've been enjoying the squish of the growing dahlia blankets. I know my feisty little kitty makes good daily use of the cosy comfort piled upon the furniture and it always brings about a certain feeling of contentment to see a happily snuggled little animal. Shall we take a look?

^^ This is Milo looking impossibly handsome underneath Marlous' blanket..

^^ and here is Jon Snow keeping a firm paw on "his" Dahlia blanket (Sorry Charlotte, but you do you know it's his)

^^ This is sweet Gracie snuggling into Chrissy's Dahlia stripes..

^^ and Sacha looking incredibly chilled out on Jan's blanket.

^^ Awww! Emily shared this lovely photo and that sweet, sweet face made my heart melt.

^^ Ruby really loves a good snuggle and Tracey's blanket is perfect for the job.

^^ Beans is also enjoying the comfort of Toni's Dahlia stripes..

^^ and Wilf looks absolutely adorable wearing Lynn's blanket...some dogs are just too cute for words aren't they?!

^^ this gorgeous photo was shared on Instagram and made my heart boom - how beautiful do the stripes look, but also how insanely photogenic is little Iko? Many thanks to @littlepawscrochet on Instagram for sharing some beautiful photos of her Dahlia journey.

I've seen so many beautiful cats and dogs sharing your love of crochet blankets, but there are other pets who also appreciate a fetching stripy creation..... 

^^ Oh Betsy, you sweet, sweet little thing!  I have a major soft spot for guinea pigs (we still have out piggie Lola who is a rather ancient 7 years old now), and Verena made my day by sharing this photo with us.

^^ A first time appearance in one of my CAL posts, we have the cutest little hamster! Say hello to Nacho!

^^ Helen's beautiful bunny is curious about that carrot-coloured ball of yarn..

^^..and Tilly is making herself right at home eating crackers all over Faye's blanket, how very nonchalant!

^^ Oh, I adore this photo, it made me hoot with laughter! Please say hello to Andy-The-Bird who belongs to Louise, he is obviously trying his best to help with the yarn situation!

^^ Here we have a very rare sighting of a lesser spotted Snow Leopard (aged 10), making her way slowly across the length of a beautiful rainbow Dahlia. Quite the well behaved pet, don't you think?!

^^ And finally, no furry or feathered pets in this household, but please say hello to Sue's companion Mr Prickles!! Another laugh-out-loud moment for me when I first saw this on Facebook!!

Thank you so so much for all your photos, and for continuing to make our online CAL community such a fun-loving place to be. 

Now I think it's time for a little bit of a flower fix............

I think pretty much all the dahlias I've shared with you in my posts up till now have been the big show-stopper types. You know, the huge dinner plate varieties and the very popular pom pom types which most people think of when they think of dahlias. When I visited Halls nursery, there was a whole glorious section the the growing field given over to much smaller dahlias, the type that have more open daisy-type faces. Here are just a few to give you a visual treat.................

To my mind, these are just as spectacular as the bigger brutes and I absolutely fell in love with them. Their simplicity is incredibly charming, and the colours stunning. They also have the added bonus of being a magnet for bees and butterflies which really added to the joy of the day for me - SO many butterflies flitting around those beautiful flowers, it was a delight!

Back in the Attic and I have to say I am really, really enjoying my Dahlia blankets. As you know, I have a lot of crochet blankets in the house (all over the house) but there is something very special about having the warmth of this particular floral colour palette during the winter months. It often feels like the sun is shining out of those stripes, they make me feel ridiculously happy.

I mean, just look at all that glorious heated colour ^^ !!! Yum, yum, it's so deliciously optimistic and upbeat, just like the flowers that inspired it.

So we are onto part five this week which sees us approaching the final stretch. I know some of you decided to stop at the end of Part 4  to create a shorter lap blanket or a throw instead of a full length snuggle/bed blanket. That's absolutely fine by me, and remember you can stop at any time if you feel your blanket has reached a length you're happy with.

Doesn't it look rather glorious? Like row upon row of flowers growing in a field perhaps?!

^^ this is how my Mixed Stripe dahlia is looking at the end of part 5 - you can see Tilly is carrying out her weekly Quality Control Inspection, giving it her full attention as per usual. 

Here is the colour info for Part 5 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Dahlia Blanket, we're making 18 stripes in total this week.

The numbers in brackets indicate which rows of the pattern you need to refer to.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.

70. Saffron : (pattern rows 3 & 4)

71. Fondant : (5 & 6)

72. Fuchsia Purple : (3 & 4)

73. Claret : (5 & 6)

74. Spice : (3 & 4)

75. Powder Pink : (5 & 6)

76. Shrimp : (3 & 4)

77. Lemon : (5 & 6)

78. Fondant : (3 & 4)

79. Lipstick : (5 & 6)

80. Magenta : (3 & 4)

81. Boysenberry : (5 & 6)

82. Tomato : (3 & 4)

83. Apricot : (5 & 6)

84. Saffron : (3 & 4)

85. Pomegranate : (5 & 6)

86. Blush : (3 & 4)

87. Fuchsia Purple : (5 & 6)

Next week (part 6) there will only be 12 more stripes to add, making 99 in total. Remember you can stop at any time if you feel your blanket has reached the right length for you.

I'll also be giving out an extra set of colours next week for those of you making larger Mixed Stripe blankets, in case you feel like adding onto the length and making your blanket longer than 175cm.

If you are jaunting along with the Colourwash version of the Dahlia blanket, this week it's all about the PINKS. Those beautiful rich, deep hot pinks with a hint of purple sneaking in. 

You'll be leaving the orange tones behind (one final stripe of Shrimp) and going full tilt through the heat of the pinks. There will be the remainder of Pomegranate, then onto the delicious play between Magenta and Fondant, with one stripe of Fuchsia Purple tucked right at the end of week 5.

I think these colours are my favourite dahlia colours of all, I absolutely love the utter prettiness of them.

They are very bold shades, but also very warm and inviting too....

...perfect summery tones of pink and purple.

So, so pretty.

Part 5 of the Dahlia colourwash brings a lovely feeling of balance to the whole blanket....

....and I absolutely adore the way these stronger pinks and purples tie in so well with the reds and oranges from the beginning.

Isn't it joyful?

I really do love love love it. 

Here is the colour info for Part 5 of the "COLOURWASH" Dahlia Blanket, we're making 18 stripes in total this week.

Remember there are 2 crochet rows for every stripe.

The numbers in brackets refer to the pattern rows, to help you keep a track of the pattern repeats and how each rows starts and ends.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet (please note that the colourwash list is on page 2).

70. Shrimp : (pattern rows 3 & 4)

71. Pomegranate : (5 & 6)

72. Fondant : (3 & 4)

73. Pomegranate : (5 & 6)

74. Fondant : (3 & 4)

75. Pomegranate : (5 & 6)

76. Fondant : (3 & 4)

77. Pomegranate : (5 & 6)

78. Fondant : (3 & 4)

79. Magenta : (5 & 6)

80. Fondant : (3 & 4)

81. Magenta : (5 & 6)

82. Fondant : (3 & 4)

83. Magenta : (5 & 6)

84. Fondant : (3 & 4)

85. Magenta : (5 & 6)

86. Fuchsia Purple : (3 & 4)

87. Magenta : (5 & 6)

I haven't seen many of you making the repeating stripe, but those that have popped up on social media have been absolutely stunning I have to say. The above blanket is Eva's after part 4 and you can really appreciate the mesmerising rhythm created by repeating the stripes in a set order. It really is beautiful. 

I hope this week is full happy creativity, and that you find some joyful colour to lift your spirits wherever you are in the world. Enjoy your days, I hope they have stripes in them!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

🌸 DAHLIA YARN PACK

🌸DAHLIA SPIKE STITCH TUTORIAL

🌸DAHLIA PRINTABLE PATTERN

🌸 DAHLIA BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 SNEAK PEEK of BLANKETS

🌸 CAL PART 1 

🌸 CAL PART 2

🌸 CAL PART 3

🌸 CAL PART 4

 

 

 

Comments

[Candace]

I am so in love with the colours and this pattern! I just need to work on a few WIPs before I start another blanket

[Anela-Southern USA]

All lovely blankets and the furry and feathered friends are delightful! The perfect time of year for cozying up under a blanket project, in fact I have two on the go at the moment, one for myself, a filet design and a hexi one for my daughter. Have a great day! xxxxxxxx

[Gaina]

Such a lovely post with all the furry cuddlies looking so cosy!!
I’m not doing this blanket along with you, but hopefully the next one!
I am in the middle of two others right now so enjoying seeing everyone’s blankets progressing. Makes me so happy 😁

[Sandra]

I love to see all the little animals sitting comfy or playing in the crochet blankets. Crafting and animals seem to go together. It's nice to see a little hamster in there.

[Kath Stephenson]

I just love the colourwash version x x

[Liz Sawyer]

Loved all the pics of the furries Lucy. The blankets are all beautiful too. Thank you 💕

[Susan]

Lucy, I can crochet for hours. How long do you sit and crochet? Do have a set time limit or do you work when you can for as long as you can? I feel guilty.

Susan

[Charlotte]

What a beautiful post I love them all. Do wish that Dahlias would grow in Florida. I am told it is possible but very difficult. We do have some beautiful blooming tropical plants. Maybe you should visit and do a tropical blanket. Thanks again for sharing this week with us.

[ALICIA Y SU CAMBALACHE]

ME ENCANTAN LAS FLORES!!!
Y LOS TRABAJOS DE CROCHET.
CHAUCITO

[Savannagal]

I just ordered my yarn - 2 packs. I can't wait to get started. I've printed the instructions. Now I just need to learn how to crochet. I hope I can find some helpful YouTube videos. I'm excited to give it a go. I really love the gorgeous colors.

[Mary W]

My eyes are extremely happy now! Does anyone else play with the photos like I do? That photo of the long view of the blanket showing Tilly on the top end - well not that one but the one JUST ABOVE it with the vertical stripes: when I scroll down, it seems to grow so play with it. I scroll down then up then down again. They play tricks with my eyes and is so fun. You usually provide at least one view that I can play with in every post. Thank you LOL.

[charlotte m.]

I am still on week one. I made myself finish my Dune blanket first. I am loving the vibrant warmth of these colors. I am doing the mixed stripe this time and I love love love it. Thanks Lucy!

[Linda from Boston]

Working on my colorwash blanket. Love the colors so much I ordered another yarn pack and I’m doing a mixed stripe one!!! Told my sister about your blog (she lives in Florida during the winter; Michigan in the summer) and she loved the Moorland Stripe blanket. She ordered the yarn pack and is loving working on it (even tho she hadn’t crocheted in years!). Love getting more people crocheting!! Thanks for your hard work.

[CJ]

Oh my goodness, so much cuteness among the furry and feathered friends. Guinea pigs are my favourites, and I'm very much a dog person as well these days. Although Bertie is not always hand-knitted-blanket-friendly. The open dahlias that are good for butterflies and bees are brilliant. Hope you have a good weekend Lucy. CJ xx

[Leah]

I am strolling along at quite a slower pace with my dalia. The colors have me mesmerized!