Hello my lovelies, it's good to see you again here in the Attic and I hope you've all had a good week? If I'm completely honest with you I've been very up and down this past week which has been a bit draining. I'm trying to just allow the ebb and flow of emotions to run their course and to accept that this is all part of the process of coming through ten months of altered living. None of it is easy, and a few ups and downs are to be expected.
I've been treating my Meadow blanket a bit like one of those comfort blankets that small children are obsessed with, carrying it around the house with me so that it's always in sight. Even when I'm not sitting with my crochet hook actively making stitches, I just like to know that the possibility of it is right there where I can see it.
As much as I could be truly content to while away many hours with a blanket project on my lap, this sadly doesn't work for me any more. Because of the osteoarthritis in my hands, I find that it suits me best to crochet in short bursts these days. I usually aim to complete 2 or 3 stripes a day if I can, and I spread this out throughout the day. I move around the house depending on the time and what the rest of the family is up to - in the evenings I'm usually sat right beside the fire, but during the day I am sometimes sat on the sofa....
....and sometimes sat in bed. I know it might seem strange to climb into bed during the day, but I honestly love it, it feels beautifully self indulgent and comforting. I'm spending a lot of time in my bedroom as it's the only room in the house where I can close the door and spend short periods alone when I need to. I reeeeaaaaally miss having time on my own, it's probably been the hardest thing for me during the past year.
As you know, when I create these weekly CAL instalments I love to celebrate our online crochet community by sharing photos that have caught my eye on Facebook and Instagram. This week I'm sharing some fabulous blankets which are using the new crossed-stitch meadow stripe pattern but with alternative colour palettes.
Lets take a look.......
↑↑ Helen is using the Attic24 Woodland palette and working the colours as a beautiful repeating gradient...
↑↑ Dominique is using the pretty Attic24 Cupcake palette for her blanket...
↑↑ Sarah is making a coastal meadow blanket using the Attic24 Coast palette...
↑↑ Sonja is making two blankets together (impressive!) - alongside the Meadow colour story she is creating a beautiful Dune blanket too...
↑↑ Kirsty is using the vibrant Attic24 Aria palette to make this glorious rainbow blanket which is already looking stunning.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but I hope you know that you can join in with the crochet-a-long using any yarn you like, and it certainly doesn't have to be purchased especially. Some of the most wonderful blankets are born from scraps of stash yarn, and I've been delighted to see some Meadow Stripes growing from yarn balls that might otherwise just be sat in storage.
↑↑ Suzi shared her stash blanket on Instagram and I think the colours are so playful and happy...
↑↑ Bree shared her bright stash blanket, and I love how bold the colours are...
↑↑ Rachel is using a wonderfully calming palette of blues, greens and neutrals for her blanket...
↑↑ Vivien is joining the CAL from Egypt and is using yarn that she was able to buy locally - I think it's looking fabulous!
I wonder if you think about the summer meadow when you're crocheting your stripes?
Do you picture the grasses and the wild flowers in your mind as you rhythmically create your cross stitches? I know that I do, and I really enjoy the relaxation that comes when I allow my mind to wander back to another time and place.
In week 3, we will be continuing with the mix of purples, pinks, yellows and greens as we work up towards the centre of the blanket. The feel of this section is similar to last week, but we'll be introducing a new shade - Wisteria. This was inspired by the Creeping Thistle which grows around the rough outer edge of the meadow. This is a common wild flower, often found along hedgerows and verges and it grows in weed-like abundance in my neighbourhood.
The Creeping Thistle plant is tall but the flower heads are quite dainty - a little pompom of delicate strands in the most beautiful shade of soft mauve.
Wisteria is the perfect match, and as we move up into the top half of the Meadow Colour Story you'll see just how well it works.
The vibrancy of the colours in week 3 are an absolute delight, and at times there are some surprises (Raspberry next to Dandelion? Oooooooo!!)
Would you like to see how the Meadow blanket will look once 45 stripes are complete?
There you go.......isn't it lovely?
I especially love how beautiful the bold yellow stripes look - remember these are the buttercups in the meadow (even though the yarn colour is called Dandelion, it really is the perfect buttercup shade).
I'm absolutely loving watching the meadow blanket grow and am thoroughly enjoying the way the colours are working together to create something so warm and joyful. I am smitten!
I imagine by now that you are very at ease with the cross-stitches and I hope that you are enjoying making these easy-peasy rows. The texture is really great, and as the blanket grows I hope you're also enjoying the squish factor?! As you work on part 3 this coming week, you should begin to have the benefit of those blankety stripes keeping you warm as you crochet - ah well if you are in the Northern hemisphere that is, I guess it's not quite the same level of comfort for those of you in warmer climes!
Lets have a look at this weeks colours as we approach the half way point of the meadow meander....
Here is the colour info for Part 3 of the "COLOUR STORY" Meadow Blanket.
Remember each stripe is made of two rows of crochet.
Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.
31. Dandelion
INSERT OPTIONAL STRIPE HERE - Grape (for double bed size blankets)
32. Lavender
33. Raspberry
34. Mushroom
35. Grape
36. Pale Rose
INSERT OPTIONAL STRIPE HERE - Lavender (for double bed size blankets)
37. Dandelion
38. Raspberry
39. Wisteria
40. Grape
41. Pistachio
42. Sage
43. Lavender
44. Buttermilk
45. Raspberry
Here is the colour info for Part 3 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Meadow Blanket.
Remember each stripe is made of two rows of crochet.
Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet (the mixed stripe is on page 2 of the PDF)
31. Dandelion
32. Lincoln
33. Mushroom
34. Wisteria
35. Grape
36. Meadow
37. Buttermilk
38. Duck Egg
39. Sage
40. Lavender
41. Raspberry
42. Pale Rose
43. Parchment
44. Pistachio
45. Cloud Blue
↑↑ I spotted this beauty on Facebook - Janice is following the "repeating colourwash" order for her meadow stripes and it really is looking very beautiful. If you need a reminder of the colour order for this sequence you can find it listed in Part 1 of the CAL.
I wanted to take this opportunity to give you a little nudge with regards to your tail ends.....are there any confessions of straggly edges that need to be shared???? Or have you all been angelic and darned them in as you go? Darning in tail ends is a necessary part of creating a striped blanket, and I would urge you to do them as you go along. It takes mere seconds when you put down your hook - snip, thread and darn, and you are done. I've explained the process of doing it in the Meadow Stripe tutorial if you need a little visual reminder.
Well, I think that's about all the meadow chitchat for today, I hope you have a beautiful, stripe-filled week!
Here are the updated links for you....
🌸 MEADOW CAL PART 1 - stripes 1-15
🌸 MEADOW CAL PART 2 - stripes 16-30