Meadow Blanket CAL :: Part 3

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....

🌸 PART 3 PRINTABLE WORKSHEET

🌸 MEADOW YARN PACK

🌸MEADOW STRIPE TUTORIAL

🌸MEADOW PRINTABLE PATTERN

🌸 MEADOW BLANKET INTRODUCTION

🌸 MEADOW CAL PART 1 - stripes 1-15

🌸 MEADOW CAL PART 2 - stripes 16-30

 

 

Comments

[Elizabeth]

Hi there. Thanks for all your hard work on this. My wool packs have arrived and I want to make a king size. I noticed that in the tutorials, you have inserted extra rows for double size. Could anyone give me an idea of what I should be doing in terms of adding in extra stripes for king size or will those come in future tutorials? Many thanks x

[Marylin Ollivier]

Hi Lucy
My yarn packet arrived today and I am soooo excited! I have a lot of catching up to do and like you, I have osteoarthritis in my hands, so have to take a day or two here and there as breaks...it is what it is. Here on Vancouver Is, BC Canada, we are all living thru different stages of 'lockdown' as well. And I find that I too, am overwhelmed and out of sorts some days. But just looking at this packet of coloured yarns lightens my heart. Thank you so much! Take Care, MO

[Loretta]

I love your needle minder that I have noticed on your cross stitching projects. Can you please share information on where it came from. Thank you,

Loretta

[Carine]

Hello Lucy,
Just a warm Hi from the wett Eifel in Germany. Expecting lots of snow starting tomorrow. No, I'm not looking forward to it, but we will have to take it as it comes.
Have a nice evening.
XXX Carine

[Lynn Dee Butler]

Hello Lucy! I am just finishing my 3rd sweet pea blanket. Two color wash and this last one the posey stripe. I confess I don’t darn in my ends until the end and it’s always a such a monumental task! But I always find mistakes and have to undo rows to fix. Once I redid 30 rows. Yes, I know I am a perfectionist but the blanket was a gift and I needed to give my best & be perfect for my friend. I now check my work as I change colors and that has fixed my ripping out so many rows. So I am going to darn in those ends each week. I have more ends to darn in then the boarder before I start the Meadow blanket. I’m in such a hurry. I am really looking forward to those lovely colors to work up! I’ll be almost caught up by the end of the CAL! I’m just too excited to go slowly! Wheeeee!

[Sarah Lauwerijssen]

Hi Lucy,
Its funny i have kept it together this past year but this last week i found it hard to get out of bed, think of making food. I have had both wrist operated on (CTS) first before Christmas and just after. Its been difficult trying to stay positive. But i am healing, everyday a bit of knitting, i have athiritus all over. Stiffness is a major pain.
The isolation is getting to everyone, i have a 20 year old and a 17, and a husband who teaches higher education. Trying to find a quiet space is difficult :)
Today i did a catch up on your blog. I have been following you from day one. You said about your oldest being 11. I had to go back and look at his little feet photos.
My daughter also will be doing Christmas decorations differently:) apparently i am to hip hash :o
I am learning that my children are adults and i am not nearly needed as i once was.
You make alot of people happy, i hope that we give you positivity in our feed back.
Stay safe, happy and sain ;) Lucy.xx

[Beverley]

Although I am not making this beautiful blanket at the moment, I am loving the colours and design and look forward to seeing the progress with each weeks CAL.
Hope you have more ups than downs this week. Take care x

[Becki]

Hi Lucy I’m so sorry you’ve not been feeling yourself this last week, it really is understandable. It will do you the world of good to make time for yourself although it must be frustrating when your hands are sore. I’m glad you’ve been able to do some hooking today. Thank you for the CAL it’s wonderful to see everyone’s work. I have a pack ready to start but can’t concentrate properly just yet, will do soon though. Take care and thank you too for your fabulous posts, Becki xx

[Helen]

Just a suggestion Lucy, have you investigated what Sir Ranulph Fiennes' has to say about arthritis. He recommends something called 'honeygar'. My mum's friend swore by it and followed the instructions in his book to the letter every morning. Best wishes, Helen

[Gail Knapton]

It's a good thing we are all so different - I just can not see the beauty of so many different colours put into a blanket - for mr it's colour overload.

[Leslie]

CRAZY a excited that my yarn arrived this morning! So I’ll be running a bit behind (as usual) :D but am so eager to get started. Thank you, Lucy, for sharing this wonderful project. We are all going through SO much, and it really is a wonderful way of sharing and uniting (the major new theme here in the US) through this community! Stay well, and stay sane! 😃

[Sharon Garrison]

What lovely blankets. I need to use up single skeins of yarn and you are motivating me.
Thank you.

[Teresa Kasner]

Hi Lucy, I'm doing the color-wash sample repeat and I'm loving it. I'm glad you're taking lots of breaks so your hands don't get over done. I understand the missing of the alone time - but now all our kids are gone and we're retired so all of our time is quiet and peaceful. Someday it will be like that for you and then you'll miss having your babies around. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

[Linda from Boston]

Loving working on this blanket. Getting nice and cozy on my lap!! The clover brings to mind that when I was little, my mother would take clover (with long stems) and braid them together. Just keep adding flowers as you go along braiding. She’d make a crown of flowers for my head......tying the end with a stem and tying the whole thing to form a ring. White, pink, purple.......all together. So beautiful. She used to do that when SHE was little. So this blanket brings back those precious memories for me.

[Georgina Richardson]

Thanks for this, I'm enjoying this lighter coloured blanket, my second of your designs.😊 I have another pack on order as I will make the mixed stripe next... I confess I am leaving the ends until I have done 🤭 in truth it helps me start & finish in the right direction. I'm novice crocheter so will look at the tutorial notes before I do the second colourway. Like others, I'm doing a couple of colours per day but as I am also doing a KAL have to watch balance 😁

[Kim]

What a glorious choice of colours! I might have to make one of these blankets!

[Mandy Bryant]

Absolutely loving the colours and the very relaxing pattern !
Thank you Lucy 👍👍👍👍

[Christine]

Thank you Lucy for this and was happy to hear that you put it down and do 2 or 3 stripes as I'm doing same I cant do a lot and I am still on Part 1 so now feel encouraged And love the picture of Tilly cat

[Lily Veenendaal]

Everybody has these ups and downs... but keep on crocheting. I had problems with my hands for more than a year, but then the handproblems slowly started to disappear again... I am now 58 and my hands are working fine again!!!! So keep up hope!!!And always keep moving!!

[Franziska]

Dear Lucy,

thanks for creating this beautiful blanket - it is really giving me hope and comfort during those dreary winter Corona months.

Greetings from Germany!

[CJ]

Ups and downs here too, and a bit of a creative slump alongside lots of work. But as you say, it ebbs and flows and everything will right itself soon enough. It's so lovely to think about summer meadows at this time of year, a very cheering thought. Although I do really enjoy the winter, the summer is utter bliss. I'm starting to see a few spring bulbs poking through already. Lovely to see everyone's blankets so far, and I really like the idea of using up stash yarn. CJ xx

[Doris]

Dear Lucy,
can't join in the CAL at the moment, but I am oh so thankful for this corner of the internet. Your blog is always such a treat, and even more so these days. I'm looking forward to give the pattern a try with the cosy stripe yarn pack once things get less stressful in my life. :) Until then thank you so much for your great work and inspiration. It truely helps to see the beauty in life even in this dark winter.

[Drusilla cleary]

The colours are so uplifting in dreary January. Love your blog. Drusilla

[Dawn]

Thank you Lucy for your post. Love your honesty about the rollercoaster of emotions - it’s good to give ourselves permission to go with the flow after 10 months of ‘new normal’, isn’t it?
Have a great, colour - filled week!
Dawn