Meadow Blanket CAL :: Part 4

The May meadow is probably my absolute favourite as the whole field erupts in a glorious haze of yellow buttercups. It is honestly breath taking, and in late May you can often find me wandering here in the golden glow of the evening. The buttercups last all summer long but they are at their floral peak as May tips into June which just happens to be  my most favourite time of the entire year by far. I adore this time when Spring is just about to give way to the full blown surge of early summer, it makes me sooooo happy!

I have a curious relationship with the colour yellow in that I can usually only deal with it in very small doses when it comes to crochet projects. I love its warm happy vibe, but I think it can be quite disruptive in a colour scheme that strives to feel balanced and harmonious. Yellow can be so shouty and loud, it's a real diva! However, when I was pondering on colours for the Meadow blanket there was no doubt in my mind that yellow had to make an appearance, I mean, the meadow just isn't right without buttercups, is it?

I've been so delighted with the Dandelion shade of Stylecraft Special that I chose to include - it's a relatively new addition to the range and the first time I've had a chance to use it. I really hope you've been enjoying the bright pops of golden floral colour too, and that you're loving the colours in general? I can't get enough of them, they are honestly making my days feel brighter and more uplifted and I am so grateful to have this project on my hook this season.

I've been struggling with the weather this week, it's been very cold here in Atticland and I've felt the chill right down into my bones. I've been inhaling my hot milky coffees, wearing my woolly mitts, sitting as close as I can to the fire and of course delighting in wrapping up in yarny stripes. After part three is complete, the meadow blanket is long enough to give some delicious snuggle time and I've been taking full advantage this week. If you didn't already know it - I love love love love love crocheting blankets, most especially in the winter months. There is nothing like it for sheer comfort and joy.

Before we take a look at part four of the Meadow walk, I'd like to share some of the gorgeous blankets that have made my heart skip this week on Insta and Facebook....

↑↑ This is the second blanket I've seen which uses the Snuggle Stitch, and I think it works incredibly well with the meadow colours. The above photo was shared by @mwmolwh on Instagram -  the pattern is by Pip Lincolne and can be found ((here)),

↑↑ Julie is using the meadow colours with a linen stitch, isn't it lovely? This is a slow growing, dense stitch very well suited to smaller blankets.

↑↑ Tonya wowed so many of us on Facebook with her blanket which uses a very pretty Alpine stitch. I've never seen this stitch before but I love the way that it makes the crochet rows look as if they're woven.

↑↑ I shared Catherine's mosaic crochet blanket in part 2 of the CAL, but thought you'd appreciate an update - it's looking stunning! For those who have asked, the pattern is the "Queen CAL" by Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir which you can find on Ravelry ((here)).

↑↑ Kris is making the cutest little hexies with her Meadow yarn pack and I'm excited to watch this blanket grow and take shape.

↑↑ Maria is making a giant granny square and I absolutely love the simplicity of this classic pattern which allows the colours to take centre stage.

↑↑ Sarah is making amazing progress with her "Meadow Harmony" squares and I know this is going to look fabulous.

↑↑ Linda went her own way with the meadow colours and made a glorious baby blanket using a mixed stripe pattern.

↑↑ Julie has made the most beautiful blanket with a stunning arrangement of the meadow colours, I love it!

↑↑ This beauty was shared by @still_loopy on Instagram and absolutely stopped me in my tracks - wow, it's soooo beautiful! The pattern is the "d'Histroire Naturel" blanket designed for the 2020 Scheepjes CAL and you can find all pattern details ((here)).

Isn't creativity just fabulous?? I really, really enjoy seeing so many variations and new ideas springing forth from my own designs and colour palettes and it always makes me feel in awe of our fabulous crochet community. So much talent and passion :) Thank you to everyone who takes the time to share photos on social media, it really is one of the delights of the CAL for me.

OK, lets get on with our meadow walk shall we? This week we're heading into part four and we're now moving into the top half of the meadow story. We'll start to lift our eyes from ground level to look beyond the smaller wild flowers. It's where we begin to notice the gentle sway of grasses and the slightly more subdued hues of the meadow and we'll be introducing two new colours this week - Lincoln and Parchment.

These two colours work perfectly to describe the tall summer grasses.....

....and some of the more neutral coloured wild flowers which grow in the meadow.

Although the meadow flowers really do take centre stage, the grasses in the summer meadow are amazing too. I don't know many names of the grasses, but I've just recently bought a book so that next year I can have a go at learning them. The illustrations are so dainty and beautiful (this is an old fashioned Observer book from the 1970's which I bought second hand) and I've been enthralled by the pages.

You may find it a little strange to introduce the Parchment shade at first - after all the wonderful colour play in the first half of the blanket, this quiet neutral might seem a little bland. But as the blanket continues to grow, the softness of this colour will come into it's own I promise.

As you complete part four, you should begin to see the slight change in the meadow story. It's a subtle shift, but I think you're going to LOVE how this is working - there is a gentle softening of the colours, and honestly, it's just a delight.

Would you like to see how all sixty stripes are looking at the end of part four?

OK.....here it is (with Tilly's "help")......

.....there you go, isn't it looking goooooood?! Can you see how the top of the blanket is taking on a slightly different feel?

The stripes of the Meadow are soothing and calming.....

....and filled with the warmth of Summer. I love them....LOvelovelove them!

Ok, lets get to grips with the stripes for this week.....

Here is the colour info for Part 4 of the "COLOUR STORY" Meadow Blanket.

Remember each stripe is made of two rows of crochet.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.

46. Wisteria

INSERT OPTIONAL STRIPE HERE - Sage (for double bed size blankets)

47. Pale Rose

48. Buttermilk

49. Meadow

50. Dandelion

51. Grape

52. Lavender

53. Sage

54. Pale Rose

55. Buttermilk

INSERT OPTIONAL STRIPE HERE - Dandelion (for double bed size blankets)

56. Lincoln

57. Lavender

58. Parchment

59. Pistachio

60. Sage

So here is the colour info for Part 4 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)

46. Wisteria

47. Meadow

48. Dandelion

49. Parchment

50. Pale Rose

51. Grape

52. Lincoln

53. Buttermilk

54. Cloud Blue

55. Sage

56. Pistachio

57. Mushroom

58. Raspberry

59. Lavender

60. Duck Egg

↑↑ Jan shared her baby Meadow blanket on Facebook and I think it looks absolutely wonderful. She completed three repeats following the Colourwash sequence - remember if you need a reminder of the colour order for this sequence you can find it listed in Part 1 of the CAL.

I'm wishing you all a happy week, I hope you find some joy in gentle creativity and colour therapy. Have fun!

Here are some links for you, should you need them....

🌸 PART 4 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

🌸 MEADOW CAL PART 3 - stripes 31-45

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Nina Kellock]

Anothe gorgeous blankt, and oh, the cosiness of that fire! We could do with that over here today, so wet and grismal.

[Gina]

Hello - really enjoying seeing all the blankets people are making. Can anyone direct me towards a book or website which explains Alpine stitch in UK terms? Also linen stitch? Thanks very much!

[PAM]

Your socks match perfectly Lucy.
Love the colours

[Simon]

I still love the texture of the CAL pattern, but I'm also loving the look of the Snuggle stitch - I'll have to try it sometime! Also the linen stitch blanket is of great interest to me because I made a linen stitch scarf for my sister's Christmas present, but only using two colours. Seeing a multiple colour version is very inspiring.

Looking forward to the rest of the CAL posts:)

[knottyblanket]

is this website down? https://www.scheepjes.com/en/cals-and-mals/scheepjes-cals/scheepjes-cal-2020/information/

[Julie Sit]

I just finished part 1 of the Meadow Cal. Now onto part 2!!!

[Diane Ruel]

Have 6 more rounds of edging on my Aria blanket then will make a start on the meadow and so looking forward to it 🥰

[Jen Ballington-James]

Gill, please don't worry - I'm doing two blankets at once so effectively done the same amount - it's time which is slowing me up - I barely get a couple of hours a day, if that. I started late too (my own fault!) so don't worry. I'm not especially quick at crocheting either so I just poodle along in my own world! I didn't finish Dahlia until September! Just take your time, do what you can, when you can..The most important thing is that you enjoy what you do. Whether it's half a row or 10 stripes! One of my friends crochets so fast I swear her fingers must be a blur! I'm never going to be that fast! She's very talented, I'm a plodder but hubby loves what I do - he thinks each throw I do is for him - he wraps himself up in them when he's watching the telly! Hence why I'm doing 2 at a time this time! Colourwash and Story - one each! He's never been interested in my knitting even when it was for him, so I was stunned when he fell in love with Dahlia and the Sweet Pea my speedy friend sent me as a beautiful gift!

[Janet Reilly]

I am in love with your beautiful and charming blog! I recently started crocheting again after an absence of some years. I finished a twin size Afghan for my little grandson and just ordered the yarn and pattern for your Aria blanket for his sister. I can’t wait to get started. Your love of color and beautiful patterns inspire me!

[Kay]

I'm so sorry to ask and it's probably a really dumb question but what is a CAL? Kindest Regards Kay

[Teresa Kasner]

Hi Lucy, it's fun to see so many different design options using the same colors. I am doing that last colorwash pattern and love it. Thanks for being our intrepid leader on this! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

[Justine Robson]

Squeeeeeee!!!! You shared our blanket!!! Thank you so much, I'm absolutely loving making it. Love MWMOLWH xxx

[Paula]

I’m loving seeing all the different blankets....I wonder whether Julie would share her squares sequence? I’d love to tackle something like that once I’ve finished this one

[Miss Daisy]

Julie and Catherine's blankets are ABSOLUTELY STUNNING !

[Catherine Sudarshan]

Very sorry dear Lucy, I got my numbers completely wrong. It should read 52, 53, 54 and 55. And the difference in the colours ( pistachio and sage) is for number 53! Sincere apologies for this error. Best wishes.

[Catherine Sudarshan]

Dear Lucy,
Thank you seems to be too simple to type, but Thank you!
May I clarify the colour order for the following in the colour story please ?
47, 48, 49 and 50 I think should be lavender, pistachio, buttermilk and pale rose if I read your electronic palette correctly.
Also may I point out that your blog mentions pistachio for 48 and the printable version says sage. This would mean we end up with 7 of sage and 5 of pistachio which may or may not matter in the end.
Once again thank you!
Praying for good health, peace and joy. Stay safe and stay blessed. Catherine

[CJ]

My eldest son bought me that Observer book for my birthday a while back, it has pride of place on my mantelpiece. How well he knows me. I love seeing everyone's different interpretations, the linen stitch is very good. It's been strangely mild here, I've even turned the heating off. Birds singing before dawn as well. CJ xx

[Susan]

I'm enjoying seeing your progress, but also some of those beautiful rugs you've popped on from your followers. I wish I'd had the nerve to order the pack, but with so many restrictions, I was convinced it would never arrive here in our country before 2022, so missed this one. I may try & get hold of the pack later in the year if everything eases. Keep warm as we know how cold it's been for you from messages we receive from DH's family in Leeds. Take care, stay safe & hugs from down under.

[Pam]

I think it is amazing that people can take the same pack of colours and make such wonderful varied blankets. Crochet has certainly moved on from the traditional ‘granny square’. There are some extremely talented crocheters out there and it is no longer the domain of ‘granny’. Also I think in the trying times we are going through at the moment handicrafts are more important than ever.

[Heather Coady]

Just love watching it grow the blog and other versions

[Gill Hollister]

I’m still on R5 Part 1. Developed Arthritic thumb.
I’ve OA everywhere 😊Sore, slow going. Get there in the end.