Yuletide Blanket :: Ta-dah!

The inspiration for the Yuletide blanket came to me in a flash one day when I was noodling over the idea of trying to make something Christmassy. I am probably in the minority here but I'm not a real lover of Christmas time - for me personally I much prefer to celebrate the turning of the seasons, with the Winter Solstice being more meaningful to me than anything religious. And so the idea of designing a Yuletide blanket began to take shape - a blanket that celebrates all that is cosy and seasonal about this time of year. In my mind I began thinking of clementines, gingerbread, spices and mulled wine. Candlelight, fairy lights and a crackling open fire. Pine, holly, ivy, eucalyptus and berries. These are the colours, scents and tastes of the Yuletide season for me and provided a rich source of creative inspiration. Oh, I really fell down a deep and delicious Pinterest hole when I was conducting my Very Important Yuletide Research. I gathered some of my favourite images into the collage above, and immediately my heart was invested.

 

 

As all this inspiration gathering was happening earlier in the year in spring, I had to work hard to get into the spirit of winter. I went out on a woodland walk and gathered in some ivy and small pine branches. I have eucalyptus growing in my back yard, and a quick shopping spree on eBay delivered me some dried orange slices and star anise (which smells heavenly). I was slowly beginning to build a Yuletide colour palette inside my Creative Mind, and after a LOT of faffery I ended up with 12 deliciously seasonal colours.....

This is of course my favourite go-to yarn for blanket making, Stylecraft Special DK. I chose a mixture of reds and greens for seasonal foliage, with some golden warmth added in to represent the orange slices, spices and firelight.

Top row :

♥ Burgundy ♥ Tomato ♥ Gingerbread ♥ Bottle ♥ 

Middle row :

♥ Claret x 2 ♥ Gold ♥ Cypress ♥ Teal ♥ 

Bottom row :

♥ Lipstick  x 2 ♥ Camel ♥ Sage ♥ Kelly Green x 2 ♥ 

The Yuletide yarn pack contains 15 x 100g balls of Stylecraft Special DK (12 colours, with 3 of them doubled up). You can click on the following link to find the yarn pack in my shop at Wool Warehouse...

YULETIDE YARN PACK

My friends at Wool Warehouse do a wonderful job of sending my yarn packs out all over the world, and I am so thankful to them for making this happen with such efficiency. They are a genuinely lovely family owned business and they work incredibly hard making sure that our yarny community is provided for. You probably already know that I earn a small commission on each pack sold through my shop, so I want to take this opportunity to thank you so much for supporting me in this way. I am unbelievably grateful.

Also, you know I always publish my patterns here on my blog for free, but in addition to my online tutorial there is an 8 page full colour A4 printed pattern included in the Yuletide yarn pack. 

Back to the colours....ahhh, there they are look, all stacked up and looking very lush and Yuletide-ish. I always like to make squares with my blanket colours before I embark on the actual blanket making as it gives me a great overview of the palette and helps me to become familiar with how they are playing together. Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate Little Lady's beautifully painted co-ordinating claret nails? She made a very good hand model I have to say.

I adore the Yuletide colours ordered in a pleasing colourwash like this, and I had an idea that some of you might perhaps want to make a colourwash striped blanket in future? Just in case that idea appeals, here is the colour list for the order shown above >>

1. Burgundy
2. Claret
3. Lipstick
4. Tomato
5. Gingerbread
6. Gold
7. Camel
8. Cypress
9. Sage
10. Kelly Green
11. Teal
12. Bottle

It occurred to me a little while ago that not everyone likes to make squares, so I'm also planning to work on a random stripe order for the Yuletide yarn pack. That way you could use one of my existing striped blanket designs with the Yuletide colour pack and hook away to your hearts content. I'm sorry I haven't had chance to do this before now, I just ran out of time. I'll post the stripe order here on my blog later in the week.

I began working on the Yuletide blanket back in April after a LOT of pattern sampling. I'm so happy with the design that I created especially for this blanket, it makes great use of the colour contrasts in this palette and is an absolute pleasure to crochet.

The pattern uses all UK treble stitches so it is beautifully rhythmic and speedy to work up. There is just enough thought needed to prevent boredom setting in, but the pattern repeats are simple enough to provide that essential relaxation factor. It's important to me that my designs are kept simple enough for beginners to feel confident to give them a go, so I always aim to keep the stitch pattern very straightforward. The real skill comes in the colour play, and that's something I am particularly good at - I can make even the simplest of patterns look pretty darn lovely because of the way I bring the colours together.

Of course even I make mistakes - this pattern relies heavily on using colour contrasts so that the spike stitches create little heart shapes in the rows. I didn't always get this right and had to frog back rows which weren't working, but it was always worth the extra time and effort to make those hearts pop out. They're cute, eh?

I worked steadily on my blanket through early summer - it had many outings to the café where I could hook up those long soothing rounds whilst chatting to friends and drinking coffee.

I took it with me to celebrate "Worldwide Knit in Public Day" (believe it or not I'm sat with around 30 other knitters and crocheters in the above photo, but we were socially distanced so I look like I'm all on my lonesome. I promise you I was in great company).

But mostly, summertime crochet took place in my back yard, and I discovered the joy of hooking with my feet up (literally) when my new sun lounger arrived. Oh.....the pleasure was off the scale!

Having never crocheted a giant square blanket before, I have to tell you that I was very quickly in love with the process. Once the first dozen or so rounds were out the way, the crochet rhythm was a delight. And the bigger the square became, the more I was able to lose myself in those lengthening rounds. Bigger rounds means less stopping and starting (and less darning in of ends) and as a result I think this was one of the most relaxing blankets I've ever made. 

Awww.......I see hearts !!! Do you like the way this stripe pattern works?

I hooked up 78 rounds in total for the Yuletide blanket, then set about creating a border to add a  calming effect to the outer edge.

I kept it very simple, using a combination of plain red and green rows to balance out the slight busy-ness of the stripes.

I couldn't quite believe it when I'd finished the blanket and laid it out for the very first time. It measured a very satisfying 150cm square and when I was able to get a good look at it as a whole (instead of glimpsing it all folded up in my lap while I crocheted it) I fell head over heels in love with it. Head. Over. Heels.

It had been hard for me to visualise the effect of this stitch pattern over a large area as I was working on the rounds - like I say, I've never made a huge square before. It really is absolutely stunning I have to say and the scale of it makes it something really special. 

I had been a little worried about the "twisting" tendencies of giant crochet squares, but in the end after 78 rounds there was only a very, very slight twist to the centre of my blanket. I think the spike stitches help to keep everything aligned and I'm happy with how it turned out.

The overall square shape was a little out of whack after I'd finished crocheting, but I knew that blocking would easily take care of it. I washed my blanket on a 30 degree wash, then while it was still damp from the washing machine I spread it out on the Attic carpet and stretched it out gently until it was beautifully square and straight. I left it to completely dry for a good 24 hours and then the following day, this happened....................

 ..............ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't it rather fabulous?!

Like I say, head over heels in love.

Love love love love love it, with hearts in my eyes.

A few weeks ago when I started working on the printed pattern which is included in the Yuletide yarn pack, I realised I would need a suitable photo for the front cover. I decided it would be fun to pull together some props and conduct a little amateur product styling. I purchased a couple of red pillar candles and some juicy clementines, then went gathering in the greenery. I used the lovely little copper wire lights that usually hang along the mantel, and then finally I lit the fire. It felt a bit odd to light the fire so early in the season but it was a cool afternoon and it certainly did help deliver some cosy Yuletide spirit.

After a lot of creative faffing I ended up with a few photos that I was happy with - if you buy the yarn pack, you'll be able to see the front cover of the pattern and let me know what you think.

As you know, I always like to make a full tutorial to support my patterns with the hope that any newbie crocheters out there will feel confident to give it a go. I think this is a good pattern for beginners to try - the spike stitches take a little bit of getting used to (mainly due to needing a good control of yarn tension) but it really is just UK trebles so the pattern is easy to learn.

I suggest in the tutorial that you work up the first 6 rounds (2 pattern repeats) to get the hang of the way the design works and to check out your sizing and tension - if you're happy with your square after six rounds then you can carry on and make it as big as you like. You can find the tutorial in the usual place over in my left hand side bar, or click on the following link to go straight there >>

YULETIDE TUTORIAL

At the end of the photo tutorial I typed out a traditional pattern - this can be copied and pasted into a word document so that you can save it/print it if you wish.

My little furry assistant was on hand to help with the photography, of course she was. I think she couldn't believe her luck when the blanket was draped and arranged just so, providing her with the perfect fireside spot. I always make a big song and dance about not lighting the fire until Proper Autumn arrives and it's truly chilly enough to need it, but secretly I adored having the cosy warmth of those flames on a dull afternoon in early September. Just don't tell J. Speaking of the husbundo, I have to thank him for working with me on the printed pattern and the worksheet as well - as part of the tutorial you can download a worksheet which lists the colours to help you stay on track with your rounds. He also made me this.......

Yuletide graphic very cleverly made by J ♥

......which I think is rather spectacular. He's a clever so and so.

Well I think that's about all I need to say for now, I hope you've enjoyed this little slice of early festive celebration. Thank you as ever for your enthusiasm and support around my creative projects, I really do appreciate it very. very much.

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Here are the links again for the pattern and yarn kit, and the colour worksheet too....

♥ YULETIDE YARN PACK (contains a full colour printed pattern)

♥ YULETIDE TUTORIAL

♥ YULETIDE COLOUR WORKSHEET

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Comments

[Vicky Crosby]

Hi Lucy
is there a way of doing the Yuletide blanket in the same pattern of the stripes.but not making it a giant square? Thanks Vicky Crosby

[ViolasHook]

Hi. I began the Yuletide blanket but think I may switch to a striped version instead. Where may I find the random stripe sequence you mentioned? I did purchase the Yuletide pack. Does anyone have a recommendation for the best striped pattern to try? Thank you.

[Gemma]

I am nearly finished the Yuletide blanket. I just have the border left to do. I reversed the blanket after every row (which I always do on granny squares) and this helped keep the blanket straight and gave it a nice texture. The three pattern rows worked out fine reversing every row. I was also able to add 15 extra rows from the yarn I had (excluding the extra balls for the border) and I still have yarn left. The colours have been much admired even by friends who are not into crochet.

[Paula]

I’ve just finished my blanket, it’s been a dream ❤️ Thank you for such a gorgeous pattern xx

[Martine CHAPITEAU]

Hello
I started the Yuletide blanket but would like to make a pillow. It seems to me that for a cushion, it would be necessary to take a smaller hook. What do you think?

[Susan]

I am enjoying working on this blanket. Like some others have mentioned here, I am finding a bit of twist. Im wondering, do you think starting the next row from a different corner starting point would help this? Does having the start of a round always from the corner maybe cause the twist?

[Joan P Johnson]

I’m wanting that eucalyptus tree in my backyard!

Beautiful blanket
It’s on my list of to do’s. Probably start next year so I’ll have time to get it done.

[sandwichpanel]

Thank you for your good website

[Diana]

Ordered my kit this morning. I can’t wait to start! Wool Warehouse is the best. I’m hoping that the next pattern is a Yuletide bunting or wreath. Thanks for another wonderful color way & pattern.

[louise Porter]

I'm so pleased with the ease of the pattern, I like the large photographs as I find pictoral patterns easier than worded. It grows so quickly and the wool is so soft, I'm looking forward to seeing what you are making with the leftovers

[Ruthie]

It looks beautiful Lucy, I love how different your blanket colours are from each other! X

[Rusty Reynolds]

You’ve outdone yourself with this one, Lucy!

[Sarah M.]

This whole pattern and blanket are completely smashing. LOVE! Thank you again for making these projects available to us and so kindly sharing your knowledge with the rest of us! I once was a newbie crocheter and your blog and tutorials were (and still are) a haven. xx

[Corinne Schillinger]

Dear Lucy...thank you for your wonderful Yuletide Blanket pattern...I LOVE IT, and the colors are truly "delicious"....!! I remain concerned that perhaps NOT TURNING the square at the end of each round may make the center, especially, look a bit "wonky"....My questions to you then are these:
1. If I choose not to turn the blanket at the end of each round, how do I keep the center looking even and not veering off at an angle?
2. If I DO turn the blanket at the end of each round, will that spoil the look of the pattern in any way?
3. If I block the blanket when it is completed to correct any "wonkiness", will that blocking last indefinitely, or will I have to repeat that each time the blanket is gently laundered? Thank you so much, Lucy for your time and willingness to answer my questions...I appreciate it very much!!

[Erika in Florida]

My yarn arrived today, all the way to Florida in two days! The colors are beautiful and the pattern is easy to understand. It looks so intricate I expected the pattern to be more fiddly! I guess it's all in how the stitches and colors are put together. Thank you for your work on this - it's really going to be lovely and relaxing to work on.

[Sandra]

My pack arrived this morning after only been ordered yesterday at 8am, Wool Warehouse are awesome.
I so looking forward to starting this gorgeous Christmassy blanket, I love all the little 💜 ♥️ and I like the fact it’s a square rather than stripes for a change.
Thank you for all the hard work you put into your blankets Lucy.
You have made my life so colourful, thank you so much.
Xxx

[Charlotte Pountney]

Lovely blanket and convincingly Christmassy photographs!

[Nadine G]

Bravo à vous, Lucy ! Oui des petits cœurs sur cette nouvelle couverture, comment ne pas aimer ? 🎨😘

[Julie]

My Yuletide parcel has just arrived, well done Wool Warehouse and Royal Mail for the speed of delivery. Just sitting down with a cup of tea and looking through the instructions, Lucy it is presented wonderfully and the picture on the front is fantastic, it says everything about the feeling the blanket will give you, warm, cosy and such rich colours when put together. My fingers are itching to start.

Thank you for putting this together, your a star.

[Lise Sostack]

It's beautiful, Lucy (✷‿✷)

[Clair]

Such a masterpiece Lucy. I just need to finish the cupcake blanket kit which I am working on then this might be after that. Thank you Lucy for all you do. Clair x

[Simon]

Great post, and the Yuletide Blanket looks amazing! I can't wait to download the pattern! It makes such a change to have a Christmassy pattern which isn't red, white and green! And for some reason I can't help thinking of gingerbread when I look at it? I haven't done much in the way of spike stitches before so I'll definitely have to practise that part of it. I just hope I have enough colours knocking around to make it up!
Thanks for sharing this with us all. Take care!

[Susan]

Think I'll order this pack as I really need a crochet "pick-me-up" at the moment with all these ongoing restrictions here in Oz. Feeling low, so this will give me a much needed boost heading towards a possible lonely Xmas again without family. Thanks so much for all your work & effort to bring this to fruition for us. I've some catching up to do too with blog reading. Take care, stay safe & hugs.

[Linda from Boston]

Kit is ordered and will be here Friday. Love Wool Warehouse. Got a color card set up and did a tension sample to get familiar with the pattern. So I’m all set!!!! Thanks for all your hard work. I love being part of this global crochet community. 🧶

[Patty]

I ordered early this morning and received a notice that it is on it's way! Looking forward to this pattern and using some colors I haven't tried before.