Attic24 CAL Number Eight

Ever since I learnt to crochet my first wobbly granny square in the summer of 2007, I knew that I would be a blanket maker. I had my heart set on making a granny square blanket for my two Little People to snuggle under (they were aged 3 and 4 at the time) and I've been crocheting blankets ever since. I absolutely loved making blankets right from the start, and whenever a blanket was finished I would always feel a deep sense of loss followed by an immediate itch to start a new one. I quickly learnt that it was futile to ignore the lure of yet another blanket project and allowed myself to just do what my heart wanted, and my heart always wanted another blanket on my hook. I became addicted, and now here we are fourteen years later and that craving has never left me.

My first blanket Crochet-A-Long (CAL) came seven years later in the autumn of 2014. I had fallen in love with the wonderful colours of Stylecraft Special DK and decided to create a striped blanket that I would share on my blog in weekly instalments. It wasn't a new concept by any means, but I'd never actually followed a CAL myself and didn't really have much idea about running one either. I just thought that I could design and publish a free pattern, tell folks which colours they needed, then give out fifteen stripes per week until the blanket was complete. I'd already begun working with the wonderful people at Wool Warehouse, so it was a natural decision for us to create yarn packs which contained the fifteen colours I'd selected for my first CAL blanket.

What I hadn't bargained for at the time was the huge amount of excitement that would come my way from the world wide crocheting community, WOW, I remember being so, so thrilled when people actually started buying the yarn packs and following along to make their weekly stripes! It was an amazing feeling, knowing that I was inspiring people to find joy in making blankets in beautiful colours, and the wonderful sense of belonging that wraps around you like a warm hug when you create alongside so many other like minded souls. 

This year I'll be leading the way with my eighth blanket CAL, and it's safe to say I'm more than a little bit excited about it! Before I tell you all about the latest stripes on my hook, I thought it would be fun to look back at the previous seven blankets and the colour inspiration behind each one - I wonder if you will recognise them all?

♥ BLANKET CAL #1 {2014} COSY STRIPE ♥

This blanket was inspired by the colours of Autumn - leaves, seeds, berries and flowers. It was the first time that I'd created a colour palette with a definite "theme" and all my subsequent CAL projects have been inspired by the seasonal landscape or by nature.

You can read more about the inspiration behind the Cosy colour palette in this post ((here))

♥ BLANKET CAL #2 {2015} SUNNY LOG CABIN ♥

This colour palette was inspired by my love of the summer season and the colourful flowers I always have growing in my back yard pots. I designed a large square blanket for this CAL, made up of 16 colourful log cabin blocks - it's one of my all time favourite designs, and you can see more of it in this post ((here)).

As well as the large log cabin blanket, I also crocheted the same Sunny colours into a vibrant granny stripe blanket. You can read more about it ((here)).

♥ BLANKET CAL #3 {2017} MOORLAND ♥

For this CAL I changed the timing and moved it from the pre-Christmas period into the start of the New Year. I love the idea of having something to look forward to in the darkest of our winter months, and ever since then my annual CAL's have always run through January and February.

The Moorland blanket was inspired by the colours of the moors close to where I live in August when the heather is in full bloom. It was the first time I'd designed a blanket as a "colour story" where the stripes are ordered to mimic the colours seen when viewing the landscape. You can read more about the colour inspiration in this post ((here)).

♥ BLANKET CAL #4 {2018} WOODLAND ♥

Another autumn inspired colour palette, this time it was my woodland walks which provided a rich source of inspiration. I designed this blanket as a companion to the Moorland, so another colour story sequence which takes you on a walk through the trees.

Lots more photos about my inspiration ((here)).

♥ BLANKET CAL #5 {2019} SWEET PEA ♥

My fifth CAL blanket proved extremely popular, and I have to say this floral inspired colour palette really is incredibly pretty. You can see lots more photos in this post ((here))

As well as the mixed stripe Sweet Pea blanket, for the first time I created an alternative colour order. This is where the same fifteen shades were arranged to create a colourwash effect, and it's something that really sparked a lot of interest at the time. I've since created colourwash stripe orders for many of my blanket kits - there is something very pleasing about seeing a colour palette ordered in this way.

♥ BLANKET CAL #6 {2020} DAHLIA ♥

Similar to the Sweet Pea, I created two versions of the vibrant floral inspired Dahlia blanket - a mixed stripe and a colourwash.

You can see lots more inspiration photos ((here)) - dahlias are soooo photogenic!

♥ BLANKET CAL #7 {2021} MEADOW ♥

A very pretty summery colour palette inspired by the wild flower meadow very close to my home. The meadow became a very special place for me during the lockdown months in 2020, and I adore this colour palette. You can see more of the inspiration photos ((here)).

Actually this crochet along only finished eight months ago because it ran throughout January and February of this year, but I was working on the colour palette and design ideas way back in the summer of 2020. Generally speaking, by the time I'm chatting to you about a new CAL, I've already been obsessing over it for many, many months. And when I say obsessing I really do mean it - I put a tremendous amount of heart and soul into all my blankets as they are inspired by places or things that I have a deep emotional connection to. I take hundreds of photos which feed my initial ideas through a lengthy design process, and this means that my colour palettes are always the end result of a huge amount of pondering and creative faffery. Can you tell?!! I wouldn't have it any other way, I'm passionate about creating colour palettes that tell a story and bring joy into the finished blanket.

Anyhow - back to the present day, and being that we are now in November you may have guessed that it's almost time for my next CAL yarn pack to be released into the world.....oh, I may be just a teensy bit excited to share this with you.....!

Are you ready to see what has been floating my boat since May this year?

Some of you may have already guessed from the little peeks of the ripply blanket on my hook just lately, but let me tell you more.

My next blanket is inspired by the coast, specifically the gorgeous colours of fishing boats against the calming blues of sea and sky.....

........this is the HARBOUR blanket, and I'll be releasing the pattern and colour instalments at the start of 2022. All these photos were taken earlier this year in May when I took a short jolly to the North Yorkshire coast to photograph some of my favourite places. I've had the idea to make a harbour inspired blanket for a few years now, as I have so many happy memories of holidays spent in Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay and Staithes on the Yorkshire coast. And of course my childhood home in Dorset and the harbours at West Bay and Lyme Regis have often featured in my blog over the years so you know how much I love these places.

Boaty colours are bright aren't they?! I love the jaunty, jolly holiday feel of these colours, and when they are set against a palette of cool blues, they really do harmonise beautifully. As well as a mixed stripe I've also created a colourwash version and I'll be chatting more about this when the yarn packs launch in twelve days time.

As you can see I've designed a new ripple pattern to gently blend this colour palette into a really beautiful and joyful blanket. This is an incredibly soothing and easy ripple to work and is perfect for beginners, or for those of you who like to immerse yourself in some easy therapeutic hooky rows. I can't wait to share more with you in January.

As in previous years, yarn packs will be on sale in my shop at Wool Warehouse very soon so that there will be plenty of time for you to get your yarn sorted if you wish to join in with the CAL in the New Year. I'll also publish a list of the colours so that you can check your stash or shop local if you want to. The launch date for the Harbour yarn packs is Tuesday 16th November, and we usually aim to have everything go live at 8am - put the date in your diaries! The packs will contain 15 balls of Stylecraft Special DK (my usual thing) and Wool Warehouse will ship worldwide. Did you know that my yarn packs get sent out to more than a hundred countries around the world, isn't that amazing? We truly are a world wide community, and I'm so, so thankful for it.

Right, I think that's about all for now - on the 16th November I'll have a lot more photos to share when I introduce the Harbour blanket to you in all it's colourful glory. I can't wait!

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Comments

[Becki]

Oh I love these gorgeous colours Lucy, what a lovely blanket the Harbour will be to crochet. So excited to get the yarn pack when it comes out and to add a new stitch to my ever growing collection!! Thank you soooo much. Love and hugs as always and take care. Becki xxxxx 🥰☺️

[Charlotte Pountney]

When I saw those stripes the other day, they made me think 'sunny seaside'!

[Cam]

Oh my- I love these colours- that’s my Christmas gift to myself sorted!

[Ann]

Lovely to hear how your crochet career started and has developed over the years as well as how your inspiration from nature around you turns into a colourful blanket.

[Sarah]

I don't need another blanket... But I love the colours. And Saltburn, Staithes, Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay etc. are my home coastline. I think I'm going to be making a blanket - if my wonky shoulder will let me!

[Linda from Boston]

Wow!! Loved seeing all the blankets. I’ve made so many, not only for myself, but as gifts. Love them all. Looking forward to this one too. Thanks for all you do!!

[Maypole]

Love these colours. I live near a harbour and the colours remind me of the fishing boats and beach huts. Lovely ripple too.

[Julie]

I love all your blanket kits. My son, Leo loves the finished blankets. He has certain ones for certain seasons. He is making sure I work extra hard on yuletide because he NEEDS it for Christmastime! Thank you for all your beautiful blanket patterns.

[Abby]

Really interesting to see all your blankets and inspiration in one place. Great to look back for a new follower and crochet novice.

[Dawn]

Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into these projects, it really is appreciated.
My first blanket was one I made for my granddaughter when she was born, I was mad into crochet and I found your blog. I used the wave pattern and wool I had and made a rainbow. That was eight years ago!
My first CAL was the Meadow blanket which I gifted to my BFF, she loved watching the progress and it was definitely her colours!
I'm six rounds away from the border on the Yuletide which all of my crafty friends love. My BFF bought a kit too, it's her first major crochet project and she's doing amazing!
I love the colours and inspiration behind this blanket, it's very cheery and really is like boats in a harbour. I can't do the waves pattern anymore unfortunately due to visual processing issues - it gives me a headache and makes me dizzy :( I'll have to use another pattern, but there are so many to choose from :)
Love from Ireland! x

[Sandra]

What lovely happy colours - I feel a West Bay meeting of the Dorset group is going to be in order, as soon as we can, after the launch of this lovely blanket. Exciting!

[Esther López]

👏🏻👏🏻💞💞

[Charlotte]

I am putting this yarn pack on my Christmas wish list. Often my daughters will look at that and one year purchased 2 of your packs for me. I really like the bright colors in this one.

[Corinna Mazzotta]

Gosh I hadn't realised I joined in on CAL 3 - was it really that long ago I found the Attic? However, I think you've missed one - unless Hydrangea wasn't a CAL? Was there a year we did two? There's a few I haven't done but currently loving the Yuletide (although not sure I'll get it finished in time 🤣) and Harbour looks fabulous so I'll be looking forward to that in the New Year! Thanks for sharing all your beautiful patterns & creativity with us over all these years.

[Haldis]

💕