Attic24

Harbour Blanket CAL :: Part 7

I think this year more than any other year, my crochet-along seems to have moved very swiftly and I can't quite get my head around the fact that the Harbour Blanket CAL is over. Wah!!!! I'm NoT ready!!!!!! I don't want to let go of our weekly ripply get togethers just yet - I've loved sharing my thoughts with you every Friday and in turn I've really enjoyed seeing all the photos and commentary that you've shared in our online community. Thank you, thank you, to everyone who has joined me making a blanket, and to those of you who've been here and simply enjoyed the colourfest, it's been a good eight weeks. A fantastic eight weeks actually, and here we are now with the last instalment.

I really hope you've enjoyed making your colourful ripples during the past couple months, and for those of you who've only recently joined in, well then you've a lot to look forward to! Just to reassure you, my CAL posts stay accessible for whenever you need them, and Harbour yarn packs will still be available in my shop at Wool Warehouse if you decide this blanket is calling your name at a later date. You can always find the CAL posts in future by clicking on the Harbour Blanket CAL page (listed in alphabetical order in my list of patterns and tutorials) - all the links to patterns and posts will be there in one place to make it easy to find what you're looking for.

HARBOUR BLANKET CAL  PAGE

So today is all about giving a beautiful finishing edge to these vibrant ripples and taking your blanket from a work-in-progress to a finished object. Yes, your own personal Ta-dah moment is in sight, how thrilling is that?!!

As is often the case for me, I had a clear idea in my mind about what I wanted the border to look like, but I still spent many hours trying out different ideas just to be sure. I sampled many, many variations of wavy edges, scalloped edges and picot-pointy edges and in the end I came to the conclusion that keeping it simple was the way to go with this one. I had in mind something boldly stripy, kind of a nod to the coastal theme (think old fashioned British seaside windbreaks and deckchair stripes), and I'm really happy with how the Harbour border turned out.

The first round of the border flattens out the rippled top and bottom edges to create a good foundation for the simple stripy rounds to follow. If you are choosing your own colours for the border, it's a good idea to select a mid-tone shade for this round, something that will blend with the stripes and not stand out too much.

The stripes of the border are double crochet rounds (that's sc for those of you in the US), it's as simple as that. The beauty of this design is that you can make it as narrow or wide as you like - if you have enough yarn left over, you could make a wide band using all the colours if you wish.

As a rough guide, I used 18-20g of each colour, so you can weigh your own yarn balls and make sure you have enough.

For me personally, I prefer narrow borders around ripple and wave designs. I find that the visual movement created by ripples needs something simple to contain it, and that big fancy borders tend to fight a bit with the body of the blanket. It's a personal choice though, so please do feel free to make the border design your own.

I chose five colours for my Harbour border, and they are worked in the following order :

Harbour MIXED STRIPE (shown above)

1. Cornish Blue
2. Denim
3. Tomato
4. Dandelion
5. Cloud Blue 

Harbour COLOURWASH (shown above)

1. Cornish Blue
2.  Lapis
3. Turquoise
4. Apple
5. Spearmint 

As mentioned above, you will need approx. 20g of each colour.

Please feel free to have a play and change the colours if you wish. Remember that the first round should ideally be a mid-tone, blending type of shade (nothing too dark, light, or bright). You can then choose any colours that you like to build up your stripes - harmonise them into a mini colourwash, or pop them to create a bolder striped look.

I created a photo tutorial to help those of you who are visual readers, and to help beginners too.

You can find it in my list of patterns and tutorials, or click the following link >>

EASY EYELET RIPPLE BORDER

There is also a  PDF pattern which you can download/print if you wish, click on the following link >>

DOWNLOAD HARBOUR BORDER PATTERN

I hope that you enjoy sitting and work your way around the edge of your Harbour blanket, it's always a bitter-sweet time when you are coming to the end of an enjoyable blanket journey. I have absolutely LOVED making my two blankets, it's taken a lot of crochet time to make two blankets back to back but it has given me so much peace and satisfaction. Not to mention the fact that I am seriously in love with these coastal colours and jaunty ripples. The blankets look amazing on my sofa and are already being very well used by the family (Little B in particular is in love with the Harbour blanket, he says it's his favourite blanket out of all the ones I've ever made).

It might please you to know that I'm planning a proper-proper scenic ta-dah moment for my blankets, I mean, it was just too tempting an idea to resist! I've booked a few days away at the coast in late March when I hope the weather and the light will play nicely and I can take some good photos. I am ridiculously excited about it, of course I am, and I hope you won't mind waiting another month or so to see me jigging around with my stripes by the sea and ta-dah-ing all over the place. In the meantime, I would love love love to see your finished blankets - do please keep sharing on social media, either in the Facebook groups, or on Instagram (please tag with #harbourblanketcal on insta). And if you get to take your own blankets to the coast, please do take some photos to show me, I'd love that very much.

So, another huge THANK YOU for helping make this such an enjoyable CAL, I'm so grateful for your most excellent company as always. Thank you, thank you.

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Here is the link again for the printable border pattern so that you can download/print if you wish >>

DOWNLOAD HARBOUR BORDER PATTERN

If you need to find any of the other parts of the Harbour blanket CAL, I'll list all the links below for you.

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♥ HARBOUR YARN PACK 

♥ EASY EYELET RIPPLE TUTORIAL

♥ HARBOUR PRINTABLE PATTERN

♥ BORDER TUTORIAL

♥ HARBOUR BLANKET INTRODUCTION

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 1 - stripes 1-15

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 2 - stripes 16-30

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 3 - stripes 31-45

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 4 - stripes 46-60

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 5 - stripes 61-75

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 6 - stripes 76-84

 

 

A Snowy Saturday

Unlike much of the UK, here in Atticland we didn't really get hit by Storm Eunice in any major way yesterday. Yes it was windy, and yes we had a fair bit of rainfall, but nothing that really made me feel like we were weathering a huge storm. We got off very lightly I know, and I'm so grateful that we didn't have any issues with power at all, and no damage to deal with either, not a single wind-blown thing around our house. Very thankful indeed, and my heart goes out to all those who have been hardest hit by this extreme winter weather.

This morning it was grey and still when we went off into town to visit the market and shops, and we had absolutely no idea what kind of weather would soon be arriving. Nobody mentioned snow, it's been all about the high winds in the news so you can imagine how surprised I was to look out of the window in the early afternoon and see the sky swirling with big, fat feathery snowflakes.

After half an hour of watching from indoors, Little B said he really wanted to go out and see what the park looked like so we pulled on some extra layers and plodded slowly up the road to take it all in. The snow was the wet, icy, slushy kind that looks pretty from a distance (behind a double glazed window pane is ideal) but is actually really rubbish to walk in or play in. Snowballs end up as lethal, solid blocks of ice which can do hard damage, and the mix of mud and slippery slush in the park was a bit nasty to be honest.

But it did look pretty in my photos, and I appreciated the fact that it was oh-so-quiet and tranquil and perfectly winterish. At one point we were the only two people in the whole of the park, laughing and slip sliding down the icy, grassy slope, trying our very best to stay upright.

We walked up into the meadow with only the birds for company...

...and I was actually pretty glad when Little B suddenly declared he was ready to head homewards. 

I noticed for the first time that the crocuses are starting to show in the front garden, and I hope they don't mind the wintry weather because the temperature has been a steady 1° all day. They must be used to this kind of weather though, or is February just too early for them do you think? Mind you, it's not like you can talk to them and persuade them to reverse back into the safety of the ground, so I just hope they know what they're doing.

It was a certain feeling of bliss to come back into a warm home, flinging off wet outer layers and preparing to simply sit down for a while and feel cosy. Little B made himself a hot chocolate, then proceeded to gather together every single crochet blanket he could find to make himself a huge yarny nest to snuggle in. I tell you, he is never, ever content with just one blanket, no, no, not ever.

I managed to keep a hold of one solitary crochet blanket for myself (and I had to fight hard for it too), then speedily lit the fire and made myself a coffee before he could steal it from me. Two-thirty-eight in the afternoon and all was well in my world.

Today's best buy from the market was a bag of blood oranges which are in season at the moment, we got ten oranges for £2. I successfully managed to freak the Little People out when I cut one open and I so clearly remember having the exact same shock when I was a child. Watching Little B's face turn from horror to utter suspicion really made me laugh! I had to work hard to get him to try some, and of course he absolutely loved it, I mean, they are am-A-zing. The sweet flavour and the downright over the top juiciness really is wonderful.

My hyacinth is in flower, and it's turned out to be a beautiful pale pink colour.

So, so pretty. Weirdly, it doesn't seem to smell of anything much at the moment but perhaps it's just building up to it. Sometimes hyacinths can be like that, they can go from nothing much to overpowering in the space of a few days.

And finally in today's weather report, I'm here to tell you that the snow lasted precisely two and a half hours. One minute it was a blizzard out there, the next minute there was actual blue sky and sunshine and a full on melt situation. Talk about fickle.

I hope you've had a good day where you are, whatever the weather has thrown at you.

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New Year by the Sea

I've been thinking the past few days that it has seemed strange not preparing for a Friday blanket post, like there's been something missing from my week. The past six Fridays have been filled with such a lot of colour and coastal feel-good, and I've really enjoyed creating the weekly CAL instalments for you all. So I figured that if I'm not filling your screens with blankety stripes today, then perhaps you would like some coastal views instead? I've been meaning to share this little jolly with you for ages and now seems like just the right time to do it.  

At the very, very start of January, on the very first day of a brand new year, we left our little town and drove seventy five miles north east to one of my favourite coastal places : Saltburn-by-the-Sea. I'd discussed the idea with the family a few weeks before Christmas and we all agreed that it would be a lovely, gentle way to see in the New Year. I managed to find a very homely terraced house to rent through Airbnb for two nights, and the Big Teen agreed that he would happily stay home and take care of the kitty for us, so we were all set.

We arrived around lunchtime on New Year's day and I have to tell you this quiet little seaside town was absolutely heaving with people. So. Many. People! And dogs, and cars and hustle and bustle everywhere you cast your eyes, I've never seen it so busy, not even in peak summer holiday season. It was a little bit of a shock to be honest, but luckily we had arrived well prepared with a packed lunch in our bags and a familiar walk to do which quickly took us away from the crowds.

We've been visiting Saltburn  since 2010 when Little B was just a weeny baby, and we fell instantly in love with this charming, rather old fashioned seaside town. It's fascinating to read about the history of Saltburn which was established as a holiday resort in Victorian times specifically as a destination for "health, leisure and pleasure". I am totally onboard with the idea of leisure and pleasure seeking, and I think taking in the sea air for health benefits is absolutely spot on.

The walk we set out on was familiar and easy going, a steep climb at the start which took us up onto the clifftops to join the Cleveland Way. I really love the huge iron charm bracelet sculpture which stands about seven foot high on the edge of the cliff overlooking the north sea. There's a bench here which made for a lovely resting point for us to eat our lunch - winter picnics are just brilliant I think, although the Little People probably wouldn't agree with me. It was a bit on the chilly side.

You can see from the above photo how bloomin' glorious the weather was on New Years Day at the coast, we were so, so lucky and it really made me feel like we were beginning a brand new year in the best way possible.

It was around 3.30 in the afternoon when our walk brought us back down from the clifftops to sea level at Saltburn, and at the start of January the light was already beginning to fade.

We walked for a short way along this small stony beach....

...listening to the waves roll in and breathing in all that fresh salty sea air.

The holiday home that we rented was in the heart of Saltburn town, an old Victorian terraced house that's been in the same family for more than half a century. It had masses of character - huge rooms with old wooden floors and lots of vintage furniture.

It also had a huge collection of books and dvd's so there was quite a bit of film watching in the evenings which we enjoyed (although I did fall asleep on the sofa quite a lot). It was cold when we were there in January, but the house had the most fabulous radiators in every room - they were the huge cast iron Victorian style ones and my goodness they were efficient. The house was super-toasty warm and felt ever so homely, it reminded me a bit of the Youth Hostels we used to stay in when the Little People were small. Kind of old fashioned and a bit worn out but charming nevertheless.

The following day we set off on another walk which is a firm favourite of ours, although we realised that it's a walk J and I have done together many, many times over the years but never with the Little People. It's a circular ten mile route which begins and ends in Robin Hoods Bay, and as the weather was once again looking stunning I was really excited for a day of coastal walking.

This is a walk of two halves - the first five miles or so follow an old disused railway (called a cinder track) and it's pretty flat and easy going if a little muddy in places. The beginning part is quite enclosed with tall trees and steep banks on either side.... 

....but after a few miles it opens out and you begin to get tantalising glimpses of the sea.

The long distance coastal views are absolutely spectacular, especially on a gloriously clear-blue-sky day. We ate a picnic lunch with the above view, all four of us sat together on an old bench chatting and munching and viewing the view. It's the kind of thing that makes me so indescribably happy right into the depths of my soul - sunshine, fresh air and sea views, and a simple meal enjoyed with my family.

After our lunch stop, the footpath meandered right down to the cliff edge to join up with the Cleveland Way back to Robin Hoods Bay.

It's quite tough walking with some steep ups and downs in places, and on this day it was also incredibly muddy underfoot. It made the going slow and a bit arduous to be honest, but the constant sea views really did keep me feeling on top of the world.

I think it's safe to say we all felt very weary by the time we arrived back into Robin Hoods Bay. 

We decided to stroll down the steep hill into the heart of the village in search of a café where we could have coffee and cake, and honestly, the very thought of that refreshment kept my feet moving.

Robins Hoods Bay is such a charming little place and I've enjoyed it (and photographed it) on many, many occasions over the years.

The streets are narrow and atmospheric, the cottages leaning into each other as if they are tumbling down the hill towards the sea.

Unfortunately for us, this day was a national bank holiday in the UK and most of the shops and cafés were closed. Deep, deep, sad sigh. I was ridiculously disappointed, especially since we had arrived at the very bottom of the hill with the realisation that we simply had to turn around and walk aaaaaaaaaalllllll the way back up again. Without coffee! Or cake!! And my feet were ten-miles weary and oh, I did feel like having a very small but significant toddler tantrum at this point in time. 

The other three quarters of us were apparently fine about the sitch and it was only me having a melt down. So I pulled myself together and listened to J who was selling me the vision of a steaming hot cup of tea and some toasted crumpets back at our holiday home, with my feet up and a very warm cosy ambience to relax in. Sold, to the lady standing on the edge of reason.

Did I mention how cosy the house was, and how fabulous it felt to be back there after a day of muddy miles? And yes, I did indeed have my Harbour blanket with me, I never go away on holiday without at least one crochet blanket packed.

The next day was our final morning, so we spent some time tidying up and getting our bags all packed away in the car for the 10 o'clock exit deadline. We hadn't planned anything for the morning, thinking we would simply go for a wander and find somewhere to eat breakfast. Saltburn has some lovely woodland nestled along the steep banks of the narrow river valley, and although the paths were very muddy we enjoyed the stroll from the woods, through the valley gardens and down to the sea.

It was such a stunning morning without a single cloud in the sky - it's just after 10am in the above photo and we are on the seafront searching (once again) for coffee and some breakfast. Luckily there is a great little café right down on the front which sells Illy coffee (I am a big fan) and even better, they were doing a roaring trade in bacon and sausage breakfast rolls too. Yippeeee!!

We took our breakfast out onto the pier where we enjoyed a very, very windy time of it, my goodness it was bracing. But the coffee was superb, the expansive beachy views even more so. Happy, happy me.

Fully refuelled and full of energy, I desperately wanted to get down onto the beach and take myself to the water's edge. The tide was out and there was such a lot of breathing space, I couldn't wait to go and inhale it all.

Now here's a funny thing - all the men folk in my family really happen to dislike beaches and only set foot on them if absolutely necessary. My brother and my Dad are really not keen and neither are J or Little B, or my Big Teen Boy. So on this glorious sunny morning when the sea was calling my name, I could not persuade J or Little B to set foot on the sand, they just point blank refused. Luckily, I have Little Lady who is very much like me in so many ways and she was only too happy to be my sandy sidekick. J and Little B strolled slowly along the promenade, while Little Lady and I got swept along the sands by the gusty wild winds.....

....all the way to the waters edge.

It was so so so so beautiful, unbelievably so I think you'll agree. This is winter at it's absolute brilliant best - icy cold and fresh, and gloriously bright. I can't explain how happy I was in this moment, it was just the best feeling to be beside the sea drinking it all in.

Eventually it was time to leave, and after we'd reunited with the two sand-hating promenaders we made the slow, steep climb back up to the cliff top. Saltburn is a place of two halves - the lower half is down at sea level and is known as the old part of the town, and the upper half at the top of the cliff is where the houses, train station and shops are situated. There are various ways to get up and down between the two parts - there are steps (lots of them) as well as slightly easier to handle zig-zag pathways. And then there is the famous water powered cliff lift - sadly closed when we were there, but we have used it in the past. You can watch a little video about it on YouTube ((here)) - it's a very historic and well preserved bit of engineering.

You can probably tell that I have a real soft spot in my heart for Saltburn-by-the-Sea and I love spending time there. Its quirky charms and well preserved Victorian style really appeal to me, not to mention the fact that the waves here are legendary (it's a real surfer's destination these days, because of the aforementioned waves). It's only a small place (around six thousand residents) and has a wonderful down-to-earth feel about it - there is something very relaxing about the pace of life and the simplicity of what's on offer here that I love. Whenever we come to stay I always feel it doing me good, it brings me energy and peace and is a place that supercharges my inner battery.

We were away for exactly 50 hours, and it was everything that I'd hoped for when I booked the trip before Christmas. Time to rest and recharge, a change of scene, fresh air, scenic walking and top notch family time. And such a beautiful way to begin a new year too. 

Tilly missed us of course, and actually I was glad to be home in the end. Fifty hours away was just right.

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Winter-Spring Crochet

Just lately I've been thinking a lot about the space that I occupy online and the way that I share and communicate with you all. Just to reassure you, it's a good kind of thinking as I'm feeling very positive and also very inspired right now and I want to make sure that I'm using all this creative energy in the best way possible. 

I'm trying to get the balance right so that I can allow myself the chance to be creatively spontaneous and go with the flow, while at the same time being mindful of the fact that I have deadlines to work to at times. I also want to try much harder to make the timing of things work better as it's something I seem to be especially terrible at! I feel like sometimes I disappoint you all when I share my ideas for something and set out with great excitement on the design/making journey, and then run out of time to actually finish (I'm thinking of my Yuletide Garland for example, which I wasn't able to finish in time for Christmas).

Anyhow....I need to gather my thoughts together a bit better before I talk any more about all this, but it's all good stuff. Today I want to share with you what's occupying me right now so that you can see what's been on my mind, and on my hook. I LOVE to share my creative process here on my blog and I hope it's something that interests you too, well it would be a bit rubbish if I started to bore the pants off you, wouldn't it?!

I've got a vase of the most beautifully scented narcissus on my mantel at the moment, a surprise gift from a friend when we had coffee together last week. They really are the sweetest things, the flowers are ever so pretty and I love how dinky they are compared to daffodils. It probably won't surprise you to know that these flowers sent a message directly to my Creative Mind and in no uncertain terms told me that I HAD to try and crochet them. I mentioned it in my last blog post - I was supposed to be crocheting bits and bobs for a winter garland (frosty leaves and the such like) but all of a sudden there was cream yarn in my hand and a little narcissus flower flying off my hook.......

.......well I never. How did that happen?!

I went diving into my stash to pull out some additional colours and three more narcissus flowers bloomed before my eyes.

Then came this little viola, the sweetest little flower that I didn't even know I wanted to make until it was forming in my hands. I guess I was thinking about garden flowers that bloom now in February - narcissus, violas, cyclamen and polyanthus. I see them in pots at the supermarket looking so cheery and colourful, a little promise that Spring is on it's way.

When I shared these violas on social media a few days ago they caught a huge amount of interest and I had so, so many requests for the pattern. I did have the good sense to write up the first draft of the pattern as soon as I'd finished making these two flowers so that I wouldn't forget what I had done, but I would still consider these as samples. Before I publish a pattern I like to be 110% sure of it and know that I've done my very best to make it easy to understand and reproduce. It takes time, and patience.

The other thing to mention is that I do have a particular future project in mind for these flowers, and I'm still in the early stages of planning it. So I hope you understand when I say that I'm not quite ready to share the patterns just yet, but I still really enjoy sharing my creativity in real time as and when it's happening. It just feels better that way for me, I am one of life's natural sharers that's for sure.

I'm trying to properly re-focus now on the season we're in, and get my head back into thinking winter thoughts because I reeeeeeeally want to make my winter garland before Spring arrives.  The above photo shows my deconstructed Winter Wreath, and gives you a general idea of the colours I'm thinking about for my garland. 

I'm thinking about the frosty winter meadow....

....with it's icy, muted colours and the soft glow of a low winter sun.

I'm thinking about ice-edged leaves.....

....snowberries....

....winter cherry blossom....

.....and snowdrops.

I had a frustrating time at the weekend trying to come up with an easy snowdrop design, and the above blob is attempt number six that went in the bin then got pulled back out again. I'm pretty sure I can make a really great little flower if I keep on trying, especially as I don't think a Winter Garland would be complete without snowdrops.

I've picked out ten shades of Stylecraft Special DK for my Winter Garland :

Pale Rose : Powder Pink : Pistachio : Meadow : Lincoln 

Duck Egg : Parma Violet : Hint of Silver : Cream : White

I think it's going to end up being a winter-spring creation, but I'm absolutely OK with that. Spring doesn't properly arrive here in my patch until well into April so we do end up with quite a long winter-spring season. I've made 18 little blossom flowers so far, although I'm mindful that I'm still working on my Harbour blankets as the CAL is still ongoing. It's a seasonal juggling act, one that I'm very, very happy to be doing.

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Crochet Heart Inspiration

It's Valentine's Day today, and although it isn't a day I actively celebrate I do really appreciate the whole decorative hearts thing. Pretty hearts aren't just for one day of the year though, what a crying shame that would be!

I snapped the above photo earlier on today, goodness knows how many times you must have seen photos of my dining room fireplace with this crochet heart garland because it's been hanging here for many, many years. Every so often I contemplate making something new, but honestly I just can't bring myself to replace it because I don't think this room would feel like "home" without it.

This heart garland is rather old now - yep, it's so old that it actually pre-dates the Attic. I know, I know, it's a fourteen year old relic from life Before Blog (14 years BB!!) I had to delve waaaaaaaay back into my photo archives to find the creative evidence from 2008, and thought you might like to see what the colours originally looked like before they became a bit worn and sun faded.

I used Rowan Handknit Cotton  following a free pattern I found online ((here)), and the little button flowers were my own addition. 

Thinking about crochet hearts this morning got me pondering on the various heart-shaped projects I've designed and made over the years, and that perhaps it would be fun to see them all together in one place.

♥ Teeny Tiny Hearts : 2011 ♥

I used to make a lot of small decorative things at one time, and these little crochet hearts whizzed off my hook one day when I had a strong urge to be creative and play with colour. I wrote up the pattern for them ((teeny tiny hearts pattern here)) and then had a lot of fun making them into....

....a decorative twiggy display, like you do. You can read more about my creative process ((here)).

I've actually got no idea what happened to the teeny tiny hearts, where they ended up shall remain one of life's mysteries. I still have the very same twigs from 11 years ago sitting in a jug on my mantel as you can see in the first photo. Maybe I should make some more little hearts?

♥ Rose Heart Hanger : 2013 ♥

I've made quite a few of these over the years, all of them gifted to friends. The one pictured here was made in quite muted colours because I made it for someone who preferred this sort of colour palette, but I think brighter colours would look fabulous. 

You can read more about it ((here)) including pattern details.

♥ Valentine Sweet Heart : 2015 ♥

I shared this decorative heart on my blog in 2015, but I designed it the year before as a project for Simply Crochet magazine. I shared the pattern and how-to on my blog ((here)), and I've seen many versions of it being made and shared online over the years. The flowers are glued onto a heart shape made from pipe cleaners, but I've since found out that you can buy metal craft heart hangers that would work really well for this kind of project (like these ones on Amazon, or these ones). I'm squirrelling those links away for future reference....yes I do think I might need more floral crochet hearts in my life.

♥ Creative Heart Project : 2017 ♥

Crochet hearts filled the summer of 2017 when I worked on a large scale project for Yarndale. I designed some decorative hearts and shared the free pattern to encourage the worldwide hooky community to contribute to a big display at Yarndale, raising money for a mental health charity. 

I LOVED designing and making these pretty things, they were such a lot of fun and the resulting display (many hundreds of colourful crochet hearts) was a huge success.

You can find the pattern here on my blog ((heart decoration)).

And that brings us to the present. I decided yesterday that it was high time I created a new heart in celebration of Valentine's Day, and it just so happened that I've been crocheting some very sweet little spring flowers this weekend. I don't know how it happened to be honest - one minute I was thinking of frosty winter things for a new Winter Garland, and the next minute there were teeny little blossom flowers whizzing off my hook. One thing lead to another, and the blossom was joined by some cute little narcissus flowers, and then before I could stop myself there were violas too.....oh my......it was a bit of a Spring Flower Frenzy! Often times that's the way my Creative Mind likes to work, it really doesn't follow orders particularly well and much prefers to lead me on a merry dance of discovery.

Anyhow. Yeah....flowery things happened at the weekend, some new patterns which I am s-u-p-e-r pleased with and I'll be sharing with you here at some point, if you'd like them? In the meantime, let me show you the Valentine faffery that took place here in the Attic this morning......

.....do you like? The little blossom flowers (two sizes) were patterns I've used before, but the narcissus and viola flowers are the new designs. 

Incidentally, this floral Valentine's heart was arranged purely for photographic reasons as I really enjoy creating visual content for Instagram and Facebook. I haven't actually decided what to do with the flowers yet - maybe I'll buy one of those metal wire hearts I mentioned and make them into a permanent hanging decoration? Shall I???

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Harbour Blanket CAL :: Part 6

It's been a cosy, comforting sort of a week here and I'm really thankful for the ease of my days right now. February can be a tricky kind of a month to navigate, but thankfully this year I'm finding myself happy to simply enjoy being at home and let the days gently unfold. I keep reminding myself that this is a hibernation month and that it's a time to really embrace home comforts, and of course crochet definitely helps with this endeavour. I mean, how can there be any kind of discontent when there are colourful, ripply rows to keep us occupied and cosy?

I do still love to go out and about with my crochet though, and I would be truly lost without my yarny get togethers each week. I took the above photo as I was walking down the street on my way to Coopers Café to spend a few hours with my yarny tribe, doesn't my Harbour blanket look lush all rolled up in my coastal bag? The happy sight of it literally stopped me in my tracks and I had to photograph it to share with you.

Tell me, do you take your crochet out and about with you? Do you hook a row or two outside of the home, in a café, on a train, or on a bench? Or are you strictly a cosy at-home hookster?

I am very used to hooking out and about and have been making blankets in cafés ever since I moved to this town fourteen years ago and found my way into my very first knit and natter group. I am also partial to a bit of al fresco hooky too, especially if there is a view.....

.....ahhhhh, doesn't that look like a seriously good way to while away an hour or so? J took this photo of me rippling back in September when I was first starting out with my Harbour blanket. We were away for the weekend over on the east coast of Yorkshire and I really wanted to be able to photograph part 1 of the Harbour CAL in the place that inspired the colours.

I absolutely LOVE that I was able to see my newbie blanket out in the wild, it made me so happy! And it just so happened that the bench where I was sitting was right next to a small stack of lobster pots which had some of the exact same colours as my stripes. 

I don't know why it's so insanely satisfying to see a colourful crochet blanket outdoors, but there is something about it that makes me giddy with pleasure. I always take a small collection of my blankets on holidays with me and over the years I've often photographed them on the beach, beside the river, or up on the hills. I think the colours look stunning set against a natural backdrop, and it never fails to inspire me.

During the weeks that the Harbour CAL has been progressing I've come across some lovely photos on social media of your blankets enjoying the outdoor life. Oh, it makes me SO HAPPY to see them!!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely love love love that you feel inspired to head out with your stripy crochet and I totally get the appeal of it. It's fabulous!!

Would you like to see a little of what I'm talking about?

↑↑ Just look at these wonderful photos that Sheelagh shared, my heart literally skipped over itself when I first saw them. I especially love the blanket draped over the boat - those blue shades are coastal perfection!

↑↑ Philippa also felt inspired to take a jaunt to the coast in search of some uplifting colour and I can't explain how happy this makes me. I LOVE to inspire folks to take pleasure in their surroundings, and I encourage you to get out there and really look and see the beauty in the environment around where you live. There is colour inspiration everywhere, it's yours to enjoy.

↑↑ This beautiful, serene image was shared on Instagram at the start of the CAL in January and I couldn't love it more. Those tranquil, watery blues, ahhhhh, my soul loves them so much. Thank you Liz for this wonderful photo.

↑↑ Debbie was inspired to take her Harbour Colourwash on a jaunt to her local harbour, doesn't the blanket look lovely with it's boaty backdrop?

↑↑ This photo made my heart so happy - these beautiful harbour blankets are casually hanging out in my childhood place in Dorset, and it's just lovely to know that the yarny ladies there have been enjoying some sociable hooky time together. I wish I had been there with you - thank you so much Sandra for sharing with us.

↑↑ Further afield there are harbour blankets enjoying some amazing scenery in other parts of the world. If I remember correctly I think this photo was taken somewhere in the United States - isn't it wonderful? Thank you Lynette.

↑↑ Helen shared her Harbour blanket in progress while she was on holiday, and I'm glimpsing a little peek of a sea view there in sunny Western Australia. Lucky Helen!

↑↑ Stephanie is also in Australia and oh my gosh, just look at that view! This blanket was absolutely meant to be beside the sea, it looks so beautiful.

↑↑ Another gorgeous sea view for the harbour blanket, and I couldn't love it more. Thank you Charlien, this is picture perfect.

↑↑ And finally, feast your eyes on Amy's stunning sea view as she hooks up a few rows while on holiday in the Bahamas. The Bahamas!!! I'm not jealous at all. Honestly I'm not......sigh. Ok, yes I am really.

I so enjoyed seeing these gorgeous photos and seeing your beautiful views, thank you ever so much for sharing. 

↑↑ For most of us though, our blankets are staying cosy within the four walls of our homes, keeping us warm as we near the end of the Harbour journey. I hope that wherever you are sitting when you pick up your hook, that you are enjoying the summery seaside vibes and the bright colours no matter what the weather is doing outside the window.

Week 6 is here, and with that we will be celebrating the final stripe, and I'm sure you'll agree it's a weird mix of satisfaction and loss. These soothing ripples have kept us company for six whole weeks, and I hope they've made you happy with every single stitch (yes, even that pesky first row).

I'm certain that the rhythm of this easy pattern has wheedled it's way into your soul and if you're anything like me then you will most certainly miss it once the blanket is complete. Hasn't it been a joy? I wonder if you're already thinking of other colour palettes to take on an Easy Eyelet Ripple journey? Ripples are addictive things, in case you didn't' already know, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this pattern taking on a life of it's own once the CAL comes to a gentle close. 

Shall we have a look at the whole of the blanket now? Not an easy thing to accomplish I might add - I have limited floor space in my house, and lots of precarious balancing on the furniture was needed to achieve this aerial shot........

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

By the end of week six, you will have 84 glorious ripples of coastal colour brightening up your life, and that means that you only have nine more stripes left to make.

I hope with all my heart that you've enjoyed the soothing, meditative quality of the pattern and that these colours have brought some brightness into your home.

Lets take a look at this week's colours, we'll be working on the final nine stripes 76-84.

Here is the colour info for Part 6 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Harbour Blanket.

Remember each stripe is made of two rows of crochet.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.

76. Lapis

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

77. Apple

78. Lipstick

79. Clementine

80. Aspen

81. Aster

82. Spice

83. Spearmint

84. Turquoise

I have to say it's been a lot of work for me to make two blankets one after the other, but when I see the together like this I'm so happy to have twins! Haha, they really do play brilliantly together, each so different but with the same jaunty, happy-go-lucky, carefree personality. I love them so, so much - I'm a proud Blanket Mummy :)

The final part of the Harbour Colourwash blanket sees us gently gazing up into the sky as we round out all that bright colour with a little tranquillity.

You'll be using three colours to complete the final part of the colourwash this week...

Cloud Blue : Aspen : Spearmint

My camera didn't especially take to the paler shades at the top of the blanket and had a hard job picking up the contrast between the final colours. To be fair, the Aspen and Spearmint shades are very similar, but I do think they work well together. It's a gentle end to a very vibrant journey.

I've loved making this blanket in real time alongside you all, it's been great fun to be joining in with my own CAL. I'm not sure I know of any other designers who work this way, but I kind of like to be a little different! I know I'm going to miss these stripes, I'm already feeling a bit bereft although I'll be starting work on the border very soon so it's not over just yet.

Ok, lets climb up onto the sofa and see if we can balance on the very edge of the edge to have a look at the Harbour Colourwash in all it's stripy, ripply glory...........

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

Absolutely wonderful, it looks even better in real life and I love it very much.

Most of the time, my blankets tend to look like this ↑↑ because they're in almost constant use here in the Attic. I love nothing more than to see my Little People enjoying my crochet (the kitty too), it gives me such a profound feeling of contentment. My blankets certainly do get a lot of love and appreciation.

Here is the colour info for Part 6 of the "COLOURWASH" Harbour Blanket.

Remember each stripe is made of two rows of crochet.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet (the Colourwash is on page 2 of the PDF)

76. Aspen

77. Cloud Blue

78. Aspen

79. Aspen

80. Spearmint

81. Aspen

82. Spearmint

83. Aspen

84. Spearmint

I took this photo yesterday, and honestly I think it's right up there as one of my most favourite blanket photos ever-ever-ever. I absolutely LOVE how unapologetically stripy the blankets look when they are rolled up like this, it gives me such a massive amount of visual pleasure. Love love love love love. I LOVE my blankets, just in case you hadn't got that by now!!!

Before we finish this week, I want to mention a couple things about the remainder of the Crochet-Along journey. Next week we'll be having what I call a "catch-up week" where you can continue with your stripes if you've fallen a little behind, or simply enjoy your blanket for a while before you begin working on the border. You will need to make sure that all your ends are neatly darned in so that your edges are nice and straight and ready for the final part of the CAL.

Part 7 of the CAL will be published here on Friday 25th February, and that will be all about the border. I've picked out five potential colours for the border - I haven't yet decided whether I'll use them all, but thought it might be useful to give you a heads up on what I'm thinking.

I've picked out Denim, Cornish Blue, Cloud Blue, Tomato and Dandelion - these five colours should have slightly more yarn left as they only have five stripes each in the main body of the blanket instead of six. If you're making the Colourwash version of the Harbour blanket, then you will have more of Lapis and Spearmint left over, so I think I'm going to use those two colours in the border for my own colourwash (it makes practical sense really).

Speaking of yarn quantities, you will need to allow roughly 20g of each colour for the border, so if at all possible, please do weigh your balls and make sure you'll have enough. I've got 25-30g of the above colours left after working five stripes, so hopefully you will have similar.

I'll be sharing a full tutorial for the border as we'll be filling in those ripple valleys so that we have a super-neat, straight edging to work with. It's going to be fun, and I'm really looking forward to seeing all of our Harbour blankets complete.

Well, I think that's about all for now - I really hope you enjoy the final ripply rows and that this week brings you oodles of contentment as you come to the end of your blankets. Have fun!!

Here are some links you might need this week ::

♥ PART 6 COLOUR WORK SHEETS

♥ HARBOUR YARN PACK 

♥ EASY EYELET RIPPLE TUTORIAL

♥ HARBOUR PRINTABLE PATTERN

♥ HARBOUR BLANKET INTRODUCTION

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 1 - stripes 1-15

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 2 - stripes 16-30

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 3 - stripes 31-45

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 4 - stripes 46-60

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 5 - stripes 61-75

 

 

 

Winter Comforts

Hello my lovelies, how are you all doing? I didn't manage to create a blog post last week in between my Friday CAL posts and I found that I missed it. So yesterday when I was doing a little bit of planning for the week ahead, I decided that more effort is needed to make the time to do what makes me feel good. Writing and sharing photos from my ordinary days happens to be a most excellent activity for my soul, and luckily I never seem to run out of things to air out in public. It constantly baffles me that I continue to do this blogging thing year after year, and more importantly that I continue to get so much out of it. Who would have thought it??

I had a bit of a to-do list running yesterday, an actual real list written down in my planner which I ticked off with much satisfaction. One of my tasks was to pot up the next generation of hyacinth bulbs for my mantel to replace the worn out ones that finished flowering in the new year. At the moment I can pick up a plastic pot of hyacinths from the supermarket for just £2 which is a such a bargain and brings me so much pleasure. They can easily be removed from the brown plastic pot and popped into an old bowl, then finished off with some home-grown moss and a bit of a twiggy support system. Tick! Such a good feeling to work my way down a list that contained such worthwhile, cosy jobs.

I got a new candle at the weekend, a gift from J who waited patiently while I sniffed out a million different candles in the shop. I am very fussy with my taste in candle scents as I don't like anything too sweet, too floral, or too woodsy/musky - my preference is for fresh fragrances, often with a citrus undertone. Or anything containing eucalyptus. J picked this one out for me and I was a bit dubious when I read that it was lavender and cedarwood (which is usually a woodsy no-no for me), but I absolutely love love love it. It's named "time to be CALM" and my goodness it really does deliver on that score, the fragrance is incredibly soothing as it fills the room. Hyacinths in a stripy bowl and a new candle to enjoy - winter pleasures that go a long way.

Another thing on my to-do list this weekend was to hang my new picture from Janet Bell, I chatted about it in a post last month.

I really love the picture which is called "Morning Light", it's got a beautifully cool, wintry feel to it which perfect for the season and now completes my set of four. I have the others hung on walls around the house, with the idea that every 3 months I'll give one pride of place above my fireplace. How lovely to think that the next one to follow on will be this one, gosh I can hardly wait, although I am trying very hard not to wish the time away this year.

You may have noticed that my mantel is currently garlandless which is making me feel like something is majorly missing from my life. Four years ago I made a very simple Little Balls garland in wintry shades (pictured above, you can read more about it in this post) but every winter since then I always think to myself that I'd really like something more nature inspired. I've made an Autumn garland, and a Spring garland too, and now I would love to make a winter-inspired one. I'm just not sure what to include - perhaps snowdrops might be cute? Or the palest of pink winter blossom mixed with some frosty leaves and maybe a flurry of weeny snowflakes? I'm feeling very inspired to just dive in and gather together a winter yarn palette and see what flies out of my brain and onto my hook. Watch this space.

I received a really happy parcel in the post this week, a little purchase I made which has absolutely delighted me to no end. Isn't it just the cutest thing you ever did see?

I stumbled upon the happy world of Thimbleville on Instagram and fell instantly in love. Helen makes the sweetest little collectibles out of painted wood, buttons, polymer clay and vintage items - the bobbins are vintage wooden Dewhurst sylko cottons that still have the original label on the underside, just precious. I love my little bobbin house so so much! Helen's handmade items sell out very quickly in her online Folksy shop, so if you are interested my advice would be to follow Thimbleville on Instagram and keep an eye out for future shop update announcements. Then sit tight and get ready to shop like a ninja, you'll need to be stealthy and swift. Just saying. 

I've made a conscious decision this year to truly embrace the winter season and to appreciate all the good that comes from spending lots of hours indoors. I have to say I'm really enjoying winter this year, it's a revelation for me to feel this way and I am genuinely loving the feeling of cosy hibernation. At the weekend the weather was just terrible, the market was cancelled and yet I felt unusually delighted by it all!

Maybe it helps that I am now in a new phase of parenting where I have less demands and more child-free time for myself during the weekends which I've not had in almost two decades. It means I can happily settle down on a wild and wet February afternoon to enjoy some quiet crochet or gentle pottering around the house while the rest of the family is each doing their own thing. It's just marvellous, and is making a big difference to my wellbeing. 

I continue to nurture myself with healthy food and am really enjoying my meals, especially the ones that I prepare and eat by myself (breakfast and lunch). In wintertime there is often a craving for comforting carb-heavy foods (buttered toast is a particular weakness of mine), but for my lunches I'm trying to lean away from the carbs and focus on good proteins and healthy fats instead.

The above bowl is a typical kind of lunch for me at the moment, and is so tasty and nutritious, a real pleasure to savour. In essence it's a good protein (a sweet chilli salmon fillet in the case), some kind of healthy wholegrains (a brown rice and quinoa mix in this case), then plenty of veg/salad (baby leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and edamame beans here). I added a bit of crumbled feta cheese which needed eating up and a drizzle of homemade honey/mustard dressing. Yummmmmmmmmm!

With all the cosy hibernation happening at the moment, I'm not tending to be out and about all that much. I do have a pretty solid routine of meeting up with friends regularly each week, and J and I often sneak out for a quick coffee in the mornings, but other than that I'm surprisingly content to simply stay at home. I don't tend to go to the shops unless I really need to (for food mostly) and I'm not feeling the need to leave the familiarity of this little town either. My life feels quite small and safe and repetitive right now, and I am absolutely embracing the comfort of that fact.

We usually try and get out and about with the Little People for a weekend walk, even if the weather isn't especially inspiring. I know I always feel really good afterwards, even if at the time there is a reluctance to leave the warmth of home and venture out into the cold. The landscape is very drab right now, the fields and woodlands seeming bleached of all colour with the exception of the moss which is having a fiesta all of it's own. I LOVE seeing so much beautiful, bright green moss in winter, it really makes me absurdly happy. The colour of it is so uplifting, a vivid brightness that I am very drawn to.

A rather majestic stag appeared amongst the trees at the end of last year, another stunning work by artist Anna and the Willow. We've had quite a bit of rain recently, so the poor thing looks like he's stuck in a sea of mud, but hopefully things will improve as the weeks move on and better weather comes. Another few months and the wild garlic will be growing, I'm excited to see some fresh green shoots again.

I took this photo of my hill view at the start of last week (yes there is a hill out there) - you can see that when I say we've had very heavy grey skies I really do mean it. I don't think I can ever remember such a dull, grey winter as this one.

The light is slowly changing though, and our days are noticeably lengthening so there is much to look forward to.

J and I are still taking our early morning walk together, I can't recall when we started this habit but it has really become an essential part of my morning routine. We set out at 6.45am, and for a good many months we've been doing the whole 45 minute walk in the dark. 

This morning though - wow - it was a crisp, freezing cold frosty morning with clear skies and for the first time we got to see actual daylight and the birds were singing!! Such a beautiful change to our walk, and very, very much appreciated. Its magical to observe the seasons each and every day, such a wonderful aspect of daily life.

Well I think that's about all for now, After chatting to you I feel inspired to go and pull out some yarn oddments in delicate winter shades and start hooking up some pretties for a new garland. I'm excited!

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Harbour Blanket CAL :: Part 5

We've landed in February this week and here in Atticland we continue to live under an almost permanent heavy grey sky. It's not been especially cold, but the lack of sunlight is always the hardest part of winter for me and I have to dig deep to find the feel-good when the damp clouds are sitting just above my head all day. Having said that, I'm managing to feel pretty good this year but I really do miss seeing blue sky - we get it from time to time of course and it feels like the biggest treat when it does show up. 

I was looking through my album of Harbour photos from last Spring and found myself drawn to those wide, clear blue seascapes, oh how they make my heart sing! There is nothing I love more than a shoreline stroll on a bright  sunny day with the sounds of the waves filling my ears. So good for the soul.

These photos were taken in Whitby which is a lovely town to visit in all seasons, although it does get very crowded in summer. I've been coming here with J since before our children were born and we have so many good memories stacked up over the years. It's one of the things I really love about designing and making (and using) blankets with colours inspired by a particular place - every single stitch and row becomes a guardian of memories and a reminder of good times.

I hope that if you're making the Harbour blanket along with me that the colours are reminding you of happy times too.

As you probably know, this is my 8th annual crochet-a-long and I absolutely love love love the friendships and sharing that accompany each blanket. Our online Attic24 community is absolutely thriving and it's such a joy for me to see all your photos and comments in the Facebook groups and on Instagram. Thank you so much for taking the time to participate and join in, it really does make these winter weeks feel extra special.

In recent years I've followed something of a pattern each week of the CAL, and week five has become the week when we bring in the cuteness! I'm sure many of us have furry members of the family that share our love of crochet blankets, and I really enjoy seeing photographic evidence - shall we have a look?

↑↑ Monique's kitty knows first hand just how cosy a basket of yarn is, and yes of course it was put there just for her!

↑↑ This gorgeous chap belongs to Tracey and his name is Socks. Believe it or not he is 17 years old, and obviously knows from experience that crochet blankets are far superior to any other sort, well of course they are!

↑↑ Louise's pretty kitty is testing out her Harbour blanket and carrying out essential quality control...

↑↑...and Maxine's handsome cat really wants to learnt to crochet I think?! Bravo Pepe!

↑↑ Ohhhhhhhh, just look at the cuteness!!!! This little fella totally melted my heart, I mean, just look at the sheer contentment all over his weeny face!!! Thank you Natalie for sharing him with us, he's adorable.

I saw so many beautiful cats enjoying their snuggles with the Harbour blanket, it was really difficult to pick out just a few. Of course there are also a lot of very special dogs keeping you company while you hook up your ripples too......

↑↑ This is Betty, and we are actually friends in real life. Yes, it's true, Betty comes to knit and natter on Fridays and is a much loved member of our group. Thank you Sarah for bringing her to hang out with us, she looks very at home with your Harbour blanket.

↑↑ This pretty little face belongs to Luna, she looks very cosy indeed with those colourful ripples keeping her warm.

↑↑ Rochelle shares her blanket with this  little cutie, and to be honest I think it would be impossible to get any crochet done with that face begging for attention.

↑↑ Oh, just look at you Wilbur, you cheeky chap!!! No, that yarn basket isn't for you!

↑↑ Elizabeth melted a good many hearts on Facebook when she shared this adorable photo with us, I mean, just look!!! Seven (yes SeVeN) little cockapoo puppies all enjoying the warmth and comfort of her Harbour blanket. So precious.

↑↑ I know this isn't the Harbour blanket but I just had to share this photo with you. Please say hello to Pablo the bearded dragon, who apparently loves to snuggle up with a crochet blanket (he has good taste, obvs). Janel said that he especially seems to be drawn to the Yuletide blanket and his colour lightens when he sits on or under the blanket which is a sign that he is happy/satisfied/warm! Love love love.

↑↑ And finally, I think my favourite photo of all is this one. I actually squealed out loud when I saw it on Instagram, I just adore piggies and this really made my day. Awwwww, so so cute!!

Ah, such a lot of furry feel-good, I hope you enjoyed seeing the photos as much as I have.

So here we are, already at week 5 of the Harbour CAL and it feels like the weeks have been speeding along. Have you been enjoying your stripes and loving the bright and breezy colours as much as me? 

I hope this jolly blanket has been keeping you warm and cosy, and that you're enjoying the comfort of it as it grows. Having said that, I do hear from many of you who live in the southern hemisphere and are hooking along in very hot temperatures with the aircon on full blast..... I just can't imagine how that must feel?! I know I moan about our winter weather, but really it does make for perfect blanket-making conditions.

When you reach the end of week five your blanket will be measuring just over 5ft in length with only one more short set of stripes to go. Next week we'll only be adding nine more colours, so really we don't have much further to go.

Shall we have a look and see what 75 stripes look like?

>> Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, isn't it looking fabulous????!!!

I have to say, the Harbour blanket is very photogenic - those bright, jaunty shades really do play nicely for the camera.

The Easy Eyelet ripple is such a satisfying pattern to crochet and creates the most delightful effect when you view the blanket as a whole. The way the little holes stack up to create such neat vertical lines is extremely pleasing (or is it just me, I mean I am easily pleased).

These stripes have been an utter pleasure to crochet and have given me so many hours of therapeutic relaxation....

.....as well as some top notch snuggle time! I don't tend to pack my blankets away when I'm making them - they're left on the sofa once I've come to the end of a row and they immediately get assimilated into family life. I absolutely love that this happy blanket is already a part of our home.

Lets take a look at this week's colours, we'll be working on stripes 61-75.

Here is the colour info for Part 5 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Harbour Blanket.

Remember each stripe is made of two rows of crochet.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.

61. Lapis

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

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

62. Aspen

63. Clementine

64. Lipstick

65. Cornish Blue

66. Cloud Blue

67. Apple

68. Aster

69. Spearmint

70. Spice

71. Dandelion

72. Turquoise

73. Denim

74. Tomato

75. Storm Blue

From what I've seen on social media during the past month or so, the majority of you are following along with the mixed stripe version, but there are still plenty of you who've chosen to go the Colourwash route. As you know, I'm making the colourwash Harbour blanket myself at the moment, so I'm really enjoying the colour play first hand.

You'll be using four colours this week...

Turquoise : Apple : Cloud Blue : Aspen

The whole tone of the blanket really shifts in week five, especially with the introduction of Cloud Blue which brings in those clear sunny skies. 

WOW! Isn't it looking great?! The sweep of colour from the darker intense shades at the bottom, up to the lighter airy shades at the top is really beginning to take shape.

It's a dynamic use of colour, and I hope you're enjoying seeing each new shade added as we've progressed through the weeks.

Lets take a closer look at the stripes for this week...

Here is the colour info for Part 5 of the "COLOURWASH" Harbour Blanket.

Remember each stripe is made of two rows of crochet.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet (the Colourwash is on page 2 of the PDF)

61. Turquoise

62. Apple

63. Turquoise

64. Apple

65. Turquoise

66. Apple

67. Apple

68. Cloud Blue

69. Apple

70. Cloud Blue

71. Apple

72. Cloud Blue

73. Cloud Blue

74. Aspen

75. Cloud Blue

Well I hope you've enjoyed the colour fest this week, and that the coming days treat you kindly - wrap yourself up in some colourful stripes and enjoy the heck out of your blankets, I highly recommend it! :)

Here are some links you might need this week ::

♥ PART 5 COLOUR WORK SHEETS

♥ HARBOUR YARN PACK 

♥ EASY EYELET RIPPLE TUTORIAL

♥ HARBOUR PRINTABLE PATTERN

♥ HARBOUR BLANKET INTRODUCTION

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 1 - stripes 1-15

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 2 - stripes 16-30

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 3 - stripes 31-45

♥ HARBOUR CAL PART 4 - stripes 46-60