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

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Emily Clarke]

Hi Lucy, the PDF link for this week *week 5) doesn't seem to be working.
Thanks, Emily x

[yvette]

I just happened along your beautiful post. All those darlings posing on your lovely blankie warmed my heart on a cold night.!

[Bianca]

I love your blanket, busy making my mixed stripe version. Love from Tiel, Holland.

[Simon]

Wilbur is soooo cute!! If I was him I wouldn't budge from that basket - it looks so cosy and warm! I'm loving the mixed stripe blankets, the colours look so good together, but I can't get into the colourwash one. It's just not floating my boat! Get it!) Boats, harbour, water... oh never mind:(

[Trish]

The fact that the bearded dragon changes to contented colors when on the blanket was the highlight of my day. Thanks for all the critter joy and the much needed burst of color.

[Susan]

My word........what a gorgeous post full of the best cuties. Good way to start the day after a poor night's sleep & I do miss having a pet. Thanks Lucy. Take care & hugs from down under.

[Marylin Ollivier]

Hi Lucy, I am just luving this Harbour blanket. I enjoy dynamic color and this blankety goodness is all about that. I love the photos of critters enjoying the blankets...so cute. I have a cat who immediately claims all yarning things and will not share with the dog. He gets a swat on the nose. It's great to see all the blankets...seeing 'my' blanket everywhere. LOL Take Care, Hugs, MO

[Corinna Mazzotta]

Can't wait to be able to join in. Currently desperately trying to finish a shawl for MIL's birthday next week after being out of action with first Covid & then a shoulder injury!
Loving all the pictures! 😊

[Sonia Dias]

Dear Lucy, I've been following your wonderful page for years. Today I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the gorgeous pets that came along! Thank you! have a nice weekend.
Sonia, from Portugal

[Arlene Bomback]

Oh I just love all the little creatures with their crochet blankets. Thank you for Part 5. This has been such a wonderful project. Love from Across the Pond ~ Take Care.

[Patty]

Goodness...so much cuteness! Each picture is so special! Many heartfelt thanks for all who shared their precious pet photos. They certainly brightened my morning.

[Sassa]

Dear Lucy, I would like to say thank you for this CAL. It is my second one and it is - as always - made with so much love and detailed explanations.
Thank you so much!
I'm really deeply grateful that you still publish the CALs on your homepage, because I'm not a friend of facebook. The photo guinea pigs is fantastic and I laughed as I read that they live in Germany too.
Greetings from Hannover,
Sassa

[Ann]

Every time I see photos of boats in a harbour I think of your blanket. Love the photo of the beach huts at Whitby; maybe they will be the inspiration for your next blanket?

[CJ]

Oh my goodness, I love the guinea pigs as well, they're just wonderful. I do miss having guinea pigs, but I know the dog would bark if I did. All the puppies are a close second, absolutely scrumptious, thank you for making me smile. CJ xx

[Mrs B]

I'm just loving this blanket and the bright beauty of the colours. I've already talked hubby into taking me back to the coast to take FO pictures!

[Verena]

To my guinea pig photo, left to right: Hannelore, Sissel, Malvine and Bärbel. I am so happy that you like this photo so much!
Greetings from Kissing (Bavaria, Germany)
Verena

[Janet]

Like how you say you leave your blanket out during the making process and how it is already part of the family , me too x