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

 

 

Comments

[Fiona Green]

Hello! I am finally starting the border on this beautiful blanket...but when I click on the Border Tutorial above, the link takes me to a weblog. Is there another link that works? I'm just needing some help with the stitch posts...
Grateful for any assistance!
Thanks, Fi

[Jinty]

Hi Lucy, I have been making your blankets now for about 5yrs. I only took up crochet then and discovered your site. Your blankets have gotten me thru some tough times and I enjoy the peace whilst I crochet something beautiful. I give some of them away to my children and grandchildren so they also enjoy them. Just finishing the Harbour blanket now and have my eye on the Yuletide. I also work so this is my relaxation. Keep producing these amazing colours and thanks for giving me a focus when I needed it.

[Tracy]

I am currently doing the colour wash blanket but in king size the cal colour parts only go up to 84 rows when the king size requires 96

Please can you point me in the right direction to find rows colour from 84. -96

Thank you for help in advance

[Louise Meaden]

I’ve loved all your posts and the colour fest. Perfect to brighten up (pardon the pun!) these dark wintry days. Thank you for sharing your talent so generously 😘🤗

[Anne]

I wonder if all the lovely ladies that love to crochet would be as delighted as I would be if you did your seasonal wreaths as CAL and kits. I would definitely buy them.

[Beverley]

The border you have added is perfect. I have really enjoyed the harbour colourfest. Thank you Lucy x

[Trish]

I don’t pretend to understand Crochet Math, but to keep counting to four when I got to the bottom of the blanket, I put two single crochets in each of the eyelet spaces (with one single on each side of the eyelet - and then the four doubles across the peak of the wave).

[Maria]

To Diana, Sue and Barbara: I think in the top row treble 2 and 3 must be drawn together. So you get 7 stitches per pattern repeat, same as in the bottom row. Do you agree, Lucy? Thank you for sharing the pattern and the colors of this beautiful blanket!

[Simon]

Little B obviously has great taste! I think it's because the colours are very summery and primary, happy colours! Now, if only the weather would follow suit!!

[Barbara Bolton]

Like Diana and Sue, I've realised that there are more stitches at the top of the blanket than along the bottom. Should this be adjusted?

[Carine]

Hello Lucy,

I just set on the balcony in the sun with my blanket in progress. All colours are beautiful and, in the sun, they are gorgeous!
Just finished the apple green ripple from Cal 4, so yes, I’m a bit behind 😉, but… I’m darning in the ends on the go, so, after ripple 84, I can start right away with the border.
The colours chosen for the border are absolutely complementing the blanket.

Sunny greetings from the Vulcan Eifel,
Carine

[Linda]

Thanks for the final section.
I’ve been doing a simple baby pushchair blanket in this pattern in just five colours, chosen by the mother of the future baby. Enjoyed it immensely, so……following this weeks news, and the likely problems with deliveries etc which will inevitably ensue, I’ve ordered packs of the Harbour colourway, and the Dube colourway. They should keep me busy for months and help soothe unquiet thoughts!
Thanks Lucy!

[Susan]

It is a lovely border Lucy & I hesitated getting the pack sent to Oz with all our postal issues over the last 2 years & was going to do it through winter here, but now I'm scared again with the latest wave of uneasiness with the conflict in Russia. I might brave it & send for it, as a nice ripple would help alleviate all the tension & stress I've got. Thanks so much for your beautiful designs/colours which help soothe away the evenings watching mindless TV.
Take care & hugs.

[Debbi Robertson]

I am so excited to find a new post this morning, that I am commenting before I've even read it! I find myself in the midst of a very stressful time right now, and reading your words and seeing your photos brings me a measure of peace and comfort that I find hard to describe. I am so grateful for your sharing your days with us as you are continuing to do. Please don't stop. From half-way 'round the world in Hawai'i, to your personal Paradise, I am thanking you, from the bottom of my heart. ~Debbi

[Clare]

Lucy...I confess, I've absolutely been one of those here for the colourfest. But what a colourfest it's been.

Thanks so much to you (and everyone) for all the gorgeous photos and colours that lifted everything so much in what might otherwise have been the dreariest weeks of winter.

[Diana Steeds]

am i doing something wrong? the number of stitches above and below is not the same

[Nancy]

This has been so much fun!! I think it's my 5th blanket of your designs and it is my favorite one!! The colors are just so happy!! And I love the ocean too! Maybe you'll have time to post the fishy scissor bobble?? To go with it?? Many, many thank you to you!! Nancy

[Patty]

As always your border compliments the blanket beautifully!

[CJ]

Gorgeous blankets. One of the things I love the most about your blankets is how perfectly the colours match the colours in the inspiration (the harbour, the sand dunes etc.) It really is so beautifully done. CJ xx

[Sue Geen]

Hello Lucy

First of all can I say what a beautiful pattern this is and how much I've enjoyed making it.

I'm a bit confused by the border pattern however. Following your instructions the top border will have more stitches in than the bottom border. Is that right, and won't it make the blanket a bit skew?

Thanks

Sue

[Norma]

Looks lovely Lucy, Thank You xxx

I only got about 10 colours done when the heat arrived here, so it will have to wait until around Easter, but I know it will be so enjoyable.

Thank You again xx
Norma