Attic24

🌸 CAL PART 1

🌸 CAL PART 2

🌸 CAL PART 3

🌸 CAL PART 4

Posted at 06:52 AM in CAL, Crochet | Permalink | Comments (15)

January 24, 2020

Dahlia Blanket CAL :: Part 4

Every week when I sit down to write my Dahlia update, my mind always drifts back to that one glorious day in September when I travelled up to Northumberland to visit Halls of Heddon. It was such a special day and so full of colour and excitement that I find I can still replay much of the experience inside my Creative Mind as I were watching a film. I honestly don't think I shall ever forget that visit and the sheer joy of walking amongst so much thriving floral beauty.

It was quite the experience taking J along with me too, he is very supportive for the most part and copes remarkably well with my very quirky ways. He was actually brilliant company on this trip, and the above two photos came from his phone (he took hundreds!). Being able to walk among the flowers when they were in their prime was just the loveliest way for me to feed my creative soul and absorb a huge dollop of inspiration and colour-energy. I shall always remember it, and the way it made me feel.

And lets not forget the icing on the cake - this gigantic posy of dahlias that I was able to bring home to the Attic.

As you know, I had already begun my own Dahlia blanket journey back in September and so had the pleasure of seeing the real life blooms alongside the stripes. I was wowed all over again by this beautiful colour palette and the happy memories it now holds.

For those of you making your way along on own dahlia journey, I very much hope you are feeling the joy of these colours and that they are lifting your spirits? I've been really loving our online community this week, and the happiness that I've felt from you all as you've run these colours through your fingers. I'm going to share some photos that have caught my eye, showing how the dahlia colour palette has been working it's inspirational magic.......

^^ Jenny has used her dahlia blanket to attract butterflies, how very lovely is that?! She used my Meadow Butterfly pattern to bring a little bit of extra colour and charm to her stripes and I absolutely love it.

^^ Kate has chosen to make granny squares with her dahlia colours, and I know that we are in for a treat with this blanket. I'm really looking forward to seeing more as it comes together.

^^ Darlene has made excellent progress with her Dahlia Willow squares, edging each one in SSDK Meadow to bring them all together.

^^ Natalie has also been experimenting with making Willow squares, using 3 colours for each square. The Willow Square pattern is by Jan Eaton and can be found in her fabulous book "200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afghans" which is a brilliant resource.

^^ Kate is making tremendous progress with her blanket, gosh this photo really stopped me in my tracks! She is making Sunburst granny squares and already I think they look amazing.

^^ Lynn's been making flowers with her dahlia colours......

....which she made into a really pretty garland. I love it!

^^ Jan couldn't resist the colours in the Dahlia yarn pack and made herself a gorgeous bunch of flowers.

^^ Linsey decided to make her dahlia colours bloom and whipped up a very pretty cushion. She used my "Blooming Flower Cushion" pattern and I think it looks stunning.

^^ Annamaria has just started out making a dahlia cushion using a V-stitch ripple pattern.

^^ Anita has combined her dahlia colours with white to make this very striking pattern in mosaic crochet. I absolutely love the effect and am really excited to see more of it as it grows. The pattern is the "Casablanca Afghan" by the very talented designer Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir.

^^ Another stunning pattern by Tinna is the "Havana Afghan", and Alison has used the dahlia colour palette to bring those mosaic crochet rows alive.

^^ Annette couldn't resist the lure of a very pretty mandala, don't the colours look great?

^^ This photo stopped me in my tracks when I came across it on Instagram (thank you @piggyandpickle). Its the start of a large circular afghan (the "Circular Fall Mandala Throw" by Lisa Gentry). I think the dahlia colours look absolutely scrumptious!

^^ Anne is also using her dahlia colours to create a stunning circular blanket, and already it is looking fabulous. She's using the "Mandala Madness" design by Helen Shrimpton.

^^ Last but not least is this beauty which popped up in the Facebook group a couple days ago. Ashton is using her dahlia colours to make the very popular "Sophies Universe" by Dedri Uys. It's so beautiful!

This week we are moving into the second half of the dahlia blanket, and part 4 sees another 18 stripes grow and bloom. Your blanket should be looking and feeling deliciously blankety now, lots and lots of squishability and colour therapy right there in those stripes!

Oh, oh, oh.......doesn't it look soooooooo good???!!!

The warmth of this colour palette is such a tonic at this time of year....

....so much beautiful dancing colour - I look at these stripes and can just picture the rows and rows of dahlias in that sunny field.

So here is the colour info for Part 4 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Dahlia Blanket, we're making 18 stripes in total this week.

The numbers in brackets indicate which rows of the pattern you need to refer to.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.

52. Shrimp : (pattern rows 3 & 4)

53. Apricot : (5 & 6)

54. Saffron : (3 & 4)

55. Fuchsia Purple : (5 & 6)

56. Tomato : (3 & 4)

57. Fondant : (5 & 6)

58. Powder Pink : (3 & 4)

59. Magenta : (5 & 6)

60. Claret : (3 & 4)

61. Pomegranate : (5 & 6)

62. Spice : (3 & 4)

63. Apricot : (5 & 6)

64. Lemon : (3 & 4)

65. Tomato : (5 & 6)

66. Boysenberry : (3 & 4)

67. Blush : (5 & 6)

68. Lipstick : (3 & 4)

69. Shrimp : (5 & 6)

If you are making the Colourwash version of the Dahlia blanket, this week you will be needing four colours in total.

You'll be finishing off with Powder Pink and moving beautifully onwards through the warmer, deeper pink tones (oh, hello gorgeous Blush, Shrimp and Pomegranate)

I adore this part of the blanket, and these sweet pink blooms are amongst my favourites. The warmth of these colours will really begin to add balance to the colourwash blanket, and they do a really good job of bringing us gently out of the pale mid section.

I know when I was making my own colourwash dahlia, it was part 4 which really made me fall head over heels in love with it.....

.....all the heart eyes 😍 !!!

I absolutely love love love the boldness of these stripes and I think they really do show off the colours to perfection.

Here is the colour info for Part 4 of the "COLOURWASH" Dahlia Blanket, we're making 18 stripes in total this week.

Remember there are 2 crochet rows for every stripe.

The numbers in brackets refer to the pattern rows, to help you keep a track of the pattern repeats and how each rows starts and ends.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet (please note that the colourwash list is on page 2).

52. Powder Pink : (pattern rows 3 & 4)

53. Blush : (5 & 6)

54. Powder Pink : (3 & 4)

55. Blush : (5 & 6)

56. Powder Pink : (3 & 4)

57. Blush : (5 & 6)

58. Shrimp : (3 & 4)

59. Blush : (5 & 6)

60. Shrimp : (3 & 4)

61. Blush : (5 & 6)

62. Shrimp : (3 & 4)

63. Blush : (5 & 6)

64. Shrimp : (3 & 4)

65. Pomegranate : (5 & 6)

66. Shrimp : (3 & 4)

67. Pomegranate : (5 & 6)

68. Shrimp : (3 & 4)

69. Pomegranate : (5 & 6)

A couple more beautiful dahlia blankets to share with you -

^^ Ingrid is showing us how stunning the "mirror repeat" effect is after four repeats...

^^ and Elisha is two repeats into her "repeat" colour order.

I think both of these blankets are really beautiful and I can certainly see how the repeating effect works to create a very calm, harmonious look.

I hope so much that you are loving your dahlia blanket journey, and if you aren't hooking along right now that you are enjoying all the floral eye candy I'm throwing your way each week?! Have a wonderful, colourful week my lovelies....

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🌸 CAL PART 1

🌸 CAL PART 2

🌸 CAL PART 3

Posted at 08:20 AM in CAL, Crochet | Permalink | Comments (12)

January 22, 2020

January Slow

Last week I bought two £1 bunches of tightly closed daffies from the supermarket, the first of the season. I plopped one bunch into a small jug to have on the table at home, and the other bunch came with me to the studio to brighten up my days spent there. I've been looking forward to my first bunch of daffodils since before Christmas, it's one of my January rituals that makes me feel just a little bit closer to spring time.

Waiting impatiently for the buds to open, ooooo, the anticipation is real!

As it turned out, it didn't take long at all for the flowers to fully open their petals, my studio is beautifully warm and cosy and all that glorious golden yellow was shining out in no time.

At home I've also got some little pots of narcissus growing happily away on the mantel, another January tradition of mine (just been reminded of this post from 2009). These have been steadily growing away during the past few weeks, shoots becoming taller each day and finally a few days ago, the first bright little flower. I love them so much!

I faffed my mantel a few days ago as it was still looking very bare after the post Christmas de-clutter. I ventured into the Cupboard of Doom to find my bag of winter-themed decorations which mainly consists of some pretty seasonal cards and the simple winter garland I made two years ago.

I went out into the back yard to snip some fresh greenery and bare hazel twigs to go in my newly acquired vase. The vase was a spontaneous purchase, I saw it a little while ago in the window of a charity shop and decided that I would very much like to re-home it. It cost £2.99 which I thought was a bargain, it's just the sort of colour which makes me think of the English sea.

Did you notice the little red and white stitched hoop hanging on my wall up there? I was thrilled to be invited to design one of the projects for the Winter 2019 Craftpod, and this sweet little cross stitch was the result. Jo gave me a very specific brief, asking me to come up with a woodland house with snow and trees, red stitching on white fabric to evoke a Scandi winter feel.

Incidentally, the beautiful little greetings card that sits on my mantel is by the very talented collage and mixed media artist Clover Robin. I've been a huge fan of Clovers work for several years, and couldn't believe it when Jo told me that the Winter Craftpod would contain a paper collage project designed by her. I might have squealed a bit, just a teensy little yelp of delight.

I absolutely LOVE creating cross stitch designs and find it insanely satisfying to work within the confines of a simple grid. I can't tell you why I love it so much as it has certainly been a surprise to me, but cross stitch (both designing and stitching) really, really, really floats my boat. In essence it's a very easy craft to master, and yet somehow the simple business of making teensy crosses onto holey fabric results in something so wonderfully pleasing to look at. I also love that you can't hurry cross stitch, and this greatly adds to the appeal for me. It's a sloooooow, steady, one-speed activity as you can't really go fast or slow with it, it's a pretty perfect winter hobby I'd say.

I've been enjoying the quarterly seasonal Craftpod boxes ever since I first became a fan and a customer back in the Autumn of 2017. The above photo shows you the contents of the current Winter box - you can see my little cross stitch hoop, and the papers to make Clovers' beautiful winter collage. I think there may still be a few boxes available if you fancy a little bit of seasonal creativity yourself - you can buy the Winter pod as a one-off box, or treat yourself to an annual subscription. All details ((here))

January has gotten off to a slow plodding start for me this year, and really that's quite alright. This is our third week of back-to-school routine and I've been trying to ease myself gently back into the swing of things. My laptop broke just before Christmas, not in any dramatic way (I didn't lose any files or photos) but the screen simply stopped working. I was so cross and stressed out about it at the time, but looking back on it, I think it all happened for a reason. Not having a functioning laptop forced me to take a bit of a break away from my desk over Christmas which I most definitely needed. I've got a replacement now which I was lucky to get in the January sales, and I am more than ready to get back to using it.

Spending time in the studio this month has been therapeutic and I've been writing lists and making plans for the year ahead. I am still in big love with my planner (it's from the Swedish company Personal Planner) and I also got me some new coloured pens, oh happy days! They are unbelievably cute little mini things, perfect to tuck in my bag with my planner - find them on Amazon UK.

I'm still working on my Dahlia blankets behind the scenes, slowly at the moment because I'm having some pain in my hands which has forced me to rest way more than I'm used to. I'm beginning to work on the final design for the blanket border - this part of the pattern will be released in the final week which is 21st February.

For those of you like me who use planners, I wanted to let you know that Dahlia planner stickers are still available from EllieBethDesigns. Remember that Rachel has very kindly set up a permanent discount code for Attic24 readers - you can receive 10% off any EllieBethDesigns order, not just right now but each and every time you need a sticker fix in the future. All you need to do is apply the code ATTIC24LOVE at the checkout.

A big part of my planning process during these slow days of January has involved looking back over 2019 and taking stock. Last year was not the best for me on a personal level and I have been trying to accept that this is actually OK and not to beat myself up over it. So one of the things I'd really like to focus on as we go forward into a brand new year is to firstly catch up and finish off some projects that slipped through my net in 2019.

The first of these will be my Festive Garland - I've already taken all the photos for the tutorial and am annoyed at myself for not getting this out to you last month. I think these bauble decorations are super sweet and they are fun to make using up scraps left over from other projects - hmmm, maybe a Dahlia-coloured garland would look rather fabulous? Either way, I will be hoping to share this with you very soon.

The other project I want to work on is my Granny Bag - do you remember this from last Spring? I started making these whilst in France last year and would really, really like to see them come together into a bag shape instead of sitting in an abandoned pile.

Speaking of France, that was one of the other things that was never given it's moment here on my blog in 2019. You might remember that I went away twice last year with Stitchtopia to teach two crochet retreats in France? It was an amazing experience and I loved it, every single last bit of it. I took masses of photos while I was away, but somehow when I got back after the second trip in May I never got around to sharing them. I really regret that to be honest, but on reflection I've been thinking that maybe it's not too late to make amends and that perhaps you would still enjoy hearing all about it? Let me know what you think?

So that's where I'm up to at the moment, slowly emerging into this new year, a brand new decade. I'm hopeful for some renewed energy as the weeks move along as I've been seriously lacking in the energy department for quite some time now. Gently does it though, slow and steady feels like the right kind of pace for January.

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Posted at 09:50 PM in Flowers, Home, Outings, Planner, Stitching, Studio | Permalink | Comments (46)

January 17, 2020

Dahlia Blanket CAL :: Part 3

When I was first thinking about creating a blanket inspired by dahlias I spent a huge amount of time online researching them. I found myself absorbing as much imagery as I could lay my eyes on, literally drinking in the visual beauty of these flowers and all the intricacies of the colours. Feeling creatively inspired is one of life's true pleasures and not something I take for granted I can tell you. I appreciate it so much, and cannot imagine how my days would feel without this constant drive to seek out creative inspiration and in turn to gift it back into the world. It really is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

In addition to my online dahlia searches I also browsed endlessly through the pages of books, magazines and catalogues. My absolute favourite of these are the seasonal Sarah Raven catalogues - I've ordered from Sarah Raven in the past (I bought my sweet pea plants from there) and so automatically receive the latest catalogues through the post. Of course, you can find all of this information on the website ((here)) but in this digital day and age there is still something very lovely about looking at actual pages made of paper, well I think so anyways.

The latest Spring catalogue plopped onto my door mat a few weeks ago, and as it's prime dahlia tuber buying season the pages are filled with an abundance of floral colour.

Sarah arranges and groups the huge number of dahlia flower varieties by colour which I thoroughly approve of, and these pages really are a feast for the eyes. I can highly recommend a dreamy flower gazing session (good chocolate and a mug of coffee optional) and you can request a free Spring catalogue to be delivered to you if you live in the UK, or download a copy to browse on your device. Find the info ((here)).

I originally had the idea of grabbing some scissors and cutting up one of the catalogues to create a real-life collage of flowers to help me put together my Dahlia colour wheel. I am a big fan of old-school design methods and scissors, paper and glue always satisfy me way more than an online Pinterest board. As it turned out, I was able to curate a beautiful palette from images stored inside my brain and I think I did a pretty good job. I love the gentle balance of the Dahlia palette very much, there is just the right amount of light and dark and a good balance between flamboyance and subtlety. It makes me SO HAPPY!!!! :)

For those of you who've decided to jump in and join the CAL, I hope with all my heart that these colours are making you happy too, and that you're enjoying your growing stripes? They really do brighten up the gloom of these short, dull winter days that's for sure.

I was catching up with my online friend Teresa a few days ago and loved seeing her delight in these colours as much as I do. I know that she loves flowers so it was fun to see that she'd made her floral stripes into her phone background, doesn't it look lovely?

As much as I adore these bright, warm colours, I do appreciate that they aren't for everybody. As you know I love to encourage you to stretch your creative wings and follow your own path if you prefer - the main objective of the CAL is to gather us all together to make something lovely, colourful and yarny, so I thought you might enjoy seeing some beautiful Spike Stitch blankets that have caught my eye as I've been jaunting around the interwebs. These blankets all use the same Spike Stitch pattern that I created especially for the Dahlia colours, but in alternative colourways.....

^^^ Darlene chose to use the Dune colours.

^^^ Jen has gone Coastal with hers.

^^^ Sarah is taking a Woodland walk for her blanket,

.^^^ Tonya is going for the jackpot with not one, not two but THREE small blankets!!! She is using Sweet Pea, Sunny and Dahlia yarn packs and I think they look stunning all together.

^^^ Jenny is creating a Dahlia colourwash, but choosing to soften the whole look by adding silver stripes in between the colours.

^^^ Valerie is taking a similar approach but has chosen a bold blue to contrast with her dahlia shades - I'm really looking forward to seeing this grow, it's already looking very striking.

^^^ Helen has chosen a strong palette of blues and greens for hers....

^^^ Michelle is also using a lovely cool palette of blue tones.

^^^ Heather is going for bold repetition with five colours and I love those pops of orange.

^^^ Denise is making a beautiful rainbow (so happy looking!)

I've also seen some really lovely mixed palettes using up oddments of stash and random happy colours.....

^^^Jo^^^

^^^Kathe^^^

^^^Maria^^^

In contrast to the multi-coloured mixed palettes, Susan is using just three colours to make a baby blanket. I think the simplicity of this approach is very striking with the Spike Stitch, the white really makes the other two colours pop.

Jan finished a baby Dahlia blanket which is great going for just over two weeks and I think it looks amazing.

Photo Credit : Felix & Felicity

I thought it was worth reminding you that my CALs are always very relaxed, and all patterns and colour info will remain free on my blog indefinitely for you to dip into as and when you are ready. There really is no rush, so please remember to find the joy in the journey no matter how fast or slow. You will have excellent company along the way (especially if you are a part of the "Hooked on Attic24" Facebook group) so I hope nobody ever feels like they are being left behind. There will always be somebody following after you, even if others are streaking ahead!

This week is part 3 of the blanket stripes, and this will take you just past the half way mark. It's a really lovely point to reach when making a blanket as the essence of the design should be fully coming into play. It's the time when a piece of crochet begins to actually look and feel like a blankety thing, and that is always worth celebrating!

I know from what I've been seeing on social media this week that so many of you take joy in photographing and documenting your blanket journey, and that makes me really happy. If you get a moment, you can take a scroll through the #dahliacal posts on instagram ((HERE)) to see what I mean, it's just so glorious!

As well as it's dashing good looks, I hope you're also enjoying the feel of your Dahlia blanket? Isn't it just so super-squishy??! The texture of this stitch is very lovely and creates such a cosy crochet fabric, it makes the DK yarn feel thicker and more cuddlesome somehow.

^^^ So full of summer feel-good!

Here is the colour info for Part 3 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Dahlia Blanket, we're making 18 stripes in total this week.

After a couple of requests I've added in a reference to the pattern row for each stripe this week, to help you keep a track of where you're at.

So the numbers in brackets indicate which rows of the pattern you need to refer to.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.

34. Lemon : (pattern rows 3 & 4)

35. Blush : (5 & 6)

36. Boysenberry : (3 & 4)

37. Magenta : (5 & 6)

38. Tomato : (3 & 4)

39. Saffron : (5 & 6)

40. Powder Pink : (3 & 4)

41. Fuchsia Purple : (5 & 6)

42. Shrimp : (3 & 4)

43. Claret : (5 & 6)

44. Fondant : (3 & 4)

45. Lipstick : (5 & 6)

46. Spice : (3 & 4)

47. Lemon : (5 & 6)

48. Pomegranate : (3 & 4)

49. Boysenberry : (5 & 6)

50. Blush : (3 & 4)

51. Lipstick : (5 & 6)

If you are making the Colourwash version of the Dahlia blanket, this week you will be needing five colours in total.

You'll be rounding off the yellows (Saffron and Lemon) and introducing the soft pink tones (helllloooooo Powder Pink and Apricot). Blush comes in for the very last stripe, ready to lead the darker pinks next week.

These soft floral colours work amazingly well together and are extremely harmonious.

I really hope you enjoy their light playfulness after the hefty heat of the reds and oranges at the start.

Isn't it looking delicious? Tilly seems to think so......

....and I honestly love how the stripes are playing along together as we gently shift from dark to light.

Photo Credit : Floret Flowers

^^^ I had to share another one of Erin's gorgeous Dahlia photos with you (such a lot of love for the Floret Insta feed!), I just adore the colour play so much. Totally inspirational, and a very yummy way to drink in the beauty of Dahlias.

So here is the colour info for Part 3 of the "COLOURWASH" Dahlia Blanket, we're making 18 stripes in total this week.

Remember there are 2 crochet rows for every stripe.

The numbers in brackets refer to the pattern rows, to help you keep a track of the pattern repeats and how each rows starts and ends.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet (please note that the colourwash list is on page 2).

34. Lemon : (pattern rows 3 & 4)

35. Saffron : (5 & 6)

36. Lemon : (3 & 4)

37. Apricot : (5 & 6)

38. Lemon : (3 & 4)

39. Apricot : (5 & 6)

40. Lemon : (3 & 4)

41. Apricot : (5 & 6)

42. Lemon : (3 & 4)

43. Apricot : (5 & 6)

44. Powder Pink : (3 & 4)

45. Apricot : (5 & 6)

46. Powder Pink : (3 & 4)

47. Apricot : (5 & 6)

48. Powder Pink : (3 & 4)

49. Apricot : (5 & 6)

50. Powder Pink : (3 & 4)

51. Blush : (5 & 6)

^^^ Finally, I wanted to show you Ingrid's blanket as it totally stopped me in my tracks yesterday when I saw it on Facebook. Ingrid is following the Repeating colour order, working the colours in a "mirror repeat" and I can't tell you how much I love it. She has completed three repeats so far and I think it looks absolutely stunning.

I hope you have fantabulous week with hook and yarn, and that the joy of these summery colours lifts your spirits and makes you smile. Have lots of spikey fun!

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🌸 CAL PART 1

🌸 CAL PART 2

Posted at 07:25 AM in CAL, Crochet | Permalink | Comments (12)

January 10, 2020

Dahlia Blanket CAL :: Part 2

Don't you just love how the sight of colourful flowers can instantly lift your mood? I think floral colour therapy is most definitely needed in these bleak midwinter days when the skies are heavy and grey and there is a dullness settling over everything. January needs all the help it can get, and I know that surrounding myself with bright colours and immersing myself in the warmth of our online community helps me enormously. Summer seems so far away, and yet I look at my dahlia photos and am instantly transported back to that bright field of flowers and can vividly recall the sheer happiness of that day.

So how has the week been for you? Have you been enjoying some top notch Dahlia colour therapy? Aren't these colours so impossibly joyful and brimming with summer feel-good? I've been spending a lot of time pootling through social media this week, keeping an eye on things and watching so many of you starting out on your own Dahlia blanket journey.

The "Hooked on Attic24" facebook group has been buzzing with excitement, and I would like to say a massive thank you to the admin team who moderate with such enthusiasm and do a terrific job of keeping such a large and vibrant group ticking along so peacefully. There is a huge amount of kindness and friendship there, please do pop over and join in if you are CAL-ing along with the Dahlia colours and would like some company.

I'm hoping that at the end of week 1 you are well underway with your stripes and that you are enjoying the new stitch pattern? From what I've seen on social media, the new Dahlia Spike Stitch has gone down a storm, and I'm so happy you're enjoying it. It's a great pattern to whizz along with and produces such a satisfying, blankety-feeling piece of crochet - it definitely has the squish factor!

I've been so impressed with all the tension samples I've seen too, with so many of you taking the time to decide on the feel/drape of the blanket you are creating as well as the overall look and size. To me, this is really important and greatly adds to the quality of the finished blanket.

I hope you're all being good and darning in your ends as you go along, it's really the best way when you've got ninety-nine stripes to tidy up. Remember to keep the stitches at the end of each row un-darned so that you'll be able to wiggle your hook in when it's time to work on the border.

Last Friday when I published the Spike Stitch tutorial, I completely forgot about making a stitch chart for you. I know many of you find this helpful when a little extra visual clarification is needed, especially with regards to how the different rows repeat, and how to offset the spike rows. Luckily for all of us, J got straight down to work and translated my pen and paper scribbles into a very neat chart which you can see above. I've also added it to the tutorial so that it's there for reference should you need it.

I love everything about creating and hosting my CAL projects each year, but one of the nicest things is getting to join in with all the excitement online. It's been the best thing seeing so many hundreds of photos popping up on Facebook and Instagram (#dahliacal) and even the pre-CAL preparations made me stupidly happy!

Emma (photo above) cut out the colour names from the free printable sheets and clipped them to her balls to keep a track of the colours which I thought was a very clever idea....

....and Debbie also used the printed names to make a yarn sampler card.

Joanne added yarn snips to her work sheet to keep a track of her stripes which I think is brilliant. I have to say, it's been lovely to see the new worksheets in action and I'm glad that you've found them useful.

I've read so many messages telling me how much you are enjoying the Dahlia colour palette and how these colours are helping to brighten up your days. I know exactly what you mean, I feel it too!

During this past week I've managed to gather together a collection of photos from social media which showcase the different patterns being used with the Dahlia yarn pack. It always amazes me how different the same set of colours can look when they are worked in a slightly different way.

Amy has chosen to work a Dahlia Cosy Stripe.

David has chosen his favourite go-to blanket pattern, the Neat Ripple.

Lynn has chosen the Seashell Stripe for her blanket.

Viv is starting out on a Neat Wave Dahlia journey.

It's the Hydrangea Stripe for Lotte...

...and Sherrie is making Hexagons with her Dahlia yarn pack (really looking forward to watching this one grow!)

Kaz has created another beautiful square Harmony blanket as a gift for a dear friend, and I think you'll agree it's absolutely stunning. She added in two additional shades (cream and candyfloss) to make 17 colours in total, and "mapped" each colour to a corresponding shade in my Original yarn pack. She was then able to use the formula I created for my Summer Harmony Blanket to allow the dahlia colours to gently sweep across the blanket. At the end of February, Kaz will be releasing a PDF file to list out the colours she used for each of the one hundred squares in her blanket - I'll be sure to let you know where you can find all the information if you fancy creating your own.

As well as all these Attic24 patterns being used, I've also spotted some other gorgeous stitch patterns which are going to make the most stunning Dahlia blankets.....

Darlene is using the popular "Willow Block" pattern from Jan Eaton's book ((this one)). She's chosen a soft green shade to edge them with (SSDK in Meadow) and I'm really looking forward to seeing the blanket begin to form.

Angela has chosen a V-stitch ripple....

....and Anne is using the "Modern Granny Stitch" by Daisy Farm Crafts (free pattern here).

Kate has wowed me with this glorious photo, isn't it fabulous? She's making her Dahlia blanket using the "Sunburst Granny Square" pattern by Prescilla Hewitt which is free on Ravelry (find it HERE). This is an inspired choice - the sunburst motifs really look like Dahlias!

Laura is a brilliant crocheter and some of you may know her on Instagram as "@GoslingandPlumb". She created her very own pattern for the Dahlia, appropriately called the "Dahlia Square" which you can find in her Instagram Story Highlights ((HERE)). I am so excited to see this grow over the coming weeks, I think it's going to look amazing.

When I was working on Part 2 of the Dahlia blanket it was back at the end of the Summer and I had the pleasure of crocheting outside in my little back yard. I always select the order for the stripes by using my trusty yarn pegs, playing with them, arranging and re-arranging them until everything looks balanced and harmonious. I love working in this way, it's very visual and delightfully old-school, which always makes me feel absurdly happy. Once I've settled on the order for the colours, I stick little yarn snips to a piece of paper with sticky tape (even more old-school!) and this stays in my yarn bag and acts as my colour-map.

There's honestly nothing nicer than sitting quietly in the warmth of a sunny afternoon, hooking up some colourful rows as your mind wanders a little. I know right now that this is just a dream (January isn't exactly the time for al fresco hooky, unless you're in the southern hemisphere), but I hope that perhaps these beautiful floral colours might help to deliver some summer vibes inside your home.

Once part 2 is underway, you should begin to feel that your crochet is becoming less of a scarf-like thing and more of a blankety-type thing, which is good! You will hopefully be able to drape it a little and marvel at it's squishability....

....spread it out and delight in the colours as they dance and sing their happy summer song.

Tilly is always on hand to perform a Quality Control inspection here in the Attic, she never ever misses an opportunity to steal the limelight.

At the end of Part 2, you will be exactly a third of the way through the blanket with 33 stripes complete. Doesn't it look lush?!

So here is the colour info for Part 2 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Dahlia Blanket, we're making 18 stripes in total this week.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet.

16. Tomato

17. Fondant

18. Lemon

19. Shrimp

20. Claret

21. Blush

22. Spice

23. Fuchsia Purple

24. Apricot

25. Saffron

26. Pomegranate

27. Magenta

28. Powder Pink

29. Boysenberry

30. Lipstick

31. Spice

32. Apricot

33. Pomegranate

If you've decided to embark on the Dahlia Colourwash blanket, this week will bring in some delicious oranges and yellows to balance out the depths of the reds from last week. You'll be using 4 shades for part 2 - Tomato, Spice, Saffron and Lemon.

Truthfully, these aren't my favourite Dahlia colours (the pinks are my personal faves), but they do add a gorgeous lightheartedness to the overall colour palette. They bring sunshine and warmth.....

.....do you see????? How beautifully the colour wash is instantly lifted by the addition of the yellows?!!!

Thank you Tilly, I know you love your QC job. Do you like the way the Colourwash is looking as it grows? I adore it I have to say, it pleases me on so many levels. It's quite subtle as you are creating it stripe after stripe, but as soon as you stand back and view it as a whole it's deliciously bold, which pretty much sums up the character of Dahlias. Sometimes delicate and subtle, but more often exuberant and bold. I love it!!

So here is the colour info for Part 2 of the "COLOURWASH" Dahlia Blanket, we're making 18 stripes in total this week.

Click (( HERE )) for the printable worksheet (please note that the colourwash list is on page 2).

16. Spice

17. Tomato

18. Spice

19. Tomato

20. Spice

21. Tomato

22. Spice

23. Saffron

24. Spice

25. Saffron

26. Spice

27. Saffron

28. Spice

29. Saffron

30. Lemon

31. Saffron

32. Lemon

33. Saffron

I haven't seen many "Dahlia Repeats" on social media just yet - the above blanket is Silvi's and she has just completed the first set of 15 stripes in the repeating colour order. I think it's going to look stunning as it grows, don't you?

Well I really hope this week brings nothing but goodness to your door, and that Dahlia colour therapy continues to make you smile......have fun!

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DAHLIA SPIKE STITCH TUTORIAL

🌸 CAL PART 1

Posted at 06:35 AM in CAL, Crochet | Permalink | Comments (15)

January 03, 2020

Dahlia Blanket CAL :: Part 1

Hello, and welcome to the start of a brand new decade, and the beginnings of a very colourful new blanket journey. I know that many thousands of you are joining in with the Dahlia Blanket Crochet-A-Long (CAL) and I am so very happy to have your company. It's going to be a beautifully bright start to 2020 that's for sure!

You will probably remember me telling you all about the inspiration behind the Dahlia blanket at the end of last year? If you missed that introduction post, you can find it ((HERE)). I've been in love with dahlias for many, many years - their flamboyant nature and vibrant colours never fail to make me happy and lift my spirits. I figured that if the flowers make me feel so smiley, then putting those colours into a blanket would be a very good thing indeed. It would be a blanket of Summer Cheerfulness!

As is usual for my blankets, I've chose fifteen shades of Stylecraft Special DK for my Dahlia blanket

Top row, left to right...

🏵️ magenta 🏵️ fuchsia purple 🏵️ shrimp 🏵️ apricot 🏵️ powder pink 🏵️

Middle row, left to right...

🏵️ boysenberry 🏵️ pomegranate 🏵️ spice 🏵️ lemon 🏵️ blush 🏵️

Bottom row, left to right...

🏵️ claret 🏵️ lipstick 🏵️ tomato 🏵️ saffron 🏵️ fondant 🏵️

You can find the Dahlia yarn pack in my shop at Wool Warehouse, click on the following link...

❧🏵️DAHLIA YARN PACK 🏵️❧

For those of you who have already got your yarn ready and waiting, I really hope that you've been enjoying the colour palette. I am so in love with it! There is a lot of heat in this palette as we move through the reds, oranges and yellows and into the pinks and purples.

Before you take your paper bands away from your balls, please remember to make a note of the colours so that you don't get into a muddle. A few of the shades can look very similar, especially under artificial light (Fondant and Blush in particular). I always use my trusty yarn pegs, but you could simply attach snips of yarn to a piece of paper with some sticky tape and write their names down.

Ruth has made some very sweet little sampler squares to keep a track of her colour palette...

And Charlotte has punched some holes into an index card to keep her yarn snips in order.

However you like to do this, it's an important first step in preparing for the CAL and helps you to become familiar with the colour names.

If you've made any of my blankets before, you know that I always like to encourage you to make up a small tension sample before launching straight into the blanket. This helps you to feel comfortable with the pattern repeat, but more importantly to work out your own personal crochet tension and the best hook size to use.

Stylecraft Special DK uses a 4mm hook as standard, but I've found that the Dahlia Spike Stitch works better if it's not too tight. I'm a tight crocheter myself, so I've moved up to a 5mm hook to stop my crochet fabric becoming too stiff. If you've made my blankets before, then you will probably have a good idea of what hook size suits you best for this yarn. Remember also that it's generally a good idea to make the foundation chain using a bigger hook size, then drop back down again when you begin to crochet the rows.

Working a tension sample doesn't take that long as it's only a small piece. Make a chain of 27 then work up 8 rows of crochet. The width should measure approximately 16cm across.

If it's a cm or so bigger or smaller, it's not too much of a problem really, the sizing is an approximate guide so please use your own judgement.

If your sample measures waaaaay bigger and feels all floppy and loose, then you will need to switch to a smaller hook. Alternatively, you can reduce the number of starting chains when you make your blanket (keeping a multiple of 4, plus an extra 3) to ensure you achieve the correct width and don't run out of yarn.

If your sample feels tight and stiff and is coming out way smaller, switch to a larger hook size.

I created my usual photo-heavy, hold-your-hand tutorial to help you crochet your tension sample and learn how to work the Spike Stitch. You can find it by clicking on the following link >>

And due to popular request, I also made a simple written pattern that you can download/print if you don't need the step by step help and prefer to have a traditional printed pattern to pop in your bag. You can find it by clicking on the following link >>

DAHLIA BLANKET PATTERN DOWNLOAD

In the tutorial, I also included some help with darning in ends for this particular blanket which I hope you find useful.

Once you're happy with your tension sample, you can get wiggly with those first few rows. The pattern gives you starting chains for different sizes of blanket, so although I make my blankets a standard 120 x 180 (single bed size), you could easily make smaller or bigger versions if you prefer.

When you work the first stripes of your blanket, it's a good opportunity to check your gauge again and make sure you're on track. The best way to do this is to use digital kitchen scales. There will (mostly) be 7 stripes of each colour in the Dahlia blanket and as you can see from the above photo, I'm using approx 11g of yarn per stripe. This means 77g of yarn in total from a 100g ball, leaving enough left over to work a border.

I'm going to list the first set of colours for you in just a moment, but first I'd just like to reassure you that all CAL posts will remain on my blog indefinitely so you can dip into them whenever you need. Please don't worry if you miss a week or fall behind with your hooky, you can go at your own pace and you certainly won't be alone.

Here is a rundown of the CAL schedule :

Friday 3rd January - part 1 - working a tension sample, choosing the right hook size, stripes 1-15.

Friday 10th January - Part 2 - stripes 16 -33

Friday 17th January - Part 3 - stripes 34 - 51

Friday 24th January - Part 4 - stripes 52 - 69

Friday 31st January - Part 5 - stripes 70 - 87

Friday 7th February - Part 6 - stripes 88 - 89

Friday 14th February - Catch up week (darn in those ends!!)

Friday 21st February - Part 7 - the edging and a grand Ta-dah!

Following on from the success of the Sweet Pea blanket last year, I decided to also make two versions of the Dahlia blanket. Both blankets have the same number of stripes and use the same fifteen colours, but they each have their own signature. On the left is the "Mixed Stripe" and on the right is the "Colourwash. I love them both, but if you backed me into a corner and forced me to choose, then I would say that the Colourwash pleases me just a smidge more than the mixed bunch.

You can see a sneaky preview of both blankets by clicking ((HERE)), although I know some of you prefer the surprise element!

The Mixed Stripe is inspired by the glorious and huuuuuuge bunch of dahlias that I brought home with me after my trip to Halls in Northumberland last September. You can see lots more photos of that wonderful place in my Dahlia blanket introduction post ((HERE)).

The riot of hot summer colour really does remind me of walking in that sunny dahlia field, it was an experience that I will never ever forget. The bright medley of colour is just so impossibly joyful, don't you think?

This is what the very start of the mixed stripe blanket looks like with the first fifteen rows complete. Please note that I managed to colour co-ordinate my hand knit socks for this photo, but I'm sure you noticed that straight away.

So here is the colour info for Part 1 of the "MIXED STRIPE" Dahlia Blanket.

Click (( HERE)) for the printable worksheet.

1. Boysenberry (Foundation chain & rows 1 & 2)

2. Pomegranate (rows 3 & 4)

3. Blush (rows 5 & 6)

4. Lemon (rows 7 & 8)

5. Tomato (rows 9 & 10)

6. Claret (rows 11 & 12)

7. Magenta (rows 13 & 14)

8. Powder Pink (rows 15 & 16)

9. Fondant (rows 17 & 18)

10. Apricot (rows 19 & 20)

11. Saffron (rows 21 & 22)

12. Spice (rows 23 & 24)

13. Lipstick (rows 25 & 26)

14. Shrimp (rows 27 & 28)

15. Fuchsia Purple (rows 29 & 30)

photo credit : Floret Flowers

The Colourwash version of the Dahlia blanket was largely inspired by the work of Erin Benzakein who runs the most amazing flower farm in the US called "Floret Flowers". I'm a massive fan of Erin's work, her website and Instagram page is an absolute visual paradise for floral colour lovers and is unbelievably inspiring.

Photo Credit : Floret Flowers

Erin very kindly gave me her permission to share these photos with you (thank you so much Erin), but do please go and feast you eyes on more of her beautiful dahlia photos ((HERE)). There is also a wealth of information on the Floret website for anybody who fancies growing their own dahlias, it's something I aspire to one day.

I had a play with my own bunch of dahlias and ordered my yarn colours into a pleasing wash of colour. I started with the deep reds and oranges, moved through the more delicate yellows and pale pinks, then transitioned to the deeper pinks and finally on to the purples.

So for the first part of the colourwash, we start with the deep reds and coppery orange tones.

These are very hard colours for my camera to capture so I'm sorry if the shades all look a bit samey in these photos. In real life they are strong and beautiful and the wash of colour is a little more obvious than these pictures suggest.

It's a bold beginning and I love the drama of it!

Here is the colour info for Part 1 of the "COLOURWASH" Dahlia Blanket.

Click (( HERE)) for the printable worksheet.

1. Claret (Foundation chain & rows 1 & 2)

2. Lipstick (rows 3 & 4)

3. Claret (rows 5 & 6)

4. Lipstick (rows 7 & 8)

5. Claret (rows 9 & 10)

6. Lipstick (rows 11 & 12)

7. Claret (rows 13 & 14)

8. Lipstick (rows 15 & 16)

9. Tomato (rows 17 & 18)

10. Lipstick (rows 19 & 20)

11. Tomato (rows 21 & 22)

12. Lipstick (rows 23 & 24)

13. Tomato (rows 25 & 26)

14. Lipstick (rows 27 & 28)

15. Tomato (rows 29 & 30)

A little note to say that the Colourwash stripe order is designed to be worked across 99 stripes in total to create a 180cm length, and isn't therefore suitable for smaller or bigger versions.

I know quite a few of you fancied creating a "REPEATING STRIPE" or a "mirror repeat" using the order that appeared on my sampler. So here is that colour order for those of you who wish to create a REPEATING STRIPE for the Dahlia blanket. Starting from the bottom of the photo and working towards the top, as follows:

1. Claret (Foundation chain & rows 1 & 2)

2. Lipstick (rows 3 & 4)

3. Tomato (rows 5 & 6)

4. Spice (rows 7 & 8)

5. Saffron (rows 9 & 10)

6. Lemon (rows 11 & 12)

7. Apricot (rows 13 & 14)

8. Powder Pink (rows 15 & 16)

9. Fondant (rows 17 & 18)

10. Blush (rows 19 & 20)

11. Shrimp (rows 21 & 22)

12. Pomegranate (rows 23 & 24)

13. Fuchsia Purple (rows 25 & 26)

14. Magenta (rows 27 & 28)

15. Boysenberry (rows 29 & 30).

After stripe 15, you can either go back to colour 1 again and repeat, or work backwards through 14, 13 etc and work the colours in reverse (this produces the "mirror" effect).

Well, I think that's about all for this week - remember you can share photos or questions on my Facebook page, in the "Hooked on Attic24" Facebook group, or an Instagram (use the hashtag #dahliacal).

Have a fabulous, happy hooky week my lovelies!!!!!!!!!

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