Wednesday 1 February 2017

My Seaside Granny Blanket Ta-Dah

Hello lovelies,
my, oh, my, it's been a long, long time since I have completed a full sized crochet blanket. Last year I enjoyed making ( and selling!) quiet a few baby blankets. But in the background were a couple of big blanket projects I was neglecting.

This seaside colours inspired blanket was to be for youngest boy. I began making simple four round granny squares back in 2015 :0)


It was while we were on holiday in Cornwall that year. The colours were picked to try and capture a little of this dreamy colour palette.... and because they are very "boy friendly."


Production slowed as the year wore on. Then ground to a halt.

 June 2016 saw us visiting the beautiful lake district as my birthday treat ( that big 5.0. birthday) . Happily the squares came with me as they were a very travel friendly project.

and the colours seemed to capture a little of the lakeland landscape too.

In August 2016 my squares enjoyed their second Cornish holiday :0)


And still this slooooow project limped along. By the time the pumpkins were on sale I decided to was time to put in a bit more effort and try to get this blanket made by the end of the year. 


By November all squares were made and I had added a fifth round of Petrol. wooohooo.


Then I began the process of sewing them together. This seemed to take an age. It's really just because I didn't spend a lot of time working on it ( and I got distracted by other crochet and craft projects) 

This past weekend I finally finished the border. Today I picked up the blanket and sewed in the few remaining ends. Then I got out the iron and steam blocked the slightly curly border. I love this clever method Lucy taught us HERE 


 Then I took the blanket and put it on youngest's bed.


Yay, it's long enough and wide enough.


 By late morning the rain (which had put me off walking and meant the blanket got finished) stopped and the sun even tried to shine. I seized  the chance to take the blanket outdoors for the traditional washing line shot.



yay, it's been a long time since I got to do this.


 For the edge I tried a new stitch to me. Reverse single crochet ...or Crab stitch. I love the effect it gives.


I love the petrol border too, though I can see it's not the most "coastal" colour. It is a good, dark background that brings out the best in the colours of the squares.



I think this is my favourite way to look at this blanket...to stand back and enjoy the colour and pattern from a distance.


Here are the blanket stats:-

The finished size is 64 inches (162cm) by 44 inches (112cm)...long enough to cover a lanky teenager :0)

The yarn is all Stylecraft Special Acrylic, double knitting weight. Super easy to care for and easy on the budget too.

The colours for the squares are Aster, Cloud Blue, Turquoise, Khaki, Meadow, Silver, Stone, Camel, Lime, Aspen and White.
The joining colour is Petrol.

I used a 4mm crochet hook.



The design is the same as THIS Blanket I made a few years ago. It's a much loved favourite, but a touch small for my grown boys . I'm glad this latest blanket is bigger.


Nice and long :0)


I chose a square I liked and used those colours for the border.



Happy blankets.



It's great to have finally made all three of my boys a blanket now. The other two are HERE and HERE. 

Youngest seems to like his blanket, though it's not that easy to tell....he's a boy of few words :0)
 I doesn't really matter that much anyway as I make them for my own enjoyment and they are super practical too. It will be well used and make me smile when I see it on his bed. 
Jacquie x

31 comments:

  1. I love the colours that you have chosen, beautiful. My boy doesn't have many words sometimes either!

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  2. It is absolutely gorgeous and I love the colour palette.

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  3. It is beautiful!! I have never made a blanket with small squares. Is it hard to join the squares? How do you join the squares? The colors you have are very beautiful.

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  4. It's lovely - beautiful colour palette - and looks very boy-friendly indeed. Also travel-friendly. :) I've never had the patience to complete a blanket - kudos to you for persistence!

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  5. Wow! That is a wonderful accomplishment. Hats off to you!

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  6. Your finished blanket is beautiful. I love all those seaside colours, they are my favourites too! The edging just finishes it perfectly! So nice to see your crochet projects again!

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  7. Bravo to you for making each of your beloved sons their very own blanket. They will treasure it for the rest of their lives. What a good mum you are! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  8. Oh it's lovely Jacquie, absolutely lovely. And so good that all of those memories are stitched into it as well. You have reminded me that my eldest doesn't have a hand knitted blanket. Thought wheels turning... CJ xx

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  9. It's beautiful Jacquie! I read the post about your previous seaside patch blanket and I smiled at the similarities in the blanket journeys, so like my own long drawn out blanket making! .

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  10. Oh, I love it! And I bet it's a weight off your mind having finished it too ;-)

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  11. Well done Jacquie, it looks brilliant. What lucky sons you have!!

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  12. Hi Jacqui.I absolutely Love your Blanket,and glad it's a Coastal one.Hope you might visit St.Agnes this year.You always inspire me with your makes,you are a talented lady.I have posted my latest addiction on my blog.I just might have to put one of these blankets on my very long to do list.Happy Making.xx

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  13. Well done, what a lovely blanket, great coastal colours. I'm sure deep down he thinks it's great, and will treasure it forever because his mum made it for him! I have a similar squares blanket lurking in my WIPs corner for the past few years. I really must finish mine too xx
    Claire@homesweethome2015.blogspot.com

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  14. I love your blanket Jacquie. I know the feeling, I have a Super-King sized blanket on the go (started October 2015) and it's about two-thirds done. There are all those other things that you just have to make though!
    I love reverse sc/crab stitch but I also found another stitch which looks very much like it but which I find easier to do. Here's a link in case anyone wants to try it.http://www.mooglyblog.com/twisted-single-crochet/?utm_content=28efc34580f4b1f19b615cf105693530&utm_campaign=Moogly%20Email%20Newsletter%202%2F27%2F2016&utm_source=Robly.com&utm_medium=email

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    2. You only need the first bit of link http://www.mooglyblog.com/twisted-single-crochet I don't know why all that bumf came up as well. Thanks again for all your wonderful photos and patterns.
      Marje x

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  15. It turned out fabulous! One of my favorite color combinations, blues and greens. Have a lovely day!x

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  16. You can't beat a granny square blanket,can you? Your colours are really beautiful together and remind me of seaweed and rock pools as well as the seaside itself. Thanks for your 'how to make a flat border for a granny square blanket', it got me out of quite a pickle with one of my blankets a couple of years ago!

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  17. That is a beautiful blanket. The colors are perfect together. It doesn't really matter to me how long it takes to make something if I love the end result. Your border is perfectly done. I'm sure your boy loves it even if he doesn't say anything. Well done!
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  18. I love the blanket,especially the colours you chose to remind you of holidays.The petrol blue is perfect.

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  19. My that is one gorgeous blanket. The petool blue really sets the other colours off.
    I haven't the patience to join so many little bits so I make bigger ones. I love crab stitch, I've used it for edging baby cardigans, works fab.

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  20. Love the colours. And think you are right, looks fab on the line. Outdoor light is so much better for photos I always think. You put me to shame with a blanket project in a bag which has pretty much ground to a halt. Maybe by the end of this year...! x

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  21. Your blanket is fantastic! I love the colours and the border, and the size, and well, everything!!!! I am sure that your son will love it and treasure it for many a year!

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  22. It's a beautiful blanket, I love it.

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  23. It's beautiful! I love the colours.

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  24. Love the colours, bright and blue ...
    Amanda xx

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