Seasonal temperature blanket...finished!

The weather here is glorious today - 21 degrees and slightly breezy (21 Celsius, that is, not Fahrenheit! - so, about 70F). I've been diligently domesticating in various parts of the house and am now sitting with a cup of Russian Caravan tea (Twinings loose leaf, one of my favourite teas), planning my next post in order to show my now-finished temperature blanket for this year.

But, before I post some photos of the blanket please let me show you my current favourite cup:

This was a present from my honey (who is definitely my better half) last Christmas. It's from the Royal Albert collection and is called Old Country Roses.
It's not only a lovely looking cup, it is also a delight from which to drink. Well-shaped and proportioned (and just so pleasing to the eye).
In the last few months it has taken on an extra special dimension because my mum's name was Rose (as was my original birth name) so it's become a small way of honouring her memory.



Now, on to the blanket 😊


I chose to make a seasonal blanket over the past year, rather than a 1st January to 31st December blanket, as in 2018. So, I started this blanket on 1st December 2018 (the official start of Summer here in Oz) and completed it on 30th November 2019 (last day of Spring for us).
I measured the bed before starting and decided to make the blanket 18 squares across to make a decent-sized cover for a queen size bed.
362 temperature granny squares are in the body of the blanket, plus a granny square for each month and four extra granny squares demarcating each season, for a total of 378 squares (if my maths is correct). The last three days of the seasonal year were the border of the blanket and, amazingly, those days were all the same maximum temperature, so, the border is all one colour - how serendipitous!
On special days, family birthdays and anniversaries, I used a sparkly yarn rather than the max. temp. colour for that day, to make the day gently stand out from the rest.

So, without further waffle or ado, here are some photos:

Back in August, when it was still Winter, but the colours were truly beginning to cascade down the blanket.

Finished and in situ...

A look at the colours from a vertical perspective (1st December 2018 at top left to 30th November 2019 at bottom right)...

...then from a horizontal perspective (Summer on the left, flowing through to Spring on the right).

I love how the colours seem to flow like a waterfall.

The waterfall of colour from another angle.

I also made a cushion, in selected colours from each season's palette, to match the blanket. This is the stripy side...

...and this is the Granny Square side.

The sparkly purple squares for the girls' birthdays...

...sparkly silver for the boys' birthdays...

...and sparkly cream for special anniversaries.

 One steel blue square separates months...

...and two steel blue squares separate the seasons.

Finally, my signature label - a button.
I usually put a lighthouse sticker on my buttons but I wanted this one to be a "cleanskin" as it's such a lovely, classic button just as it is, in my view. I bought this from a small business in town.

There you have it - my Seasonal Blanket. I love, love, love the colour palette created in this piece of work, thanks to the temperatures of the past four seasons and our family's individual celebratory and commemorative days.
I hope it brings a smile to everyone's face 😊

God bless to all.

Creations

The last couple of months have been emotional, to say the least.
My bio mum died in late September and I found out mid-October. I can't really adequately describe the impact the news had but I realised a few things afterwards, one being that I have probably being grieving the loss of my mother all of my life; a low-grade grief, rather like a low-grade infection, that never completely incapacitates but does have an ongoing effect.
The news brought a sense of finality and ending, almost, but not quite relief, more of the realisation of a door shutting permanently. A finality that lifts a weight.
Crochet has been quite a therapeutic pastime through this period and I've turned out a few blankets and some other items.
So, without further ado, my latest crochet projects:

This started off as a memorial blanket  for my brother, whose anniversary is in November. I found the pattern online: here
My wonderful sister, whose birthday is also in November, ended up with this blanket for her birthday - she loved it :)

Another blanket for a daughter's birthday. This was a mish-mash of beautiful granny square patterns I found online, mixed with basic granny squares. I had originally planned it to be a large bedspread but ran out of "oomph" and just wanted to finish it in time. Hence, a bit smaller than planned but still pretty.

Another birthday gift for another precious daughter. This was also an online CAL:here
I chose the squares I liked and named the blanket "Orient Express" as I happened to be listening to the audio book when I started the blanket.





I have a few more blankets to share but they can wait until next time.

New projects

I've been meaning to write another blog post for at least a month now but life always seems to get in the way!
Back in August we spent almost two weeks in Perth, celebrating two birthdays and a graduation. Since then, I've been catching up with a backlog of domestics and, of course, crochet :)

Which brings me to the subject of this blog post - blankets!

I've made several since my last post, one of which is winging its way to my sis as I write. I'll show that one in my next post (I don't want to spoil the visual surprise for my sis).
I'm also continuing with my seasonal temperature blanket, which will finish at the end of November.

This photo shows my temperature blanket back in August ,when I was working the Winter palette colours (bottom of blanket). I think the seasonal demarcations are shown fairly clearly in the palettes.

...and this is my latest creation. The pattern is called Spice of Life and can be found (here)
I chose my own colours for this blanket, as I am more of a blue-toned person, but the original pattern colours are lovely in themselves.

This shows the various stitch patterns a bit more clearly. I loved making this blanket, it was an opportunity to learn new stitches as well as blend my own colour selections.

Finally, this is a tentative colour palette for my latest blanket project, titled Dance in the Sea;
details can be found (here)
Reading about this blanket pattern was bittersweet. The designer was a talented lady who took her own life several years ago while working on this pattern. Some crochet friends got together and finished the pattern in honour of her memory.
My brother's anniversary is coming up in November and, to honour his memory, I'm going to make this blanket. I don't know if it will be finished by mid-November but it doesn't matter if it isn't. I'm just going to take my time and enjoy every stitch.
My sis and I are collaborating on this blanket and the colours are not yet finalised (hence the use of "tentative") but we are having a wonderful time reminiscing about the colours of his many Lacrosse polo shirts and his various favourite outfits.
Stay tuned for more updates on this new work in progress.

One last photo - the first square of my brother's blanket - I think it represents kelp, the fat, grapey-looking kind that you feel like you could "pop" with your fingers, except it's too tough to do so!

Until next time, God bless everyone and Shalom to you and yours.

The skies above

I've been taking photos of the sky for quite a while now, recording how different it looks from the skies I remember from years past.
I started doing this when I began to wake up about what was really going on in our atmosphere -through people like Dane Wiggington and youtube channels such as Jeff P and Niges View on Things (these are only a start; there are many more folk out there reporting, some good and some not. Tread wisely if you decide to go down this rabbit hole. Oh, and be prepared to be labelled a "nutter" or a "tinfoil-hat wearer" or similar! Water off a duck's back now 😊)

All of the photos that follow are my own snaps - taken on a basic camera (not a camera phone) over the last six months or so. I am no photographer but even I can capture, to an extent, some of what is transpiring above us.

I would have thought this beautiful at one time - not so now.

Natural?

Sunrise...

Mid-morning sun.

More crazy colours as the sun rises.

For so long I've watched our skies being sprayed to death, with all of the attendant craziness that follows, so, imagine my surprise when, only a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly realised what I was looking at - A real cloud - yay!

Another real cloud in a clear sky.

These last two photos were actually taken the day after my first realisation I was seeing real clouds and a clear sky again. I was so shocked at first that I did not even think to take a photo; I just stood on the footbridge leading to the harbour and looked up in wonder and gratitude. The next day I went out with my camera and recorded these photos. Winter in my home town under an almost cloudless sky - thank you, Jesus.

Spring cushion

I made a cushion cover for a dear friend and, now that it's been gifted to her, I can show it on my blog!

I chose what, to me, are Spring shades because I believe my friend is a Spring person (if you're not sure what I am talking about, check this book cover link: Colour Me Beautiful)

"Front" side...

I love these soft, creamy buttons (op. shop rescues) and the colour two rows below the buttons (that is similar to flesh tone) is called "Toy" and it's from Stylecraft. I bought it just for the name but I think it really tones well with the cream and the buttons.

...other side.


I used a granny square pattern from this  blog -  Betsy Makes - that was originally designed for a blanket she named "Collecting Dust" (love the name and, one day, I intend to make this blanket).

Material details:
I used a variety of yarn brands -
 Stylecraft (S.C.)
 Porta Craft (P.C.)
 4 Seasons Marvel (4SM)
4 Seasons Stallion (4SS)

 and a baker's dozen colours for the cushion cover:
Square No.1 (top square in photo just above)
Cornish Blue (S.C.)`
Vanilla (P.C.)
Dusty Pink (P.C.)
Sage (4SM)
Lemon Sorbet (4SM)
Spring Green (S.C.)


Square No.2 (bottom square in photo just above)
Apricot (P.C.)
Denim (4SS)
Fawn (P.C.)
Toy (S.C.)
Duck Egg (S.C.)
Soft Shrimp (4SM)*

The other two small squares are both done in Cream (4SM)
The "front"side of the cushion was done using the full range of colours in a random selection.

I joined the four smaller squares using the join-as-you-go method: excellent Bella Coco tutorial on JAYG method

I did a row of trebles (U.K. terms) around, which doubled as a border and to join the two sides of the cushion, and sewed the buttons, equally spaced, on the inside of one side of the border. The spaces between the trebles make the perfect buttonhole 😊

Making this cushion was a lot of fun; my friend loved it and I've got several bare cushions around the place that might soon be getting a "makeover" of sorts!

Shalom to all 🌹

Winter chilling.

Winter has set in here (last night was the Winter Solstice) and the days are chilly, which means more time inside and, hence, more crochet-time :)

Here are some of my latest projects:

A lap blanket for someone very special to me (the mum I would have chosen had I had a choice).
Made with three cakes of  yarn in Turkish Delight (Caron Cakes), Sea, Sand, Sky (Portacraft Ice Cream) and Ocean Swirl (Portacraft Ice Cream).

I used an 8mm hook and the border was done in linen stitch.

I'm currently working on a patchwork Four Seasons' blanket (which I will detail in another post) and decided to make a cushion to go with it, using four of the colours from each season's palette.
From left to right, vertically - Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.
I hadn't chosen the Spring palette when I decided to do this, so the colours are just four colours I liked that I will incorporate into my palette when I finally do get around to making the colour choices.

The other side of the cushion, with the seasonal colours going horizontally this time - Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring.
I did a border of trebles (U.K. terms) and then used four red buttons, purchased from a local op. shop, to close the cover (you can see them in the first cushion photo).

One of my "big" projects is this blanket that I call my "Buttercream blanket" (so named because I used Caron Cakes Buttercream for the main body).
6.5mm hook and the stitch is called blanket stitch (it's wonderful for blankets as it's such a lovely texture and the lack of "holes" means it's warm).

Another look at this yummy blanket, in better lighting.

Squishy and soft and so comforting.

A close up of the border:
I did the spot-on edging pattern from Lucy of Attic 24 (here)
The "spot" row (R2) was done in Portacraft Ice Cream yarn in Purple Haze (yes, it's pink, I know. Personally, I think I would have called the colour Strawberry Parfait or some such, but that's me.) 😊

This blanket was a present for my baby girl, who loves it and has since "requested" another blanket in a different cake yarn! (I'm partway through that one as I write.)

Finally, a photo of the Winter Solstice sky here in my home town.


Take care, everyone, and stay warm (or cool, if you're in the Northern hemisphere - though, going by the cricket, that's not a problem in some places!)

Seashells in dune colours

Lucy from Attic 24 blogged about her latest blanket design a few weeks ago (here) and I decided to give it a go.
I loved her colour choice but my preference was for thicker stripes so I decided to make each stripe twice as wide as the pattern suggested.
As well, I wanted to follow a more ordered, flow-on colour choice than Lucy's random pattern and, true to her lovely, thoughtful form, Lucy had anticipated this and also listed her chosen colours in a colourwash palette - which I followed.
And hereunder is my dune blanket:

If you read the Attic 24 post above you will see why it's called the seashell stripe and in dune colours (Lucy's post is worth reading, trust me 😊).

Here's a close-up of the seashell stripe pattern and the scrumptious colours (I love, love, love these colours).

The border: I used the spot-on edging from the blog post in five of the blanket colours (which I'll detail at the bottom of this post).

A photo showing the blanket folded and looking soft and squishy! I used a larger than suggested hook size as I've found this seems to make the blankets feel softer and I am all for soft blankets 💖

My "Blankie Basket" is slowly being filled.

An outside shot in the glowing Autumn sunshine.

From a distance it's easier to see the beautiful flow of colour along this blanket; it's just gorgeous!

Now, on to the material details (for anyone interested) -

I used a variety of 8 ply acrylic yarn in the following brands:

Stylecraft, 4 Seasons, Porta Craft and Panda.

Colours:

Storm Blue, Laguna, Mintox, Sage, Mocha, Camel, Fawn, Parchment, Pink, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Light Mauve, Parma Violet, Silver Grey, Duck Egg, Denim.

Border Colours:

Light Mauve, Camel, Mintox, Pink, Storm Blue.

6.5mm Boye hook used throughout (larger than suggested for these yarns but, as I said above, it seems to make the blankets softer if you go up a size or two - personal preference is the best guide).

It's a toss up as to whether this blanket, or my patchwork blanket (see here), is my current favourite blanket. Winter is on the way here so I'll get lots of opportunities to test out both!

Shalom and God bless

A secret garden

I haven't been in the best of health lately but an upside to this is that I've been able to finish some crochet projects - namely some blankets :)

The first one was a present for my youngest girl and I made it with the thought in mind that it had to be bordered in that particular blue, which she loves.
I wanted it to be a lap blanket or one that goes on top of her bed for decorative effect.

I chose five colours for the flower:
Bottle Green
Aqua
Mintox
Taupe
Wheat

All except wheat are from the Porta Craft acrylic 8 ply yarn range and the wheat is an 8 ply acrylic yarn from Textile Traders (their bricks and mortar stores no longer exist)

I chose two colours for the squared-off border:
Fawn
Hot Blue

Both these colours are Porta Craft 8 ply acrylic

The flower part pattern of this one above is called "Secret Garden" flower and is from this blog: https://www.dadasplace.com/2015/10/secret-garden-shawl-free-crochet-tutorial.html

I squared it off myself (the first time I've attempted to do so and I was very pleased with the outcome) and then joined each square, using the join-as-you-go method, with the Hot Blue colour.

If anyone would like the square-off pattern please let me know and I will type it up and link it here :)

The border was done in four rows of moss stitch (a.k.a. linen stitch) and then finished off with a row of dc (sc in the U.S.)
Border colours:
Taupe
Aqua
Wheat
Hot Blue (also colour for final dc row).

Here it is displayed on my fancy couch. Only seven colours but I was really pleased with how varied the flowers looked.

More blanket posts to follow!