Tuesday 15 July 2014

A Blankety Ta-dah........




Gosh, I am loving this blanket sooooooo much.

It's been so nice to work on something over the top and bright for a change.




It packs a punch that's for sure.

By late afternoon yesterday, it had clouded over a little, so it was better to take pictures.

Here is my

Summer Lovin' Blanket


It sort of reminds me of 80's, rainbow, disco stuff.

Really cheery and happy though.



I did feel that I needed to go all out flamboyant though with it........so colourful pom poms were added to each end. To me, they totally make the blanket. Completely over the top....but totally fun.



I'm totally smitten with it's vibrancy. The red is the reddest red i've ever come across, a real bright cherry red. It matched the vibrancy of the geranium red very well.




I am loving those pom poms so much. 











To say i'm pleased with my little blanket is an understatement. I think I really needed to make something bright and cheerful.



So....are your eyes going all funny yet? 

Yes, I know, Pic overload.

I made this blanket with it being an 'outdoor' blanket in mind. It's a large single bed size.

It was all made using various colours of cheap branded acrylic yarns......sirdar, and Womens institute. As usual I don't have brand colours or numbers....because I'm useless at recording that stuff. Knowing that it was for outdoors, I could go less luxurious and it be a little less soft on the old skin. Some acrylics are just plain awful, but some are actually pretty good. You just have to pick and choose. I find some colourways in some brands fair less well, so i'll chop and change to suit me. I actually found it was the really cheap brands that did the best and brightest colours. I knew, it needed to be robust and be easily shoved in the washing machine if it got garden grubby and these cheap acrylics work well for that. It was all dk yarn and made using a 4mm hook. I used a 14 chain repeat ripple and the basic colours used were:

Cherry Red
Baby Blue
Mid Blue
Mid Pink
White
Bright Yellow
Spring Green






I think Stylecraft acrylic would do the trick and would have all the colour ways for a blanket like this if you are interested in creating something similar.

I'm thinking that if I ever decided to make one for indoors, it'd be nice to make one in cotton. Rico creative cottons have very vibrant colours which would work really well with this colour scheme.....although it would end up costing at least three times as much I reckon to make for a decent size. It might just go on the list though.

I liked varying up the ripple colour thicknesses. My last ripple blanket was a two row colour all the way through, so it was nice to add variation to this one.





So, all in all, I love this blanket.

It's bright

It's fun

It's all about the summer

It doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's made to be used and abused.



So, I may just make myself a coffee, pick up my blanket and have a few mins out in the garden.

Tootle Pip

xxx



Edited: I worked out that it took me 29 hours to make from start to finish. I've never really worked that out before on any of my makes. One hundred and four rows each taking 15 minutes, then the sewing in of the ends, the edging to be done, and the pom poms to be made and attached.




71 comments:

  1. I love it ! No words to express ! But I really undesstand your feelings about this blankets and these colors ! Thansk for these so beautiful pictures ! Have a nice moment out in your garden with your super-fun blanket !

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  2. Absolutely beautiful, i could never tire of the colourful photography ~ perfect cheery summer blanket...and pompoms....= bliss!!!!!!!! xxxxx

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  3. Super-duper fun looking blanket Vanessa - the colours are so gorgeous, summery and uplifting. May have to put this on my list! I bet you lie on your new blanket in your garden for more than a few minutes ;-D
    Amanda X

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  4. Oh those pompoms are the perfect finishing touch! I was thinking of starting another ripple, it has just made it to the top of the list! Fabulous xx

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  5. It is beautiful!!!! Love the little bobbles on the ends too, that just makes it for me! xx

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  6. E' meravigliosa!
    Complimenti per i tuoi bellissimi lavori e il blog, che adoro!

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  7. It's gorgeous and the pom poms add the perfect finishing touch.

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  8. A total delight, it is beautiful and the pom poms are the icing on the cake for me. Stunning!

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  9. Oh wow - that border! And pom poms! That blanket must make you so happy :) Inspiring. How did you do the border on the long sides - it looks like 3dc in one space??? Love.

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    1. Hi Mel, yes, it was 3dc made in each dc stitch. The edge then remains flat. x

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  10. What a beauty! I must say the pom poms are a beautiful finishing touch! x

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  11. Gorgeous!!!! How many stitches did you have in your 14 rep? xxx

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    1. Hi Laura, the pattern was taken from the Encyclopedia of Crochet Techniques by Jan Eaton. You do multiples of 14 plus 3. You do 2 trebles (uk) in 4th chain from hook. 1 treble in each of the next 3 chains. Crochet 3 trebles together in the next chain. Repeat 3 trebles together in next chain. 1 treble in each of the next 3 chains. 3 trebles in the next chain. repeat 3 trebles in next chain. You have your wave then. just remember 3 trebles in between doing two sets of (3 trebles together) and (3 trebles in one chain). I hope this makes sense. I'm pants at written patterns! x

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    2. Simply beautiful! I was wondering, you stated that the pattern is located in the Encyclopedia of Crochet Techniques by Jan Eaton. Is this pattern called Soft Waves? Also, is the encyclopedia the NEW edition or the original edition, and did you follow the pattern exactly? Your blanket appears to have more texture than a typical ripple afghan, and I think this is why I find it so visually appealing. Kudos, Coco Rose!

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    3. Hi Tammy, I think the book I have is the new edition. The pattern in it is called Wavy Chevrons (pg 60). I followed the pattern exactly just making up the width and length I wanted. I hope this helps a little! x

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  12. So lovely! I do love the colors, and the pom poms are a perfect finishing touch! Dana

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  13. I love the pom pom's on the edges!!

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  14. What a beauty, the pompoms are great.
    Grtz,
    Chris

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  15. The pompoms make it such a fun blanket!!!! Colorful and happy!!! It really is a beautiful garden blanket!!! Well done!!!!
    Love
    AMarie

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  16. Blanket is beautiful! This colors full of energy and hapiness.. :)

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  17. This blanket is absolutely gorgeous and the colours are definitely summer colours.
    Miss.

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  18. It's absolutely beautiful - love the colours, love the pompoms and love the way it coordinates with the geraniums! Wishing you many happy blankety hours this Summer. x

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  19. It has already been said in the comments above, but I'll repeat it anyway... those pompoms around the edges are super cute !!! Lovely colourful blanket !

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  20. Les photographies sont magnifiques! Et à mon tour : Lovely colourful blanket !

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  21. I love it, it just says "Summer" so perfectly. And I love that you've used cheaper yarn, and it still looks amazing. And how fascinating to know how long it took to make. Not as long as I'd imagine actually. I'm a bit number obsessed, and I always like to know things like this. I think it would take me at least twice as long though, I haven't mastered the ripple yet. The pom poms are the perfect finishing touch. A lovely thing. CJ xx

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  22. This is absolutely the funnest blanket EVER! I love those pom-poms. If ever there was something that called for pom-poms, this is it. Wonderful job, as usual. Love your photos. I need to go back through them and see it again.

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  23. Ohhhhh I LOVE it Vanessa!! I also love that you're planning on using it all summer long and what a cheery sight it will be when doing so. Sarah xo

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  24. It's WONDERFUL Vanessa! I love those colours, bright but not over the top. I love the addition of white as it lifts the whole scheme and makes it so summery.
    The pom poms are so much fun and suit it perfectly.
    Jacquie x

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  25. Love the colors but the pom edging is amazing!

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  26. Wow that is so happy and cheery !!! I love it.
    I have a ripple blanket also very bright and happy that I have been working in for about a year ... But I haven't touched it for almost a year and I'm now 1/2 way .... You just gave me the inspiration to go restart and finish it :)
    Very, very pretty and happy :)

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  27. Absolutely gorgeous! So very beautiful. =) Love it. And your pictures are a delight as always. Blessings and sunshine, Valerie

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  28. Aaah, it's gorgeous and puts a big smile on my face! Such happy colours!

    This really makes me want to make a ripple too! (I just might steal the pompom edging idea!) I sympathise with what you write about the acrylics, especially when the emphasis is on colour rather than texture, acrylics can be a good choice. And the different brands are easy to combine.

    Love that you calculated the time that went into it. Something I've been meaning to do for a long time, but always forget to do... So basically I really don't have a clue. (Story of my life really, hahaha.)

    Have a good week! xhaafner

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  29. Yippee! As I was catching up on blog posts from the past few days, I saw your last post, then lo and behold, as I scrolled up I spotted the ta-dah post here...it is utterly outstanding! The pom poms, oh the pom poms! As if the blanket weren't perfect enough with those jolly ripples in those bright shades, the pom poms take it over the top amazing! I must get more pom poms in my life...Chrissie x

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  30. It's fabulous! The pom poms definitely add an extra punch to the blanket. And that cherry red is just scrummy. Well done on another brilliant blanket :) x

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  31. This blanket is a beautiful work! I have not ever made a ripple blanket, but it may be the project for next winter!
    a visit in your blog is always a joy! so thank you for this great article and beautiful photos! lovely!
    Kisses from Catalonia!

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  32. Oh, Oh, Oh Vanessa - I am in l ♥ o ♥ v ♥ e !!!! You clever, clever bean. I have to ask ... is it a hard pattern to grasp ? I've always thought it must take a lot of concentration and counting. But I am soooo tempted to have a go now. And I love that your colours. I'm not a great colour person , but this blanket is just divine.
    Your photo's are stunning, you must have had such fun putting everything in place to get the pictures to look so good.
    AND then ... I've not even started on the pom-poms ...I actually have a whole pinterest board devoted to bobbles and pompoms - and yours just totally make this blanket. Bubbly inspiration thoughts are already ticking away in my head ....
    Gorgeous, and thank you for sharing Vanessa.
    Would love to know if its tricky to do if you get a minute ,
    Kate x

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    1. Hi Kate, no it's not tricky at all. Only the first row takes a bit of time to get the ripple effect started, but after that it is a dream to do. It's very easy and has a lovely rhythm to it as you work. Give it a go, I bet you'll really enjoy making one. Lucy at Attic24 has a good ripple tutorial. Mine was slightly different to hers giving more of a wave, but it's more or less the same if you want a tutorial on how to go about making one. I loved making the pom poms to go on it also. I never used to be a pom pom person, but these added really make the blanket I think. x

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  33. Beautiful colors, wonderful functionality--love the ripples!

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  34. Lovely, bright and summery! Love the bobble edge. Have a good week.
    Jane x

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  35. It is beautiful, bright and fantastic.
    Well Done,
    Meredith

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  36. Summer in a blanket - it's gorgeous. Those pom poms are an inspired final touch. Maybe because I'm beside the seaside as I'm reading this and soaking up all the wonderful photos, but it just says seaside, proms, bucket and spade shops, sunshine, picnics, to me. It's so pretty - what a happy post!

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  37. Just popped back to have another look and I'm still in love ! So going to have to give this a go. ♥ ♥
    Have a good day Vanessa,
    Kate xx

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  38. And absolutely lovely! and the pompons are so cute!

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  39. Love your blanket! It's so much nicer having different numbers of rows for each colour so the bands are different widths. The pom poms really make it though!! They are so gorgeous.

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  40. Gorgeousness is my word for this blanket. To be huddled under here will be a dream and perfect for lying in the grass cloud watching on a summers day x

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  41. Woo wee it's beautiful, loving the bright colour and the pom poms just make my heart sing, I hope you enjoy many a picnic on it
    Clare xx

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  42. It's so beautiful! I love the colors and the pompoms are a perfect touch. What a fun, fresh creation. Enjoy.

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  43. What a stunning blanket..beautiful colours. The pompom edging is fab. What a wonderful idea. Time for me to start a ripple me thinks.

    Well Done!!

    Love Sonya

    Can i ask how many chain you started with and also the darker green..is it a Teal shade or a bottle green?

    Thanks

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  44. Absolutely gorgeous, so bright and cheery...definitely a happy summer blanket! I love the pom poms you have added, they make the blanket look really special.
    Marianne x

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  45. Lovely blanket, very pretty!

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  46. Gorgeous as usual Vanessa! I'm putting one of these, complete with pompoms, on my list of things to do. It really does feel like a crochet version of summer! Julie xxx

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  47. It's wonderful! Love the colours, such a glorious mixture and the pom-poms are such a fab touch, I love them too. Wonderful work again Vanessa!

    S x

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  48. Whooohooooh! The pom-poms are the best!

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  49. Loving the pom poms! It's a gorgeous make.

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  50. I adore your blanket, just perfection.

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  51. Its a beauty to be sure, colour is so uplifting pompoms really are the icing on this cake!!
    d

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  52. Its very nice!! How many wool have you used?

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    1. It's an approximate, but It was about 400g of white, 200g dark blue, 200g bright red, 100g yellow, 100g, pale blue, 200g pink, 100g spring green. 13 100g balls for a blanket size of approx 50x58 inches.

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  53. I am loving your blanket! Made a ripple for No 1 son about a year and a half ago and really enjoyed crocheting it .., when I've finished all my orders I may have to revisit the ripple! Inspiring as usual x x

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  54. 29 hours at minimum wage of £7 an hour makes it worth.... £203 for the labour alone. If only.
    It looks good, and we all know we don't make stuff because it's economic sense, we make because we must. Go enjoy in the garden!

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    1. Yes, it's definitely not economically viable to make blankets to sell! I like the fact that there's only ever one that i've made of each, and I love the memories that are woven into them as I make them too. That makes them worth even more to me x

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  55. I love the blanket and I love the photos.

    I have written about your blanket on my own blog (with links to your blog).

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  56. Love, love, love your blanket. Could you tell me how you make the pom poms please? Happy summer, even if we're locked down, we still all have our crochet. Taking my crochet and a picnic out tomorrow in the sun and the ukuleles! Barbara

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  57. Hi Barbara,

    I used a pom pom maker to make the little pom poms on the blanket. They are quite readily available on the internet. I used the smallest mainstream one. You can often buy packs of different sized ones. I have a big one for making big pom poms on my crochet bobble hats!

    Take care xxx

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