Sunday 18 August 2019

My Button Box Blanket

Hello, thank you for calling in, I'm always pleased to see you here, you are all welcome.  We are all well but quite soggy as it has rained and rained and rained this week, although it did stop long enough for the Best Beloved to mow the lawn on Thursday and for the Painted Ladies to come out and enjoy the buddleia.  I haven't seen them in the garden since August 2009 and for the last fortnight they have been fluttering about whenever the sun has popped out from behind a cloud.  Many cups of tea have been drunk outside while I have watched them dance from flower to flower.
  
However, I have come here today to write about crochet, not about butterflies.  I was inspired to learn to crochet by bloggers, chiefly Lucy at Attic 24, Heather at Little Tin Bird and Fi at Marmalade Rose, and the thing I really wanted to learn how to make was a blanket.  These three women put colours together and made them sing, conjuring harmony from their hooks, and I really fell in love with the idea of making such a blanket for myself.  So I learned how to crochet, with the help of a patient friend and some online tutorials, and over the last couple of years I have made a dozen blankets for babies and children - Facebook showed me a photo of one of my Shropshire rainbow blankets in London the other day and I was thrilled to bits.  I felt that I was ready to tackle a full-sized blanket but I just couldn't find the right pattern.  I'm not confident about putting colours together so I wanted that to be done for me, but nothing I saw seemed quite right.  My house is tiny so everything which (and who!) lives in it has to earn its place; my blanket had to be useful and handsome, in colours which I could live with every day and which fit in. I looked at lots of blankets online but some were the wrong colours, some the wrong pattern, some the wrong stitch and some the wrong size.  I dithered, afraid to commit to the expense of such a big project and lacking the confidence to do my own thing.  I knew that I needed to take a deep breath and dive in somewhere but I couldn't find the courage.  Something was holding me back.

When we were camping in Cornwall at the end of May I realised what it was: I wasn't sure that I needed a blanket.  I certainly don't need one on my bed and I already have a couple of lap blankets which I use on the sofa on chilly evenings.  However, I realised that I really would like a camping blanket, something to wrap around me on a chilly evening or to lie on to read on a warm day.  Yes, a camping blanket would be really useful, and when I returned home I began looking again. 

As soon as I saw the Button Box Blanket at Black Sheep Wools I knew that I had found The One: I loved the colours, the wide border, the pattern and the size (it's a small single size and I didn't want anything too big).  This kit appeared to tick every box so I lost no time in placing an online order.

An hour and a half later, Black Sheep Wools sent me an e-mail to let me know that my order had been despatched and the parcel arrived the following day...but I was out so the postman left it with a neighbour and as it was pouring with rain, I didn't retrieve it until the following day.  That was a very long night!  I tore open the packaging and found eleven balls of wonderfully soft, squishy yarn, a project bag and the pattern.  For two days I just looked at the lovely colours spread out on the sofa, periodically picking one or another up to squish it. 

The third day was a Saturday so I picked up my crochet hook in the afternoon and began.  It took me hours to find the rhythm of the pattern and I had to frog my work five times but by the time I went to bed that night I had mastered it.  I really enjoyed making this blanket.  I crocheted on my sofa, on The Teacher's sofa, in bed, in the car, at a friend's house, at our local National Trust property, in the park, on Titterstone Clee and in two different cafes; I couldn't put it down.  



When I finished the body of it after 140 rows I realised that I had made a mistake somewhere and I eventually found it back on row 115, so I had to frog again.  That mistake cost me three days.  I struggled a bit with the border so I asked for help in a Facebook group and the generosity of the crochet community came to my rescue.  I can't honestly say that I enjoyed sewing in the 222 ends but I can say that I found satisfaction in it.  About five weeks later, my blanket was finished.  Would you like to see it? -

  
It's not perfect, I know that the border is a little bit wonky at the corners but I reckon that if I don't say anything, nobody else will notice.  Making this blanket taught me new things, and I like that.  It drapes beautifully, it's soft and squishy (have I mentioned that already?) and I absolutely love it.  My blanket hasn't been camping yet but while it's been in the sitting room it has kept me cosy and I have realised that I can live with its colours very easily.  Now all I have to do is work out what to make with the leftovers...
See you soon.
Love, Mrs Tiggywinkle x 

16 comments:

  1. It’s gorgeous Mrs TW. Love the colours and the pattern. You should be very proud learning to crochet and creating such a beauty. As for the Painted Ladies; aren’t they wonderful this year, I have been admiring several only this morning. Hope the sun is shining so that you can lie on your blanket and read in the sunshine :). B x

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    1. Thank you so much Barbara. The sun is shining today but it's very windy so reading is happening in the summerhouse rather than on the lawn. Yes, the Painted Ladies have indeed been wonderful this year, I feel quite spoilt. x

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  2. Your blanket is absolutely gorgeous!! I only learnt to crochet a year ago. I've crocheted a few small blankets. My starter blanket, one for my sister-in-law, one for her first grandchild and I'm currently working on a new project. I don't get much crochet time, but I do enjoy it. Best, Jane

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    1. Thank you, Jane. I learned to knit at school but began to learn to crochet only four years ago. I find that it uses more yarn than knitting but grows much faster, which I like. It's lovely to make a blanket for a family member, especially a baby, and I have found that my daughter and her friends have really liked my gifts - I'm so pleased that handmade blankets seem to have come back into fashion. I like to crochet on a journey if my husband is driving, it feels like a really good use of time. x

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  3. It's gorgeous! The colours are fab. I love to crochet blankets, as it is so relaxing, but there are more than enough in this (also tiny) house now. X

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    1. Thank you! I agree, I found it really soothing to sit and crochet a few rows each evening. I think I'll have to crochet a cot blanket for Cottontail - once I've completed her knitting projects. x

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  4. I love your colourful blanket. That's a good idea to order a kit which is something I've not thought of doing as I'm still working on my simple stitch, large blanket that's growing slowly. Have a wonderful week!

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    1. Thanks Linda. Your big blue blanket has grown quickly, I'm quite slow really. x

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  5. Oh how pretty your blanket is! A stripy blanket really grows so fast as you can't wait to get on to the next colour, I find. It will be ideal when you're camping - now glamping! x

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    1. Thanks Karen. That's just what I liked about doing the stripes and I finished the blanket much faster than I had expected to. Get me - glamping! x

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  6. So glad you are seeing lots of Painted Ladies and how lovely to sit outside and watch them fluttering around. Your blanket is wonderful, it looks so cosy and the colours are delightful. I hope you can take it camping soon:)

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    1. Thanks Rosie. I wouldn't have a clue how to put these colours together but the designer obviously has a very good eye. I'm hoping for a camping trip next weekend (at last). x

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  7. A really useful blanket! I know exactly what you mean about the enthusiasm not coming until you find something to make that you need. I'm currently casting around for something to knit now that the evenings are a little cooler.

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    1. I think I'm going to get a lot of use out of this one, indoors and out. I like to have a yarny project on my lap on a chilly evening, it's so cosy. x

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  8. Such a richly coloured and beautiful blanket! It's sure to keep you warm and cozy in the autumn and winter days to come!

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    1. Thanks Lorrie. I love it so much, I keep looking at it! x

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