Ice Creams Down by the Sea

This is the title of my latest finished crochet blanket.

I thoroughly enjoyed Eleonora Tully’s recent Crochet Along, ‘Down by the Sea’

Her design uses a few new techniques which have been fun to try and I was inspired to make a few alterations.

I tried Eleonora’s way of representing the balustrades found at seaside resorts,

but they didn’t go with the dreamy quality of the ‘atmosphere’ of the blanket. Can a blanket have an atmosphere?

I wondered if they would look better in pastel colours, but after a couple of days of looking at it, I realised it was the pointiness of the zig-zags that didn’t sit happily in my version and so I changed them for the waves. I also added a picot on top of each ice creamdid two more stripes in the ‘parasols’ and added an extra row of granny stitches to each side to give the blanket a little more width. Ta Dah!

Made with Stylecraft Special Double Knit and various sized hooks.

8 Colours: Cream, white, toy, clematis, powder pink, duck egg, storm blue, lincoln

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Down by the Sea

Another Crochet Along started whilst I was making the Flamingo inspired Virtue blanket.

This one by Eleonora of Coastal Crochet

Resistance, as they say, was useless.

Eleonora’s colour ways are sunny and bright, but as soon as I saw the pattern, I saw it in ice cream colours and then just had to make it.

The pattern is so clever. There is Tunisian crochet made on an ordinary hook in the centre, and there are hook size changes to accommodate different techniques. I am very aware of how much trial, error, unpicking and time that must have gone into creating this pattern.

In order to create the verticle stripes there are chains across the back, and because I chose to make them in two colours my chains are longer and create a thick woven look on the back. If one wanted to create a blanket to keep out the cold, this would be an excellent stitch to choose. I might catch them down at the back once the blanket is finished if I feel that the long chains would be a nuisance in use.

As the green strands became longer to get round the corners, I did the rows on each side separately

I am posting progress photos on Instagram

Made with Stylecraft Special DK

Colours: Cream, White, Toy, Powder Pink, Clematis, Duck Egg, Storm Blue, Lincoln.

 

Bonfire on the Beach at Sunset

The Coastal Crochet Cal (crochet along), Picnic on the Beach, has finished and it was a joy to take part. The pace was just right and although it is not a race it is nice to keep up and be part of seeing all the amazing blankets that are being created at the same time, all over the world. I do love the sense of community that builds through the Facebook page, and by Eleonora sharing picture collages on her Instagram pages and on Facebook.

Eleonora’s video tutorials are excellent. I am excited to see what she comes up with next.

My colours were inspired by the colours I used in Attic24’s Dahlia Blanket and the sunsets I see from my west-facing sitting room window.

One was from last week

A painting in the sky.

I used Stylecraft Special DK  and a 4.5mm hook.

Colours: Lipstick, Spice, Matador, Claret, Burgundy, Clementine, Sunshine, Pomegranate, Blush, Duck Egg, Dandelion, Tomato, Storm Blue, Petrol.

In my last post about this blanket I showed you the horror of all the ends to sew in. Eleonora did provide a tutorial on how to weave them in as the Tunisian Entrlac was being worked, but there were still a LOT of ends to sew in for this blanket. Worth it though, and amazingly they are all sewn in. Sometimes it takes me months to do that job.

The blanket has been designed as a picnic blanket and so is not too big to carry around, and works very nicely as a blanket to snuggle up in on cool evenings.

Coastal Crochet Crochet-Along

I do love a Crochet Along and Eleonora’s pattern, Picnic on the Beach, intrigued me.

It starts with Tunisian Entrelac, which I have never done before.

Eleonora’s video tutorials are superb!

In Eleonora’s pattern the squares represent red and white Gingham, but ever since my Sunset blanket, made from Attic24’s Dahlia pattern, I have wanted to do another project in sunset colours.

There is one drawback

Yikes! All those ends.

I have sewn them all in, but if I did it again I think I would crochet a plain square  in single crochet (US) to cover them up at the back.

The pattern comes with full photo and video tutorials in both US and UK terms.

Week 1

This is the central square.

Stylecraft Special DK and 4.5mm hook

Colours: Lipstick, Spice, Matador for the small squares.

For the basket weave stitches: Lipstick, Claret and Burgundy.

Week 2

We added waves and I was reminded of the colours over the sea I saw from my Christmas Hideaway

Colours for the waves: Clementine, Pomegranate, Blush, Duck Egg, Dandelion.

My background colour and the colour that will tie the blanket together is Tomato.

Now that the waves have been added, the dark edges of the central square makes me think of a bonfire, so the working title is now

‘Bonfire on the Beach at Sunset’

It gives me a warm glow just thinking about that as I am making it.