discovering a simpiler life

discovering a simpiler life

Wednesday 18 March 2015

Happy Flower Blanket -Ta-dah

My happy flower blanket that I started back in January has  finally, finally been finished.  What a labour of love it was with exactly 150 granny flower squares then the joining of them all and a boarder...I'd hate to even guess at how many hours it took, it was around 2 months and I did more some days than others but I did it!


I got the original idea here but I did change my squares to 5 rounds then a round of joining.  This was mainly due to Sharron using cotton and a 3.5mm hook where as I was using a variety of mostly 8 ply wool and/or acrylic on a 4.25mm hook so it would have ended up too big.  I also didn't have the choice of the gorgeous colour combinations but I did put a big dint in the yarn I had hoarded on hand.  I think I only needed to purchase 8 or so balls which made this a pretty cheap blanket.
Although the placement looks random, some thought has to go into it as you don't want to double up on the same colours in the same rows.  I layed them all out then bundled them into row piles and got to hooking them together.
I love the joining together stage, something wonderful happens when you can see your creative imaginings  coming together in a real project in the form of a warm snuggly blanket.  My husband must be a saint cause if it was his stuff piled all over the lounge room day after day, week after week, we would be divorced!! Funny how us woman can cope with our crap all over the house, my hubby says even his car keys get moved within minutes of him popping them on the kitchen bench...Me? Territorial? Perfect? Never!!
Excuse me while I bombard you with the stages and photos!!
It kept my legs nice and warm as I was joining it and as it grew and the colours came together it just made me happy.
here he is without a boarder





I was going to do a colourful boarder but it just looked wrong - too much going on so I went with the pink doing a granny stitch all the way around twice and ended with a round of dc.  I used this granny boarder technique to avoid the corners curling here, but I must admit it is curling up a little but it's hardly a problem.  The boarder and joining is in 4 Seasons pure wool entwine 8ply 100% Australian wool made for spotlight.
On my daughters bed - it's a present for her 8th birthday that I'm hoping will be well loved and used.



this gives you an idea on my queen size bed how big it is...and I think maybe it looks good on my bed too

So there we have it! It's my 4th blanket in less than a year but this is by far the largest.  My aunt has already put her hand up to make her one which I've been itching to start, but I just couldn't start it before this one was finished.  It's going to be a different one altogether, not a granny square or stitch insight so I might be doing some super fast learning!  Thank goodness for youtube.....


Ciao, Jan x

16 comments :

  1. Jan your blanket looks amazing. No one would believe that you are new to crocheting in the last year you have done very well and using up supplies you had on hand is even better. I was doing mine every day there for a while but at the end of January we just had such hot days I couldn't do it however I think at Easter time I could pick it up again as it's still rather hot here. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Kathy, I was lucky it was a mild summer down here because it was hot with all that blanket weight on me towards the end!! I'm looking forward to seeing what you are hooking :D x

      Delete
  2. Jan I love your blanket, but more importantly your daughter is going to adore it and no doubt have it for a long time. Hand made is priceless I think. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. How wonderful! All that time and love put into a blanket. I bet she treasures and adores it :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jan that is just beautiful and I'm sure your daughter will treasure it for many, many years. I need to send you the photo of my last one. I've done a baby blanket since and now I'm onto one for a friend - I'm just doing a simple huge granny square - joining up the squares is my least favourite bit unlike you. It's totally addictive isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Totally Nancy!!! Look forward to seeing your next one

      Delete
  5. wow that is totally gorgeous & your girl will love it! thanx so much for the link to the granny flower tutorial, have saved that for later, don't crochet much myself, just an occasional granny throw & tea towel tops (hanging hand towel) not all that good at it so i do like to practice.
    thanx for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  6. You did a fabulous job, Jan! it's really beautiful - I love the colors. It takes quite a bit of perseverance to complete something of that size so bravo!
    Got a chuckle out of you saying you'd have a fit if it was your husband's stuff messing up a room. It's totally different when it's us making the mess, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sure is totally different, but I'm sure if I started messing up his garage aka man cave it would be the same!!

      Delete
  7. Hi Jan I saw this and thought of you for your next pattern which is a bit different to what you have been doing.
    http://paraventdesign.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/new-harlequin-pattern.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing hat Kathy, wow it looks impressive!!!

      Delete
  8. Hi Jan, what a beautiful finished project! A blanket of that size is quite a task, I salute your patience. Thank you for taking the time to let me know you made use of my little tutorial. It makes me so happy to know someone made use of it. You've done a fabulous job, and your daughter is one very lucky recipient. Have a lovely weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. How fantastic Jan! I have to admit I'm a bit jealous...I can't crochet to save my life and wish I could. These blankets look fantastic on a white background where the colours really pop out. Love it :)

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...