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Wednesday 6 May 2015

Hurray! My first and wonderful rainbow ripple blanket is finished!

This is a post I thought I would never write. If someone had asked me one year ago if I would ever start to crochet a blanket I would have answered " Are you crazy? I will never buy such a great amount of yarn to start a project I am sure I 'll never finish!" And then after marvelling at so many beautiful blankets in the net I started a ripple blanket just a couple of months later. 

I decided upon this pattern because it looks just lovely and there are not so many loose ends you have to weave in as with a granny blanket for example. I used the pattern written by the wonderful Lucy of attic24. When I started the first stitches I always told myself that it could become a baby blanket, my brother is 33 years old and I am sure he will have a child sooner or later. But then the pattern really got me. It was so soothing and almost meditative to crochet these ripples that I never wanted to stop once I started. I don't know how many times I told my children "Oh I just have to finish this row before... 
                            
                  a) we have lunch, 
                  b) I'll help you with your homework, 
                  c) I'll come and have a look at what you've done
                  d) I'll make dinner... 
                       ... and so on and on and on. 

But my children loved this blanket very much as well and they were quite proud that I didn't forget it in some of the baskets or on some shelves where it would lie forever and ever. Instead they encouraged me to go on and to finish it. Lovely them! 
So here it is and please forgive the huge amount of pictures!
I used these 22 colours of Stylecraft Special DK. Don't they look gorgeous?
I used Stylecraft Special DK in the following 22 colours:
Sherbet, Turquoise, Petrol, Aspen, Cloud Blue, Denim, Clematis, Candy Floss, Lavender, Fondant, Raspberry, Pomegranate, Magenta, Shrimp, Lipstick, Claret, Citron, Saffron, Sunshine, Spring Green, Meadow and Bottle.

And when I finally finished the ripples, I pondered long about the edging. I knew that I wanted to make one but I wasn't sure about pattern. Just a couple of single crochet rows? Or some kind of shell stitch? But then again I found a pattern on Lucy's blog I liked a lot. You can find it here. I like this neat yet simple pattern very much, it puts the finishing touches to my blanket. What do you think?


My happy, happy blanket full of sunshine and felicity! It feels so good that I managed to finish it.
I just read a quotation by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that he must have written with crocheters in his mind: 

'Glücklich diejenigen, die im Praktischen gegründet sind und sich zu gründen wissen!'

I haven't found a good translation in the net but I can give it a try (if someone has got a better translation, please let me know!):  

'Happy those who are established in the practical and who know how to establish themselves.'
 
And this was the first time I took my lovely blanket outside. It was a fine and sunshiny day but as we are living in the Northern part of Germany, there is always a wind, and most of the times a quite strong wind. But I was quite find, wrapped in my new blanket, sipping a cup of hot tea and feeling happy, oh so happy!
I am so very, very happy with my blanket, though I am of two minds about the Stylecraft Special DK yarn. It is a pure acrylic yarn and I think that you can feel it. Lately I crocheted quite a few projects with a cotton/merino yarn and the difference between these two yarns is enormous. The feel of the cotton/ merino mix is much softer, warmer and more comfortable. 

But nevertheless I like my rainbow blanket incredibly and wouldn't want to change it. But the next blanket will be a cotton one, that's for sure! Yes, I will start a second blanket and I have already chosen a pattern, but more about this in my next post. 

Last but not least I just wanted to answer a question concerning the mandala that I have shown you in my last post, remember? 
 You asked about the pattern and you can find it here. It is a free pattern and really easy to follow. Enjoy!

My next post will be about my next blanket and about our trip to - guess where! - LONDON! I really can't believe it myself but we planned this trip months ago, all the four of us saving money to get there. The children desperately want to visit the Harry Potter Exhibition and they are very curious about this large and famous city. We will enjoy it so much.

Bless you,
Viola




21 comments:

  1. Your rainbow is just perfect! Well done. Please share at my link party this week .

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  2. You did it and it's beautiful !!!! BRAVA Viola!!!!!
    so you are going to London : you all will love it!!! Each time I go there, I leave a little piece of my heart!!!!
    xxxxxxx Ale

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  3. Liebe Viola deine Decke ist sehr schön! Und die Farben sind lecker! I love your Goethe quotation too and have been wondering whether "grounded" might be another alternative translation for gegründet. To describe someone as "grounded" in English is to say they are "rooted" "anchored" im etwas which might work better than "established" here. Do you use the verb grunden like that in German? I keep coming across die Grunden für ... In my son's A/S vocabulary list so this particular phrase has been in my mind a lot! It seems to have, as in English, both a literal and a metaphorical meaning. Either way I really like it and shall add it to my little list of happy German sayings! Enjoy your upcoming trip to London - hope the weather improves for you because it's been very wet, cold and windy here the last week or so. E x
    Ps "grounded" can also mean colloquially that someone has been denied permission to go out!

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    1. Dear Elizabeth, you are so right! 'Grounded ' is the much better translation for 'gründen'. THis word can have several meanings. To be rooted, of course, but also to find reason in something. It is always a joy to thing about a word and its meaning, isn't it? Best wishes, Viola

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  4. Gorgeous blanket!! Very well done. And now you are 'hooked' on crocheting blankets. I have to agree that cotton or wool or a mix of cotton and wool feels a lot nicer than the acrylic. Acrylic is easy to care for, though, and a lot cheaper. I'm making a cotton blanket for our king sized bed. It is getting VERY heavy. I think a cotton/wool mix wouldn't be so heavy.

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  5. Congrats on finishing the blanket! It looks amazing!!!!!

    Take care
    Anne (Crochet Between Worlds)

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  6. Thank you for sharing at my link party.
    I invite you to join us again this week.

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  7. Hello Viola! I love your new ripple blanket, such a rainbow of colours!!! And your mandala looks stunning!!!
    I also read your post about Gomera and enjoyed it very much. My brother and his wife visited Gomera on the day you wrote your post (30.04.15 - my brother's birthday!). They recently showed us their photos from there.
    After such a big job with the blanket, what will you do next?
    Have fun in London!!!!
    Ingrid xx
    http://myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be

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  8. Wow it is so beautiful and colourful.....well done on completing it, Viola!
    Helen xox

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  9. Congratulation on finishing the blanket! It's wonderful, the color are amazing!

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  10. Einfach nur toll deine Decke!!!
    Jutta

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  11. Gorgeous and colorful! I love all in rainbow colors! :)

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  12. This ripple afghan is just stunning! Large and beautiful, and all those fun colors are sure to brighten anyone's day and/or any room. congrats on completing it!
    I would love if you shared this at our Yarn Fanatic Party - http://eyeloveknots.blogspot.com/2015/05/yarn-fanatic-party-38-string-theory.html.
    Alexandra
    EyeLoveKnots.blogspot.com

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  13. Gorgeous! Maybe I'll have to have my kids speak with yours, that is to learn to encourage me more to crochet, ha ha! thanks for sharing on craft schooling sunday!

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  14. So nice, this one! I love the colors ;-)
    Greets Sofie

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  15. The colours are just stunning! A colourful happy blanket and a cup of tea - what more could anyone want? :-)

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  16. Wow! Your Rainbow blanket looks beautiful!

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  17. Congratulations for winning the link up last week. You are more than welcome to join in tomorrow

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  18. "Oh wow!!" was the comment that I exclaimed when I saw the blanket laid out on the floor.
    Fabulous! Kudos to you.
    Cheers,
    Sahra

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