This is a post I have really been looking forward to writing!! My Christmasgranny blanket is finally finished! Yes, a little late for Christmas, but only by a month.... :-)
I am sooo, sooo happy with this blanket, and I have enjoyed every stich I've made on it. There is something very soothing and meditative about the making of grannystripes. No advanced thinking involved, just row after row with lovely colours ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
These colours are for me the ultimate Christmas colours, so although I will leave it hanging around for a while longer just to enjoy it as a finished piece, this will soon be packed away until next Christmas. If I can tear it away from my daughter, that is. She claims this is her "Magic Carpet" and is not prepared to give it up:-)
I was fiddling around a bit with the border, not quite being able to decide how to do it. I wanted a solid and firm border, since the blanket is so big, so finally I ended up with a bobble-shell border. A timeconsuming, yarn-eating (!) choice, but now that is is finished I'm so glad I chose to to this. I love how it frames the blanket without claiming too much attention. It`s the same border I used on the round pillow I made a while back, I only made it a 6-row border instead of 1...
There's a great tutorial of this border on the wonderful blog of Attic 24, if you fancy giving it a try.
Here you'll also find a tutorial for the grannystripes. I prefer to work on the front side on every stripe, so instead of going back and forth, like Lucy does in her tutorial, I worked only one way, and cut the yarn after each stripe. Yes, it doubles the amount of ends to weave in, but it makes the stiches on the front look more "even" and smooth.
And I ALWAYS weave in the ends as I go! That way you can do just a few minutes of that boring end-weaving job at the time, and not go through a week (!) of dead-boring end-fastening when you are soooo ready to finish you project. Another good think about doing this as you go, is that it leaves your WIP looking all neat and pretty when you're not working on it, so it can even be used as a smaller lap-blanket before it's finished :-)
A perfect match ❤️
Big enough to use as a bedspread on a single-bed ❤️
..just a few more pretty pictures just beacuse the light ( finally!) was good enough for a photoshoot ❤️
Aladdin here I come :-)
Mr. Cat has been eyeing this for months now, so as soon as the last end was fastened he claimed his place :-)
Row after row after row of stress-therapy....❤️❤️❤️❤️
In good use :-)
Some yarn-facts and figures for those who like that:
Measurements: approx 150 cm x 200 cm
Skeins of yarn used in total: approx: 40 !!! ( 8 for the border!)
Types of yarn used:
I'm a yarn-addict and a yarn-snob, I confess! I'm very picky when it comes to the quality of yarn. I (almost) always use natural fibres like wool, cotton, alpacca, bamboo, silk etc. Synthetics are just not my thing, which means that I spend WAY too much money on yarn....
For this blanket I chose to go for yarn made from 100% Norwegian Wool, Superwash treated.
The sheep that has to live in the harsh Norwegian climate needs wool with long, strong fibres, so yarn made from this wool is very durable, which is a good thing for a blanket that is supposed to be used a lot!
For such a big blanket, that will be used by messy children and coffee-sipping adults, it is absolutely a necessity to be able to wash this in the machine. Can you imagine handwashing this big, heavy thing!?
Another advantage with Superwash treated wool is that it makes the fibres smoother, so less pilling occurs. A big plus in my book :-)
In this blanket I have used 3 different brands, with similar quality of the yarn. I wanted just the right colour of red and pink, which is why I had to go for a mix.
My preferred brand is this:
Falk (Dalegarn). I love this yarn! Soft and durable, and so many lovely colours
Link to Norwegian website and store:
(Picture of the colourchart is from this website)
...and for my English speaking readers:
I also really like this brand:
Smart (SandnesGarn) Very similar to Falk: a lovely yarn.
(Picture of the colourchart is from this website)
...and for some of the colours I used this:
Rubin (Gjestdal) This is a Private Label brand for a Norwegian lowprice dept. store chain, SPARKJØP, so the price of this is only 1/3 of the other two. The yarn is a bit "stiffer" and not as soft and comfortable as the other two, but it is good value for money, and for big projects like this, it is definitely a good idea to go for some cheaper types of yarn....
(Picture of the colourchart is from this website):
SUMMARY: I can finally tick off one of my many, many WIPs, and I'm VERY HAPPY with it ❤️
No comments:
Post a Comment