Monday 13 April 2015

Sunshine Day Blanket Ta-dah....






Well.....here it is.

Alicia Paulson's 'Sunshine Day' Blanket


FINALLY

It seems to have been a long time coming. I first started making these little squares at Christmas time. 

I had such fun making them. I wanted the circles to be pops of colour, which meant having a muted background to play them off against. Mid grey was chosen, as I have a real soft spot for grey.










All was going tickety-boo. I knew the blanket was a small one. 10 x 8 grannies, but when it was all together, it was teeny tiny. Well, teeny tiny for me! The pattern was actually for a crib blanket. I thought maybe it would be okay for a lap blanket size. I don't know why.....I think I am just so used to making REALLY big blankets, that this just felt way, way WAY too small, even when I increased the motifs a fair bit.




It was then, that I felt a little disheartened. The joy of working on it and that lovely excitement when you know it's soon going to be finished...........





....then you realise, you haven't even made headway! Typical me. So I put it down for a bit, and thought I'd pick it up again when that deflated feeling about it had passed. 





More grey yarn later and I was ready for the final push. Several SERIOUS crocheting days later and I was on the home run.




I kept the edging simple. I had toyed with the idea of some bright, then something lacy, but  in the end, I opted for a little puff stitch border to tie in with the puff stitches in the circles. I actually think it was the perfect edging for it.





Measuring approx 60 x 48 inches (more if it was blocked, which I don't really do on blankets), and 180 squares later, I was happy.





I ♥︎ it.




I love the muted grey. I love the pops of colour. It was a real mish-mash of yarns. A good stash buster. All DK, lots and lots of different brands on a 4mm hook, and I love how the bright eye popping colours manage to work well with the pastel shades too. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, but the myriad seems to work ok.....well, I'm happy with it.





I can see already that it will become one of the well used blankets in the house. That's good. There's nothing better than seeing these creations become part of the memories of the family. 





I'm pleased it's done now. Onwards to the next things on the list. It's busy busy busy here. Quite chaotic. It was so nice to get away at Easter, but I'm glad to be back. I have a lot to do. My house is in chaos, as I have decided to do a massive re-organisation and decoration and I have a fair bit of crochet to get done. I really don't plan things well. Oh well, it'll all be okay in the end I'm sure.

Bye for now....I'm off to have a cuppa and snuggle in my finished blanket......





xxx

72 comments:

  1. It is absolutely beautiful - the colours are gorgeous!
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

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  2. Love this blanket. It is really beautiful. I have been wanting to do one like this for ages, but the thought of putting all those squares together puts me off! LOL Lazyitis!

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  3. I love the blanket so pretty and practical

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  4. Oh clever you. I think its absolutely lovely. A mammoth task but I am sure you feel it was worth it. Such a treasure to keep.

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  5. I love your new blanket! It is gorgeous in every way - exactly as you say, those little pops of colour against the calm grey looks beautiful. A new heirloom! Chrissie x

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  6. Es hermosa, me encanto♥︎♥︎!!

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  7. Beautiful blanket! :) I'm mid re-organisation too! Tiring but so fulfilling and energising too - if that makes sense?!
    x

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    1. I'm stupid....I have 3 rooms mid-sorting and decorating, I have a deadline of crochet to do, and I've been away over the Easter. Madness. My house is in chaos. It's laughable!!!!!!!! xxx

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  8. It's fabulous, I'm not surprised you are pleased with it!

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  9. It's a lovely blanket, the colours really do pop out against the grey background x

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  10. It's beautiful. I'm glad you went through with making it just right for yourself.

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  11. Beautiful-ness! I love it, and you're right...the edging is perfect for it.

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    1. Thanks Pammy Sue. I'm actually so glad I went for the plain puff border instead of a lacy one! x

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  12. It's really gorgeous Vanessa - I adore the grey too, as you say it sets the bright colours off perfectly. I'd be snuggling too if I was you !
    Kate xx

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    1. I toyed with a mid blue, but grey won as I had a lot of it already in my stash!!!!!!! x

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  13. Absolutely gorgeous!! I love all of your colors combined with the grey! Such a perfect background!

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  14. It' superb Vanessa, I love the grey, it looks great with all the colours and what a lovely snuggle it must be. Have a great week. Jane xx

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  15. Fabulous! I agree, the grey is exactly the right colour - it sets off the jewelled middles of the squares perfectly. What a lovely blanket to snuggle under.

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  16. so very beautuful wish I had the patience :0)

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  17. Simply stunning - beautiful colours. I've bookmarked your blog to your Evening Sun blanket, so that's the page I always go to when I pop over. It's still one of the prettiest colour schemes I've ever seen. This one is giving it a run for its money though! Enjoy the beautiful weather and Spring. Ax

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    1. Awe thanks beautiful. The Evening Sun Blanket was such a change in colour for me. It's probably my favourite blanket made to date. I think looking back I should have not made it a join as you go. I didn't realise when I started it that I was going to make it so big. It's a heavy blanket, but it looks lovely on the bed, and it's big enough for a family bear snuggle! I think that fact that it instantly looked very vintage was my favourite bit about it. I hope you are well my lovely x

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  18. really beautiful amazing lovely blanket!

    G.

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  19. Oh my Vanessa, its lovely. Enjoy.

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  20. It's gorgeous, I'm a big fan of grey as a main / background colour, it always works so well. I'm sure it will be a favourite, it looks deliciously warm. CJ xx

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  21. This is truly beautiful. I'm a bit like you. I made some of these square last May and then stashed them away in a project bag, then I moved house. I found them at the weekend at the start of of spring sort out! I found all the yarn I had used and made a few more squares. I decided to make mine a baby blanket for a friend who is due at the end of this month! It's a gorgeous blanket, I'm tempted to make a bigger one, just not yet!! X

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  22. Its just lovely. I love all the colors as well. Happy new week with love Janice

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  23. Beautimous! Simply Beautimous! And, as always, love your photos. You are a photo artist.

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  24. Dreamy! I keep looking at your blanket wondering which colour combination I like the most... all are beautiful against the grey. Good luck with the reorganising and decorating!

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    1. I have 4 favourites, and made more of those so I would be satisfied, but I loved just randomly making up combinations.....that was real fun x

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  25. Vanessa! I really LOVE IT!!! gorgeous! and the grey looks very well on the bed!
    congratulations for this great work! you are one my favourites ladies crochet blogs!
    Many thanks for all lovely photos, Vanessa! Have a nice day and happy crocheting!

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  26. Very beautiful Vanessa, I love the grey with all the colours, another fabulous piece of crochet! There has been a lot of reorganising at my place recently too, it must be the time of year! xxxx

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  27. It's beautiful, they grey works brilliantly with the colours you chose!

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  28. Its absolutely beautiful! The grey and the bobble boarder are just so fitting to the pop of color. I love this oattern and I have made three 10x7 baby blankets with a wide boarder. Good job on finishing it and seeing it through. I'm sure it will be well loved in the years to come :)

    Birgitta xx

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    1. I toyed with the idea of a big lacy border just to bulk it out a bit more, but I thought that the lace edge might take clash with the puff motifs. The bobble border suited it well and I would love to make a baby version. I just need a friend to have a baby now!

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  29. It's glorious! I completely understand that feeling when you realise you're not on the home straight after all, so annoying. Still it was definitely worth the extra effort that's for sure!

    S x

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  30. Oh wow! I must admit I wasn't quite sure about this blanket because I'm personally not overly fond of gray, and there seemed to be quite a lot of it ;) But it turned out wonderful! Just as you say, the gray makes the color pop very nicely. Great job!

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  31. Okay, not sure if my comment got through so here's a test comment just in case. Short version: beautiful beautiful, even though I thought the gray might be too much, it really isn't!

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    1. Thank you. I think the bright colours in the puffs have managed to lift the grey and make it less of a dull colour. i think if i'd have gone for a cream or white base colour, then the puffs wouldn't be so pronounced. Mid blue was an alternative to grey, but I'm glad I went for it! x

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  32. I LOVE this blanket! I have a feeling that once I have started to put mine together I will have the same problem of it being just too small, only time will tell!
    H.

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    1. I think you have to get in the mindset when you make a start on the pattern that you will have to make many more squares than it says in the pattern! My brain didn't work that out at the beginning, which was why I was so disappointed! I did 180 squares, and in truth, I could have done with a few more rows, but I just wanted it finished and on my bed! I adore it though.

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  33. I love it too!
    Congratulations, my dear!
    Hugs from Portugal
    Nina

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  34. Hi Vanessa, Your new blanket looks so colorful and cozy; it's beautiful! Congrats on finishing it.
    Cindy (just found your lovely blog via one of the above photos on Pinterest)

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  35. This is such a gorgeous blanket! Would you mind sharing what grey yarn used specifically? It is really perfect and great comes in so many variations…

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    1. Hi Katy,

      The grey yarn is a DK yarn by The Women's Institute. I think it is just called 'Grey'. Sirdar country style DK do a grey one that is practically identical too if the other brand is harder to locate. I hope this helps! : )

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  36. Beautiful! I've recently become mildly obsessed with puff stitch - might have to have a go at this pattern! xx

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  37. V, it's a beauty! Super pretty with a wonderful vintagey vibe too. More than anything I think I admire your additional push to make it larger - you've got far more stamina than me.

    Hope you're well and a happy bunny. xxx

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    1. Awe thanks beautiful. It actually looks lovely and vintagey on the bed. It's quite thick too as the puffs are puffy and the outer round is tight together. It was such a slog to get it bigger, but I'm so glad I persevered as I love the result. I think one of my fave blankets made to date. xxx

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  38. Lovely. You certainly have a talent for putting together the most beautiful colors!

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  39. Such a pretty blanket, I'm loving grey at the moment, just spinning some Corridale yarn for a pretty grey cardi, but now I want to make a blanket like yours it looks so snuggly!

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  40. It is a lovely lovely blanket and the grey is a perfect choice!

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  41. It's always such a treat to see your beautiful new pictures! :)

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  42. This is just gorgeous. can't seem to get the hang of puff stitch. Do you have any tips please?

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    1. Hi there,

      Erm tips, well, i'd say make sure that when you pull your yarn through, make sure that they are big enough. I mean, really pull it through and up. That way, your puff isn't so small that it''s insignificant as a stitch. If you pull your yarn through quite high and do the same for all your pull throughs, then you should get a good puff. I often add another pull through to the patterns too to make mine extra puffy, although I didn't on this blanket as the circles seemed quite tight and the puff seemed enough. There are good tutorials on you tube also, I'd say watch a couple and see how they work theirs. That might make it a little easier! I hope that helps a little! : )

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  43. You blanket is very beautiful - the colours work really well and the simple puff stitch edging is just perfect.

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  44. I love how it turned out! That grey IS perfect! I always adore the colors you put together. You've earned a good snuggle time under it.

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  45. Its B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L <3 x x x

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  46. Just look at that snuggly blanket. Jo x

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  47. It's beautiful Vanessa! I love the colours you have used. I normally set off brights with white but that grey is stunning. It's really made the pinks pop. Thanks for the colour inspiration :) x

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  48. So thrilled to see your new blanket, Vanessa! It is so gorgeous!!
    Helen xox

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  49. Apologies for my delayed comment... Your blanket is, well, amazing. I love it so much I don't have enough words in my vocab to tell you how much. You are a colour genius, you really, really are. It's at the same time a soothing and vibrant palette, I don't know how you do it. The colours work so beautifully together. This is one of my most favourite blankets ever. I'm glad you made it BIG! Thanks for the inspiration.
    Lovely evening to you. xhaafner

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  50. This is just simply beyond beautiful. I am new to your page and love it! Such pretty inspiration and lovely work. Thanks o much for sharing with us 😊 Being new, I'm curious about the pattern for this blanket. Would you mind sharing?! If it's a book I'd love to know the title if possible. Again, thanks so much!

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  51. Hi there, this blanket is called the Sunshine Day Afghan by Alicia Paulson and the pattern is available to buy in her shop on her blog called 'Posie Gets Cozy'. I hope that is of help! Have a lovely day! : )

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    1. Thank you so much for tour response. I tried several times to post so you may end up with multiples from me lol. That being said, Yes it helps a ton! I will be going to her page to get the pattern. I hope mine turns out half as beautiful as yours <3

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  52. I've just seen this post Vanessa, and I have to say you've done it again, another crochet triumph!! Gorgeous colour combos, it is just fabulous!! In a funny crochet coincidence, I am making a sunburst granny blanket at the moment with grey as the background of the random coloured rounds, I hope it turns out as lovely as this!! I was aiming for 80 squares, but you've inspired me to do a few more! Hope you're having a happy day! xxxx Julie

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  53. I can't believe I missed this - wow, it's so beautiful! I did wonder if it was Alicia Paulson's pattern and I do love the grey. I've been eyeing up that pattern for some time, I may have to order it now. Your colour combinations are spot on. xx

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  54. It is so beautiful! I love the sunburst granny and the colours you chose are really pretty ;)

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  55. I am making this blanket now and I've made all the squares but I am a bit confused on how to join them. Alicia doesn't elaborate on this in her pattern, for example, she does not say where to start and end when joining two squares together... Can you advise me on this? Thank you!!! And what a beautiful blanket that is!

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    1. Hi Sissi,

      I think alicia may have sewn them together using a whip stitch. For me, I just single crocheted (UK term)them together. I just aligned them stitch for stitch then crocheted them in a long row, then another on top and so on. Once that side was done, I then went and turned the blanket and crocheted together all the other sides of the rows that weren't done. That's really it. I'm sure there are tutorial for it on you tube if my explanation doesn't make a lot of sense, but I just crocheted them together rather than stitched them together. I hope that this info is of some use to you! Have a lovely day! Vanessa

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  56. This is a gorgeous blanket, love all the colors. Would you mind sharing the pattern? In general, what type/brand of yarns did you use? You mentioned leftover yarns. The colors are striking, the grey is perfect. Thank you!

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  57. Hi there,

    The pattern is the Sunshine Day Blanket by Alicia Paulson. It is available from her website or ravelry page. Most of the yarns were just cheap DK weight acrylic mix yarns. The grey I believe was Hayfield Bonus DK by Sirdar. It was just the shade of grey that I was after. I used a couple of other Hayfield Bonus colours that I had in my stash that were bright and contrast well with the grey, but I think there was Stylecraft DK too. All cheaper acrylic yarns otherwise this blanket would have turned out to be a very costly blanket to make! I hope this may have been of some help! Have a great day! : )

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