I'm "jetting" off to Norn Irn again tomorrow. Friday would have been my Mum and Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary, their Golden Wedding Anniversary. My brother (who lives over there) and I are taking Mum out for lunch, not sure where we'll go after as Mum is waiting for a leg operation and can't walk that far otherwise a nice National Trust stroll might have been in order. I'm fortunate that it's only just over an hour away by plane, and hubby has been fantastic in looking after the school runs and things during all the trips I've made over there.
Anyway I thought I'd do a brief post tonight to waffle on a bit about the blanket that I made for my Dad before he passed away.
I wanted to make a blanket that was sort of a bit bigger than lap-sized, I wanted it to be portable so that Dad could take it to his chemo sessions. It's probably about 1m x 1.5m in size, and is made with Stylecraft Special DK. It's my favourite yarn without a doubt, soft and snuggly whilst being practical and budget-friendly.
Little Tomboy and I went to my local woolshop (www.stitcherydo.co.uk) to choose colours, and inspired by a friend's blanket we chose the following:
White * Pistachio * Kelly green * Sage * Aster * Lobelia * Graphite * Silver
I used my favourite pattern too, it's the "Wave" stitch shown below ....
.... from the "Mollie Makes Crochet" book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mollie-Makes-Techniques-Exclusive-Projects/dp/1908449209) ....
I think it's the same as, or certainly very similar to Lucy Attic24's Neat Ripple pattern that is widely used - and Lucy has a great tutorial on her blog here (http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html).
I crocheted two rows of each colour, working back and forth, turning at the end of each row. It's a very soothing pattern, and a brilliant one for watching telly to! That is to say, it needs a fairly low amount of concentration - which is probably why I like it so much. I used this pattern before when I made a blanket for baby Sofia. I've just gone to find where I posted about Sofia's blanket and realised I never did a post on it! One for next week then !! And as I think I mentioned before I'm next going to make one for my Mum. She loved this one that I made for Dad, but understands how special it is to me.
For the border I worked one round of half-trebles of each of graphite, silver and lobelia ....
I probably should have incorporated increases and decreases into the borders along the wavy ends but I forgot and then couldn't face redoing it !!
And it certainly doesn't affect the snuggle-factor :)
And to finish, who can resist a "Swiss-roll" blanket photo ....
Love and hugs to you all,
Jill
xxxxxx
your dad's blanket so lovely. hope the visit goes well and that your mum's recovers well from her surgery x
ReplyDeleteOh, it's so lovely! What wonderful memories it will give you every time you give it a cuddle.
ReplyDeleteIt's a gorgeous blanket and I'm so glad you're bringing it home to remember your dad by. A new blanket for your mom is definitely in order.. what are her favorite colors? ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteCertainly a beautiful blanket with a stunning colour combination. Sending you a hug, it will certainly be a very bitter/sweet anniversary for your dear Mum. Take care.
ReplyDeleteHow special, lovely colours. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful blankie dear Jill! I love making that ripple pattern too, it's very soothing somehow. Now its a sort of cuddle from your dad maybe.... Big hugs, Mirjam.
ReplyDeleteYour blanket is just lovely. I love the pretty colors big fan of color. Happy crocheting with love Janice
ReplyDeleteI always love ripple blanket, this one is very beautiful, I love the mix blue and green, very for men blanket!
ReplyDeleteRose.
A very special blanket, and such lovely colours. I'm sure your mum will love hers.
ReplyDeleteCathy x
Your dad's blanket is very handsome...a lovely flow of colors. I will be interested to see what colors you choose to make your mom's blanket. Wishing you a safe trip, a good visit with your mom and brother, and your mom a successful surgery. xx
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely blanket the colours are beautiful. Wishing you a safe trip xx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful love in every stitch! Thanks for visiting my blog also!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely blanket you made him, it's hard isn't it when our families change shape. When it would have been my parents 50th, Dad had already left us several years earlier and Mum had Alzheimer's and couldn't remember any of us. I sat with her, held her hand and told her that today was a special day as her ring had been on her finger for 50 years. I don't think she was that bothered to be honest but she loved the cram cake I had bought her to celebrate! I'm glad you managed to be there too :) xxx
ReplyDeleteI am sending you positive thoughts for your trip, not an easy one. The first year after someone passes is so hard, so many things they are missing. You are a wonderful daughter to go over and spend time with your Mom. After my Dad passed away I was cleaning out his place and found several things I had made my Mom in boxes, she never used them but carefully kept them in tissue and boxed up. A felted bag and several shawls and a sweater. I donated all of them to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in hopes someone would like them to keep them warm.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
Hello Jill,
ReplyDeleteYour blanket is stunning, such wonderful colours. I have never made a ripple blanket, but I recently started on a feather and fan pattern which is also wavy.
Enjoy the time with your family!
Hugs!
Ingrid xx
Myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be
That is a beautiful blanket. Love the colours you chose for it. I think it's really nice that your dad was able to see it before he passed away. You're a sweet daughter to make another one for your mom. Looking forward to seeing the colours you choose for it.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new holiday home! What a wonderful idea, and I'm sure your mother will be so pleased to have you come and stay so close to her. What fun to be able to decorate another house right from scratch! I think antiques go very well in a modern setting too ;)
Wendy
Such a special blanket to cherish forever!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a beautiful blanket and I bet it meant so much to him - lovely that your daughter helped you pick the colours. I hope you're all doing ok - thinking of you xx
ReplyDeleteSo very sorry to hear of your sad loss. I bet your Dad loved the blanket you made him with so much love and care and it would have been a very special comfort to him.
ReplyDeleteI hope the trip to see your Mum goes well and she'll be so glad to have you with her at this time.
Take care Jill
Gill xx
A beautiful blanket and lovely that your Dad was able to have the comfort of it during his illness. Take care x
ReplyDeleteHelen xox
I was so sorry to hear of the loss of your Dad, Jill. My heart goes out to you as I know the pain of losing a parent. I'm sure the beautiful blanket you made brought joy to your Dad. God bless.
ReplyDeleteHi Jill, I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. Your blanket is lovely and he must have so appreciated you making it for him. xx
ReplyDeleteHi Jill,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous gesture for your dad. I am surprised this touched a chord in my life. My dad spent 4 days in palliative care in Feb. before his death. On his bed was an afghan Mom made from Stylecraft Dk yarn with pattern from Lucy in Attic 24, her granny stripe one. Mom made another to donate to that ward and has made one for just about everyone in the family. She is 82, uses her ipad and lives in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. I'm telling you all this just to show isn't the blogging world powerful and uniting. Happy Hooking!
Jill your dad's blanket is so beautiful, the colours are very masculine, yet soothing, and the blanket must have been a great comfort to your dad. Hope your trip to see your mum goes well. 50 years, what a long time, very hard to lose your life partner after so many decades X
ReplyDelete