Friday 15 July 2011

Imagine the sound of a right royal trumpet fanfare...

Ta ta ta ta ta taaa daaaaaaa....parp! (like at the end of The Muppets opening tune)


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I've woven in a blazillion ends.

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I've taken a heap of pics and played around with them.

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Mini has quality control tested his blanket and gives it the thumbs up.

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I'm pretty chuffed with the new stitch I learnt for the border. It's a Puff Stitch, similar to but not to be confused with The Bobble Stitch which is my first love when it comes to decorative stitches.

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Here's the middley bit in all it's glory.

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And here are some cute feet.

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Altogether now "aaaaaaaaahhhhhh baby loveliness, ahhhhhhhhhh crochet loveliness!"
Although I am biased since I made both.

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And here is a photo of where the blanket will spend a fair bit of it's life. Being washed. He already threw up on it! Good job it's just Stylecraft acrylic and not some fancy posh yarn. I will positively encourage him to drag this blanket around the garden with him. I envisage him playing in a wigwam with it. Therefore I name this blanket, which I started in March, The Wigwam Blanket. Four months to complete, not bad going for a Mother who is reacting to "stuff" as it comes my way rather that preparing for "stuff". Not bad for a tail chaser and a person of little sleep. Ok so it's not perfect. The edge doesn't lie flat as I added too many stitches at the corners. I don't feel the love for the purple. I do love the ridges where the squares are joined together. But mostly I love it because I thought about my darling boy the whole time I was working on it. My happy memories of his baby days are woven into each and every stitch. I'm adoring his baby days, absolutely adoring them. I can safely say (despite having two gruesome hours with the three boys after school today) these are the happiest days of my life. I love my children. I love my husband, we've been laughing and being silly with each other a lot this evening. It's all good this very moment. If you'd said to me at 530pm that I'd be writing that last sentence I'd have spat "Don't be ridiculous you twerp!!!!!!!" But a glass of amaretto and a skinny cow lolly and all is well in the world. Simple pleasures.

We have the Out Laws 40th wedding anniversary this weekend. I've baked and decorated a cake. I'll show you next week.

xxx


Vital Stats:
Stylecraft Special DK in Aster (blue), Magenta, Saffron, Aspen (turquoise) and White. Used about half a ball of Aster, Magenta and Saffron, just over one ball of Aspen and just over 3 balls of white.

The square was sort of copied/made up from a couple I liked so I haven't got an actual pattern. I just chained 4 and ss together then chained 4, then 1 tr 1ch till I had 12 spokes. Next round, I did two trebles between each spoke of the first round. Then 3 tr in each space of the second round. Then I did three trebles in the spaces of the previous round but made it become a square by popping two sets of trebles in where I needed corners. Next round I placed a treble in to each stitch and chain space in the round below except for the corners where  I stitched 2 tr 2 ch 2 tr.  Sorry this isn't a proper pattern/tutorial...but there isn't one. I just crocheted and if it looked right then I carried on. I don't think any of the squares are quite perfect as they all either have a mistake or a variation. Not that you can tell. Thats the beauty of a granny blanket!

edit: tutorial for a very similar granny square here

I joined it all together by double crocheting the squares together in rows vertically first then horizontally. This is quite hard to explain, but I crocheted through the two loops on each of the squares. No that doesn't make sense at all... If you look at Lucy's tutorial and then go through BOTH the loops on each square rather than just one on each granny square then you get a more defined ridge. Place the wrong sides of the squares together so you have the ridges on the right side of the blanket.

It's all a bit vague and wishy washy but I didn't really think anyone would want to copy it!!

xxx 


45 comments:

  1. What a truly lovely post as well as a lovely blanket & of course gorgeous baby.

    I feel compelled to send you a ((((hug)))), you've made me smile because you're happy....

    S x

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  2. Dunh dunh-dunh-dunh duuuuuunnnhhhhh! Hooray for the wigwam blanket, for it is indeed a thing of beauty.
    Have a brill-o weekend
    Emily x

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  3. It's an absolutely stunning blanket Cuckoo. Well done . I loved reading this post....you have a great way with words as well as being wonderfully creative with yarn :0)
    Enjoy these baby days .
    Jacquie x

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  4. Honestly I don't know what is more beautiful- Mini or the Blanket!!
    Obviously it's Mini, what a little sweetie. But the blanket is amazing, I love the colours, and it's just so stunning!!!!
    Love the idea of putting the love and memories into a blanket- absolutely love that!!!
    I still have a blanket my Gran made me, and I can feel the love, even though she's been gone for 20 years
    Love the happiness as well!!
    I used to have a quote pinned to my corkboard that said something like
    "every time you feel a drop of happiness, meditate upon it, and it will soon become an ocean of happiness"
    I always really liked that, hope you have an ocean of happiness
    x

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  5. Wow! The blanket is beautiful, and the baby is gorgeous! Good work on both :-)

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  6. It's absolutely gorgeous! Well done you clever girl. There is definitely a place for acrylic when it comes to kids ay. Blankets definitely need to be able to be washed often!!! Enjoy.

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  7. Mini loves his wigwam blankie, look he is saying 'yay for my blankie' He has such a beautiful smile, I wanna eat him!!! What is the yellow color you used?? It looks a mustard color, I love the blanket and the purple and, and all of it. Must....finish....mine.
    xx Sandi

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  8. A big fat awwwwwwwwwwwwww ;-)) Mini is so sweet bless her and that blanket is just gorgeous beautiful in fact. I soooooo want to be able to crochet. I adore the photo of mini's little feet my boys feet are huge now ;-)) Have a lovely weekend, dee x

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  9. Wow. Love that blanket. Such a treasure.
    Looking forward to seeing yummy cake.
    Xx

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  10. Lovely post lovely blanket lovely little person
    Julie xxxxxx

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  11. I love love love your blog posts. And i love your blanket and your wee one both so gorgeous. Have a lovely weekend. Melanie x

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  12. Wigwam blanket is gorgeous angel, well done you!!

    I'm starting to really struggle with my first round in my Granny Square, I'll bring it all with me on thurs.

    Wilf is such a delicious baby, always looks very content and by the way you take VERY GOOD photo's, remember the gorgeous ones you took of little lad when he was first born, Luv Bee x x x x

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  13. Ooooooo, love the colours, love the blanket, love the puff stitch edging, and your Mini... He is so cute! Have a fab weekend x

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  14. Absolutely beautiful ... both your baby and the blanket! :)

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  15. gorgeous blanket, gorgeous baby and gorgeous pictures! x

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  16. Beautiful blanket, beautiful baby! You are one clever lady/Mummy!! The blanket is so gorgeous, I love the colours that you chose. Now, I have just started a blanket that I am going to join in the same way as this one. Is it crocheted together using double crochet? Did you follow the Attic 24 instructions on how to do it? Please let me know as I am really excited about this blanket I am making but a little worried about how I'm going to get on joining it. Do you join one long row all at once or doe you join in sets of 4 into a square? Give your gorgeous baby a big kiss and cuddle from me! xx

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  17. will you just LOOK at his little face! Oh Cuckoo, what are you doing to me? aaaaargh!
    Awesome blanket, congrats on completing it. I long for the day when I complete a blanket, it has not happened in a long while. Mini clearly loves it too :-D

    Btw, am happy to come and use super speedy packing skills for you. The key is to remember that unless you are going to the arse end of nowhere, you can usually beg, steal or borrow whatever you forget. Sorted. When you feel like you can't cope you should make dad stay with the little cuckoos and come for a bit of a north yorkshire respite holiday. We've got an airbed!
    Oh and when you showed the milk in the cupboard photo ... is it wrong that I didn't see the milk at first as I was too busy checking out your Bridgewater? sorry.
    Hope you're ok now x x x x

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  18. Oh wow, it's scrumptious! I'm loving the border and I love the purple!

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  19. Feeling broody now!!! Perfect blanket, and perfect cute little baby feet on a perfect cute little wonder...lovely.
    Nattie x

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  21. Those photos are amazing, how I love my god son to be. He is AMAZING and you've done so well to make him and the blanket. I think it was easier and more fun to make Mini than the blanket though.....no loose ends to deal with at the end...I hope!!!
    Sorry not called you yet re the link thing. Will do, keep blogging in between doing a trillion other things, as time is of the essence as always.
    When we do speak, tell me how to do the two or three pics in a row thing. Gorgeous. Oh and the borders!
    Ah Mini, you are such a dear, treasured boy. How I love thee.
    x x x

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  22. I had type o's in the comment above, hence I deleted it and started all over again...

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  23. Gorgeous blanket! Gorgeous boy! x

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  24. Clever you Cuckoo,for gorgeous little and the wigwam blanket,I love the colours and the edging s really pretty,Looking forward to seeing the cake ta dah,xxxxx

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  25. meant mini not little,oops , sorry Cuckoo xxxxx

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  26. man, I'm feeling the love in that post (and I don't care if it's the liquor talking!).
    Mini is adorable. Like the idea of something you've made containing all those happy memories.
    Hope your sunday is as cheery
    fee x
    (#3 was 6, SIX, when he did the poo experiment. S. I. X!)

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  27. Forgive me for saying this but I think Mini is stealing the show a little here. I mean, yeah, gorgeous blanket. BUT WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BABY! He looks so smiley and happy. (Obviously we seem him pop up here and there in your photos but it always makes me smile because he is always always sitting in a little chair somewhere inconspicuous). Steals the show in this one, I tell ya. I am getting quite broody so I'll just going back to the last post about the wee bath. That'll cure it.
    Did I tell you it's a gorgeous blanket?
    NIcki xx

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  28. PS Would love to see the original Gem post which was deleted. Gem, if you are reading this, please don't do that deleting thing again... it makes my mind boggle about what you could have written that was bad enough to delete! x

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  29. Also, I meant to ask... how did you join the squares together for the blanket? The techy info in one place would be useful if we ever want to copy - y'know, which yarn/how many balls/which square pattern... etc. If you can be faffed, obviously. I'm going now, that's three comments I've just written. xx

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  30. Lovely post - gorgeous blanket, cute baby and happiness bursting off the screen! Lovely! x

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  31. How very very lovely.
    And I am liking the purple!
    3 children and finding time to pull a little beauty like that out the bag...what the hell!?! You are the sort of domestic goddess my husband is still hoping I will turn into one day - ha!
    Hope you've had a good weekend
    Nelly xxx

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  32. Yo - have just passed an award on to you, hope you haven't had it already!
    Emily x

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  33. Can only echo every one else here. Great blanket but what a cutie little baby. Still, both your creations so you won't mind that we love them both will you? Beautiful colours in your blanket; Mini is going to love it forever, that's for sure.
    Siobhan

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  34. AWESOME blanket in every sense. Thanks for explaining the way you joined (I got it!), it's really a lovely effect. Best of all is your cutie pie Mini, so so adorable. Nicely done on both fronts :-) xJosie

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  35. Sorry I'm a little slow at commenting on this post. I SWEAR I wrote a comment, but I now realised that I probably just thought about what I was going to write in my head.. and that's about as far as I got with that!

    The wigwam blanket is really lovely and made all the more lovely by your gorgeous little mini.. he looks a right cutie, I love the way that their legs do that froggy thing and fall to the sides. Completely scrumptious! How old is he now? From the photo's he looks about the same size as Rose, but has a Much better head of hair than her! Haha.. Bless her, she is a bit of a baldy, I'm just dying to be able to clip in one of those tiny hair-clips. Maybe then more people would realise she's actually a girl!

    Can't wait to see some pics of the cake..! :-)

    Ashley xxx

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  36. Lovely blanket mini looks very happy with it.

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  37. Woah!!! HOW did I miss this granny scrumptiousness????? And that little one - adorable xxx

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  38. Be still my beating ovaries... that boy is just divine. FIVE MORE SLEEPS!! X

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  39. What a beautiful baby And blanket. So much to love in your photos.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  40. Preciosa manta de bebe¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

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  41. This is so beautiful!
    I voted for you in Annemarie's brieblog!

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  42. Hi! Thanks for posting at my link party. Perhaps you already noticed but you got the most votes so I'll do a feature of your blog this Friday/Saturday. Congratulations (-:
    Have a lovely day!
    Annemarie

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  43. Gosh, I love the things you make, both the baby and the blanket are beautiful!

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I L♡VE your comments. Thank you ever so for taking the time. I do try to get back to everyone but I am rather scatty and I have these 3 big distractions....(and I'm just generally a bit rubbish lately, so please don't feel obliged to leave a note) Sorry about the word verification too, too much spam.