Lilysunshine

It seems that I have become obsessed with making blankets. Knitted, crocheted or quilted blankets. Blankets galore. I have a few on the go, all at different stages of their making. Today, I am going to talk about a knitted blanket – the latest one I have finished.

A few months ago, I had ordered a few balls from New Lanark.I had heard relatively good things about their yarns and it was very good value for money (£2.95 for 100g of Aran weight). I was very pleased with the colours I had ordered, but a little bit deflated about the yarn itself. It was feeling quite rough. I have a really extremely sensitive skin and rough yarns are not to be worn within 2 inches of bare skin: that meant I couldn’t make anything for myself to be worn. So what to do with it?

As I was browsing Ravelry, I stumbled upon the Hemlock Ring pattern and knew that it would be perfect for my cherry coloured aran weight from New Lanark.

This pattern does require a little bit of faith, as it is very curly and the thick yarn doesn’t make it super attractive to work on. But the big needles mean that it goes fast, even when the rows are starting to have a lot of stitches.
Little duckling-blanket

It used 3 balls of New Lanark’s aran (in cherry), minus 5-10g. I stopped 2 repeats before the golden line on the pattern, because I was getting bored (and sore – my poor fingers didn’t like the yarn). And it was a VERY good call, as I wouldn’t have had enough yarn to do just one more repeat. The cast-off row is really greedy, yarn wise (basically, it’s like knitting 3 rows). Unblocked, it was just shy of a meter in diameter.

I soaked it for 1 hour in cold water with a bit of shampoo, then rinsed it, then gently rubbed some conditioner and rinsed again. I didn’t have enough floor space to block it! So I focused on making the center round and on stretching the petals quite well. When it got dry, I steamed pressed the border. I guess it could have been bigger, but I’m quite happy with how it is now, at about 1.20m. Maybe more.
Hemlock Ring Blanket

How pretty! The drape is very nice and the yarn has smoothed loads. It is quite pleasant to handle now. But I am especially pleased with how it looks. I can see myself making some more of those, maybe with a slightly smaller yarn (and smoother). I’m going to send it to my mother tomorrow, for it to live in our family home (nothing fancy, just an old house built in 1860, with only 2 bedrooms – and outdoors toilets). It will be perfect to snuggle under in winter next to the fireplace or in summer when enjoying a long starry evening outside, with a glass of wine and a silly conversation with my relatives. (Yes, there is a bit of nostalgia going on here, as it has been a long time since I have been able to spend this kind of quality time with my family)

I know that I generally don’t post personal pictures, but I love this photo so much, I feel compelled to share it.
Stop rambling, Mummy

None, nada, rien