Verb: pootle
poo-t(u)l To move in a leisurely unhurried way,
with no real purpose


Saturday 22 February 2014

Hooray, hoorah, whoop-dee-do....ta-dah !

Earlier this week, having finished knitting my Shwrap and with no other projects yet started I
realised there was nothing for it but to buckle down and finish
 the blooming ends on my Perpetual Blanket that have been sitting
 there looking at me for quite some time now.
In total there were 10 rows of 22 bobbles .... I know !
And each one needing to be carefully finished off in the neatest possible way.
A plan was needed and the solution was of course ... chocolate !
 
 
With six rows left to be finished I would give myself a little reward of
one delicious Cadburys egg at the end of each completed row.
Excellent, that should work !
 
 
And it did...... it's done !
The Blanket of Perpetuity is complete...
and I am in love
 
 
It all started back when I saw Jules completely heavenly mixed stripey  blanket
and from that moment on there was no looking back.
Having chosen my colours and made up a pattern the blanket has slowly been
 growing since early last Summer.
 
 
Many a happy hour was spent in last Summers beautiful
warm days sat in the shade crocheting a way...
 
 
 .... and it took me through cold winters evenings in front of the fire.
 
 

LOTS and LOTS of evenings were spent dealing with the ends.
Now probably if I had been very clever I would have worked these in as I went -
but, hey, hindsight is a wonderful thing !
Jules came up with the best suggestion ever of simply making a fold over border
 all the way around the blanket that could encase all the ends and that
 certainly saved a lot of extra work.


It also gave the blanket a beautifully firm edge,
 


and added a lovely weight to it.

 
 
 And so , here it is, in all its bobbly glory !
As mentioned before I have issues with randomness
 ( wish I didn't, but I just do... )
and so, unlike Jules blanket I decided on a pattern that repeated but still
 allowed enough of an effect I think.
 
 
When I'd finished the border I added a little scalloped
edge just to soften the overall effect.


And I do just love it ....
 
 
 
And, if I may be so bold, please may I just show you the reverse..
Look, it evens looks pretty presentable on the back...
so worth all those hours of sewing in the bobble ends.
 



This blanket will be added to the two others that are in our caravan
 and whilst the sun was out this morning I took some pictures of them all...
 

....with the green daisy blanket that I made last year that
is super warm on our caravan bed,


... and with the burgundy sofa blanket for those chillier evenings.


I completely love how they all go together but are all that little bit different too.
 

Haven't as yet mentioned to my lovely other half that one more blanket
 has been added to the 'Caravan Collection' but
 I'm sure he'll be fine about it ( ! ) , maybe....

 
 

41 comments:

  1. It is beautiful Kate!! You have done an amazing job and I am sure that you will love using it in your caravan or anywhere!! Definitely worth all of the effort and work that you put into it. The colours are lovely and as you say go so well with your other blankets that you had already made. Wonderful!! You should be very proud. xx

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  2. Oh its just beautiful! They look so cozy! Helen x

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  3. I'm so glad you found my blog Kate as now I've found your fabulous blog (and added to my sidebar)! I love Little Woolies blanket but I love your version even more. You can't leave the blanket in the caravan year round, only in the months you're using it. As for blanket ends....getting a ruddy grip on them as you go is so much asier to say than do. Looking forward to reading more of your lovely makes now. Fiona

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    1. Hi Fiona
      Yay for finding each others blogs - You're on my sidebar too now !
      See you soon...
      K x

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  4. Oh Kate, what an absolutely beautiful blanket, and such delicious colours, I love it! It looks fab with your other lovely blankets too.
    Caroline xx

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  5. I love all three of your blankets. You are one . Clever lady Katie. And of course you can never really have enough blankets can you?

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    1. Hi Mitzi
      I totally agree, not sure my husband does though !
      Kx

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  6. Gorgeous and I love the coordination with the other two. You can never have too many in a caravan! J x

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    1. Hi Juanita
      I agree, especially if you're caravanning in the UK !
      Kx

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  7. A beautiful blanket Kate, and most impressive underside, I always need the back to look as neat as the top of my work!

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  8. Ooh, that's an awful lot of bobbles to deal with Kate!!...Love your blanket and the colours are just gorgeous together (did you enjoy using the Wendy Merino I'm wondering? ) It will look so pretty in your caravan with your other blankets ...x
    Happy Sunday!
    Susan x
    P.S Love the pretty scalloped edging too..x

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    1. Hi Susan
      Yes as far as I can remember I think the Wendy Merino was good to work with. I used a size 3 hook for this blanket and with DK wool it has given a lovely tight tension.
      K x

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  9. Well done lovely Kate, it really is a gem of a blanket and one you should be super duper proud of. It looks fab on your bed and it must feel so lovely to snuggle under it at night?! I am intrigued to know what you made of the wendy merino?? Also I giggled at seeing your little reward system going on there, genius! I also spy with my little eye a little thing going on for bobbles, some on our socks too, love it! Hope you have a lovely week sweetie xoxo

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    1. Hello Hannapat
      Oooh now I'm intrigued as both you and Susan have asked about the Wendy Merino. I'm pretty sure it was ok, but to be honest I was only using fairly small quantities at a time so maybe not the best test for it.
      Can highly recommend the chocolate reward system !
      Have a good week,
      Hugs, K x

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  10. Your blanket is truly gorgeous Kate! A very impressive project. It looks fab with your other beautiful blankets too.
    Marianne x

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    1. Thank you Marianne, do you know it was such a lovely fun project to do, because you never get bored as each row is different.
      K x

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  11. Helloooo Kate. What a triumph! Your blanket looks absolutely beautiful. I love the flashes of mint green - such a clever colour combination. My favourite picture is the one in your leafy garden, with the big mug of tea to hand. You should be very chuffed. Hxx

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    1. Hello Heather
      Oh I know, can you ever imagine that we sat out way into the evening ?! Maybe one day the sun will come back,
      Have a good week,
      K x

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  12. Gorgeous! I like the colours, and how it ties in with the other blankets too, that's a nice idea. The double border is a great idea as that would be a LOT of ends to sew in. I too have issues with randomness - frankly, it freaks me out, I need order and control! That photo of you crocheting in the shade in the garden made me wish for summer, I have to say. x

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    1. Tee hee, it freaks me out too ! I couldn't imagine doing a blanket like this and not knowing what colour or pattern would be coming next !!
      Kx

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  13. Your blanket of perpetuity is beautiful Kate, the colours are gorgeous together and it looks lovely with the other blankets. What a lovely picture of snuggliness they make! I like the chocolate idea and I have a blanket full of yarn ends to sew in soon but the number of Cadbury's cream eggs I would consume while doing it might blow my waistline out of all proportion! :o) Have a lovely week.
    Jane xx

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    1. Hello Jane
      Thank you ! Yes tricky one with the chocolate... only to be used in times of extreme yarn ends !
      Kx

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  14. Kate, my dear, that blanket is a MASTERPIECE! I mean it, it is the most gorgeous blanket ever! I want one! Would you ever consider a little pattern insight? I love the random/repeat, it gives it a more harmonious look, and the border is amazing - I really want to see how you did that! The colours...oh I could go on and on...! Chrissie x

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    1. Oh thank you Chrissie, of course I will write something up. I hadn't really thought about it because it is originally Jules idea but I guess my blanket is a different take on it. I'll try and put a little patterny thing together. Thank you for all your lovely words x
      Kx

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  15. Hi Kate, I am so in love with how all your blankets coordinate. However, did you share anywhere on your blog the green daisy blanket pattern? I would love to make one for my daughter in law, her baby is due in April.

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    1. Hi Pamela
      Yes, I did write up a small pattern for the daisy squares. Its in the Pattern/Tutorial list on the left hand side of my blog page. The pattern is for one square and then I made the right number for the size blanket I wanted and crocheted them all together with the same colour wool.
      Hope that helps, will look out for the completed blanket on your blog !
      K x

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  16. Hi Kate, your blanket is gorgeous! I love your colours and how it coordinates with your other blankets, and I really like your modifications to the random nature of my original blanket, great work!! So happy to share the crochet love, it is lovely to see everyone else's take on this idea. Have a great week, Jules xx (littlewoollie)

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    1. Thank you Jules - the blanket will always been known as my 'Jules blanket '
      You have a good week too,
      Kx

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  17. Did you hear me squeal Kate.....I just love your blanket, you are so clever, I do not think I could EVER create something as beautiful. Can you tell I love it!! Sarah xo

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    1. Thank you Sarah, I did a bit of squealing myself when I'd finished my last end !
      Kx

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  18. Wow, what a beautiful blanket you have made, Kate! It is wonderfully patterned and textured, and the bobbles are perfect! I love how you created the border too, and the pretty edging you added. Lovely colours too, and how well it works with your previous caravan blankets :)
    Lovely!
    Helen xox

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    1. Thank you Helen, it really was so lovely to do.
      Kx

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  19. Kate, I absolutely love your blanket and the beautiful colors you chose for it! My name's Mary, from GoCrochetCrazy.blogspot.com, and I saw your comment on Attic24's blog and just had to check out your blanket. I'm so glad I did! I'll soon be recreating an old crochet pattern of my grandmother's which has lots and lots of popcorn stitches throughout...I empathize with all your hard work. Hope to see you stop by my neck of the woods sometime. I look forward to seeing what you work on next!

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    1. Hello Mary, thank you for dropping by ! I shall definitely pop over and visit your blog and looking forward to seeing your popcorn blanket.
      K x

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  20. Kate I am totally in love - swoon swoon with your blanket in fact blanket's - triplicate . Please can I come and live in your caravan. I adore beautiful blankets they are the best thing ever. Like Chrissie said a little pattern would be fab - happy hooking Sue

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  21. Hi Sue
    Thank you ! Yup, I shall get onto the pattern promise.
    Kx

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  22. Ooh, it's lovely. Well done you! And what a smart caravan you must have!!

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