Ohhh I have been waiting so long to share this post with you all! *bounces* I’m so excited, I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to share this blanket with you all, in all its glory. Months. Months of keeping it hush-hush! Months of plotting and planning and testing and arranging.
And now I can finally show you all the Kaleidoscope blanket.
Isn’t it goooorgeous?
I am honestly so so proud of this blanket. The maths involved was not inconsiderable! Making sure all the triangles were just the right size so that eight of them together formed an octagon exactly the same size as the octagon itself, working out angles and stitch counts and colour combinations…it was probably the most challenging blanket, in geometry terms, that I’ve ever attempted.
This blanket began waaaaay back at the turn of the year when I was inspired by a quilt pattern I’d seen. I wanted to try to recreate the idea of a pieced patchwork quilt by using different shaped motifs to build up the kaleidoscopic pattern. And to mimic the effect of printed fabrics in a quilt, I turned to colourwork, combining flat stitches with post stitches and popcorns to create a really stunning effect.
It’s an ambitious project, but the end product is a beautiful, unique heirloom blanket that’s full of rich texture and colour.
The Crochet-Along
I’m trying something different with this blanket. For the first time, I’m going to release it as a CAL!
I am so excited for this to begin and to help you all on your Kaleidoscope journeys.
The Kaleidoscope CAL will begin on 3rd January 2020, and will run over 26 weeks – thirteen fortnightly parts.
At the end, you should have a blanket that measures 63”/157cm across at the widest point, perfect for the top of a double bed or a luxurious snuggle on a sofa.
Each part will be available as a free download on Ravelry, so make sure to add the pattern to your favourites or queue.
You can already download ‘Part 0 – Getting Ready‘, which tells you more about the blanket and contains a list of the stitches used in the blanket. It also has some helpful tips about the pattern, and a little tutorial on how to change colours, for the colourwork you’ll be doing in the blanket.
The pattern is written in US terms, and includes plenty of pictures and diagrams to help you along.
It is an intermediate pattern, and you should be comfortable with a range of basic and slightly more intermediate stitches. The most advanced part of this blanket is the colourwork, but I promise that once you get the hang of it, it will become practically second nature.
As you can see, I’m presenting this to you with three official colourways!
#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
Jewellery Box
Old Rose
Tequila Sunrise
All three use Stylecraft Special DK.
Jewellery Box takes inspiration from rich jewel colours, a striking contrast against the white; Old Rose is a more vintage floral colourway; and Tequila Sunrise is bold and warm, named for the colours in the classic cocktail.
You can purchase all three colour packs in my shop at Deramores*.
Or, if you want to choose your own colours, there is a helpful table in the ‘getting ready’ download that you can print off and use to keep track of your colour choices.
Of course, the best thing about a CAL is sharing your progress with other people who are working on the same thing – so I’ve set up a Facebook group just for that!
You can find that here.
The group is the best place to get help and advice with the CAL, as well as plenty of encouragement. I’ll be there to lend a helping hand, and so will my lovely co-mods and testers Kathy Patching (who made the Old Rose version) and Jill Coker (who made the Tequila Sunrise version).
This blanket may seem a daunting prospect for those of you who are less confident in your own skills, but one of the ladies who tested for me has only been crocheting for a few years – so don’t be afraid it’s too difficult!
I really hope you’ll come and join us for the Kaleidoscope CAL. I’m so excited to see all your beautiful blankets.
Before I go, I just want to say a massive thank you to Kathy and Jill, who worked up the alternate colourways so brilliantly and who will be joining me in helping you all out over the next few months. Thank you, ladies!
See you all very soon 😀
Catherine
*Other retailers are available, but if you click this link, I earn a tiny commission on anything you buy. It costs you nothing, and helps support me in my crochet endeavours.
The Kaleidoscope Blanket CAL Ohhh I have been waiting so long to share this post with you all! *bounces* I'm so excited, I can't tell you how much I've wanted to share this blanket with you all, in all its glory.
