The Attic24 Coastal Blanket had been on my wishlist ever since I first saw it online back in 2020. I used the pattern from it several times over during lockdown on baby blankets. It was such a wonderful feeling to master that pattern after several bungled attempts. But both Lucy from Attic24 and Bella Coco Crochet have been a massive help in teaching me.

Back in May 2021, things were starting to improve after lockdown and I had left my job in a day nursery. I had loved it but the long hours had taken its toll on me and my family. I had found myself a long term role in a local primary school working as a TA which was a big lifestyle change and choice for me but one I wanted to make a better work- home life balance.

I had bought the Attic24 Coastal blanket pattern pack from Wool Warehouse a couple of months before and was desperate to get started on it. Though originally I was planning to finish the cross stitch kit I was working on, the cross stitch got pushed aside to get started on the Coastal pattern.

The Coastal blanket echoes all the colours of the British coast: shades of blue, greys, beiges and greens and the ripples emulate the waves. I couldn’t wait to get started so I put the cross stitch to one side.

Two weeks after I started the blanket, my life was turned upside down. My Dad contracted Covid and was rushed into hospital. He passed away 11 days later. It was a dreadful time for our family. I miss my Dad so much but crocheting helped soothe me in those early days. He always encouraged me and my hobbies, so I dedicate the Coastal blanket to him. My Dad also loved the Yorkshire Coast and used to go scuba diving, so the sea was important to him.

During all the funeral planning, and the aftermath of Dad’s funeral I needed my crochet to distract me from the upset and stress. Although I have a wonderful family and my then new work colleagues were amazing looking after me, I needed the mindfulness and healing aspect of doing my crochet. I am a firm believer that hobbies help people suffering from depression and that they are a form of therapy. If I didn’t have my hobbies, I’d really struggle.

My plan was to finish the Coastal blanket by the end of the summer term We were due to go on holiday to the Isle of Arran and I didn’t want to take a big blanket project away with me. Instead I planned to take the cross stitch kit I’d not finished! So my hook had sparks flying off it as I was desperate to have it completed. We had had a bout of hot weather but that did not put me off trying to get my blanket finished.

As I sewed the ends in (I always do this last!), I felt a huge sense of achievement. Not only for completing the blanket but for it helping me through an intensely stressful time in my life.

Love Sam xx