The Attic24 Woodland Blanket.

The final big project for 2022 was a hybrid of two Attic24 blanket patterns. I used the Woodland colour palette but used the pattern from the Harbour blanket as I wasn’t so keen on doing the wave pattern in the original Woodland. I had been itching to make the Woodland blanket ever since I saw it online during lockdown but never had the right time to get round to it.

Although you can buy a complete kit from Wool Warehouse (the pattern isn’t included in the pack as it was originally a CrochetAlong featured on the Attic24 blog a few years ago), I had most of the wool already in my stash at home. I only had to buy one ball of wool which was the orangey red shade- Tomato to be able to make the blanket.

On 20th November, just after I’d finished the Fireside Blanket, I was ready to get cracking on the Woodland Blanket. I downloaded the colour sequence worksheet for the Colour Story version of the blanket. Just imagine walking through an Autumnal wood and looking from the ground, through the trees and right up into the sky. I love seeing all the beautiful Autumn leaves and their colours, especially on a sunny day. At this time as I started the blanket, the first throes of Autumn had passed us by and we were into the wet, cold and soggy November days.

I was having a cosy Sunday at home when I finished the Fireside blanket and started the Woodland. Mr S had been out all day at a motor racing event so I was at home catching up on all the TV programmes on my planner and keeping warm! I managed to finish two stripes that night once I’d chained the foundation row and got cracking with refamiliarising myself with the pattern. But work beckoned the next day so I had to put it away!

Looking through my yarn stash, I realised I had all of the Woodland colours left over from other projects, except for Tomato (the orangey red shade from Stylecraft Special DK).

The colour palette for the Woodland Blanket just has to be up there as one of my favourites. I love the Autumnal colours so much.

There’s nothing like a huge excitement as you start a new blanket and you get well underway.

The first few stripes were mainly shades of green but it wasn’t long before the orange shades were added into the mix.

The first few stripes are mainly shades of green.

Then greys and browns, interspersed with the orangey reds began to show this was definitely an Autumn themed blanket.

Work slowed down for a couple of days round the end of November as I finished off a bespoke blanket for my friend.

In the first two weeks of December, I felt comforted working on the blanket. I had a lot of stress going on- I was really busy at work and our dog was having a procedure at the vets to remove a nasty lump off one of his back legs. Although the lump turned out to be non-cancerous in the end, I was in bits and just felt so upset. The only thing which comforted me was to immerse myself in hooking that blanket. It was a joy to see all the beautiful colours and the warmth of it over my knees as I crocheted in front of the fire.

As the Colour Story progressed, the greens and oranges gave way to yellows and greys to merge finally with the shades of blue for the sky peeping through the treetops. This, at the end of term and into the week leading up to Christmas was when I worked to finish the blanket.

My original plan was to have that blanket finished by Christmas but I didn’t get there. I finally managed to get all the main blanket finished by the 27th December.

Looking to the border, I thought I would continue using the plain double crochet edging from the original Harbour blanket pattern but to stay with the Woodland border colour scheme. But then I realised I was running out of the first colour for the border- Stylecraft Special DK’s Lime. I could have used another colour but I wanted to stick to the original. Mr S and I were going into town to try and buy him a jumper in the sales so I thought I’d see if there were any more balls of Lime in my local wool shop. There was none. So I ended up looking in my scrap bag and found three tiny scraps of Lime. I was hoping if I pieced them together, I would have enough for that one final border. The hoping worked as I actually did manage to finish it even though it was out of the scraps and with lots of joins to sew in.

By the end of the next day I managed to finish the rest of the border rows. It was a great time to sit down and chill on these days before Christmas and New Year where all the days merge into one and it’s acceptable to eat chocolate all day without feeling guilty.

Finally, on December 29th- one month and 9 days after starting the Woodland, I finished the blanket! Lots of sewing the ends in. I’m full of admiration for those saintly persons who sew as they go but that’s not for me! For a start, the needle would have to be put in a safe place between crocheting the rows as it would fall down between the sofa and the sofa cushions. So for me, sewing in the ends happens at the end!

Adding more and more colours to the story to reflect what it would look like walking through an Autumn woodland.

The rich oranges, golds and reds really lift the blanket. At first I wasn’t so sure about the addition of the grey but it really works here.

Sneaking in a few stripes on the odd spare afternoon when I was home from work.

I hate November and the drab, dreary days with a passion. I definitely suffer from SAD and this last year was no exception. As soon as the clocks go back, I just want to hibernate or curl up indoors in front of the fire and the TV.

My Wooden WIP disc is from Simply Shade Cards on Etsy.

I tried to photograph the WIP laid on the lounge floor one night. It’s a huuuuugggee blanket!

After a while it gets difficult to manoeuvre the blanket as you work on it. It’s so heavy but at least it keeps my legs warm on a cold night when I’m working on it.

Where’s my feet? 🤣

Eventually I’m getting to the lighter green and blue shades representing the sky peeping through the treetops in the colour story.

It’s after Christmas and finally I am on the border! But I’m playing yarn chicken hoping I have enough Lime yarn left to complete the whole border.

Now for the Spice round of the border.

Row 4 and the final round: Tomato. I’m so glad I had all those colours left as they work so well together.

Border finished!

Now to sew all those annoying ends in!

In all it’s glory draped over my armchair.

Excuse the telly on in the background. Mr S was behind me watching it!

Showing how the colours merge as part of the story. Mr S wondered why I’d got random colours and there wasn’t blue at the bottom. I had to enlighten him.