It’s been absolutely ages since I made these blankets and I can’t think why I haven’t mentioned them before on the blog. As you know, I’m a huge fan of the Attic24 blog and admired all the beautiful blanket patterns on the website. I used to think, oh I can never do that.

Back in September 2020, I was working very long, full shifts in a day nursery. The work was absolutely exhausting. I loved the staff and the children but the long days, coupled with going through peri menopausal symptoms and a 45 minute commute each way, left me absolutely drained and stressed. Mr S had to cook most of the time as I used to collapse as I came in through the door. Once we had had our dinner I used to get out my crochet or cross stitch to unwind. Then it was back to the same the next day.

Previously I had crocheted very basic granny stripe or square blankets which my dog ended up using! I did attempt some baby size ones and managed to sell a few through my Etsy shop and via Ebay. I felt that the Attic24 full size blankets were beyond my skill level and capabilities. But reading through the blog and seeing the simple, yet helpful instructions, I thought I need to have a go at one of these blankets.

I treated myself to the Attic24 Cosy Stripe Blanket kit from Wool Warehouse and sat down one evening to make a start on it. The fifteen bright and colourful shades of Stylecraft Special DK used in the blanket are so cheerful and livened up that miserable Autumn and early Winter of 2020 as we went into the second lockdown here in North Yorkshire.

I had tried making a baby blanket in the Cosy Stripe pattern beforehand and hadn’t got on very well with it. The blanket was a single colour pink one and I kept miscounting at the end of the rows. On every 5th row, from what I remember, you have to add an extra or leave out one stitch and I forgot this. One side ended up being very pointy. It was so obvious there was nothing to do but have to frog it completely. After this happened, I was dubious about using the Cosy Stripe pattern but I don’t like giving up. I was determined to persevere. I managed to keep the edges fairly straight by counting carefully and using a stitch marker.

When I was posting progress photos online, I got a message from one of my neighbours who asked me if I would be able to make two baby size Cosy Stripe blankets for two baby boys due in 2021. She wanted more blue shades incorporated into the blanket so I looked at what colours I had in my stash and what other colours would work with the existing shades in the blanket. I took out Pale Rose, Raspberry, Magenta and Grape. Instead I added in Stylecraft Teal and Aster. I think I also put in Sage, Citron or similar. I can also see grey in the baby blanket but I can’t remember which colour I took out of the original blanket to match this.

For the first baby blanket I followed the first 45 stripe colour sequence of the original full size adult blanket. I can’t remember which of the original colours was subbed in to match the new ones as I completely forgot to write the sequence and colour order down.

From what I remember, I got quite low on Stylecraft Copper and that’s probably why one of the blankets has it in the border and the other doesn’t. I used Teal in the border on the other blanket.

As lockdown restrictions started easing, I was back into a new job and also enjoying some extra leisure time now I had more time at home. I had seen there was a pastel version of the Cosy Stripe Blanket on the Attic24 website which was called the Cupcake Blanket. Being as I am also a baker as well as a crocheter, I just had to make this. I had it in mind for a very special little girl- my gorgeous niece!

It was a beautiful Spring evening when I made a start on the Cupcake blanket. I think, from memory it was a Saturday night and I was sat there for about three hours just getting into it. Mr S couldn’t get any sense out of me and I think I let him cook the dinner that night. I was soon underway with the first few stripes and it’s such a quick pattern to make. I think because you aren’t doing the same every row, it soon builds up and grows.

It was the Easter holidays and it was the first time in two years that I’d actually not worked during a school holiday. In my previous role in a day nursery, we only closed at Christmas and I took three weeks holiday at other times of the year. I had also supplemented my supply teaching income previously with nursery shifts to bring in extra income. I was glad of the two weeks off to catch up with my Mum (I had not seen her since the previous September due to Covid restrictions), to fulfill online baking biscuit orders and to work on this beautiful blanket.

At the end of April 2021, the Cupcake blanket’s stripes were finished. I think from looking at the above photo, I’m sure the blanket is photographed upside down! I was so happy getting it finished so quickly. Especially as the first Cosy Stripe took so long!

The following night I started with the Cupcake border. It is slightly different to the Cosy Stripe border but just as pretty. The border is more of a linen stitch effect with a scallop pattern for the edging and it looks gorgeous.

I love that moment when you finish a blanket and you get it ready to photograph for your Ta-dah moment. But what usually happens is it’s always late at night and the light is so poor. I then forget to get the blanket out again to photograph it. You’d think I’d have it nailed as my daughter is a photographer but it’s always cheeky asking her to take photos for me as she’d want to charge me the full rate!

The Cupcake Blanket had a bit of an adventure! I parcelled it up into a big box, along with a couple of books, a birthday card and a few treats for my brother. My little niece was going to be four and I wanted her to have a special blanket from her Auntie Sam. She had one from me as a baby and so did her older siblings. My family live over in Canada and I was devastated not to see them in 2020 as I’d planned but the pandemic ruined that. After a couple of weeks, I got a card through the door from the Royal Mail. The parcel had been returned to sender and was awaiting pick up as they had not been able to deliver the parcel to my brother’s address. The postage had cost me £30 as well. So the blanket is now sat in my spare room with me wondering how on earth I can get it back over to Canada. Postage is even more now and costs more than the actual yarn did to create the blanket in the first place!

Have you ever made a Cosy Stripe or a Cupcake Blanket? Or have you ever used the pattern to create a blanket of your own? I would like to use the pattern again but I’ve got so much more to do on my tick list that it’ll have to wait until later on in the year.

For the complete kits, please visit:

https://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/attic24/attic24-cosy-stylecraft-special-dk

https://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/attic24/attic24-cupcake-stylecraft-special-dk

Both kits contain the complete pattern and all the yarn needed but no hook! Please note: I am not connected with Wool Warehouse or Attic24 in any way. I am just sharing where I found the kits when I worked on them myself.

Here is the full tutorial showing how to work the Cosy Stripe pattern:

https://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/cosy-stripe-blanket.html

Love Sam xx