YOU WILL NEED
Emma Leith on the wonders of geometric design
■ ▼est Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab DK
(100% wool, 100g/225m)
3 balls of Yarn I Arctic White (011) 1 ball of each:
Yarn A Very Berry (647)
Yarn B Cerise Pink (539)
Yarn C Thistle Purple (717)
Yarn D Aqua Green (705)
Yarn E Deep Teal (716)
Yarn F Zesty Orange (476)
Yarn G Lime Green (198)
Yarn H Citrus Yellow (229)
Yarn J Harbour Blue (746)
■ A 4.5mm (US 7) hook
For yarn stockists contact WY Spinners 01535 664500 www.wyspinners.com TENSION
Each Square Panel to measure 23.5x23.5cm (9 x9 in) after blocking, using a 4.5mm hook or size needed to obtain correct tension
MEASUREMENTS
Blanket measures approx 145x145cm (57x57in))
ABBREVIATIONS
For a full list, see page 86 of magazine
You know you’ve arrived as a crochet designer when one of your favourite yarn brands commissions you to design a blanket to launch their latest range of yarn! I was over the moon, as you might imagine, especially as the brief from West Yorkshire Spinners was to do just about anything I fancied – provided the finished piece came within a certain price point. It’s no good if the finished design costs £300 in yarn to make!
The look and feel of ColourLab DK lends itself beautifully with corner to corner so I used this as my starting point for the summery c2c blanket. I wanted to create an organic piece that allows the maker some flexibility with the colour combinations, which results in each blanket being a unique piece of work. By selecting a palette of colours that work in harmony and creating some pattern colour ‘rules’ the end design will always work. This is what I was aiming for and, as you can see, the final layout really does alter how the blanket as whole can look; it all comes down to personal preference.
The liquorice motif blanket and cushion were a departure from my usual crochet style and had me playing with geometric symmetry. There are so many repeat patterns that can be created from the simple granny square – it’s versatility is quite wonderful. It’s designed for the intermediate crocheter who wants to further their crochet skills and dip their toe into the infinite geometric possibilities! I spent hours exploring different effects, but the key ingredient was the use of black and white, which really anchors the design and frames the surrounding colours perfectly.
Inspired by colour and texture, my work is an expression of my desire to create a little bit of happiness in all that I do. I just love the springiness ColourLab DK gives when working, coupled with the fabulous range of colours it is a real pleasure to crochet with. I was not expecting the added benefit of this pure wool which was the heavenly smell. I often found myself burying my face in one of the balls and taking a long deep breath and found it incredibly soothing!
Since lockdown I’ve surrounded myself in crochet. It’s been my connection to ‘normality’ amidst all this uncertainty and a constant source of comfort for me. During this time I have revisited c2c and have been playing with c2c in the round, which offers up some wonderful patterns. I’m blessed to have a huge stash of yarn (and I mean insanely, ridiculously, massive – think garage AND loft filled with boxes of yarn!) so I have been using lots of it doubled up to create a lovely chunky piece that could be a blanket but could also be a rug. Generally I’m loving being surrounded by all the yarn from my stash and finding ways to use just about every colour I have, because as we know, you can never have too much colour!