Whoohoo! My beach hut blanket is done and I have decided to call it Summer in Swanage. Although the blanket was inspired by the beach huts in Mossel Bay and Muizenberg (South Africa), I found myself constantly reminded of our recent trip to Swanage as I made row upon row of waves. I am a very sentimental creature and this blanket, for me, has become Swanage.
The photo above was taken just before I added the border. I chose to add a simple linen stitch border. The green is my nod to the Studland Seagrass Meadow (which gives the water in Studland Bay a teal appearance). The yellow is for the sun, and the blues echo the colours of the sea.
I decided on this simple border because the blanket itself is so simple. If I could have gotten away with it, I wouldn’t have added a border at all, but the blanket did need a little something to finish it off.
Photographing the completed blanket was a nightmare! How do you photograph something that is so big and really needs to be seen in its entirety? (At rest the blanket is 120 cm wide by 150 cm long, but it stretches to 170 cm long due to its weight.)
Well…you scrunch it up a bit…
…or you take an angled photo…
…or you drape it over a bench…
…or you perch precariously on two wet chairs with your arms high above your head and just point and shoot until the whole thing is finally in the frame…
If only I was at the seaside right now! Wouldn’t that make for a great backdrop? I have now managed to take some photos at the sea side :)
I have to say that I LOVE this blanket. I loved making it, I love how it turned out, I love what it reminds me of. When I look at it I am playing on the beach as a child, I am walking along the beach writing prayers in the sand, I am sitting on the beach with my husband on our first Valentines together, I am watching my children build sand castles while I crochet.
You can now find the free pattern for the blanket HERE.
You can find the Colour Crafter I am using on Scheepjeswol.com (NL), or Deramores.com and Wool Warehouse (Internationally). If you already have some of the yarn and you’ve made something with it, please share it on Instagram using #Scheepjes #ColourCrafter.
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Happy Hooking!
Bev Smith says
Dear Dedri,
Thanks for sharing your pattern. I am moving to very near Swanage in October and I have ordered the yarn as I just have to make this blanket. I’m more of a knitter than a crochet person but I tried your stitches with practice yarn before I ordered and I found that I could manage them all. Can’t wait to get started.
Thanks again
Bev
Dedri Uys says
Bev, how wonderful! Swanage is just so pretty!! I’m glad you found the stitches manageable. It’s probably my favourite whimsy pattern and reminds me of Swanage when I’m in grey London.
Marie McGahee says
Dedri:
I love the blanket and although I live in South Texas, a long way from the sea, I would love to do this blanket because the colors are wonderful. I think two strands of yarn will make it much to heavy for our hat temps here in Texas. Can you advise me how much yarn I would use and perhaps a hook size for using only one strand.
Thank you so much.
Dedri Uys says
Hi Marie, I wouldn’t know where to start with yardages for a single strand blanket. I want to say a third of the yarn I used (assuming you are using double knit (light worsted weight), but that is a rough estimate. If you are using double knit (light worsted weight), you will need to use a 4 mm hook. If you are using worsted weight, I would use a 5.5 mm hook and you will use roughly the same total weight of yarn as I did, but the yardages will be about half.
Jo Schreibeis says
Dedri…you are amazing!! Each of your creations are awesome!!! Love this wonderful blanket…you make me feel as if I’m on the beach or at a beach…and I keep looking outside my window to remind myself that I’m only in Montana (USA). BUMMER!! But thank you for making me believe I MIGHT be at a beach!!
Love you, gf!!
Dedri Uys says
Thank you, Jo :) I am at the beach every time I lie under mine in our very-far-from-the-beach livingroom.
Homemooed says
Really beautiful blanket! Caught my eye! I also love swanage :)
Dedri Uys says
Thank you :)
aussiebushgirl says
Sensational! Can’t wait for details and the pattern. This one will be my “look what I made” moment! Thanks Dedri. :D Hx
Dedri Uys says
Thank you :)
Andrea Marrs says
In a word? Extraordinary! No…phenomenal! No…outstanding! Oh my, I can’t describe this in just one word. It is amazingly gorgeous and delightfully glorious! I’ve been following your work for some time now and somehow you keep managing to outdo yourself. I don’t know how you do it, but you do! I anxiously await the pattern…
Dedri Uys says
Lol, thank you, Andrea :)
Sherry Mueller says
Oh, Dedri…this blanket really looks like the seaside!! Beautiful!! Kudos to you!!
Dedri Uys says
Thank you, Sherry :)
Cindy Maske says
I’m not sure if I want to go for a swim or lay on the beach…. Either way, I want to go there. Guess I’ll have to make the afghan so I can lay on it.
Dedri Uys says
Or under it!
Julie Wickham says
Hi Dedri, this blanket is absolutely gorgeous! How did you find working with the Scheepjes Colour Crafter? The colours certainly look stunning!
Dedri Uys says
Julie, hi.
I loved working with it. It is easy to work with and it feels so nice! The finished blanket is lovely and dense (due to using 2 strands at a time).
Joan Gregory says
Dedre that is so lovely. Just perfect for our summer in Queensland Australia.
The linen stitch border is perfect. I thank you for sharing that stitch with us.
Dedri Uys says
Thank you, Joan :)
Laurie says
Dedri, It is all lovely! The blanket and the photography! I too am a “beach baby” and look forward to making one of these! Thank you!
Dedri Uys says
Thank you, Laurie :)
Pamela Thomas says
It truly looks like the sand and the sea…way, way, way out on the horizon. Beautiful!
Dedri Uys says
Sigh…I know the proportions aren’t correct, but I keep telling my husband (who keeps pointing out all the ways in which the blanket is not accurate) that it is my interpretation of it, not a photograph. I just couldn’t NOT use all those gorgeous blues :)
I am so pleased that you like it.
Willow says
Oh that is just so beautiful. It reminds me of the beach and I’ve never been to Swanage. It reminds me of my childhood on the beach in Stamford, CT, USA. Thanks for sharing your creativity with all of us!!!
Dedri Uys says
You are most welcome, Willow. It reminds me of the beaches in South Africa :)
Catherine Hershberger says
This is wonderful. You have captured everything, but especially the water, perfectly! I love everything about this blanket. Congratulations on making your dream pop out in yarn!
Dedri Uys says
Thank you, Catherine :)
Andrea Schultz says
Oh, Dedri, itt looks lovely, no— it looks dreamy!! I’m looking forward to the pattern.
Dedri Uys says
Thank you, Andrea :) I am so pleased that this is not one of those situations where I like something but no-one else does!
Susan Squittieri says
I just love it! I just wish my Mom was still with me so I could make one for her! Thank you for sharing ! <3
Dedri Uys says
Hi Susan. Maybe you can make one in her memory?
Gloria Larkan says
Hi Dedri
I absolutely love your new blanket, you a have captured the sea brilliantly, wondering how you get the verigated effect in the waves, can’t see any verigated blues in the Colour Crafter chart.
Regards from George
Gloria
Dedri Uys says
Hi Gloria.
I used 2 strands of yarn at a time, swapping colours in and out to get the variegated effect.