The Wedding Blanket Revealed

The Wedding Blanket

Here it is, finished in our hotel room just waiting to be ironed. It weighed more than 3,3 kilos and was made mostly with Søstrene Grene Cotton with the grey border in Nille yarn.

I made 53 squares in total and in the coming weeks I will give you close ups of each one.

Since this was a wedding blanket we added lots of hearts. We didn't do all the squares in the Block a week CAL 2014 from Dedri but we did do all the heart ones.

Can you see the heart? My friend *kio made her hearts in one colour so it is easier to see.

This square is called Never ending love, which I hope the newly weds will have ^^

But in Peppermint Mocha Frappe the hearts are super clear, and in this one I learnt and made mine in the same colour, this is also the heart we used on the border.

We did three rows of border, all in DC, the first row in grey, the second in red and the last also in grey, we added the heart between row two and three. We did contemplate to make another row in grey in fans around but decided there was enough happening so the blanket would look best with a clean border.

Then there is the clearest heart of all, the Grandma's heart square.

This square has the most hidden heart of all, can you see it? This block is called the Mystery Anticipation Square, and it has two rows of hearts.

Each square got some extra rows so they measured about 21 cm, *Kio and mine tension varied a little both between us and between each square so we blocked our squares a lot.

We used about four hours on each square and each squared weighed around 30 grams so we used a lot of yarn! 

But we still have some left since we bought lots the second time we went out to buy more yarn because we realised we had too little the first time around.

It looks good folded up too, and as you can see some of the blocks pop up from the rest. Each square is interesting and exiting and sometimes *Kio and mine look completely different due to different colours but sometimes we actually interpreted the patterns differently, like the green one with the flower seen here.

We added a few heart squares in filet crochet to calm our afghan a bit and to make more hearts and I really like the effect. I used these patterns (heart square and stacked hearts) while *Kio I think designed her own hearts and made some stacked hearts. You can tell what squares they are because they are the only solid coloured ones with white and then grey borders.

All squares got at least two rows of colour, one in colour and the last in grey so that it would be easy to crochet them together. We crochet them together downwards first which was a lot of fastening off threads and then we crocheted the finished panels together with Single Crochet the other way.

There are 99 squares in 9x11 format and the whole blanket is 170x250 cm and as I said weighs about 3,3 kilos.

The afghan is here seated on two big single beds so it looks a bit small.

Evi helped us to iron and arranged the squares before we crocheted them together which was super helpful. Mimle and Valmin however did not help and kept throwing the squares around and making a mess, they chinned most squares and left tons of fur and some hay in-between.

We cross stitched the married couple's initials and date of marriage around a heart square. We knew the bride loved blue and later learned that the groom loved red so we incorporated that too, and I must say I love the colours together, even though there are lots of different colours they sort of stay in the same cool colour family with a few exceptions so the blanket looks soothing from afar.

 *Kio cross stitched the numbers and I did the letters.

Started 18th of June 2015 and finished 24th of February 2016
Squares: 99
Size: 170x250
Weight: 3269 grams, according to my kitchen weight
Skeins: Around 66

Back with some more yarn and some temptations

So the trip to Finland was a great success, I didn't use hardly any of my yarn that I brought but that was because we deemed the wedding blanket did not need an extra border, that was all the grey yarn I brought. I did however make a small doily while waiting for our flight that got cancelled, we popped it in with the presents. So all in all the yarn was a bit much but you never know what you might want to make...

(and I did use everything else of crafting things but my water colours, I adore making travel diaries which is why I bring so many crafting things.)

The doily fits well with the coasters too.

My outfit for the wedding with M's wedding vest.

(He did wear a suit with that)

The wedding blanket awaiting ironing and packing for the wedding. The ironing of the blanket was a three person job btw as it was big and bulky and heavy and we only had a tiny ironing board.

I went to the biggest yarn shop in the city but they claimed to not have any Finnish yarn, so I bought some Swedish, Danish and Norwegian yarn. The grey yarn only has writings in Finnish though so I have hopes that they are from Finland. The greys are for a bolero or shawl or something I think and the whites and silver are for more snowflakes, I love snowflakes.

 *

But the blanket weighed 3,3 kilos so I am allowed to buy some more yarn right?

They had these cool packages of surprise yarn too that I bought, and I got one sock, yarn to finish the other, a whole finished cowl in sparkly yarn form Sweden and some pink yarn, one is in wool and silk and the other is a bit of a mystery but I am thinking of mitts or something accessory crocheting.

Since my big thing is finished I have some hopes in making and finishing some smaller things, here I am making an iPad cover that my mother requested in wool, and since crafters minds are already on their next project I am thinking of another blanket (oh yes, I never learn, my shoulders are still not back in form) and a few shawls.  

Kitties in a row afghan by Beverly A. Qualheim

This is the afghan I hope I am not crazy enough to start because it needs cat coloured yarn and I only have a few skeins of wool from Nille so I would need a ton more.... I am trying to stay strong!

Chevron Lace Cardigan by milobo

And there is the jacket that I really want to make for myself, but I really should finish my skirt first! But I could use some of that Drops Merino in navy I have in my stash?

Angel Wings Pinaforte by Maxine Gonser

And since one friend is having a little girl in May I so want to make a dainty little dress.

Florida Shrug  by Nyanpon

I made one for the wedding and now I want to use that as a template to make another the right way.

Lizard Pattern by Jasmin Räsänen

I am sure all my friends would love this pattern and I know Fabel from Drops is on sale now which I think this pattern would look great in.

Victoria shawl by Cherry Heart, picture from Ravelry

This pattern was on sale today so M bought it for me, I really want to make one!

All these photos are from revelry which is where the links go, what do you think I should start on when I finish my skirt?

Finished Friday

Of the last bit of Lanett wool I had in this colour I made a small pouch to hold my stuff at the wedding. I used this pattern, I made it as big as my phone and then I made the drawstring, I also made two extra rows of shells at the top since my pouch was rather big, it just looked better.

It also matches the shrug I finished yesterday and M's wedding vest.

I made the bottom double so that my heavy phone both fits and won't distort my pouch too much. I am quite pleased with it and it was finished in a jiffy.

Now I am thinking about making this in the alpaca I have in the same colour, that way I don't have to do anything fancy with my hair, which I think is a stellar plan!

We are going to a wedding soon and the bunnies are ecstatic, another plaything in the living room! But we have a good bunny sitter so I think they will be fine staying home.

And yes, I need all those things, I need yarn, cross stitch kits, books, water colour set, pencils, markers, iPad, mp3 player and card games because you never know. Because you never know I also always bring almost any kind of clothing from wool to summer shirts. And I always end up using most of my items so there. Lucky for the wedding I have brought both an umbrella and raincoat so now there won't be any rain!

Mimle and I are mostly satisfied staying home, it is Valmin who is the explorer.

Here is Mimle staying on the sideline watching, another thing we have in common, we prefer watching rather than participating until we are sure it is safe! 

Shrug is finished!

I used about two balls of purple lanett wool yarn from Sandnes, actually the finished Florida shrug weighs 99 grams.

Even if I modified the shrug a little it didn't take all that time, but size conversion in all directions is a recipe for disaster so it had to be modified a little to fit. If I had more time I might have started over yet again. But it is now finished and ready for use so that M and I will match at the wedding.

My modifications were I added a stripe under the arms so the shrug would not be quite so smug fitting and I added some SC at the bottom. Now all I have to do is weave in the last few yarn ends.

Because of all that crocheting, re-crocheting and frogging of portions were I had already snipped and weaved in ends I had A LOT of yarn ends to weave in in the end...

But it is done and I am quite pleased with it, and you know since I am me and quite crazy because I am done with what I have to make I am now contemplating some sort of accessory and or a purse for the wedding. I still have a few days left, and more importantly I still have almost a whole ball of yarn left (which will be that last of that colour from my wedding) and the alpacca I bought in the same colour so I mean there are no reasons why not?

Mimle is a doll and only threw my ball of yarn once off the sofa, although Valmin did it too so I guess I have two little trolls these days?

Bunnies, flowers and hats in Socktober

M got flowers from work. This is one of the two vases we got from our wedding. I like it, and I love the flowers, I wonder how long I can keep them alive. 

*

 I want to show some of the hats I made this year, two were finished, but never really had a proper Tadah moment, but the last I had to redo several times, I am still not completely happy with it, the top looks a bit funny, but the yarn is too tired of frogging for me to try again, so I decided it was done too.

This knitted hat has been done for almost a year now, poor thing and never got a proper tadah post, but here it is finished. It is a tiny bit too small for M, but he wants to keep it anyway. (that is the trouble with making things and using myself as a model because I have a tiny head, and I thought I had made this the right size.)

This hat was finished several times, but first it was too small and then it was too pointy and weird looking, it is still a bit pointy, but M claims he likes it that way. This is crocheted in reflective yarn. If I ever find the pattern I used I'll let you know. 

Now it won't matter if M forgets to put his reflectors out from his jacket pocket when walking home from the bus. (Yes, it is that dark here both in the mornings and evenings already)

I found the pattern here in this Norwegian blog, she makes lots of hats and has decided to give hats for all birthdays this year.

It is supposed to look like a cat, and it does, on boyfriend! It is a bit too long on me so the ears won't show properly. So I guess I need to make another for myself? Because M refuses to wear this, maybe my curly haired friend could wear this though. I'll ask.

 This too is made of reflective yarn so that one is very visible for cars. 

I have another started knitted hat and one crochet hat, the knitted is in deep trouble because I have no idea what pattern I used. I am guessing either garnstudio or some other easy Norwegian hat pattern, but since I am such a newbie at knitting I have no idea if the patterns I am searching for is the same I started. So I might just ask someone who knows what they are doing to see which pattern is correct... It is the same as the blue and grey one, do you think it it this pattern?

But when that hat is done I am so doing the Socktober kal on revelry! I need some sock yarn though, because shockingly I have none...

But October has just started so I should be able to finish a pair of sock right? Are socks much harder than hats?

Bunnies have been really lovey-dovey after their ordeal at the photographers.

I think it did them good, I am sad M is back to work because the time we had together felt too short, we haven't really had a proper honeymoon yet.

First of October

We just got our pictures back both from the family photos with the bunnies and the wedding pictures. And I am so happy, they look so good!

Now all we need are the ones from M's family, so that we can make our scrapbook.

Here I am busy with some scrapbooking.

 I have already put too much in this book....

.... so now I can't close it properly XD

(this is an old photo of how I wish it still looked, but with mementos inside.)

This is a very bad photo, but I have used one skein of the grey already and as you can see, it is coming along, at least I hope you can see that as that was what I wanted you to see.

I wonder if it is actually a good grey colour with M's suit, but we will see that later. ^^

He needs more vests anyway, and I need the practice in making clothes.

*

Want to see some more family photos?

Ofcourse you do!

Valmin even went exploring after a while. Some forum members wanted the bunnies with my wedding flowers, so I made sure to bring them.

  The flowers belong to Mimle now. 

 I might be a crazy bunny lady. The one that wears socks with rabbits on them and has her bunnies photographed by a pro with husband and calls them family photos.

But if that is my only crazy I am fine with that.

After she peed on my blanket, this little troll ate some herbs like nothing happened.

We even got some nice shots of Valmin, who is notorious for always becoming somewhat of a blur on pictures.

Other than that we have been watching Sherlock season three and X-files. Yesterday we ordered some indian food for the first time and ate jelly. It was good although M wished he had asked for his to be mild like mine. Hehe.

Oh, and we just ordered all our thank you cards, and we even agreed on one!

(that is we made like five first that the other didn't like, so we compromised like a good married couple, now all we need is to compromise on a last-name:P)

Wedding Pictures Spam

Here comes some pictures from our wedding-day! They are all taken by Anne Andersen over at Studio Lk. We were lucky because everything was at the same place, the church, the party and the photographer.

Just married!

Picture taken By: Trude

This is a picture of the cake my cousins wife made which was yummy. I think we ended up with six cakes for a little over 60 people and we are still eating cake! 

Cake for breakfast anyone?

I was amazed because both husband and I look great in all the pictures, and I attribute partly my make up artist, hairdresser, and the great taking picture skills of Anne!

I adore my shoes, too bad I broke them later XD

And my flowers look so good! 

Apart from the sting I can honestly say the day was a success, partly because of my mothers co-workers who came and helped in the kitchen and our families who helped clean up later when I was a bit visually impaired.

I hope I get pictures from family and friends soon, because I want to show off the decorations inside too, we got lots of praise that everything looked so professional and matching.

All my years of looking at Hello Project pictures has given me some skills in modeling as well. Maybe. Because apparently we were lots of fun to take pictures of and had great ideas on how to pose.

Does my dress look good?

The blanket was my first real crochet project and the shawl is something my mother knitted for me.

We are off on a picnic.

I think this place might have been the culprit. I thought I got stung after dinner, but when scrutinized I can see a small pink dot on my eyelid in the pictures so I must have been stung early in the day.

The vest looks good on M too. I think we look smashing!