A friend I made playing Guild Wars2, is about to become a father again…to twin boys! A fan of the New York Rangers NHL hockey team, his idea of blankets in home and away team shirt colours is inspired and fun.
Letter appliques is the main feature. Having never crocheted letters, I’m nervous – I want the blankets to be as perfect as I can make them. Naff crochet lettering would seriously let the side down.
To me, the team colours when translated into yarn appears lurid. I ran 3 Stylecraft Special DK palettes past the Father-to-be – the first in Royal, Lipstick and White. This was the nearest match to the shirt colours and quite hard on the eye. The second in Royal, Lipstick and Cream – the cream I hoped would calm brightness of the Royal and Lipstick. The third and winner; a vintage inspired palette in Lobelia, Claret and Parchment.
The inspiration behind the vintage palette came from American Flag afghans I crocheted a couple of years ago. Lion Brand designed the pattern and used their rich, muted shades for this patriotic throw. I love the look and thought it would work well for the Rangers blankets. I was thrilled when both Father and Mother-to-be agreed.
The next decision: the pattern for the body of the blanket. It needs to be a great canvas for the letter appliques. This is where my confidence also faltered a bit so I sought the opinions of those more experienced than me.
My idea was to use Lucy of Attic24’s Cupcake Stripe blanket pattern (same stitch as Cosy Stripe blanket) with a linen stitch border. I thought the texture would enhance the overall look of the blanket. My only niggle was with the granny stripes.
A quick google search showed plenty of granny stitch blankets with appliques. But nothing quite the same as Attic24’s.
A perfectly timed Attic24 Facebook post revealing Lucy’s latest project: lettering. I so needed to see that post. I wrote a reply asking her for advice. Her response indicated I am on the right track and she thought the Cosy Stripe would look ‘amazing’. A much-needed confidence boost. Thank you Lucy!
The blankets I hope to start in a week or two. Now I’m working to finish the scrappy baby blanket using *Le monde de Sucrette’s Another V-stitch version 2 for my new niece born at the end of February. 36 rows and the border to go. In typical Fizzy fashion, this blanket will be a little larger than intended, mainly because this has been a ‘work it out as I go along’ unlike the twin Rangers which is a ‘plan before I start’.
Speaking of which, back to my niece’s blanket. Have a happy, hooky week!
* At the time of writing this post, Le monde de Sucrette’s website was timing out. If you’d like a copy of either of her v-stitch pattern charts, please get in touch. I have screenshots of both.
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