Notes from the Sophie CAL 2015

I promised that I'd share some of my thoughts on the CAL on here as well as on FB and Ravelry so here I go:

Getting started

Before you start there are 2 things you need to think about carefully - what you'll use it for and where you will display it, both of which make a difference to your choice of yarn for the project. If you want something that can be thrown in the washing machine without worrying then you might like to consider a 100% acrylic yarn or one with a wool/acrylic mix. If you want something to wrap yourself in to keep warm you might want a heavier weight yarn. Remember that the weight of yarn you choose will determine its finished size so if you want a large blanket you probably need to use an aran weight yarn.

Think about the cost of the project, especially if you choose to make the larger size as it's a real yarn-eater! I used yarn from my stash which I'd bought over many years at a fraction of its retail price. If I'd had to pay full price for it then the project would have been a non-starter. More about how much yarn I used later.

Lots of people said they had trouble choosing their colours which I can fully understand as I have seen many variations that I adore and could easily have gone in a completely different direction from the one I chose.

Here are some suggestions on choosing your colours:

• Remember that it's your project and so it doesn't matter if other people don't like your colours as long as you do. 
• Think about where you want to display it. Do you want it to tone in with the area or contrast? I chose colours to tone but I would also have been happy with bright clashing colours if it had been for a different area.
• Do you want to use pastels or bright colours?
• Have a look at some of the single colour ones as they have a completely different feel.
• Choose your main colours and then find 1 or 2 to use judiciously perhaps to highlight a special round.
• Play around with the colours and see how they work together (of course this is easier if you've got some in your stash or if you physically go into a Yarn shop rather than buy things on-line!).
• My own choice of colours came from the curtains in our lounge & music room which is where it will live:

It took several attempts before I got colours I liked for the centre

Seeing how it looked with other things in the room

Following the pattern and tweaking it to suit you

The pattern was well written and had been tested incredibly well too so I found it a joy to work with. I didn't look at any of the 'How to' videos but people said they were very helpful. There were lots of links to tutorials and I thought the stitches were explained clearly, so much so that I felt it was fine for new crocheters as well as those with more experience.

I had the benefit of starting after the first few weeks and so I could see how the pattern was progressing. I noticed that the beautiful texture of these bobbles and petal-like shapes didn't show up if you used different colours for each round so I worked out my stripes accordingly so that the petals were formed by the cream colour I'd chosen as my background. I read that some people carried their yarn at the back in order to do this but I didn't - I just added the new yarn in when required which was much less wasteful.

In this next photo you can see how the petals and bobbles really stand out in the cream colour. You can see how I've used the pale yellow, one of my accent colours, as a stripe just to keep a link to the starting point. For the border around this area there was the option to use crab stitch which I did - shown in dark red. This really helped define the area. A lot of people find crab stitch difficult as it can seem odd at first so I'd suggest practising on a test piece so you become confident it in.

Lay your work out at each stage to see if the colour sequences please you. It's much easier to rip back one row than to continue and have to do it several rows later.

When I wasn't sure which colour to use for the next round I'd get some colours together and lay them against it. Sometimes I'd even work a line of stitches to see which I preferred.

Make sure your accent colours are well balanced within the colour sequences. My 2 accents colours werer the pale yellow and the dark red.

Make sure you count, count and count as it's very frustrating if you find you've got the wrong number of stitches, especially when your stitch count is around 400! The pattern always tells you if you need to include the so-called 'hidden' stitch which comes after the corner. I count in 10s or 20s and place a marker on the 10th/20th stitch so that if I lose count it's quite easy to work it out.

When you get to the butterfly border there is an option to use backpost stitches at the start and end. Please just do it or you'll regret it as it forms a lovely edge and defines the area beautifully. One of the final stages addresses this for anyone who has omitted it and uses surface crochet which I think is much more fiddly than backpost stitches.

I made a slight modification as well - the row after you finish the top of the butterfly said do sc then dc (US) but I did hdc then dc (that's htr and tr in UK terms) instead as I think it makes the border look more balanced. The butterflies look ragged until you straighten them out a bit so don't worry - see here for more details.

To block or not to block

Throughout the instructions you are told to block your work. However, unless your tension is not quite right this shouldn't really be necessary at every stage. I blocked my work for the first time when it was squared off and it worked out fine.

As your work gets bigger and bigger it will get very heavy. This is more of an issue when you're using an aran weight yarn as I did. If you work with it on your knee you'll find that it will stretch out of shape as it dangles down so what I did was to crochet whilst sitting on the settee so that my work was supported as much as possible.

The best tip I can give is to smooth and flatten out your work on a table or the floor after each crochet session. This really helps to keep it in shape without the constant need for blocking.

Finishing Edge

I chose not to add any extra rounds or squares but I didn't like the way it was finished in the instructions so tweaked it ever so slightly. For round 112 I did dc (sc in US) in pale blue then 113 I did htr (hdc US) in a mid blue which gave a firmer edge.

Then for the final round I used the really dark blue to make backpost dcs (bpsc US) which made the edge sit better than in the written version.

Sorry I can't show it any better than this but the colours are quite close so there isn't much contrast:

The end result

I love it. What I love most is that, because of the yarn I used and the lovely raised stitches, it has the feel of a candlewick bedspread (do you remember them?). I almost wish I'd made it for our bed but then I can always make another similar one can't I?!

I'm very happy with my colour choices and it looks great on the settee and near the curtains shown here in the lounge:

We have the same curtains in the music room which adjoins the lounge so it was bound to work in there too. What we also have in there are large stencils high up between the beams so it looks great with them too!

At the moment it is draped over the piano and really adds a splash of colour there.

Yarn & hook details

Hook: I used a 4mm hook throughout as that is my preferred size when using Rowan Summer Tweed.

Yarn details: Rowan Summer Tweed (now discontinued but I have a huge stash of it 'cos I adore it!), 70% silk 30% cotton, 108m per 50g ball.

Colours used:

Beige/Cream/yellow:
10 x 508 Oats
10 x 515 Raffia
3 x 514 Reed
2 x 538 Butterball

Pink/red:
3 x 522 Smoulder
3 x 526 Angel
2 x 541 Blossom

Green:
2 x 527 Sprig
2 x 522 Bamboo
2 x 550 Hedgerow

Blue
1 x 500 Powder
2 x 548 Swirl
2.5 x 529 Denim
2.5 x 547 Navy

Thankfully I rarely paid full price for the yarn as I bought batches of it on eBay for an average of £2.50 a hank but even so at 47 hanks it still cost a fair bit!

Finished dimensions:  150cm square unblocked.

Sophie, the weather & a reunion

Sophie needs to make an appearance first although I need to write a whole separate post about my journey as lots of people have asked about it in the facebook group. Without further ado here is my completed blanket:

I gave up trying to photograph it flat on the ground as someone kept coming and sitting on it…….

I distracted her with Dreamies (cat treats which they all adore!) for a few moments but then she was back again.

Mike suggested we drape it over the piano as the old throw was really tatty and was thrown away a while ago. We both agreed it breaks up the shiny black expanse of the casing so we're leaving it on there for a while to see if we like it. That was fine by me as lacquered black shows up every speck of dust!

I'll do a write-up of the few changes I made asap, my colour choices, the edging, hints and tips and anything else that's been discussed so anyone popping onto here will get the complete picture. I know a lot of people were worried about how to choose colours and the placement of them.

The weather

We Brits always talk about the weather. I don't know why; perhaps it's in our genes. The last few weeks you could hardly blame us though - we've had torrential rain, thunderstorms with magnificent lightning, great big hailstones, baking hot sun but worst of all galeforce winds which wreaked havoc in the garden.

A few weeks ago I had 7 magnificent specimens of Angelica Archangelica which I always grow because insects absolutely adore it as it is chock full of nectar. Cue the storms and here we have the last one standing:

There were 3 of them standing proud in the herb garden but now there's only one!

The other 2 broke off at the base.

This Buddleia still had very sappy growth which hadn't firmed up so many of it's branches were simply ripped off. I've pruned it back so it will just flower a bit later which is good for butterflies searching for nectar in the Autumn.

This poor little variegated Lotus bush had a third of its branches snapped off and it's roots were all exposed.

I managed to get it upright, firmed in the roots and put a stake in for support so it looks fine now.

Out of the 4 Angelica plants in the front beds only this one was saveable as it hadn't snapped, just bent over with some roots exposed. I managed to get it upright by using 2 posts either side.

My poor Comfrey plants was looking magnificent beforehand and the flowers were smothered in bees!

No worries though as I always cut it back at some stage as the leaves act as a compost accelerator on the compost heap and I've stuck some in a bucket of water to make a plant food (it stinks but it's worth it as it makes a very good liquid fertiliser).

My pretty black-leaved Elder had several branches ripped off too.

It's not all bad though and Mike commented earlier that the garden is looking really pretty right now so here are a few views:

View from the Gazebo

View from the front gate

You can't see the mini pond behind the froth of blue Campanula flowers!

Some of the foxgloves are 8' tall and the Cardoon, on the right, is getting bigger every day

A work in progress in the wilder area. I love the pale pink blossom of the Deutzia against Acer 'Bloodgood' (which lived in a pot for 20 years until we moved here)

The purple pompoms of the Alliums have lasted a long time this year

It's really hard to capture the beauty of this giant golden oat grass (Stipa Gigantea). It's ethereal and looks fabulous with the evening sun shining through. Its stems are already 5' high and will get even bigger. I'm really pleased with it as when I moved it a couple of years ago it sulked and just sat there looking raggedy but I think it's happy in its new situation now.

The gravel garden is getting ready to put on a show

I couldn't resist taking a close-up photo of this beautiful Luzula Nivea, aka Snowy Woodrush, seen on the right of the photo above.

A mitten reunited!

Remember my mitten experiment? Well after I'd posted the photos I got an email from Glenys, who lives in the village, to say it was hers and she'd lost in when her car got stuck in the snow last year! She'd been back to where she thought she'd lost it but had only looked in the mud so didn't spot it.

So for my next run I trotted out that way to bring it home. It was rather worse for having been out through the Winter though but this wouldn't be a problem for an accomplished needlewoman such as Glenys.

Mittens re-united. Gleny's slippers match them as well!

Glenys assured me that a good soaking sorted it out and got rid of the mould and algae

A happy ending.

Nature in all its glory

I've tried to whittle my photos down to the ones I just can't miss out but there were still far to many so I tried again and these are the ones that made the list. They are from the last few weeks and have been taken on my training runs along the lanes and across the rolling Sussex countryside.

I was taking this shot because I'd spotted the seagulls following the plough, the herd of deer was a bonus! I ran across the same field on my way back via the public footpath and I had a look at what they were eating and all I could see was stubble from the previous crop which looked as if it might have been wheat.

Another herd peeping out from behind the trees

The next few photos show a favourite flower of mine, Cow Parsley. But despite it's beauty there is an issue; it is dominating our hedgerows nowadays and forcing out other native species.  Apparently I am not alone in thinking this and on checking the Countryside Survey I've found out it has increased by 53% over the last 30 years.

Why? Because of the way we manage the grass verges now. One reason is that years ago the verges would have been grazed by livestock, thus reducing the fertility of the soil but now the verges are mown by the local council and the clippings left in-situ which increases the fertility of the soil making it too rich for many of our native flowers. The other reason is the increase in the use of fertilisers by farmers which inevitably leaches into the verges. This means that the flowers which prefer an infertile soil are struggling whilst Cow Parsley, Nettles and brambles are loving it.

But it's so pretty so why does this matter? It matters because we are losing the diversity of flora and possibly fauna and our verges are turning into a monoculture. I'll climb down off my high horse now!

The wonderfully frothy flowers of Cow Parsley, Anthriscus Sylvestris, are almost obscuring this footpath

Here it is seen dominating the riverbank

It is what's known as an Umbellifera, which is its family name, and is related to carrots. I love it's other common name which is 'Queen Anne's Lace'.

Who can resist telling the time by blowing the seeds of the dandelion? I always chuckle at the French name for it; pis-en-lit (wet the bed!) which must surely have been invented to stop children from picking it?!

The flowers of Ribwort Plantain, with it's white anthers, look so pretty close-up

Running along the riverbank yesterday I spotted Equisitum Arvense, aka Mare's Tail or Horsetail. It is an invasive weed and is really hard to eradicate as it is deep-rooted with roots spreading to 7ft underground. Not something you'd want in your garden but looks pretty in the wild with drops of rain on it!

I love the look of the Horse Chestnut when it's spikey flowers are out. A native of the Balkans it was introduced into the UK in around 1600. In the US I believe it is known as the 'Buckeye'.

This beautiful orchid is one of a small colony I've been protecting on a verge near our house

I was, therefore, delighted when we cleared a large area of brambles by one of our ponds and these beauties appeared this year!

This tree looked surreal with its trunk bent over. It must have been knocked over when it was young and pliable and has just continued to grow like that.

I was fascinated by the reflection of this small bridge over the storm ditch

The new growth of these Willow trees stand out in the sunshine

The jam jar hanging from this cider apple tree in an orchard had me scratching my head for a moment until I spotted the tealight inside. It must have been left behind when the Bonfire Boyes were wassailing a few weeks ago. This kind of wassailing is quite different from the Christmas version when people go from door to door singing Carols. This is where people visit the orchards and sing to the trees to awaken them and drive off evil spirits by clattering pot and pans.

What's that Susie? It's an experiment! I found this pretty mitten at the side of the lane back in November 2014. It seemed a shame that it should lie in the gutter covered in mud so I put it on this branch in the hope that if it's owner came looking for it or if they passed by they might spot it and they would be reunited.

See, it's a pretty motif

As no-one seems to have claimed it I am using it as an experiment in decay. It seems to be made of a cotton mix so it will be interesting to see how long it takes to rot down or become inhabited by insects or whatever. There is already  some rather vivid green algae growing happily in the dampness. It amuses me anyway!

I could hardly make a post without the additon of our wonderful native bluebells and Wild Garlic so here they are:

I wish you could smell their scent, it's intoxicating

I love the smell of Wild Garlic too although it's too strong for some tastes

This splash of yellow from Broom shone out in the verdant hedgerow

A few snippets from home

I have more than enough to share in another post but I'll just show a few bits for now. 

Strawberry flowers hiding in the herb beds

The beginnings of the strawberry fruit. Isn't that pretty with the calyx like a ruff around the emerging fruit

This large dog fox has been a frequent visitor to the garden recently

This hen pheasant is unusually tame and will take grain from my hand. When she first arrived her right eye was very red but it's better now. It's usually the cock pheasants who will come so close and it's been fascinating to see the patterns and colours of her feathers close-up.

Here she is, standing on one leg with her feathers all puffed up against the wind. More about the wind next time as it's wreaked havoc in the garden recently.

  

Tilly has found her inner lion and is much braver now although I don't think she'll ever wander too far from home (unlike our previous cats who wandered far and wide).

We have had so many different visitors to the birdbath outside the kitchen window, goldfinches, magpies, wood pigeons, sparrows, dunnocks, pied wagtails, robins, starlings to name a few, but this pair of collared doves win the prize for cuteness. They must have a nest nearby as I've seen them chasing away the magpies (who would steal their eggs if allowed near the nest).

Oh no, not the compost heap again! Yes, but don't worry, I just wanted to show the potatoes that have sprouted right at the back. There must have been some small bits left and they've sent up shoots so I'll leave them there and see what develops.

Whilst I was admiring the compost heap something flashed across my peripheral vision. On closer inspection I found this grass snake hiding in an old rotting stump. I must have disturbed his sun-bathing!

As I sat on the swing the other evening I spotted this rabbit hopping alongside the pond.

He headed straight towards me……….

……….and stopped for a quick wash less than 6' from where I was sitting!

Some marvellous molehills keep appearing in 2 of our fields at the moment. The ones in the middle of the photo made me chuckle as they follow the path of an animal track. Now any gardener knows that the soil thrown out to form a molehill is fabulous as it's broken into a fine crumb by the mole's digging. You can use it as the base for  a potting compost or, as I did, as a soil conditioner to break down the heavy clay we have in our garden. You can't really get the scale of them from the photo but some of them are about 10" high and 2' across and we managed to get 4 wheelbarrows worth of beautiful crumbly soil from them.

Crochet blanket update

I've very nearly finished the Sophie blanket with just the border to make. I'll be sad when its over as it's been a most enjoyable journey. Not much to show from last time but here's where it was at a few days ago:

Experimenting with colours for the next round.

Thankfully I remembered that this yarn bleeds like mad and so I soaked the skein in cold water then added salt and vinegar to act as mordants to hopefully set the dye. I have had problems of bleed with several Rowan yarns in the past so I'm always cautious, especially with reds.

Which pink to use next? The one on the right won and is now complete so just the final few rows of the border to do. Watch this space.