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Sunday 14 June 2015

A new long-term project ...and a second?

Ripple blankets, granny square blankets, flower blankets, v-stitch blankets, granny stripe blankets, mandala square blankets...

sigh... 

I have tasted blood. My first ripple blanket is finished and I already dream of having handmade blankets all over the house. We are a proper blanket family.We all four love to spend time on the sofa reading books and it doesn't matter if it is cold or not a cosy blanket is the icing on the cake.

We love 'Gemütlichkeit' (cosiness?).
 I think that this is one of the most wonderful words in German, Gemütlichkeit is one of these rare all-embracing words that evoke so many positive connotations. 'Gemütlichkeit' is a warm and friendly atmosphere in which everyone feels fine. It is characterised by equilibrium, security, jauntiness and absence of any conflicts. 'Gemütlichkeit' does not like hectic rush, it tolerates no excitement, no quarrel, no worries. 'Gemütlichkeit' doesn't get along with coldness, rigidity and diet :-).

So in short, if you want to feel 'gemütlich' you need a blanket!

That's why I started a second blanket and a third on top. I know I shoot for the moon starting two blankets at a time but I just couldn't decide with which blanket to begin with. The first blanket I want to talk about today is a really easy pattern. Just teeny-tiny colourful granny squares sewn together by the 'join-as-you-go-method'. 
 
My table is loaded with happy, happy colourful and heartwarming little squares. It is so much fun to make them!
 
I started crocheting 10 small circles of each colour of DK yarn I had in my stock. All in all 350 circles. I don't know if it will be enough for a big blanket - I believe that blanket have to be big - but that's at least a good start.
It so so nice to play with all these tiny circles that will become small squares when growing up!
I decided to collect all loose ends in a glass just to see how much it will be when I am finished. And I also decided to sew in these annoying ends right from the beginning so that I will not get a nervous breakdown when the crocheting part of the blanket is finished. How are you dealing with all those ends? Do you sew them in directly or do you wait until the end? 

Sometimes I think that I should stop sewing, the blanket could grow much faster just doing the crocheting part but who will be there to look after all those ends?

I already crocheted 350 small circles, each granny square will have 6 ends, that will make 2100 ends!!! How could I possibly deal with so many ends in the end?


I am totally in love with this project and even my daughter likes to play with all those colours. Today she sat next to me discussing which colour to choose for the next granny square I wanted to join. It was fun to talk with her about soft and bright or complementary colours, about which combination we liked or disliked. 

I already know that this blanket will be loved and cared for in our family. That we will use it daily and hopefully it will accompany us for a long time.

It is cold again here in Northern Germany. We all hope that the summer will come back soon. But the weather is perfect for a evening on the sofa joining more granny squares to my wonderful blanket. 
I hope that you will also  have a peaceful Sunday evening. 

Viola

12 comments:

  1. Thank you for visiting my blog Viola, I would never have found yours otherwise! I have yet to master the join as you go method but it is certainly worth sewing the ends in - especially now you have done the maths! Jo x

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  2. Your blanket looks wonderful. I'm looking forward to seeing the other one you have started. I am also making two blankets, though one is much nearer to being finished than the other. I leave my ends to the end. I know it's a big (and not very pleasant) job to sew them all in but I just set my mind to it and get on with the job until it's finished. I collect the ends too and leave them outside for the birds use when building their nests. I weighed the ends from a small blanket and found that they totalled 50g!! So the equivalent of a full ball of Rowan Pure Wool was discarded in ends. Makes you think, doesn't it?

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  3. Hi Viola! gemuetlich is my favourite German word :) Along with Luftkissenboot but that's another story ;) I love the new blanket the colours are so bright and cheerful! I try and do the ends as I go, but I've been very lax of late... I hope the sun comes to North Germany soon, we have even spotted it in England today!

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  4. Those blankets are so cheery and homely - definitely full of "gemütlichkeit"! Thank you for giving a proper explanation about all the nuances of the meaning - that is something one does not get from a dictionary. I love how there are some words that are just perfect for explaining complex ideas - these are usually the ones that have no direct translation in other languages but somewhere in the world, there is that perfect word!

    You are right to do the ends as you go. It's the only way! It is also better for your hands to change your activity regularly. Too much of the same motion is no good for our bodies. Even small things like swapping from crochet to sewing is better than a long block of either alone.

    They are all very pretty squares. I could not choose a favourite. How lovely that your art and craft sparks conversations with your children. That togetherness cannot be bought with money. Thank you for sharing your blankets so we can enjoy them too! xx

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    1. P.S. you are very brave - I would never dare to count how many ends or I would never get started! hehe :-)

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  5. Hallo Viola, I'm a half German living in Shropshire and spent many happy childhood years visiting my Omi in Barmbek, Hamburg. Your blankets certainly look very gemütlich. We are a family of blanket lovers also. I have been reading your blog for a while and love your pictures of Germany (your post about Blankenese brought back many happy memories). If you have time, would you tell us your join-as-you-go method please? It looks quite simple and I'm teaching my god-daughter how to crochet granny squares and if I could show her this method she could go off and start her own project. Anyway, greetings from sunny Shrewsbury. Bis bald, Rebecca x

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  6. Hello Viola, that blanket surely will be cherished. I haven't tried a blanket till now, as I'm rather unpatient with projects taking too long to finish (could you believe I've been cross stitching for over 15 years!?). That is one of the reasons why I do the ends in whilst crocheting. Thank you for your nice comment on my site, Marjan

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  7. Hi Viola! Those blankets will be great, and it makes them extra special if your daughter 'helps' with colour choices and so on! I NEVER consider how many hours a project might take or how many ends there might be - if I did, I would never get started. I just jump right in!!!
    Take care!
    Ingrid xx
    http://myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be

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  8. This is my first time visiting your blog, and I think it's wonderful! Your blanket looks so very cheery and... "gezellig"! Yes, in Dutch we have the same word for "Gemutlichkeit" :o). I'm working on a similar blanket right now, but felt a bit intimidated by all the colours. You''ve inspired me to go on, so thank you for that. Have a nice, hooky weekend!

    Annemarie.

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  9. I love granny projects! Like an explosion of happiness!! Beautiful!

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  10. Granny squares are the best!! I love your blanket it looks so cheerful. I have never tried the join as you go method but I think that I will give it a try after seeing how nice it makes your blanket look. this is my first time at your blog so I am off for a nosey around :) Have a fabulous weekend.

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  11. Thank you for sharing at my link up in week 25,
    you are welcome to share again now :o)

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