Battenberg Blanket Finale



It's been quite a long time since I've done a blanket ta dah moment!

But this blanket and this ta dah, deserves it's moment in my eyes, because this blanket is my true love, possibly my favourite crochet project of all time and maybe even my magnum opus.  At least, it definitely feels like a 'great work' if only judged my the by size and effort and time and love that went into it!

As you may know, I've had this baby on the go for a while now.  It took about a year all in all.  Not a rushed year, a gentle, do some now and then year.  Although, there was some pretty intense stuff at the beginning when I couldn't possibly manage to tear myself away to work on anything else.


I last posted about it here on the blog way back in January, (My Battenberg Blanket and the 'Modular Join) and it's popped up on the podcast now and again too.  But now, finally, the end of this glorious and so enjoyable project has come around and although I started to try and drag it out as long as I could once the finish line was in sight, it is now actually over.  I know it looks like a lot of work, and I guess it is, but I'm really going to miss this project.

I won't go over the how's and the why's of this project coming about, I'll let you read the other post if you want a little more 'back story' but I do want to try and share some pictures of the completed blanket and give you to low-down on some of the facts and figures.  There are lively minds out there who like these things, I know.

I've also made a little 'Battenberg Special' podcast where you can join me to see me wave the blanket around a bit and generally waffle on about it all!  I'll add the link to that at the end of the post too.








Let us begin with some of the nitty gritty...


: :   B L A N K E T   B A S I C S   : :


⇒ Squares 

~ I made a total of 1020 squares.  

~ That's 510 of the colourful squares and another 510 white squares, which I used to join everything together.  They are arranged in a 34 by 30 rectangle.

~ I used 4ply/fingering weight  yarn for all the colourful squares in a massive variety of different yarns, all (or almost all) from indy dyers, some purchased, some from other projects, many from swaps.

~ For the white yarn I used Drops Merino Baby yarn in Off White.  I thought it was a 4ply yarn when I got it but I've subsequently seen it described as sport weight.  Either way, it did the job!

⇒ Yardage 

~ It took a total of 3439 yards of yarn to make the colourful squares, around 787 grams, yikes! 

~ And a total of 4892 yards of the white yarn, around 1278 grams.
About 382 yards/100g of that was for the border.

~That's 25.5 balls of the Drops Merino.  (2 for the border)

~ So that's a whopping 8331 yards for this blanket and it weighs in at 2065 grams!

~ It took less than 2g of yarn to make each of the colourful squares, it averaged at about 1.6g

~ I could generally make about 21 white squares (with join) per ball of Drops yarn.  That's an average of about 2.4g per square.  

⇒ Size ⇐

~ Each of my squares are about 5cm big, maybe a smidge over.   That's using a 3.0mm hook. 

~ The whole blanket is 180 x 156 cm (70 x 62”).

~ I made it to fit my king sized bed, and it drapes over the sides, but not lots.
(That's a UK King, I don't know how that compares to other countries.)










Well that covers all the details, that I can think of anyway, but if there's something else you want to know, just pop a comment down below and I'll answer you there.

Now let's get to the pattern itself and the helpful links that you might like to make use of if you are plotting and planning a Battenberg of your own...


: :   B A T T E N B E R G   P A T T E R N   : :


Battenberg Blanket PDF Pattern
This is the written pattern of the blanket.  It includes a written pattern for the solid granny squares, for the joining method and the border.  It also has some diagrams to show how to join too.

Solid Granny Square Tutorial
This is a photo tutorial showing how I make the Granny squares I use in this blanket.  This is really helpful if you want to use my joining method and links in the the Modular join tutorials linked below.
(Note that I'm only working three rounds in this blanket though.)

Modular Join Tutorial (Right Handed) and Left Handed
This is a video tutorial which explains exactly how I joined by squares using my Modular Join Technique.


... UPDATE ...

Baby Bergs Coaster Pattern
The Baby Berg Coaster pattern that I mention in the podcast and seen in the pictures is now available!



: :   B A T T E N B U R G   P O D C A S T   S P E C I A L   : :

My little 'Battenberg Special' for the podcast channel.  Come join me for a Battenberg celebration!  I'll gabble on about the blanket and try and show you it all on a screen that's too small, how could you not want to see that?




Well that's it from me, I hope you'll like the blanket and maybe fancy making one of your own.

If you do, I'd love to see...

#cherryheartdesigns

#battenbergblanket





S x



#CherryHeart

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PS - I'm sorry but commenting on Blogger has been a bit hit and miss lately.  Please know that unless you see 'your comment will be visible after approval' after you press publish, I won't get your lovely message, which is sad.  If you are having trouble, you can leave your comment here instead.

Comments

  1. I LOVE IT!!!!! This will be so much fun. I can just imagine using some of the stuff in my stash to get started and the fun of shopping for sales and deals for the rest of the yarn I will need. Thanks for generously sharing another LOVELY project!

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    1. Thank you so much! Yes, that's it exactly, it is so much fun and I hope you enjoy making yours too!

      S x

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  2. I am making granny squares from all the leftover yarn from my sock making and a ripple blanket I'm making for our spare bed, all done in 4ply. I was pondering on how I could tie all the different colours together, and love your use of the white squares. I think I will steal your idea, I have a few extra balls of white yarn spare, plus with the use of white so much, I can get to the finish line sooner. Your blanket is beautiful.

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  3. Ohhh. Sandra. This is really a masterpiece. It looks so gorgeous. Wauw.
    Have a nice evening.

    Sweet greetings,
    Emily
    (casacreaemilia.blogspot.nl)

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  4. Your Battenberg Blanket is stunning, Sandra and looks wonderful on your bed! Very well done for all your hard work. It really paid off! You must be thrilled!

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    1. Thanks! Yes, it's lovely to see it all done and finished at last. Not that I really wanted it to come to an end!

      S x

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  5. Delicious (now I think I need to bake a Battenberg today:) - what a gorgeous blanket! Thank-you for the pdf - I'll be spending 2019 working this for our bed (UK-double/US-full; a UK-king is a US-Queen, and a UK-super king is a US-king with the US-California King being even bigger than our super king).

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    1. Oh I bet a home made one will be loads nicer, yummy! Goodness bed sizes are just a confusing as crochet terms on either side of the pond. Ha ha, there's always something to translate. ;) I think we had a California King on holiday this year, it was humungous and fab!! I couldn't hardly see Hubs all the way other on the other side!

      S x

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    2. Always love your work and my how this was such a lot of work. I made one similar for my king size bed but the squares were bigger. I can't imagine doing them so tiny but it works great, well done!

      Lita xx

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  6. Hi Sandra, lots of compliments on your blanket, it's really stunning! In the Netherlands, we have a saying (a bit old-fashioned, but that's me :)), "hemeltjelief" (meaning "good heavens") it must have been lots and lots of work, even for a very good crocheter like yourself! I would like to make one, but I think I'll start with a baby blanket! The colored squares are a bit mixed, not just one color. Where did you buy this yarn, if I may ask? I love the various colors. I cannot seem to find them in the Netherlands.. Enjoy your beautiful blanket!

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    1. Thank you so much! I do think 'good heavens' is a fairly appropriate response to this blanket I have to say!! I guess it was a lot fo work, but to be honest for me it was pure pleasure the whole way, so very unlike work! ;)

      As for the coloured squares, I used quite a mix of hand dyed yarn, all from independent dyers. A good place to look is Etsy for the same sorts of thing. Or, I have a few of my favourite ones listed here if that helps...

      Yarn Dyers: https://sandra-cherryheart.blogspot.com/p/loves.html

      S x

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  7. Delightful... it really is such a pretty blanket

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  8. Just beautiful!! and thank you for your kindness in sharing.
    Warmly,
    Tonya

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  9. Oh my that is epic! I thought I had surpassed myself when I made a king size quilt this year with 1008 pieces but that was with machine sewing. What a beautiful heirloom. You should feel mighty proud. Jo x

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    1. Well it sounds equally impressive to me! More so actually, as my sewing skills wouldn't really be up to muster for a quilting project that size I'm sure!

      Thank you!

      S x

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  10. Sooooo pretty! I am so jealous of your ability to finish such a masterpiece! I have told any one who has asked that I just can't complete blankets any more. When I was caring for a lady few years back I completed 6 in a year. Since her passing I just don't seem to be able and complete big projects. You need to give yourself a big pat on the back and a hug! Amazing job!!!

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    1. Oh I'm so sorry to hear that. I do think there is a very strong association between what we make and what is happening in our lives though, so I can understand why. I do hope you come back to making blankets when the time is right for you. S x

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  11. Your blanket is really beautiful. I can't belive 1020 squares!

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  12. Merci pour ce tuto j'aime beaucoup, je l'ai inscrit dans mes projets 2019 je vais adorer le faire surtout avec toutes les laines que j'ai. Merci. Bon Noël 2018 plein de lumières.

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    1. You are very welcome and I hope you have so much fun with your blanket too! Merry Christmas. x

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  13. This is an amazing project and one that I would love to tackle, everything about it is just so gorgeous, a labour of love and one that can be cherished for years to come. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  14. erg mooi het kleed ga hem zeker haken bedankt voor het patroon gr els

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    1. Thank you so much and I do hope you enjoy it if you do!

      S x

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  15. Oh my, that blanket is outstanding! I don't have words to tell you how beautiful I think it is. Just gorgeous!!! Luckily, I stumbled upon your blog while trying to figure out why my granny square blankets end up shaped like butterflies, and found your tips page, and then ended up here. I'm a beginning crocheter, and hope to create a blanket as beautiful as yours one day. Thanks for the help!

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    1. What a very lovely comment, thank you so much! This is one of my absolute favourite makes of all time I think, so I'm always to happy when anyone else loves it too. I hope you got the granny squares sorted by the way! ❤️

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  16. Love this!! Started mine, two colored squares done. Thousands left :)

    Can you also write up instructions for your border? Pretty please? I love the entire look.

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  17. Beautiful blanket, l can well imagine the satisfaction and sense of loss when it was all finished. And thank you for the jayg tutorial, very helpful!

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  18. When you make the white squares, how much of a tail do you leave? (The video looked like you used the tail for the modular joint ?) Thanks very much for the pattern! Your blanket is gorgeous and inspiring!

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  19. This blanket is so beautiful. I’ve started my own and am so nervous that it won’t turn out anywhere nearly as amazing as yours. I have two questions: 1. Is each coloured square a unique colour or did you make multiples with the same yarn? 2. Did you plan how to arrange the colours or was it random? Thanks in advance!

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