Crochet
My Attic24 CAL blanket – Part 1
Late last month, Lucy of Attic24 announced she would be running a crochet-along – a CAL – on her blog. The project is the Attic24 CAL blanket. Every Sunday Lucy will post a new sequence of colours for us to follow if we want and to show her blankie progress.
I have joined in a bit late and am going more slowly and my colour choices, although very similar to the Attic24 cosy palette, are slightly different. Lucy has posted week 1 and week 2 already and is up to stripe 30.The main picture above shows my cosy effort so far:
The yarn I am using is also Stylecraft Special DK, bought from Wool Warehouse. Its very good value at £1.69 a ball and the pattern is free on Lucy’s blog.The cosy colours apart from meadow (which I am not keen on) are all in there but I could not resist some of the other lush shades. Notably emperor, a rich, regal purple, burgundy, walnut, a rich gorgeous brown, turquoise, teal, bright pink and grey. That gives me a 20-colour palette to play with to learn more about my own sense of colour.
Start of my Attic24 CAL blanket journey
My CAL blanket is special for many reasons. One of the main ones is because I am joining in with so many others doing the same project at the same time. Like me, many others will be using different colour combinations and even completely different yarn, but its the sense of community spirit across the world that is really appealing.
To make it even more special, I began my CAL blankie on my birthday, on November 8th 2014. A day when I snuggled inside (out of the cold November rain), wearing my new onesie and crocheting to my hearts content by the fire.
I broke off only to eat and drink and read my new Making Jewellery magazine.
In the first week I managed to get a few stripes done and it really is a nice pattern to work with. Very relaxing – and I was able to watch the final episode of Downton Abbey without going wrong. Always a bonus.
It does mean, however, that I am rather torn in the few hours available. Which crochet project should I do this evening? I have two blankets on the go and am planning a third and have a few wearables in the pipeline too.
Team Lucy!
There is another reason I’ve decided to join the Attic24 CAL even though I have plenty of projects underway. And that reason is very important. Having gained so much inspiration and pleasure from Lucy’s blog since I discovered it and having attended one of her workshop’s in Skipton and spent the day with her, I want to add my support for Lucy and her blog at this point in time.
There has been a bit of a Hu-ha on her blog of late. Like many bloggers she wants to make a living out of her writing and creative activities. Attic24 is very highly regarded with a huge number of followers – her FB likes are approaching 250,000 very rapidly.
Some folk don’t like that. They don’t approve of her association with Wool Warehouse, a small, family-run British company that sells yarn, or Stylecraft, the company that makes the lovely acrylic yarn we are using in the CAL blanket. They don’t like the fact that she has become one of the organisers of a new yarn festival, Yarndale in Skipton, North Yorkshire. Taking place at the end of September, I went along this year to the Auction Mart (where animals are usually bought and sold) and it was fantastic.
I wasn’t into crochet or yarn in 2013 so didn’t attend but, by all accounts it was just as successful and enjoyable as the first.
Last year, Lucy asked readers of her blog to make 6 bunting triangles, which they were only too happy to do and send in, providing an impressive and moving visual display.
This year it was mandalas; meditative crochet discs made with bright colours and intricate designs. I did my own mandala and was chuffed to bits to see it on display.
Some readers of Attic24 were not, however, impressed. They felt mislead and believed Yarndale was a charity event. Whipped up by comments that suggested that the organisers had been less than honest by not making it crystal clear they had formed a limited company to run the event, outrage and indignation erupted from a small minority. On the other side, some staunch supporters of Lucy and Attic24 waded in with their own harsh words and the comment section of the blog became rather colourful, although not in the nice way that is usual.
Some bloggers asked for their mandalas back. Cripes
My own view is that this was all rather a storm in a teacup. Lucy is absolutely entitled to post whatever she wants on her blog, and to make money from it if she so wishes. Unlike many other blogs, she provides multiple patterns and tutorials for free and its not compulsory to buy the same yarn to join in, even if you want to do the CAL blanket. Events like Yarndale need to be run by a limited company so that they can get some compensation for the hours and hours of work and because they need to pay other suppliers up-front and set up essentials such as public liability insurance. This sort of venture carries a great financial risk and money needs to be stumped up in advance. The fair was never advertised as a charity event, although it did, indirectly raise a lot of money for many different charities.
It may be a commercial venture that made a profit (let’s hope so, or it will fold) but that profit will be ploughed back in next year to pay the up-front expenses such as advertising, venue booking and printing, amongst many other things.
So in doing the CAL with so many others I am adding my little voice to the swell of support for Team Lucy and Attic24. Its a lovely blog and I hope it continues to go from strength to strength, with workshops, Yarndale, patterns, posts and tutorials extending far into the future.
oh wow…LOVE your blog…. you have a brand new blog fan 🙂 also ….what a lovely post in support of Lucy too ….how people expect her to keep giving and giving while not making a living to support her work is beyond me
Lovely that you have visited and thank you so much for your kind words! I’m planning quite a few crochet posts on towards Christmas so hope you will come over again xxx
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I’m interested in the Iron Man mitts, Crafternoon Teas and wondered if you could send me a link please as I would like to make some for my son to go with the money I usually give him at Christmas.
I am fairly happy with the more relaxed living but sometimes I go in houses and they’re so tidy, but maybe the occupants don’t do any crafting! Oh, BTW I have a blog too but it’s not particularly crafty, in fact it’s not particularly anything, just bits of pieces about my cycling, aeroplane watchine and other things going completely off at a tangent, rather like me! It’s http://beetlebird.blogspot.co.uk/ think you might get that link.
Hi Anne Marie I made the iron man mitts up from looking at a picture my son showed me on the internet. He is home for the weekend and going back in an hour so a bit short of time now. But you have encouraged me to do a post about them and show how I did them. They were really easy. Not quite a tutorial/pattern up to Lucy’s standard but it should be fine to make a pair for your son. Look out for it Tues or Weds 🙂 Oh, and yes, I will check out your blog too x
What a treat of a read, and thank you all so much for your kindness and support, it is very much appreciated I can tell you.
I am loving seeing your blankets here Kathryn, the colours you’re using are beautiful and I’m looking forward to seeing them grow.
With much love
Lucexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thank you Luce – I am thrilled that you have taken the time on a Sunday morning to leave a comment 🙂 I am loving the CAL and your blog is a great inspiration to me personally as well as to thousands of others xxx
Wow thank you for sharing your post on fb, I love your blankets in progress. My aim is to learn how to make my own but I just can not did the time, maybe one day. I have followed Lucy for years and was shocked by the hu-ha I hope one day to visit her studio and visit the cafe that’s sounds so cosy.
Thanks for your comment Ally. I know – there is always too little time to fit everything in. Hope you do get to visit The Studio in Skipton – when I went to the workshop there in July I could not believe how lovely it was. Hope you will drop in and visit my blog again to see how my blankies are coming along x
Hear hear to all the conments re Attic24 – totally agree with Anne Marie. I didn’t join in the argument but was astounded at people’s holier than thou attitude!! Lucy puts so much into her blog and Yarndale, why on earth shouldn’t she earn from it? Frankly I’m amazed she gives her tutorials for free!
Happy to have found Crafternoon Treats – great name! I’m not doing the CAL as loads of WIP’s to finish…currently fingerless mittens… Have a great weekend!
Hi Sarah thanks for visiting and glad you like the name! I made some Iron Man fingerless mittens for my son who is at uni a couple of weeks ago – a nice fast project and he thinks they’re fab. Look out for my page on Facebook – also Crafternoon Treats. I’d love you to post a pic of your mittens when they’re done x
Thank you for sharing that post. I was also quite upset and somewhat surprised by the negativity that followed Lucy for a while about Yarndale and Wool Warehouse. I didn’t enjoy being labelled for liking her blog and patterns and wanting to buy wool and make blankets (hardly a crime against humanity!) Good luck with your blog, I shall pop by to see how you are doing in your woolly ventures.
That would be lovely Sara. I am building up a small following but these things take time. I have so many projects on the go just now I hardly have time to sleep. All good fun though and I agree with you about the wool packs on Lucy’s blog – nothing is compulsory and all the patterns are still free. Activities like the bunting, the mandalas and now the CAL are bringing people together and should be celebrated x
i have followed lucy for several years now and WOW has she changed my crafting life. i was so upset when i read about all the bro ha ha over Yarndale. the smallness of some people. they don’t see the greatness of this talented artist and what she(Lucy) brings to the public around the world. i’m not one to get on a soapbox and rant so i kept silent on my anger to these small minded people. if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all. BUT, to support her, i decided to send a small amount of $ through paypal each month. many of her followers could afford it. i thought it was something i could do. i don’t want to lose lucy because of some snarky people. thanks for letting me venting. AND, thanks to lucy for introducing me to Stylecraft and Wool Warehouse!
I agree Jane. I did leave a comment but also sent Lucy a direct email of support – which she replied to. I was calm and factual in my response but that’s not how I felt. Like you I was really hacked off that people can be so petty.
Great blog post, and I love the colours of you blankets. They are very pretty!
I am starting allover with my Cosy blanket as it was too wide already. Must finish my patchwork blankie this weekend first, though. Happy hooking!
Good luck for finishing a blankie – a big achievement. I had to reduce my starting chain to 183 on the CAL blanket and am using a 3.5mm hook as I have a loose tension. Noticed that when I went to the bower bird workshop – 10 people all used the same yarn and hook size and not one bird was the same size. Mine was rather plump compared to most – which is when I realised about my tension 🙂
Oh, I’ve just found another nice blog to follow! Love your photographs and picked you up from Facebook Lucy Group. I went to the first Yarndale, had followed it up from Lucy’s own blog. Not once was I led to believe by any of the publicity that Yarndale was a charity event. The cattle market and everything costs money to host. The people organising the event put their lives and souls into doing so. What on earth do people expect?
I have found from reading Lucy’s blog over the last few years that there have been a few criticising her doing other things than ‘tending to her children and family’ in a very holier than thou attitude. What utter rubbish, as how many people in the UK have to work full time for a living? I think those comments might have come from the States.
Anyway, I just wanted to put my two pennorth in. Love your blankets, and am now myself inspired into starting a stripey blanket, other than the ripple I was going to do, I think it might get off the ground faster than the one I was going to do from le Monde de Sucrette (sorry Angie), as that is a very very ripply ripple. That will have to move forward.
I’m so pleased to have found this and am totally envious of all you guys’ tidy tables, as my house looks like a bomb site (see I ought to be tidying and chucking out rather than looking at blogs).
Thanks so much Anne Marie – I’ve only started my blog this year but I am getting more into the swing of it now. The bits of my house in the photos may be tidy but there are plenty of spots I wouldn’t let the camera anywhere near, I assure you 🙂 Remember that no-one looks back on their life and wishes they had done more housework xxx