The Gem Blanket Collection

Hello again. Here we are in cold and snowy April, after a warm and sunny March. But at least the cold weather has kept me indoors and I’ve been able to write up and publish this latest pattern collection in record time!

I’m sure many of you have seen the Little Gem blanket over the past few years. It has featured a lot on, not just my Instagram feed, but on others too. It became a real favourite and is actually still available as a free pattern on my blog from a year or two ago.

However, the inevitable happened and one by one some of the yarn colours used in the original pattern were discontinued by the manufacturer. Then a whole range, the Batik Elements disappeared.

It became obvious that the free pattern, which still listed the discontinued colours, had to be updated.

So I decided to write another pattern, working in some new replacement shades, and at the same time adding some improvements to the pattern itself.

But why stop at one?

The Rosy Gem Blanket was next. A softer palette of colours, inspired by roses rambling over an old stone wall, bringing together reds and pinks, interspersed with soft greens and warm greys.

I must say I fell in love with the colours of that pretty blanket!

The Spiced Gem blanket then jumped on to my hook, as soon as the Rosy Gem was finished. I have to admit that initially I didn’t spend a lot of time selecting the yarns for this one, and once the first centre section was completed, I had some doubts about the colour palette.

It was a toss up whether it would be consigned to the ‘samples’ drawer, but I decided to stick with it and see how it would turn out.

I’m SO glad I did! The colours did it themselves, without my planning. The retro orange just pops against the bitter chocolate brown. It definitely has a seventies vibe about it, but I think the time is right to revisit these retro shades and the reception it got on Instagram and Facebook just proved it!

Once they were finished, both new colourways found their natural homes in places in my house – the Rosy Gem on the duck egg blue kitchen sofa and the Spiced Gem on that roary orange chair in the studio, of course!

Now, all three colourways are published together in one collection. I’ve found some pretty, variegated yarn from James C Brett which replaces the Batik Elements somewhat, (although the rich elements colours were such a joy).

The actual Stylecraft Batik yarns are still available, although with some shades discontinued. But who knows what’s next for the chop?

Anyway, over the weekend I’ve written up the pattern collection, and I may be being rash here, but when I finished it this afternoon, I was….done.

I read it over a couple of times, but I’ll be honest and say that I just wanted it off my hands. So, while the evening meal was cooking, I uploaded it to Etsy, with all the faffing that entails, took a deep breath and pressed ‘Publish’.

I hope it reads well, that there aren’t any major typos, that the colour charts are easy to understand. I BELIEVE it’s all OK, and any typos that do surface will be easy to fix. Perhaps I should have taken more time to go over it, but hey ho, it’s done now.

It will be a pattern which hopefully you can revisit and make more than one blanket from, and that the yarns will be available for the foreseeable future.

I now have a To Do list of other blankets which need to have some colours updated. I also have ideas brewing for two or three brand new patterns, including a Christmas one for 2022. It’s good to be busy.

Happy Easter when it comes, and here is the link to the GEM BLANKET COLLECTION PATTERN

Marion xx