The Spots n Stripes Blanket – revisited

Hello again,

My latest project has been born out of necessity, to keep one step ahead of the game when it comes to the thorny problem of discontinued yarns.

When I publish a new pattern, the Yarn List which accompanies it is exactly the yarn and colours I’ve used to make the blanket. This is fine to begin with, but unfortunately the pattern can outlive the yarn, and after a year or two some of the original yarns start to disappear, as manufacturers decide to discontinue them.

This has been the case with the Spots n Stripes Blanket. It was originally done in Stylecraft Batik, which is a favourite of mine. However, three of the colours have now been discontinued and I’m often asked if I could suggest some alternatives.

So to begin with, here are my suggestions for alternatives if you want to use this lovely yarn.

Instead of the discontinued Plum, use RASPBERRY.

Instead of the discontinued Violet, use HEATHER.

Instead of the discontinued Lupin, use MINT.

I don’t think these substitutions will significantly alter the look of the blanket at all, and hopefully Stylecraft will not be dumping any more of them any time soon!

HOWEVER, the main reason for this blog post, is to jump ahead and make a NEW version of the Spots n Stripes blanket, in a yarn which is much less likely to be discontinued, to future proof the pattern as it were, in case the Batik yarn disappears altogether.

I’ve chosen Stylecraft Special DK and matched the colours as far as possible to the original blanket. They are stronger in tone, but that isn’t a problem in my eyes. It makes a very punchy, bold colour scheme which is perfect for the contemporary design.

I used SS in Midnight for the broad borders because I wanted as a big a contrast as possible to the bright centre, but if you don’t like working with just so dark a colour, you can instead use SS French Navy.

So here comes the YARN LIST. Note: for anyone who already has a stash of Stylecraft Special, I’ve listed the actual amount by weight, of each colour I used. That should help you decide if you have enough of that colour in your stash already.

This is for anyone who already has the pattern, but wants to update the colours. You can copy this Yarn List without having to buy the pattern again.

If you’re thinking about purchasing the pattern from my Etsy shop, I’ve already added this update to the pattern.

You can find the pattern in my Etsy shop, Woolthreadpaint.

I have to say, I actually love both versions!

Bye for now,

Marion x