Licorice allsorts blanket

I have almost knitted up all the 4 kilograms of Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 10 ply yarn I bought in 2014 when I seriously miscalculated how much I would need for the wedding blanket. Hurrah!

In late 2017, I started crocheting a Catherine wheel blanket that would use up the bulk of the remaining yarn. A little tired of the sight of the same two shades of grey and one of blue that I had been knitting with for so long, I added two 200-gram balls of purple (out of character for me, I know) and one of cream (I wanted white, but it was not available in 10 ply).

In the recent summer holidays, I was determined to finish some UFOs, and this blanket was near the top of my to-do list.

The dark grey running through the stripe pattern made me think of licorice allsorts lollies.

The finished blanket weighs 1.7 kilograms and is approximately 110 × 160 centimetres. It is a good size for a nanna nap on the couch but would also work well as a large baby or toddler blanket.

The blanket is completely reversible.

I do not think a photo conveys how soft and warm the blanket is.

What I particularly like about this crochet pattern is that it is not full of chilly holes like many crochet designs. It will be warm in the cool climate of southern Victoria, where it has gone to join the original wedding blanket.

The stripes are each made up of two rows of half shells.

After I finished the blanket, I decided to use a good portion of the remaining light grey to make a third hot-water bottle cover. I used the same pattern as before but varied it by incorporating a cable pattern from Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume 2: Cables. I cannot believe that the ‘Winterberry’ hot-water bottle pattern is no longer available on Ravelry and am so happy I bought a copy before it disappeared. I also cannot believe that I knitted hot-water bottle covers in the worst of the summer heat.

For this cover, I varied the pattern by using a cable design on the front.

Altogether, I have knitted seven projects using my original 4-kilogram order (I must have slipped and hit the buttons to multiply by two on the calculator) and the three balls I added later:

• three blankets
• one cushion cover
• three hot water bottle covers.

That is a total of almost 6.6 kilometres of yarn!

Here it is, all done!

The blanket is completely reversible.

For this cover, I varied the pattern by using a different cable design on the front.

I bought the mother of pearl buttons from the shop where I work.

I made two: one for me and one for my stepdaughter.

All finished!

I have less than 250 grams of yarn left, equivalent to slightly more than one ball, and it all fits into one ziplock bag. I think I have an idea or two about what to do with the grey. Using as much as I can has become a fun, self-imposed challenge.

I have a little less than 250 grams of yarn left from the 4.6 kilograms.

The details of all my knitted projects are on my Ravelry page.

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