Big Top blanket from Crochet Now magazine Issue 1

My Big Top blanket for crochet now magazine. I love seeing behind the scenes photos don’t you?

lazy daisy jones crochet blanket — Image from Crochet Now Magazine

In the mags all is styled and well lit perfection. Behind the scenes it is not quite the same. Would you like to see some of the process that went into the design of my ‘Big Top’ blanket?

My colour and design process:

Inspiration:
My initial colour inspiration was, as you may have read in the magazine from a tin that we keep the earl grey in!
Later as my final colour choices began to evolve, it came from the circus posters and ‘big top’ images from my childhood books. Look at those colours they are so beautiful…

Inspired by the circus theme, I needed 6 colours for the blanket. I chose 3 colours and 3 shades/tones of those initial colours ie shrimp and then apricot.

My Pattern for the Big Top Blanket

Having collaborated with Hugh the editor, our final choice was a diamond and a half diamond motif. So my next task was to lay out the design using the six colours. I started by using some carefully drawn up (by Marc) draught paper and then found some matching pencils and coloured in…This design was changed again and again as the work progressed.

Then I decided a simple border would be best, but I wanted pompoms too, hmmm maybe not, perhaps a fringe…decisions, decisions. If I cannot decide I ‘listen’ to the piece, finally if in doubt I leave it out!

I believe an idea or a piece of work even a design, takes on a life of its own! Therefore you must be prepared to be flexible, the final design may not be the one that was originally in your head.