Guest blog: knitting the sky with Knit Me A Cake

Hello, my name is Leanne and I run crafty blog Knit Me A Cake. It’s been running for just over a year and it’s my little safe place for all things crafty. Knitting is my passion, but you’ll also find me making small sewing projects and baking the odd cake or two.

In 2014, I’m taking on a very special year-long knitting project: a sky blanket. The idea originally came from the talented Laura Howard from Bugs and Fishes, whose how-to post in November 2013 I found really inspiring.

The idea is simple – pick a time of the day, record two of the colours in the sky and knit a square to match it. Then sew all of the squares together and watch it grow. Laura had carefully selected the palette of Stylecraft wool to use and it felt too easy not to get involved. Stylecraft wool is really affordable, and by spreading the project out over a year it’s really manageable.

For the blanket I decided to try out moss stitch. I’d seen it in books before and come across some moss stitch blankets on Pinterest that I fell in love with. While it’s a little more complicated than garter stitch, given the knit-purl combination, I want this blanket to be something I treasure for years to come. I want to be genuinely proud of this make, displaying it in my home with a smile on my face.

I’m two months in and still thoroughly enjoying it. One of the best things about it is how much conversation it’s generated with my friends and family. Two other friends are taking on the blanket in their own style, so we have a What’s App group to text about it. My boyfriend will even say things like “What colours did you go for today?” or “It was looking a bit grey at midday today” – I love that he’s part of it.

Blogging about the project has also been wonderful; I feel like I’m sharing a journey that my readers can be involved with and I’ve been working really hard to take more photos for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sharing craft projects is such a wonderful aspect of this hobby and the blogging community is so receptive to everyone’s skills and talents. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling every time someone tweets me!

I love looking through the photos and it’s amazing how quickly the blanket has evolved. I even get excited when watching the weather forecast while eating breakfast! Of course, unfortunately it’s been a rather wet start to the year, but I’ve been surprised by how much blue I’ve managed to squeeze in.

If you’re thinking it’s too late to start your own sky blanket, think again. How about starting it on your birthday, or another significant day? It doesn’t have to be a calendar year; make it what you want and enjoy putting together each and every square. The sizes are really manageable so it’s not too much commitment – great for beginners too!

I have to say a huge thank you to Laura for this idea; it’s really spurred on my crafting life and knitting skills and given me something to focus on in my free time. We all run the risk of all work and no play, and through this I’m starting to get that work vs. life balance right.

For the ongoing story of Leanne’s sky blanket, do head over to her blog and have a read or follow her on Twitter @knitmeacake.