The Prize
Up for grabs is this hand crocheted blanket made by me!
It's a design by crochet designer Eleanora Tulley, known online as 'Coastal Crochet'. She designed this wonderful blanket called Beachcombing and it is inspired by her time spent on the beach and the joy of beachcombing. Some beachcombing finds, like shells, sea-glass, pebbles, driftwood and fossils are a joy; other manmade finds like fishing nets, buoys and plastics, are less so. But, both can be found in a beachcombing expedition and all are represented on the blanket.
The textured blanket is made using a 100% cotton yarn by Scheepjes, called Catona. It comprises of 9 squares, each depicting beachcombing finds: grey pebbles, white chalk rock, ammonite fossils, shells, driftwood, orange and green fishing nets, life rings, buoys and driftwood. It is then bordered with rows of seashell and wave stitches; panels of sand, sea-glass and driftwood stitches and a final border depicting orange and green fishing nets with bright orange buoys.
The pictures below give you a closer look.
Grey pebbles and white chalk rocks -
Ammonite fossils, shells and wave border -
Driftwood -
Sea glass -
Manmade finds: life buoy ring, green fishing nets, orange buoy -
Eleanora launched this blanket as a 'Crochet-A-Long' (or CAL as they are known) in April 2020, which coincided with Covid hitting the world. It was a 12 week project that saw crafters from over 40 countries around the the world create this thing of beauty together. Her weekly pattern release was a life line to all of us involved, creating a sense of community in an online space, when community connection in the real world felt lost. Creating this blanket helped me enormously to get through that first long lockdown, and it continually reminds me that we have more in common with people from all over the world than we might realise.
Please check out Eleanora's blog if you're interested in the creative journey of this blanket:
https://coastalcrochet.com/2020/02/25/beachcombing-blanket-cal-introductions-and-planning/
The Cause
Whilst I adore this blanket, and the memories it evokes for me, I think it is fitting that I use this for a prize draw to support my fundraising for an English Channel Relay Swim I am participating in with 5 wonderful friends at the end of July 2025.
The Relay Swim is in aid of a charity called Swim Tayka. This global charity is doing incredible work providing swimming lessons and drowning prevention education to children who live along the world's open water: rivers, lakes and oceans. And why is that so important? Well here's why:
- Globally, drowning claims more that 236,00 lives every year
- One person loses their life by drowning every 90 seconds
- Children aged 1 - 4 years old at most at risk
- Drowning is one of the top 10 leading causes of death amongst 1 - 24 year olds
- Most drowning occurs in low and middle income countries
Now that I know these facts, I can't stand by and do nothing. I have therefore chosen to participate in this epic relay swim across the English Channel with my five swim buddies. Fundraising with this blanket will support my contribution towards making a change to those horrific statistics, and enable me to take part in the Channel Swim. And lets face it, the charity ticks all my boxes: it's about education, it's for children and it's water based & open water swimming focussed!
How to Enter
To enter the prize draw is simple:
- £5 for 1 prize draw entry
- £20 for 5 prize draw entries
- £50 for 15 prize draw entries
There is no limit to the number of entries you can make.
Please ensure you write your name when you entry so that I know who to contact in case you win!
The prize draw will run from Saturday 1st March to midnight on Friday 28th March.
The winner will be randomly selected on Saturday 29th March and will be contacted by Wednesday 2nd April.
Free postal entry is available (postage must be paid). Please send your name, address and email in a letter to the postal address. Maximum 1 ticket per postal entry.
Enter now for your chance to win this hand-crafted prize!
Thanks so much for taking time to read this. Good Luck!
Alison x