Actually its a picnic blanket but I put it on the bed to show it off nicely and as protection against the Phaolin, who still likes his morning cuddle on the bed!
The yarn is a pack I bought from thislovely lady, who puts together the most amazing colour packs of lovely yarn. This particular yarn is a hard wearing acrylic, not quite a soft as Stylecraft but soft enough and immensely practical - hence the picnic blanket.
I love it to bits, partly because I proved to myself that I could crochet a huge rectangle, (over 5 feet wide) without it getting all out of shape and wiggly and looking nothing like a rectangle at all.
So here is another picture before I go off and see what's on the hook today.
Every year, for Yarndale, the lovely Lucy fromAttic24 organises a massive community art project and invites all her blog readers to take part. Last year it was Mandalas, the year before it was Bunting. This year it is Flowers for Memories. An idea that is very close to my heart because my Mum has Alzheimers and we are really beginning to struggle with her now. After more than five years of just about being able to cope my Dad is starting to show signs of wearing out. So, with my Mum and Dad in mind, I set to, with hook and yarn and managed to make some brightly coloured offerings to send for this years Yarndale, Flowers for Memories, crocheting as many good memories as I could into my brightly coloured offerings.
And yes I am very aware that some of those colours will never been found in nature but we were asked to make them colourful - so I did. :)
I found this poem on Facebook courtesy of a friend and colleague of mine - for those of us coping with this terrible illness, it says it all.
And now we are making a massive pot of curry each for dinner!
Daffodils, daffodils and more daffodils! It is my firm opinion that there can never be enough daffodils, just as there can never be enough snowdrops, only they're on the iPad so I couldn't upload them for this post.
It has been a weird couple of months, I ended up spending more time in London at the start of the year than I ever expected and then there was a travel embargo... Yay \o/!! Nobody happier than me! Unfortunately I couldn't embrace the time at home as I wanted because after a visit to the folks I returned with what a friend of mine called "the proper flu". Well this was proper alright, I was off work for 3 weeks. 3weeks!! I haven't been off work sick for 3 weeks for years. I felt so bad I couldn't even crochet, must have been bad. Anyway it is on the wane now thank-goodness.
It was Mum's birthday in February, what do you get for the lady well on into her nineties? I genuinely had no idea so I made this...
And told Dad to put it in the middle of the dining room table with a vase of flowers on it. He did. It looked okay. Job done. February was also Valentine's Day so I made a flower heart for himself...
I added a little wooden sign to it...
He liked it and hung it on the "death riding a motorcycle" on the shelves above his desk. I'm calling it a win!
I also made some Mother's Day mandalas but put them in the post without photographing them so there are no pictures sadly.
However, the really big win on the crochet front so far this year is my absolutely favourite sweater. At the start of the year I was trawling through some of my favourite blogs and came across this post from Vanessa. I decided I wanted to make the sweater, so a bit more trawling back through her archives brought me to the pattern. Oh dear! As with a lot of the best crochet patterns out there it was Japanese and of course designed to fit someone a quarter my size, but I was determined. I found a moderately priced yarn that I knew I could wear comfortably next to my skin (I didn't want to risk expensive yarn on a pattern I wasn't sure I could make work) and sat down to do some serious swatching and the accompanying maths. It took me an hour or so but eventually I had the maths done and I got started. It was always going to be a long project. I prefer to crochet in the round, in 3D and this pattern was 2D and more like a knitting pattern, where you make the flat pieces and then join them together. It took longer than I would normally ever take to make a garment but the result was soooooo worth it.
I love that neckline! :)
And finally, here it is, full on...
I had to lengthen, and widen it and then I had to make the collar fit my additional dimensions but it was all worth it and I now have a lovely sweater that has already been worn several times.
I intend to make another in pink and try and get it more lacy, a bigger hook and a lot more maths in my future, I guess!
It must be nice to be able to brag about having fresh flowers in a jug on your table every day. Sadly, I cannot. I wish I could but sometimes life just doesn't allow for it. But I am on holiday, so right now I have jugs of fresh flowers in my bathrooms, in both sitting rooms, and in the kitchen! Yay! I do, however, have a wonderful garden that brings me much happiness. I wander out there every morning with my first cup of tea of the day. Through the apple tree and rose archway...
Past the old grinding wheel and the old shed that badly needs painting.
And up to where the old outside loo used to be...
And over to the multi coloured hydrangea.
So I guess it makes up for not having flowers in a jug on my table every day.
I am busy making things, as usual.
My new grandson needed a lighter weight blanket for park visiting so this turned into this.
And I added in some face cloths for baby and his mummies.
Some guest soaps for the girls, a couple of hats that I didn't take pictures of and a couple of onesies from BHS and I had another box ready to send. And the really really best thing is that on Friday I will be on my way to Belgium for the weekend to see my baby grandson. Cuddles for me!!
Now I have mojito in hand and I'm busy knitting a teddy to take with me on Friday so... hopefully more tomorrow!
When I was younger we called them christening shawls. These days with the shifts in the religious concepts they seem to be called heirloom shawls. Well whatever they're called... I have finished the one for my grandson.
I posted this picture of it a week or so ago...
The centre stars were complete and so were the lace panels all the shawl needed was a border. I had already begun making the shawl when we learned that our first grandchild was going to be a little boy, so knowing that I didn't want to make anything too frilly or fancy so I decided that a plain border was probably the way to go. By the time I got to crocheting the rounds had gotten very long and the work was almost hypnotic in nature. I was also concerned that I was going to run out of yarn. Traditionally circular-ish shawls are between fifty and fifty four inches in diameter. In the picture above the shawl isn't even forty inches across. Still I kept going laying the work out, adjusting the maths and checking the tension as I went. Finally I felt I had something that would be big enough and I was on the last ball of my lovely Sublime Baby Cashmere, Merino, Silk 4 ply yarn, so I added the final rows and hoped it would all work.
Then I realised my blocking boards weren't gonna be big enough so I had to order a four by four pack of children's play mats off the internet to make sure I had enough!
After that himself and I spent hours measuring and pinning, adjusting and pinning and measuring again until finally I was satisfied.
And this was the result!
It isn't perfect by any means, but there is a lot of work and a load of love and I don't think I could have done much better.
I just hope the girls like it and use it.
Well I am almost packed. My boarding pass is printed and I have an electronic version on my phone. I have almost finished a nice little crochet shrug to take with me. So Madrid here I come! Love O. xx
I am having a really good holiday! I needed it. Exhaustion was beginning to set in and it has been good to get a break. The weather hasn't exactly been brilliant most of the time but it hasn't really mattered too much. I'm just as happy sat at home with me crocheting and Miss Marple on the TV as I am out walking with himself and the dog. I've gotten quite a lot done. Some baby stuff finished, a couple of garments finished for me, and other stuff started on the hook already.
The magnolia has been in bloom over the last week or so...
I am no gardener but I love my magnolia tree; and my jugs of tulips.
And yes that is Miss Marple on the TV.
So... yesterday was Wonderwool! One of the highlight days out of the year. It has all been a bit strange actually, because usually Wonderwool Sunday kicks off my holiday, but this year it fell in the middle of it. Also this year I took my friend and neighbour with me. Our Stitch 'n' bitch group has grown this past year and we needed to take two cars so I invited my friend along on an impulse and then spend time worrying that she would be bored witless, I needn't have worried. :)
It was a bit of a grey and rainy day, which is a shame because the drive is a lovely one. We left early, as usual, and met up in Llandeilo, as usual. There is something strangely comforting about this familiar routine, just as I love knowing that we will probably do the same thing again next year!
Wonderwool was bigger this year, they had added an extra hall and there was a truly splendid amount to see.
I indulged in my on going love affair with Alpacas...
What an utterly cute fringe!
People manage to create some of the most amazing things...
And I just absolutely loved this dragon!
There were some excellent stalls, with fabulous yarn and some amazing crafted items that I stupidly didn't take pictures of and it was good to catch up with some of my favourite suppliers. I spent a good while hanging out with Amanda and Phil from The Natural Dye Studio and had a good chat with Jon at Easyknits and of course I bought stuff. I was very organised this year. I had a notebook with the yarn requirements for 5 patterns in it and I only allowed myself a couple of 'inpulse extras.' I also wanted a couple of specific items that were not actual yarn itself, a yarn bowl and a blocking kit. Well there were no blocking kits to be had anywhere (so I ordered one on line when I got home) but I did get a lovely yarn bowl and a rather handsome oak Yarn Pal, both of which will stop balls of yarn rolling across the carpet collecting dog hair, or being collected by the dog!
So here is the Wonderwool booty in all it's glory.
Pink silk from Willowknits, yellow blue faced leicester and silk mix from Sparkleduck, some gorgeous cream alpaca from Toft Alpacas (the ones in the picture above), my lovely yarn bowl, (already in use) and some merino silk blend from Fivemoons Yarn.
On the other side...
Some rainbow dyed silk and blue faced Leicester from The Natural Dye Studio and some fabulous pink Splendour (blue faced Leicester and silk mix) from Easyknits and of course my lovely oak yarn pal.
And finally in the middle... some really fun stuff from Tile Productions that I just loved to bits!
The "Yarn is cheaper than therapy" one is really for himself! Just sayin'.
As usual it was a "grand day out." I came home tired but satisfied that I had spent my money on yarn that would get used rather than just random odd skeins I might love but spend the next year wondering what to do with.
Now I must go and find a basket for all my yummy new yarn!
Something rather wonderful happened last Monday and it's kept a smile on my face all week.
Babukatorium featured my rainbow nightdress case on her Facebook page and... well... the response has been more than a little surprising.
My silly bit of purely self indulgent crochet has notched up over seventeen hundred likes! Seriously, over a thousand folks clicked the like button on something I made.
I am truly staggered!!
Along with all those likes and shares came a number of requests for a pattern. Well that posed a small problem... there wasn't one. I made it up, using a collection of some of my favourite stitches. A few comments also pointed out that it would make a rather nice bag either for a laptop or a tablet or just a general bag for putting stuff in.
I never wrote about the nightdress case here, not sure why, other than 2012 didn't seem to be a big blogging year. I did post it on Flickr though, which is where it was spotted. I've been following Babukatorium on Flickr for ages, ever since I started an account there. Never thought for an instant to look for a Facebook page. I only really use Facebook to keep in touch with a few family members and close friends. So imagine my surprise when I received a message on Ravelry and another on Facebook telling me that my funny little nightdress case had been featured on Babukatorium's Facebook page and was getting a lot of appreciation. Off I went to have a look and the picture already had a few hundred likes and some lovely comments. Made me smile a lot.
After a bit of thought, by which time the likes had gone up to over a thousand, I decided to tell the story of my silly little nightdress case and I've done my best to write out the pattern so that anyone who wants to can make a bag or a case of their own.
I've mentioned before about my on going, never ending quest to live inside my own personal rainbow. Well back in 2012 I came across some wonderful cotton. It comes in a real rainbow of colours that I fell in love with instantly. Planet Penny Cotton. It's distributed by Penny of Planet Penny and sold in her Etsy shop.
Look at those glorious colours! I absolutely love it!
At first I used it to make little things like covers for the pen holders on my desk and the occasional flower decoration, but I wanted to make something more substantial with it and I wanted to do something that used a number of stitch effects, especially shell or fan stitches because I love the look of rows of fan stitches done in all different colours.
Being an old fashioned kind of girl I remembered that years ago I'd always kept my nightdress in a nightdress case on the bed. In more recent times my night clothes often spent the day languishing wherever I'd taken them off which could be anywhere from the bathroom to the kitchen depending on what I was doing at the time... maybe a pretty rainbow coloured case would be the perfect solution to the nightly roam around the house looking for where I'd left my nightdress.
Did I need or even want a pattern? Not really, this was pure self indulgence, just for me, so why not make up my own pattern.
The front of the bag is kind of a sampler of some of my favourite crochet stitches.
I used The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller as my stitch reference guide. No matter how long you have been crocheting, (in my case over 50 years now) this book is a very useful stitch and crochet basics guide.
The Planet Penny cotton is more of a four ply than a dk and I am a "loose hooker" (stop giggling) so I use a 3.00m hook. I would happily recommend the Planet Penny Cotton for these types of projects but any yarn of your own choice will do. Go with what you are comfortable with. If you want a nice tightly woven fabric then obviously a smaller hook size is better, if you want a lacy fabric then use a bigger hook size.
Once yarn and hook are decided you have to decide on the 'dominant stitch' that you want to use and the size of the bag you want to make.
My nightdress case is 14 inch/35cm wide and 11inch/28cm tall. It will comfortably hold a nightdress, or a pair of Pjs, or some sleepshorts and top, or a nightshirt and PJ pants, all with a pair of snuggly socks tucked in the side. I'm a pretty big girl, however, if you are more on the petite and svelt side you could probably get away with making a smaller one. If you are making a bag to fit a tablet or Kindle or some such then measure the item in question and remember to take into account the 'thickness' of what you want to put in the bag. If your item is quite thick then you will want to make the back and front a little bigger to ensure you can get what you want inside.
Once you have a size you can start on the maths... don't be put off by the maths, crochet, knitting, even patchwork all have an element of the mathematical about them but it isn't hard and can usually be done with a bit of trial and error.
Make a chain that is the width of the bag you want to make. (Try and crochet as normally as you can so that you get a standard gauge.)
Count the number of chains. Write the number down.
Now here's a tip – trying to join together two piece of crochet with 'fancy' stitching that goes right up to the edge can be something of a nightmare, so I think it makes it much easier if both ends of your rows are some kind of standard crochet stitch like a treble (US dc) or double crochet (US sc) for my bag I made a border, or a margin of 4 plain stitches down either side to make joining the back and front together a whole lot easier.
Now we come back to that decision about the dominant stitch. Pick one that you like and use it as the base for your maths. I picked the shell or fan stitch. I love this stitch, it is just soooooo pretty.
I decided the easiest way to show the pattern was to make something else using the same pattern elements so I am making a new case for my Kindle. This is the pattern size detailed below.
The fan stitch covers 6 stitches. These 6 stitches are the base number for the maths. How many chains did you make to get the size you want? I made 44. I want a border on each end of 4 stitches so 44 – 8 = 36. That means that I will have 6 fans in between my border, BUT I will need 1 additional stitch to close the final fan... so...
I need a chain of 45. You will have to use common sense to decide whether to round up the number of stitches you need or whether to round down. Remember if you have a specific item in mind you want to be sure the bag fits. Also remember that most crochet stretches a little in the making.
And another tip, stitch markers are your friends. You can never have too many stitch markers, they are one of the most useful tools in the crochet notions bag.
I am from the UK so my pattern is written in UK crochet terms, however, I wrote a page for the pattern in US terms here or you can access it from the 'Pages' menu in the left hand column of the blog.
So here we go...
All my pictures are clickable and zoom-able if you need to get closer to the detail.
Row 1: Ch45
4 stitches at either end for the 'border' and 6 stitches per fan plus 1 to close the final fan means I will have 4 plain stitches, 6 fans, and 4 plain stitches.
Make a turning chain (46 chains in all)
Row 2: dc (US sc) in 2nd chain from hook, dc (US sc) in each chain to end = 45 dcs (US sc) ch1 and turn.
Row 3: Repeat row 2
Now get out the stitch markers, place the first one in the fifth dc then skip 2 dcs and place another stitch marker in the next stitch, continue like this until you have only 4 stitches left. The stitch markers mark each place were the hook is inserted for the fan stitches in the fan stitch row. Each marker denotes the start, centre and/finish of each fan. You should have 2 markers per fan plus 1 with 4 unmarked stitches at each end. So I have 13 markers 2 for each of the 6 fans plus 1.
If you have this combination then you have the right number of dcs. Lay the work out flat and count carefully, there is nothing more frustrating than getting to the end of a long row of fans only to find you have a stitch over or are one short.
{For a nightdress case the same as the one I made you would have a 69ch, comprising 4 stitches each side for the border, and 10 fans which equals 21 markers, 2 for each fan (10 fans) plus 1.}
Row 4: dc in next 4 dc, *dc in next dc, skip 2 dcs, make 5 trs in next dc (fan) skip 2 dc,* rep from * to * until you reach the last stitch marker, dc in marked stitch to close the final fan, dc in last 4 dc, change colour, Ch 3, turn
First row of fan stitches complete:- 6 fans with a 4 stitch border on each side.
Row 5: (ch 3 counts as first tr) tr in next 3 dc, 3tr in next dc, (half fan made) *dc in 3rd tr (central tr) of fan, 5 trs in next dc* repeat from * to * to last 5 stitches, 3 trs in next dc, 1 tr in each of next 4 dcs to end, change colour Ch1, turn.
You now have 2 rows of fans.
Now we need to level out the top of the fans ready for the popcorn stitch row.
Row 6: This is the popcorn stitch set up row. htr in 1st st, 1htr in each next 6 sts, then in next 6 stitches *1tr, 1htr, 3dc, 1htr* rep from * to * to last 7 sts, 6htrs, 1htr in 3rd ch of final st. Do NOT change colour. Ch 3, turn.
Row 7: This is the popcorn stitch row. (ch 3 on hook counts as first tr) tr in each of next 6 sts, *popcorn {*see below*} in next tr, tr in next 5 sts* rep from * to * until you have 6 popcorns, tr in each of next 7 sts, ch1, turn.
*{Popcorn Stitch - make 5 complete trs in one stitch (like for the fan) pull the loop left on the hook to make it a bit bigger. Remove the hook from the loop (don't panic it's only for a few seconds) Insert hook through the top of the first of the 5 trs, capture the abandoned loop and pull it through, pulling the group of 5 stitches tight together. At this point you can either ch1 to close the stitch or continue with the next tr. If my explanation doesn't make sense try here for a better explanation and a video}
Row 8: 45dc across the row, make 45th dc in 3rd ch of previous row, change colour, ch3, turn.
Count the dcs to make sure you have 45. Ignore the V stitches in this picture it's just to give you a close up of the popcorn row.
Row 9: V st row, get out your stitch markers again. Place 1 stitch marker in 4th stitch from each end of row and 1 stitch marker in 6th stitch from each end of row. (ch 3 on hook counts as first tr) tr in each of next 3 sts, ( remove stitch marker for 3rd tr) skip next dc, *V in next dc, (marked with the stitch marker – remove it now) skip next dc* rep from * to * until you reach next stitch marker, remove stitch marker and place final V in this stitch, skip next st, tr in each of final 4 sts, ch 1, turn.
The Vs will seem as if there are too many so now we need to retention the row.
Row 10: dc in first 4 stitches, dc in space between 4th tr & 1st V of previous row, *dc in ch1 space of V, dc between V* rep from * to * last V space, dc between V and next tr, dc in each of next 3 sts, dc in 3rd chain of previous row. 45 dcs.
These 10 rows make the pattern. It is now entirely up to you how you use them.
In the picture I have already begun to make more fans, the pattern ends with the V stitches in blue.
The chart has 11 rows because I wanted to show a row of V in V stitches which is what I did in place of popcorns further on in the pattern.
For the nightdress case I worked off a ch 69 which gave me a 4 stitch border on each side and 10 fans and did the following rows:-
2 dc rows
4 rows fans
1 line popcorns (including set up and dc row = 3 pattern rows)
1 line Vs (including retention row = 2 pattern rows)
4 rows fans
Double V line (see chart = 3 rows)
4 rows fans
Double V line (see chart = 3 rows)
4 rows fans
Double V line (see chart = 3 rows)
4 rows fans
Fill in row (row 6)
dc row to finish.
With it's rainbow of colours, I think the back is just as pretty as the front even though it is plain stitching,
For the back off the same number of chains I worked
1dc row
28 tr rows
1dc row to finish
This gave me 2 pieces the same size. (My trebles are quite tall so some folks may need more rows)
Join the front and back of the bag together with a round of dc stitches, keeping them as even as possible. This is tricky and for neatness can be entirely dependent on your tension. Work with the right side facing so you are using the patterned side as the stitch guide. Personally I try to hook 1dc in each row that begins or ends with a dc, 2 dcs in rows with a htr at the edge and 2 in rows with a tr at the edge. But it really is all down to what you think looks and works the best. Try to keep a record of of how you stitch the first side once you have it done to your satisfaction, so that you can mirror it on the other side. The bottom is easy as its joining the same number of dcs on each piece. I put 3 dcs in the corners, but 2 might be adequate depending on how you crochet.
For the flap I crocheted a flat circle in plain trebles knowing that I intended to decorate it with flowers. Obviously the circle needs to be as wide as the bag :)
There are loads of crochet flower and leaf patterns out there, pick your favourites and use them. Lucy of Attic24 has several on her blog and there are plenty of others on the internet or in books like 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet by Lesley Stansfield or Nicki Trench Cute and Easy Crocheted with Flowers. I used little heart shaped buttons for the centres of my flowers.
You can decorate the flap however you please, or not at all, or make a fancy circle. Actually the fancy circle sounds like a great idea – I may make another just to do that. The choice is entirely personal. If you want to you can do what I plan to do with the kindle case and extend the back so that it folds over like an envelope flap.
Once the closing flap is made comes the tricky business of lining. Bag lining can be a royal pain but it is worth it.
For the bag part of the nightdress case I bought a patterned silky lining fabric. The silkiness makes it easier to slide nightclothes in and out of the bag. For the kindle case I will use felt because the idea is to protect the kindle when it is getting bounced around in my handbag. I used some pretty cotton to line the flap of the nightdress case.
And there you have it. A pretty bag for whatever you want to use it for.
And finally... I am no teacher, I have never written up a pattern for other people to use before and I have done my best to be clear and make things easy to understand but if anything is wrong, or not clear please let me know and I'll happily answer questions or make corrections.
I guess this is not really the first post of 2014, more like the last post of 2013. Whilst I am not usually one for getting sentimental about the passing of the year and I can't really say that 2013 was a 'great year' or anything, I was somewhat reluctant to let it go. There are changes due to happen immediately in 2014 that I am not really looking forward to and it was nice to have a long-ish holiday where I was, for a while at least, able to continue to live in my cosy little world. Now with only a day and a half left of my holiday I have to emerge from my cocoon and face the reality of life. Ah well, what will be will be, we'll cope, I guess.
So... it has been a slendid Winter Festival! Full of "pointed setters" as they are affectionately referred to in this house.
Twigs covered in teeny tiny baubles
I always wanted to try this and I was very happy with the results...
A pretty tree...
With pretty blue lights
Bowls full of pretty baubles...
Pretty flowers all over the house...
Lots of candles
A shiny table set, ready for good food!
And with good food on it, waiting to be eaten!
And yummy drinks just waiting to be drunk!
And lovely walks - when the dreadful weather permitted of course...
It has been a splendidly relaxing holiday, quiet and peaceful, apart from the weather of course! And I have loved every day of it. So yesterday I finally got out my gorgeous new diary...
Probably the favourite thing I have made all year...
The pattern is Jewel by Doris Chan from her book "Everyday Crochet" and I absolutely love it. The yarn is Splendour by Easyknits and the colourway (which I couldn't resist) is Tutti Frutti. It really works and both the pattern and the yarn are a joy to work with.
If anyone ever wants to learn to crochet garments then Doris Chan is the way to go. Her top down style of design means that you can try on as you work and results in clothing that fits... And she goes up to splendidly big sizes for those of us not built on the petite and skinny side.
I made a slight pattern adjustment and added a different neck band from one of the other patterns in the same book.
I wore the top for my visit to Yarndale in September and as you can see from the pictures it's been worn a fair few times since!
I absolutely love Lily-Go patterns! Most of her clothes are always in sizes way to small for me but her shawls are utterly sublime and always immensely practical. I have a number of odd single skeins that I have bought either at Wonderwool or other yarny-type events, either because I liked the colour, or the yarn or because that was the only skein they had. the problem with doing this is that you end up with loads of odd single skeins that have seriously limited usage. This is where the wonderful Lily-Go comes in, she makes so many of her patterns in small mediium or large sizes where the small size can be made from a single skein of yarn. A couple of years ago I made Blue Lagoon and it turned out very successfuly. But I wanted a shawl that was more like a scarf than a deep triangle shawl so that was when I found Piquant and fell in love. It is the perfect pattern for something that is more than just a scarf but that can be made from a single skein of yarn. So this year I made 3...
A pink one
A rust coloured one
And a red a blue multi coloured one...
Definitely one of the best shawl/scarf patterns out there and one day I will actually make the larger version!