Challenge 5000 Update

Happy Sunday morning, sun is shining for a while at least so I thought I would give you my first update. July was a slow month due to other commitments but below are my makes, 12 in total which will be donated to various charity groups. In total I used 363g and still have huge way to go. On my hook at the moment is a blanket for my Daughter who starts university in September, I only started the blanket yesterday so I hope I get it finished in time.  I shall share on my next post.

New Challenges

Hi

Sharing my new pattern and a new challenge.  I have been extremely busy over the last 2 years and have put myself under unnecessary pressure to make and sell my crochet.  I have now decided that selling isn't for me.  So from here on my patterns will be published on my blog for FREE for you to make and donate to charity or for your own personal use.

 I have a huge stash of wool and crafty goodies and I have decided that it will be used for charity which I will share along the way here and on my Facebook page.  I have a stash busting 5000 items to make and donate, to various charities around the UK.

My first pattern in along while is a knitting pattern. I wanted an easy go to pattern that is easily re-sized.

This version measures 15.5" x 15.5" but is easily made smaller or larger by - / + 7 stitches and -/+ pattern rows.

You will need 70g of any DK wool and 4mm needles

Cast on 86

Rows 1 - 7: Knit

Pattern Rows

Row 8: Knit

Row 9: K7, P72, K7

Row 10: K9 * YFWD, K1, P3tog, K1, YFWD, K2* repeat from *-* to last 7 Sts, K7

Row 11: K7, P72, K7

Rows 8- 11 form the pattern, repeat these 4 rows 26 times ending with the 4th row.

Rows 116-122: Knit

Cast off loosely and weave in ends.

Happy Monday

Hi everyone, the sun is out at last. It's been a bitter few days but hopefully turning the corner now into milder weather. Well I was surprised to find my new pattern format for my angel baby blanket has been the most read post I have every had, so I suppose this new format is a hit. I ave updated the post slightly because I forgot to mention how much yarn to use. I have been sorting through everything I had made recently and was surprised to find I had a box full ready for posting. I have photographed and noted how many items I have made so that I can update my challenge list. The list now stands at 395 items made and donated which I'm rather proud of. These little makes will be posted today to Janet who runs Crafted with love - donation group via Facebook. Now to find what to make next. Enjoy the rest of this sunny Monday x

Angel Baby Blanket

I decided to have a new format for my patterns. So from today I'm going to post a photo tutorial on my blog and then a written pattern in my Ravelry store, so you can print and keep.

My first pattern in the new format is a tiny 9" x 12" blanket which is to be donated to charities who help parents of angel babies.

I have chosen to use a baby DK yarn approximately 50g, but you could use 4 ply and increase the starting chain in increments of 2 stitches until you arrive at the desired width.

Using a 4.5mm hook chain 34

Row 1: starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work 1htr in each st to the end, ch1 and turn = 33 sts

Row 2: work (1sc, 1htr) in first st, then skip 1, (1sc, 1htr, sk1) forms the pattern, continue to the last st, 1htr in last st, ch1 and turn.

Row 3: There is little spaces between the stitches, this is where you skipped a stitch and this is where the next set of stitches go. in the 1st space, work (1sc, 1htr)

 then in the next space work (1sc, 1htr) continue to do this till you've worked the pattern in every  space to the end

You can see you are left with an odd looking end of row. this is fine because you will end up if you follow my photo's with a lovely straight edge. Work 1htr in the last stitch, ch1 and turn

Row 4: the pattern is a repeat of row 3 and you will end up with a lovely tight textured finish. Repeat row 3 another 35 times, you should have 38 rows in total.

Row 39: work 1htr into each to end, ch1

Now we create the ruffle border, working in the end of row 39, work 3tr in each row end all the way around 4 sides , sl st to the 1st tr of the border, Fasten off and weave in ends and decorate if you wish.

Close up of stitch

I hope you enjoy making this little blanket, please ask any questions via the comments box should you have any or use the links to get in touch. A written pattern will be in Ravelry store shortly x

Beanie Fest!

I mentioned in my last post that I was making little Valentine beanie hats for premature babies around the UK. I make and store items so I can send a box full rather than just a few to save on postage costs. I have had a snaffle through my made stock items and have come up with a box to go today (if the rain stops) to the lovely Janet who runs Crafted with love - donation group Facebook group.  I have updated my charity totals too and so far I have made and donated 373 items. I would love to reach my 1000 makes goal by 31st December 2017. Gonna be busy busy busy but it makes me happy. If you would also like to help the group, just click on the link above or maybe find a group nearer to you and jump on board and make something for charity even if it's just one small beanie. The free pattern for the beanie is in my Ravelry store, just click on the link. Happy crafting on this wet and miserably Monday x

My Ravelry Store

Stash Busting Pet Blanket

I would like to start of by apologising for been AWOL for most of this year. I have still been crocheting and knitting but its been a strange year. The loss of my friend back in February knocked me for six, my girls growing up too fast and the eldest leaving home for University, discovering a love for caravanning plus lots of other reasons have made 2016 a bit of a strange year, some of it happy but a lot of it sad.  I have felt like I was drowning  in lots of things I wanted to do but neither had the energy or motivation to do so.  My office work space has turned into a shed and I have moved boxes from here to there and back again about 3 times. I have discovered a new love along the way too in Jamberry nail wraps, but more about that later.

So I have made a decision to sort myself out and start 2017 in a positive frame of mind. Strangely enough the Christmas holidays have made me realise how bad things had gotten. I started going to my local Slimming World back at the beginning of October and so far I have lost 1.5 stone (21 lbs) with a long way to go to get to my target weight, but over the Christmas holidays I slipped back into my old habits which made me feel rubbish about myself and sitting here in my (shed) over the last few days has made my mind up for me. It is time to sort out my work space and divide it into my loves of crochet & Jamberry. Slimming World has given my a confidence that I didn't know I had and I have gone from feeling positive to negative over the holidays. Today is the start of all things positive for me and that's the way I intend to keep it.

As things are, right this minute I can't find anything in my (shed) and I want to be able to just go to what I need when I need it. I thought about making it my New Year's resolution but decided that won't work for me, it never has before, so why label it and turn it into a chore. I started bullet journaling a few months ago and I didn't really think that I had that much to write about but I have nearly finished my 1st journal and it is helping me get organised and ready for a new me.  I am working on various new crochet patterns and trying to organise my future with Jamberry.  The idea of this blog was to share with you my followers what I was up to and I haven't, but I have decided that I need you all to help me with my journey through 2017 and beyond. I never thought that anyone would be interested in my ramblings but you all seem to love my crochet patterns and I do have 70,000 kg of stash, so lots of patterns to come. I have made a decision to buy NO more yarn until 2018. Now that is a New Year's Resolution. My 1st offering is a fab stash buster, you all know that I have a few pets and I have a local PDSA pet hospital who always need blankets etc, so I thought lets stash bust a few pet blankets.  I thought granny squares, super easy but not quite what I wanted, then I thought round, lets make round simple blankets which are surprisingly quick to complete.

I started by sorting out my oddments into yarn weights, when I had a number of DK yarn balls, using my trusty winder I set about winding them into one ball. I needed approximately  100g for my blanket, when I had enough I wound them all into one ball and picked up my 4mm hook.

I started with a ch2, then 12tr's into the 1t chain.

Next row: 2tr's in each stitch to leave you with 24 sts.

Next row: work 2tr's in next st, 1tr in next stitch continue to the end to leave you with 36 sts.

Next row: work 2tr's in next st, 1tr in each of the next 2 sts,  should leave you with 48 sts.

You basically continue increasing by 12 sts each row.

I continued until my ball was coming to an end, I ended up with 22 rows using 96g. The completed blanket measures 21" which is perfect for a cat or small dog. Here is Cody modelling her new blanket. She preferred to be under the blanket rather than on top.

All that is left me to say today is Happy New Year to all of you and your families. I hope 2017 is a fantastic year for all!

Wet and Dreary Saturday Hooking

Well woke up this morning to dark, dreary and wet weather. I was hoping to crochet all day today anyway, so yay! for the weather, now I can put my feet up and work on my new project. I have a love of buttons and ribbon and yarn and (you get the picture) anything pretty then I'm addicted. I have been trying to tidy up my studio space and came across lots of small amounts of Stylecraft Special DK in various colours and was wandering what to do with them. So I had a little play and came up with buttons.

I thought with Autumn upon us I wanted more darker colours than bright. So I choose Lavender, Pomegranate, Spice, Aster, Lime, Saffron, Petrol and Fondant.

These little cuties shall be turned into buttons and attached to granny squares to create a tactile blanket, just need to decide what size to make the blanket. I'm leaning towards a large snuggly blanket. I have decided to use cream for the granny squares, I was going to use white but feel cream works better with my colour choices. 

I shall post more photos as I go, not sure how long this project is going to take but I'm loving it so far.

Simply Beautiful Star Blanket

I was asked by my sister to make two matching baby blankets for her friend who had just giving birth to precious twin girls. I wanted to make something different, not a granny square or 'v' stitch blanket. I had a good look around the internet and came across a beautiful blanket on Ravelry, here is a link to the pattern Rainbow Ripple Baby Blanket. 

I used New Fashion which I had never used before and I was extremely happy with the way it worked and how the blanket turned out. My blankets are only 36" point to point where the pattern calls for 45" but I thought mine was just the right size for tiny twin girls.

I picked baby pink, clematis and white and I just love how the blankets came out. So much so I have another 4 on the go, same colours but different stripes. 

I am so bad with starting and finishing one project at a time but I love having a choice to work with. I also have to finish my bag I shared previously, a baby girl pinafore dress that is nearly finished and for which I am writing the pattern plus a blanket for my Daughter and I have to catch up with the CAL. I suppose I shall get there in the end.

This is a close up of the colours, its not easy to see on the photo above.

These two lovely blankets shall be handed over to my sister on Saturday and I do hope the twins' Mummy likes them.

My little bit of help for Nepal

I am a member of Loving Hands an organisation that makes items for all kinds of charities world wide. Due to the disaster earthquakes recently in Nepal members were asked to create 6" knitted or crocheted squares which will be sewn together to make blankets. Due to being under the weather for the last few weeks and losing my crochet mojo I thought this would be a good place to re-kindle my love of crochet and boy how I had missed it. So I rifled through my oddments box and made 30 squares that shall be sent of this week to the lovely Helen who is organising the sewing together bit. These colourful squares are also part of my stash busting 2015 challenge.

Spring is in the air

I started to make this lovely baby blanket about 4 months ago but it ended up in my wip (works in progress) box to which I have been adding to on a regular basis. Naughty I know but I can't help myself, I see so many nice patterns and have a rather lovely huge stash of various yarns that I have to play.  Well over the weekend I gave myself a good talking too because I can not move in my office/studio for boxes and bags. So lecture over I decided to concentrate on my wip box and complete one project at a time and get a little more organisation in my crochet life.

When I first started this blanket there were lots of comments on social media talking about Cath Kidston colours for inspiration. I thought that would be my next colour theme, so a cup of tea and hour on Pinterest, then a rummage through my stash and I came up with my Stylecraft Special DK in:

White, Sherbet, Spring Green, Lemon, Candyfloss and Pomegranate 

I used the trust V stitch for the pattern and completed the blanket with a simple two rounds of half trebles and one round of simple chains for a frilly effect.  The colours reminded me of spring so that's what I called it my springtime baby blanket, although it doesn't feel like spring is in the air today since its snowing again and hasn't stopped all morning. 

Una's Donation

Last year the lovely Una from over at Great Balls of Wool blog donated lots of 4ply oddments that she had leftover and wasn't going to use. I agreed that I would use her donation to make something for charity. I sat yesterday and with my fabulous wool winder turned all these oddments

into 4 large mixed cakes (balls). I joined all the little bits together has I went and doubled it up by winding two strands together at a time. I ended up with a mixed pattern that changes all the time.

I decided to turn my donation into pet blankets. This is the start of my first one. As you can see by winding two strands together you get a thicker wool plus a mottled kind of effect.

I decided simple granny squares would be good with my trusty 4mm hook. I think I could possibly go up to a 5mm hook. I am making them 20 rounds in size and I will possibly have enough for 2 blankets, maybe even 3. So huge thank you Una for your donation. I kind of enjoyed winding it all.

I shall post a photo of the completed blankets when I have finished.

Crochet Therapy

Although I love the snow, we have had quite bit over the last couple of weeks and that has meant no sunlight for photos so today a glorious sunny day, I thought I would take advantage.  I wanted to use up some of my oddments so that I can concentrate on something new. So I have made two small pet blankets one a typical granny square, the other a C2C (corner to corner). I want to make the C2C blanket again and I shall make a few to donate to our local cat protection league. I gave the granny square blanket to our little jack russell Lacey, she loves it and while taking photos she decided she liked the other one too.

She also loves the snow!

I am now working on a two tone pink mini granny square blanket. I am using a bright pink and a light pink finished with white, I shall share once complete.

The end of the rainbow

Yeah! I have finished my latest rainbow blanket and it shall be winging its way to my customer later today.  Although my arms are aching a little today after a mammoth weekend of crochet to get this loveliness finished I really enjoyed making it again. The simplicity of the V stitch gives a soft textured finish especially when using Stylecraft Special DK yarn. It's funny though how you just don't realise how long it takes to make a blanket this large until you are making it for someone else. When its a gift for a loved one you just hook away and don't think of the time aspect, when making to order you realise just how much love and effort goes into making something that is going to be loved for many years to come by someone you haven't even met. I hope a special little girl in Bristol is going to love her new blanket.

Rainbow on a wet and dreary day

Afternoon everyone. I wanted to show you how my rainbow blanket is coming along. So far I am only 7 stripes in but I hope to make that 20 (ish) by the end of the day. Working with these lovely colours really cheers up on a wet and dreary day. We have had fog all day with rain mixed in just because thats what the British weather can do. I suppose we shouldn't complain, after all it has been a very mild Autumn.  So the plan is to complete another 13 rows tonight, not sure if I shall succeed but I shall give it ago.

So far I think the blanket is looking lovely (even I do say so myself) and I am sure its going to make one little girl very happy.

I see a rainbow!

After a mammoth couple of weeks of making a dress and the huge candy stripe blanket in previous post I was happy to take an order to make my rainbow blanket.

Now, I normally just show you the finished article but I felt like sharing this one all the way. I have made this blanket before for my daughter, although I busted my stash by using various types of DK wool. I have tried to match the colours as near as I can and these are them. I have opted to create this lovely blanket using Stylecraft Special DK, the colours are lush and so is the feel and texture of the wool. My rainbow blanket is a simple V stitch, there is a pattern on the 'Free Patterns" page if you want to take a peek.

I actually started the blanket last night but 4 different colours in I realised it was smaller than I quoted to my customer so I start again today. I am making this blanket 1m wide and began with an initial chain of 180. The blanket will end up being slightly wider due to the border.

So the colours I have gone for are a mixture of spring and autumn colours and there is 13 in total. I know 13 is a bit of strange number but that's how many I used when making my daughters blanket so I decided to stick with 13. 

1: Spring Green, 2: Fiesta, 3: Lemon, 4: Sherbet, 5: Spice, 6: Wisteria, 7: Lime, 8: White, 9: Pomegranate, 10: Petrol, 11: Saffron, 12: Silver and 13: Emperor

I shall keep you up to date with photo's as I progress. The aim is to have the blanket finished within 2 weeks, so best grab a cup of tea and get to work.

Another Week Another Blanket

I feel I am becoming the blanket lady. I have been feeling sorry for myself this week suffering with a stinking cold that is only just going away so it gave me plenty of time to create my lovely new baby blanket. I want and have so many ideas to create and make but somehow recently get side tracked into yet another blanket. I justify it in that everyone needs a blanket. Well I joined a Facebook crochet group the other week, we just post photos of our makes and share tips and hints etc. Lots of people in the group were talking about C2C blankets. I knew what they were just never made one. So after a bit of research I found a tutorial which you can find here and the thats it I'm hooked (pardon the pun). I had recently bought some lovely Patons baby 4ply in a mixed baby colours and cream. So off I went with my 3.5mm hook and came up with this lovely baby blanket. It is sized to fit a pram or moses basket and it feels so soft.

I am now going to use the same principles of this pattern and make lots of other goodies. I have a single bed sized blanket to make and I am going to make some lap rugs for charity. I am also thinking  of scarves and cowls too, this pattern is so easy that my mind is a whirl with possibilities. I am finding that my crochet and card orders are keeping me almost sane while I silently worry for my hubby who is going back into hospital in October.  He has already had two heart attacks in the last 14 months and is having symptoms again, hence back into hospital on the 13th for another angiogram and possible extra stents. Because we are almost house bound, he can't walk very far I am getting lots of crochet time.

Rainbow Blanket

Happy Friday everyone.

I have not blogged for a little while due to family illness but while its been a stressful time at home I have still been hooking. My youngest requested a blanket for her bed in rainbow colours so I looked through my stash and came up with this beautiful blanket. I wanted something that would make up in one go with minimal weaving in of ends ( I loath that bit) and here it is HOTH (hot of the hook). I had to finish it today because Rebecca said she really needs to sleep with it TONIGHT!.

Although this blanket now belongs to Rebecca and I will probably never see it again, I am putting it in my crochet shop to have made to order. If anyone would like me to make them one then just drop me a message. To make takes approximately 50 hours, this one took me four weeks to complete so please remember that if placing an order. I do have an order book and all large blanket orders are completed on date placed basis. I hope that makes sense.  Anyway here it is and I hope you like it.

I can make this blanket in pram, cot, single bed or double bed size and also in various colours, this version is rainbow but I have other colours too which shall be in my shop soon. Any questions or commissions please drop me a message.

This is the pattern.

I choose 13 different colours of Stylecraft Special DK and a 4mm hook.

2 x 100g for the stripes and border colour choice and 12 x 100g for the stripes.

I used the following stitches - tr, htr, V stitch, ch

V st = tr1, ch1, tr1 in same chain.

To begin chain 163, work 1tr into the 3rd ch from the hook, *skip 2 ch's and work a V st into next ch* continue from * to * to last 4 ch's, skip 2 ch's, tr1, tr1.

Row 2: Ch2 (counts as 1st treble), tr1, then work a V st into each ch1 space along the row to last 4 ch's, skip 2, tr1, tr1.

Row 3: repeat row 2 until desired length achieved.

Border - change colour and work 1htr stitches all around the blanket, I worked 1 in each ch along the top and bottom and two in gaps down the sides.

Change colour again and work 1htr into each ch, in the corners make a ch1 to continue around.

I worked two rows for the border but you can make it as thick as you prefer.

I worked 3 rows of pattern per colour but you can work as many as you prefer.

I hope all of that makes sense but please message me if I have made a mistake and I shall update the pattern, I have written the above from memory because I forgot to write it down as I went.

Happy hooking Friday on International Crochet Day 2014.