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.

I just had to buy!

Morning everyone, yet another dark and nasty stormy day here in West Yorkshire. I need the weather to play nice and let the sun come out just for 1 day so I can take photos. Last weekend I found out about a garden centre not too far from me that was selling wool. I thought two of my favourite things in one place, wool and plants. I told hubby who said we will pop along and see what its like. Well, I then found out that the wool was 50% off. Forget the plants get in the car we're off, I told him. So with a view to 'just having a look' off we went on Wednesday. I was like a kid in a sweet shop, shelf after shelf of lovely squishy wool and yes half price. As you do when confronted with such a bargain I filled up two baskets and carried more to the checkout. Seen as it was lunchtime we decided to stop for lunch when finished at the garden centre. While re-fuelling I looked on a couple of websites and discovered that most of the wool I had bought was much better than half price. So after lunch we went back this time with a trolley and I filled that up too. There is a chance I just might be going back again soon with my friend Dawn too. Here is photo of my lovely haul.

I came across another blog called Repeat Crafter Me where I found a pattern for a lovely little jacket, I adapted the pattern slightly which I will post hopefully tomorrow, but in the meantime here is a photo  of my version made using the fabulous Stylecraft Vision in Lagoon. The wool is 80% acrylic / 20% wool and is lovely and soft.

Morning everyone, well we have a wet and miserable day here today which means no photos of my latest makes. I like to take my photos in the morning when the sun is coming through the studio window, so I suppose I shall have to wait for the sun to come out and play. I tried a light box but I only have small studio and it just didn't work for me.

On Sunday I should have stayed in taking my photos but it was a such a lovely day and we really needed to blow away the cobwebs so we went for a walk instead to our favourite place. Tingley reservoir near Leeds is approximately 1.25 miles, its flat with a pathway all the way around and it doesn't seem to matter what time of year you go its beautiful. There is a sandbank at the beginning of the walk which allows the dogs to paddle a little before the walk. Penny our big dog was so excited that she didn't want to come home.

Belated Christmas Wishes

I am sending you all belated Christmas wishes and hope everyone had a lovely time. I myself have had a chest infection but over that now (yeah), My family and I all had a lazy Christmas just chilling and appreciating the fact the my husband is still here with us after having a double heart bypass just 9 weeks ago. So I know feel after a very stressful year that its goodbye to 2014 and I'm looking forward to 2015.

Now I don't normally go in for new year resolutions but this year I am. My studio/office is where I keep all of my woolly loveliness plus all my other craft items from buttons and ribbons to scrap paper and card plus beads and embellishments and because of the recent stresses everything has just been piled up in heaps and I feel claustrophobic.  So with this in mind I have been researching storage ideas and thinking of how to clean up my space and make it more workable.  The 1st thing I am doing is sorting through my woolly oddments that have been left over from projects and organising them in to different categories. I alway make sure that I use 100% of the ball of wool, so the beginning of the ball is my current project, depending on the project I might have a good sized oddment left over, I then make something for charity with it like a baby hat or bootees or granny squares which will be joined together later with a main colour to make a blanket which will then be donated to charity, if there is anything left I add to my little hats bag to make innocence hats to raise funds for AGE UK. After all that my offcuts when weaving in the ends are kept in a little bag and when it's full it is sent to my good friend Maureen for stuffing handmade toys. I'm going now to play with the wool winder and start my organised 2015.

Happy New Year!

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.

The rainbow is getting bigger!

Firstly I need to apologise for the photo, I haven't had time to create a space in which to photograph my wares. Plus I agreed to share my rainbow journey with you all the way, but real life took over and I have to admit that I haven't been able to work on it for a couple of days, so this is a quick update then I'm going in for the the long haul today. So far the rainbow is on 25 stripes which equals 75 rows, since it is 1m wide I suppose that means I have crocheted 75m so far with another 78m to go. Not sure I like saying 78m out load, I think I shall go back to saying stripes, I have another 27 stripes to go, there thats sounds better.  Well time to go and get my crochet on. Happy Friday everyone see you soon with the next update.