More than a Granny 2

Hello!  How is your week going? 

As usual time is flying by for me, I feel like the days are just not long enough! 

Today I want to share with you an exciting project that a hooky friend of mine has been doing.  You probably know of the super talented Shelley from the blog Spincushions, but if you don't, Shelley is an amazing crocheter and designer who comes up with gorgeous granny squares and CALs, and is so prolific and productive with her design work, I am in awe of her time management!! (It is really worth having a look around her website, there are lots of interesting patterns and information to check out.)

Well, Shelley has recently released her follow up ebook to the very popular 'More Than A Granny', it's called 'More Than A Granny 2' . 

I have been lucky enough to have a play with the patterns in her new ebook, there are 20 great designs to choose from, all coming out the same size so you can mix and match. :)  

I chose this pretty square called Bess, it was fun to make, the instructions are clear, (there are written and charted instructions) and Shelley's patterns always seem to have really neat finishes. 

I am thinking a blanket in this square would look so pretty! 

Shelley uses a blue palette for her squares and they look gorgeous all made in one colour scheme, but you know me, I like a lot of colour and contrast, so went with some of my favourite colours in Cascade Ultra Pima cotton - poppy red, china pink, lime and cool mint. (These are available in my shop over here, just saying ;)  ) 

 ...... These are some photos of the new squares with some older ones that I have made from Shelley's other ebooks, 'More than A Square' and 'Flowers Abound', I love them all together, so happy and colourful! 

I think a mixed square blanket is definitely on my to do list! 

If you'd like to read more about "More than a Granny 2' have a look over here.

This is the cover page of the ebook, look at how great they look in blues, mine look so different, not worse just different! :)  It's amazing how colour can change a pattern! 

Colour and some other things.....

Hello there!

How was your weekend?

We had a long weekend here, so it kind of feels like a Monday to me today.  We had a fairly relaxed couple of days, I got quite a lot of crochet time which is always nice.  Our middle son had a bit of a party on Sunday night, just because he could, so we had a dozen or so 16 year olds at our place, needless to say it was a late night!

I have been making washers for my market in a couple weeks, you are probably sick of seeing pictures of these heart washers, but they are what I am making at the moment. :)   I decided that little heart flags made into bunting might be quite cute, so have been using up left over bits of cotton to make these little rectangle heart pieces.  I hope it looks cute once I have crocheted them onto a string and done an edge, in my head it does!

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I saw something on Instagram that has really inspired me to want to get my knitting out again.  One of my favourite blogs is 'Do you mind if i knit' by the amazingly talented Vanessa Cabban, I was so sad to hear that she died tragically late last year, and there have been a few projects I have noticed pop up in her honour and remembering her.

One of these is the totally gorgeous Remembering Vanessa Cowl KAL by Christina Wall.  I am so inspired to give this a go!  Vanessa's beautiful fairisle knitting always caught my eye and I think this is a lovely way to pay respect to such a creative multi talented woman.   

Definitely putting this on my to do list.

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Another beautiful colourful  project that I 'd like to try is this very cute baby cardigan by Vicarno, so rainbowy and sweet!  This is crocheted too, so should be a fairly quick make.  

Also on the to do list. :)

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I am also thinking I should make a bunny for the Mirabel Easter toy appeal, I only have a few days left so have better get cracking!  Pip has lots of info  over at Meet me at Mikes if you have time to whip up some cute bunnyness for some deserving little person. 

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Sorry for the bitsy post today, I kind of feel that is how my brain is working at the moment, hopping from one thing to another, I am a bit all over the place! :) 

Anyway, have a great day, talk soon! 

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harlequin

Over the weekend I found a bit of time for some creative crochet, just something for fun, working with colour and pattern, it felt really good.  I was trying to come up with a bit of a harlequin pattern that didn't involve sewing pieces together, I couldn't find a pattern online, so had a bit of a play myself.  

Often I just think about these type of things, and never get around to trying out ideas,  but this time I got out the hook and wool and a pencil and paper and had a go.  I know it's not all that original and I'm sure it has been done heaps of times, but it is satisfying working out a solution to a problem on your own, even if you get the same answer as everyone else!

I am making a few little colour swatches of some new yarn in my shop (more on that another day) there are lovely vivid colours and I want to try out some different combos, I think this harlequin pattern is a nice way to play with colour.

I an really enjoying seeing how each colour looks as part of this pattern, I think a full blown harlequin blanket might be somewhere in my crafty future!  If only there were a few more hours in the day......

What did you get up to on the weekend, anything fun? Crafty?  

Do you like harlequin patterns too? 

xxxxxxx

Crochet Boutique - Review and Give Away!

 Hello!

How are you all going today? I'm good, really happy it's school holidays and we can kick back and unwind a bit this week.  Time to catch up on a bit of blog reading and hopefully get a few more posts done myself, and a bit of crochet time too!

Well, a few weeks ago something quite exciting (for me)  happened, I was sent a new crochet book to review, and here I am having a look at it!

Crochet Boutique by Rachael Oglesby is a great book, with some lovely simple patterns for hip hats, cowls and other accessories.  The instructions are clear and the skill level is easy, so beginners would feel at ease with these patterns.  

There is lovely photography to inspire you to get out your hook and have a crack.  I like this shopping bag, great for market going.

I like this triangle fringe scarf, very hip!

   

There are also some gorgeous timeless pieces,  like this wrap and the cute bubble beret.

 ....and I liked the laptop satchel and heart garland, think I might hook up some hearts for myself soon.

I decide to have a go at the bubble beret, I didn't have the yarn suggested in the pattern, so used some Cleckheaton Country Tartan 8ply 100% wool from my stash and hoped for the best.  It was a fun make and I had no problems following the pattern, it only took one night and half a car trip of crocheting to complete.

My sister and nieces came round today and Josie was happy to model it for me, I think it looks pretty cute!  It has turned out quite a bit smaller than the pattern, but I didn't test my tension (naughty lazy me), 

and am using a different yarn, so it is for a child instead of an adult, I think it would look gorgeous on a little one this winter, nice and cosy and warm.

(Such a happy darling, nice to get my girl fix in this house of boys!)

Max thought he would try it on too, but it's a bit small for him, and so chic with the Metallica tee!!  He thought it was quite amusing!  

(He also thought it made a good frisbee!!)

So, lots of very doable, snuggly patterns, simple and stylish, for the cooler months here, and some nice homey things too, something for everyone, I guess!

And you know what? 

Lark Crafts kindly sent me an extra copy of Crochet Boutique to give away to you lovely readers, so if you would like a copy for yourself, just leave me a comment and I'll pick a lucky winner next week!

So I hope you all have a great day and maybe get out your hooks and crochet up a storm!


Edited to add: Thanks for entering, this giveaway is now closed!

Crochet along Update #3

Hello.

How are you going today?

I have got the next bit of the crochet along for you today, so here what I've done:

After the aqua and red outlined cluster pattern, and the 1 row of blue hdc, 

I turned the work and went back with another row of blue hdc.

Next was a row of pale pink hdc, then turn the work and go back, so you end up with a double row of pale pink hdc.

Next is a 4 row pattern called Catherine Wheel.

Special Abbreviation CL (Cluster) : work [yo, insert hook, yo, draw loop through, yo, draw through 2 loops] over the number of sts indicated, yo, draw through all loops on hook.

Row 1(wrong side) : In red, join and make 1ch in first st (counts as first st), 1sc in next st, * skip 3sts, 7dc into next st, skip 3 sts, 1sc into each of next 3sts; rep from * to lats 4 sts, skip 3sts, 4dc into last st,  turn.

Row 2 (right side) : In pink, join to first st and  make 1ch, 1sc into first st, 1sc into next st, *3ch, 1CL over next 7sts, 3ch, 1sc into each of next 3 sts; rep from * to last 4 sts, 3ch, !cl over last 4 sts, skip tch, turn.

Row 3 (wrong side) : still with pink, 3ch, 3dc into first st, * skip 3ch, 1sc into each of the next 3scs, skip 3ch, 7dcs into the loop that closed next CL; rep from *to end, finishing with skip 3ch, 1sc into each of last 2sc, skip tch, turn

Row 4 (right side) :In red, join and 3ch (counts as 1dc), skip first st, 1CL over next 3 sts, * 3ch, isc into each of next 3 sts, 3ch, 1CL over next 7sts; rep from* finishing with 3ch, 1sc into next st,1sc into top of tch, turn.

This pattern can be a bit tricky at the start and end of rows, depending on how many stitches are in your blanket, so here is the graphic pattern to help you work out your ends and starts.  Just adjust your ends and starts to keep your sides straight, according to where you are in the pattern repeat.

(sorry it's a bit blurry, it's getting late here!)

Of course you can do this pattern in whatever colours you like!

Catherine Wheel Stitch Pattern, from Basic Crochet Stitches , edited by Erika Knight.

Next is a chunk of sc rows.

Row 1 : (Right side) Lime green, sc across the row, doing 10sc evenly across each pattern repeat of the Catherine Wheel row below to ensure the stitch count stays the same. Turn.

Row 2 : (Wrong side) 1ch, skip first st, sc in each st across row.

Row 3 : (RS) Mid green, Sc in each st across row, turn.

Row 4 : (WS) 1ch, skip first st, sc in eachst across row.

Rows 5 -11 : Sc across the row, doing one row of each colour, working all on the right side.  

Colour sequence that I used :

Light blue, 

red, 

dark blue,

red, 

dark blue, 

red,

 light blue.

Next is a chunk of Granny stripe pattern  (see earlier pattern notes) in watermelon, spearmint green, and mid blue.  You can add more or less granny stripes if you would like.  I think I will add a couple more to this chunk, but I haven't quite got to that yet. 

Ok that's all I have for you at the moment, school holidays are coming up next week, so I might have a bit more time to devote to this while the boys have their holiday sleep ins, so there hopefully won't be quite as big a wait for the next instalment!  Sorry for my slowness, but this is a huge blanket and each row is taking ages!

Just a note on the yarns I am using, I am using quite a few different Australian brands, (to get a good colour range), mainly Heirloom Colorworks 8ply and Cleckheaton Country 8ply, with some stash bits and pieces as well.  I think they are DK equivalent.  They are probably hard to find overseas (although Cleckheaton is very common here), so you can use any dk weight yarn that takes your fancy, I like to work with wool, but I am sure it would be just as nice in any yarn you choose.

Have a great day!

Joining in with The Creative Spaces over here.

Crochet Along Update #2.....

Hello!

So here is the next bit of the crochet along!

I think last time I had finished the chevron stripe pattern, so after that section I have added rows of sc in 3 colours. 

Starting with the right side facing, I have done 1row of sc in dark blue, then turned and gone back, so ending up with a double row of sc. Then I've repeated this in pale pink, and mid blue.

4dc cluster pattern

Next, I have done a row of 4dc clusters, with 3 sts skipped between them (this keeps the stitch count even overall).  The first cluster is made of 3chs and 1dc, then the rest are 4dcs.

Next, a row of sc in lime.

Next, another row of 4dc clusters in blue.

Next, a double row of sc in green ( 1 row, turn, second row)

Bobble Pattern

Next I am setting up for my bobble row with 1 row of dcs in pale blue.

The middle row of the bobble section is where you do the bobbles . 

There is a great tutorial over at Tales from Cuckoo Land here that shows you exactly how to do the bobbles in another colour, which is how I learnt how to do it, have a look over there to find out how to do this part.

Then I did another row of dcs in pale blue to finish off this bit.

Next another double row of sc in green.

(I am going to call this next 3 rows Outlined Cluster Pattern in future)

Next, one row of sc in red.

Next, one row of 4tr clusters in turquoise, made the same way as the 4dc clusters, but with trs instead.

Next row, ch1(counts as 1st st), 1sc in next stitch, then 2trtog into centre skipped st of the first row of sc in red, *then 3sc across top of cluster sts, then 2trtog into centre skipped st of first row of sc in red*, and repeat to end of row. (hope that's not too confusing!)

Next, I row of hdc in blue.

Okay that's where I'm up to at the moment, I am pretty happy with how it is working out, I have decided not to use any white in this blanket, so I hope the colours keep looking good together.

I am going to try and work a bit of Catherine Wheel pattern in soon, so hope that works out ok, then it might be time for some repeating of the chevron stripe and granny stripes, I'll have to wait and see!

How are you going with this blanket? 

Still having fun?

Getting frustrated with my slow posting? (Sorry!)

Are you doing your own bit of winging it crochet?

Have a great day, and happy hooking!

Starring the Star Stitch

Hello!

Just a quick post today with a bit of info regarding the new blanket pattern I am making.  It seems a few  of you lovely readers liked the little flowery starry pattern just like I did!

The pattern came from a crochet book I have called 'Baby Crochet - easy projects volume 2 in 4ply'  it is produced by Cleckheaton.  They call it a 'loop cluster' stitch,  I am not so keen on reproducing the pattern here as there may be copyright issues, but I have had a look around Googleland and found a tutorial and pattern that is the same!  This stitch is also called Star Stitch 

and there is a pattern here at Crochet Spot with instructions that seem nice and clear.  

I am sure you could do this in any weight yarn too.

So I hope this helps all you ladies!

I really like how this stitch forms nice clear rows, and it has a bit of a vintage feel to it, I am sure it has been around for a long time! I am making a little range of retro/vintage inspired cot blankets, and it is giving me just the look I was after!

Have a great hooky day!

Polkadot Square Pattern ( at last)

Hello!

How are you going today?  It's the last day of school holidays here and I am putting off ironing the school shirts that have sat in the ironing basket since before Christmas.  I'll probably end up ironing them while the boys have their showers in the morning.  Nothing like the last minute to get things done in my house!

So I am writing this instead.  Much more important.

You might remember these polkadot squares that I crocheted a while ago?  Or you may not.

Anyway, I have finally finished writing the pattern down and doing  a little photo tutorial on how I made them.  It is very simple, and you probably don't need a tutorial, but I thought it might help if you are just starting out in crochet.

I will put the pattern at the bottom of this post if you just want to skip straight to the concise version.

Ok here we go,  happy hooking and good luck!

POLKADOT SQUARES

This is for a circle in a square type granny, using single crochet sts to create a nice solid piece.  I didn't want it to be 'gappy'.  It is easy too play around with colour combos and different stripey effects too.

I used a 3.5 mm hook and 8 ply Bendigo Knitting Mills Cotton in a variety of colours, but you could try this in any yarn I think.

This pattern is in US. stitches, sorry UK ladies, for you, sc =dc, hdc =htr, dc =tr 

round 1

First, Chain 4 and slip stitch to 1ch to make a ring/circle.

Rd 1 : Ch1 (counts as first st) then do 5 sc into ring.Sl st to first ch to close round.  (6st in total)

Rd 2 : Ch1 (counts as first st) then 1 sc in same stitch, then 2 sc in each st to end. Sl st to first ch to close round. (12 st in total)

round 3

Rd 3 : Ch 1,* 2sc in next st, then 1sc in next, * , continue pattern around. Sl st in first ch to close round.  (18 st in total)

round 4

 Rd 4 : Ch 1,  sc in next st, then *  2sc next st  then sc in next 2st * continue pattern around. Sl st  in first ch to close ring. (24 st in total)

round 5

 Rd 5 : Ch 1, sc in next 2st, then *2sc in next st, then sc in next 3st * continue pattern around, sl st in first ch to close  (30 st in total)

round 6, and changing colour step 1

 Rd 6 : Ch 1, sc in next 3st, then *2sc in next st, then sc in next 4st * continue pattern around, sl st to close.  (36 st in total)

 I changed colour  at the end of this round to add a stripe of dark blue for rd 7.

This is how I change colours so it is a subtle, smoothish join.

In the last sc of Rd 6, before you do the yarn over and pull through, change to the new colour....

changing colours step 2

 ...and pull it through the old colour loops.  Pull the old colour yarn gently to tighten the stitch, and slip stitch in the first ch with the new colour to close the round. Continue with next round as normal.

changing colours step3

 I leave the old colour still connected and just change back when I want a different stripe.

(does that make sense??)

round 7

  Rd 7 : Ch 1, sc in next 4 st, then* 2sc in next st, then sc in next 5 st * continue pattern around, sl st to close, changing colour back to light blue at end of round. (42 st in total)

round 8

 Rd 8 : Ch 1, sc in next 5 st, then *2sc in next st, then sc in next 6 st* continue pattern around, sl st to close round . (48 st in total)  Bind off.   ( inner circle completed)

round 9 pattern repeat x4

  ( Squaring up) Rd 9 :  Join 3rd colour (green) in any stitch, to create the 4 corners of the square, repeat the following pattern 4 times - 3sc, then 3hdc, then 3dc in next st, then 3hdc, then 2sc.

Sl st to first ch that counted as first sc, to close round.

round 9 complete

This is how it is looking at this point. ^

round 10

Rd 10 :*2 sl st, then 4 sc, then 1hdc, then 4dc in next st, then 1 hdc, then 4sc, then 1 sl st,* do this 4 times , Sl st to first st to close.

round11 finished!!

Rd 11:  ch 1, then sc around in all sts, except in each corner st where you do 2hdc,ch1,2hdc.

Bind off.  And I think that is it!

Abbreviated pattern:

Ch4, join to 1st ch to make ring.

rd1: sc6 into ring

rd2: 2sc in each st all around (12 st)

rd3: 2 sc in next st, then 1sc in between, all around (18 st)

rd4: 2sc in next st, then 2sc in between, all around (24 st)

rd5: 2sc in next st, then 3sc in between, all around (30 st)

rd6: 2sc in next st, then 4sc in between, all around (36 st)

rd7: 2sc in next st, then 5sc in between, all around (42 st)

rd8: 2sc in next st, then 6sc in between, all around (48 st)

rd 9: (3sc, 3hdc, 3dc in next st, 3hdc, 2sc) x4

rd10: (2slst, 4sc,1hdc, 4dcin next st, 1hdc, 4sc, 1slst) x4

rd11: sc around ,with 2hdc,1ch,2hdc in each corner st. bind off.

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I hope you understand what I mean, I found it hard trying to write instructions, so it might be hard to follow. I hope not. Another thing, I also varied where I put the increases in my circles when I found it was getting too hexie shaped, as long as you keep the right number of sc in between increase stitches, you can put them anywhere.

To make a cushion cover, I made 16 of these and single crocheted them together, like patchwork.

Haven't finished the back yet, but will show you it when I'm done.

Please, if you find any mistakes in this, forgive me! And let me know and I will try and fix it up.

Have a great day!