Apologies...

Apologies for not popping in for a month!  I haven't been feeling very well of late but things seem to have settled down for now...

Now what have I been doing?

Firstly some more crochet.

I have made one side of this cushion cover  Crochet Cover Pillow (free pattern on Ravelry).  I have never tried anything like this before and I am, overall, pleased with the result.  That being said however, it does have the odd mistake in it.  I am now waiting for time with my Mum to try the other side with her help.  As you know,  she has been crocheting for many years so I am hopeful she can figure out where I have gone wrong.
There are no projects for this on Ravelry that I can search through and the pictures showing the design are not very clear.  Still, I  live in hope I will get it right eventually!  Updates to follow =)

I have also been busy scarf making - yes I know it's May but it is still cold!

The one above is made from a kit where you are given a piece of mesh and two balls of yarn.  The yarn is woven through the mesh to create this lovely weave effect.  It's a kit I've had for a couple of years but have only just been brave enough to try.    It has made a surprisingly lightweight and warm scarf.  Love it!

My second scarf is Thermis - again found on Ravelry.  Not free this time but a great pattern worth every penny of the £1.58 I paid for it!  This is just right for tucking under your coat giving you the warmth but not the bulk of a long scarf.  Great for the chilly May days we are having!

My Mum would like one in cream, please...

Finally, my last offering for this week is a crochet hexagon.  I saw this cushion in Dunn Elm Mill a while ago and thought how pretty it looked.  Mmmm said Mum and I, that's crocheted. 




"I can do that" I cried to my Mum, so armed with photo of said cushion, pen and paper to chart my stitches, yarn and crochet hook, I have produced this this evening.

I am not claiming to have made this pattern up at all but I may pop my sequence of stitches down later so you can make your own hexagons.  Fingers crossed the idea in my head translates well to yarn and  hook! Watch this space!

Until next week dear friends...

Travelling along...

My latest simple project - completed "2 x 2 Scarf" - using  approx 350g of Wendy Aran.

I cast on 60 stitches I think it was and just travelled long, two by two...

I'm off to make a little owl and angel now for the Christmas Ornament KAL 2012 on Ravelry...

Two x Two

Do you remember I had two large balls of aran yarn?  I used one for my garden cosy and was about to start #2.

However, after taking another look at the second, paler ball, I decided I liked the colour of this yarn a lot.  So much so, I didn't want to make another blanket.  Nope.  It had to be used for a scarf (or two!)

After trying out some different patterns, I figured I would stay with my recent theme of keeping it simple and just knit 2 x 2 rib.  The colour of the yarn is so pretty, it doesn't need a complicated pattern to show it off.

Here are the first few inches for you to take a peak at. I'd like to add pom poms on the corners or edges rather than tassles...What do you think?

(My dear hubby asked me the other day if anybody actually

reads my blog.  To be honest, I don't really know!  

I am more than happy to keep posting and

will keep my fingers crossed whilst doing so

that my ramblings and pictures

are, indeed, useful to someone...x)

Simply Perfect!

I have just finished sewing the ends into my Garden Cosy and wanted to hurry over and show you straight away!

I am really pleased with how it turned out and the size is just right.  It's big enough to cover a lap and legs in the chilly summer evenings...or to cover the back of the chair when it gets warm in the sun.

It was everso, everso easy to make.  Just a great big granny square with six rows of double crochet (UK term) to make an edging.

Simples...

Granny knows best...

Well, not much to show you this week I'm afraid.  I am trying hard to stash bust and have two 400g balls of creamy white aran yarn to use up.  I was given this yarn by two different people so the colour of each ball varies slightly.

I have been trying to figure out what to do with it and have finally decided on a crochet blanket for cool summer evenings in the garden.  I looked at a lot of different patterns but came back to the good old simple Granny Square.

So, here is the beginning of my garden cosy..as I said, not much to show but it's on it's way!

 

Simple Things...

My dear children disappeared into the kitchen yesterday evening and I was presented with this yummy masterpiece this morning.   My dear daughter bought the ingredients and printed off a recipe; together they weighed, mixed and baked.  My thirteen year old son covered the cake with icing and it was decorated amid giggles and laughter. The sound of my children working and creating together, what more could I ask for?

A few weeks ago, I was browsing the internet, looking for inspriation, when I came across this gorgeous flower pattern on Bunny Mummy's blog ( Bunny Mummy - Crochet Flower). I thought it would be the perfect gift for my mum and would be quick and easy to do.  It was. The hardest part was going to Hobbycraft and spending the best part of forty-five minutes choosing the right coloured paper to back it on! The overall result was simple, effective and very well received!

I have also finished the double knitted pot holder I was trying to do so I will show what the picture was - did you guess?

I said last week I was having fun with this and at the time I was. Although I do like this a lot and it has taken a lot of time, effort and patience, I am going to frog it and use the yarn for something else. I 'll admit I didn't really didn't find double knitting easy  to do but it was fun and I am pleased I perservered and got it done.  Will I attempt double knitting in the future?  Yes,  because I want to make the potholder I gave you the link too last week.  Will I do it any time soon - I expect not.

The chart for this lovely chap can be found here on Ravelry - Double Knit Skull Scarf - it says the link to the pattern is unavailable but you can download the chart.

I have no idea what I'll have on my needles next or what I will have to show you but there will be something, I promise!

This week I can show you a finished pair of man mitts!  They have been lovingly worn and tested for warmth.  My dear hubby is, I am delighted to say, very happy with them...so much so, he is praying the warmer weather comes along slowly so he can wear them a bit more before packing them away for next winter!  How lovely to have a hubby that is so easily pleased!

Talking of being easily pleased, I have joined a "Learn Something New A-Long" on the Phoenix Knitting Forum. The idea is that each month, we try a new technique or learn a new skill. It could be anything from trying a new type of cast on, knitting a first pair of socks or top down garment or attempting a first piece of lace.  We don't have to produce a complete  project, we just have to have a go and share our attempts.

So, what did I decide to try I hear you ask?

Well, I have an endless list but this month I plumped for "Double Knitting". This technique is where two pieces of fabric are knitted simultaneously (explanation from Wikipedia) using two yarns.  I'm using a free chart I found on Ravelry to produce an image on both pieces like this...

See how much fun I'm having with this!  As I said, easily pleased.

Is is easy to do though?  Er, not to begin with!  Each square on the chart represents two stitches.  One is knitted in one yarn and one purled in the other. I found it quite difficult to work out which colour I was supposed to be knitting and which I should be purling at first. However, as knit for the process and not necessarily for the end result, I haven't minded ripping this back numerous times to get it right.  Good job you say!

I'm not going to post the Ravelry link to the chart yet...you will have to wait - I'll give you a week to guess what it is!

I will, however, link this project, as I'm itching to try it now I'm getting the hang of it!

The Prettiest Hot Pad Ever