Wednesday 20 September 2017

Autumnal chills... and crochet thrills...

Well now, autumn is here. I know this because my hands are cold all the time. The only remedy for cold hands is constant crocheting. Oh, and the odd reviving warming tipple of an evening. Purely medicinal of course. 

But there are reasons aplenty to be cheerful. One is that I can dig out my crochet pumpkin pattern and make some of these gorgeous delights. 



 I love them, I do not know why, but they always get snapped up by fellow squash-family fans! One of life's little mysteries I guess... xxx

PS If you'd like the pattern for these, well,  here it is!

For the pumpkin you need: 


2 strands of orange DK worked together on a 6mm hook.
Ch13.
Row 1: 1dc in 2nd ch from hook, 1dc in each further ch to end. (12dc). Turn.
Row 2: Ch1 (does not count as st). 1htr in BACK loop only of each st to end (12 htr). Turn.
Row 3: Ch1 (does not count as st). 1dc in FRONT loop only of each st to end (12dc). Turn.
Now repeat Row 2 then Row 3 until you have 20 rows in total.
Fold piece in half and slip stitch (or sew if you prefer) the 2 open edges together to make a 'tube'.

With a darning needle, sew around the open top section with little stitches which you can then gather in and pull tight to close to hole. Turn work inside out and stuff with old bits of yarn, wadding, cat fur(!) whatever you have. Sew up the bottom as you did the top, pulling and gathering tightly to close up the pumpkin. To make a slightly 'squashed' shape (pardon the rubbish pun), sew through the pumpkin from top to bottom several times and pull as tight as you want your pumpkin to be flat. Fasten off.

Leafy stuff:
Green DK and a 3.5/4mm hook.
Ch4.
Round 1:Into the 4th ch from the hook, make: 2dtr, 3tr, 1ch, 1tr, 1ch, 3tr, 2dtr. Ch3 and slip stitch into same hole as all stitches.
Round 2: make 3dc around the ch3 'post'. 2dc in top of each dtr. 1dc into next 3 tr. 1dc into ch1 space. Ch1. 1tr into tr. Ch1. 1dc into ch1 space. 1dc in next 3 tr. 2dc in next 2 dtr. 3dc around the ch3 'post'. Sl st into 1st dc.
Keep yarn attached for stalk: ch15. 1dc tightly into 2nd ch and every ch back down to start to make curly bit. Fasten off.

Stalky bit:
Same green DK and hook:
Ch2. 5dc into 2nd ch from hook. Now working in a spiral (this is fiddly) work 1dc into every dc made round and round x 4 times. 3htr into every dc to make a flat 'base' for the stalk. Sl st into first htr to finish. Fasten off.

Construction:
Simply sew the stalk onto the centre of the pumpkin with running stitch, attaching the leafy bit onto the edge of the stalk.

Et voila! One little pumpkin!



Tuesday 13 June 2017

Geese... flying overhead...


Suffolk is a beautiful county. Near enough to the bright lights of cities such as London, Norwich and Cambridge to get your urban fix (and I do need a fix now and then), but actually it's a rural idyll. The summers are golden with wheat in the fields. 
Some mornings I see geese flying over my house in their beautiful V formation. They have inspired my new throw design 'Wild Goose Chase' . Once you have got the hang of the 2-tone crochet square it's easy to create beautiful shapes. This pattern is published in this month's Crochet Now magazine if you would like to give it a try xx




Saturday 29 April 2017

Yarn Shop Day 2017

Saturday 6 May is Yarn Shop Day! How fabulous to have a day dedicated to the many independent yarn shops around the UK. We should fly the flag of creativity as often as we can, it makes for a happier healthier life for sure.

I'll be at the gorgeous gem of a shop 'Sew Much To Do' on Hatter St in Bury St Edmunds, talking about yarn yarn yarn! In particular, I'll be focusing on 2 of my most recent designs, both crocheted with Stylecraft's beautiful soft Special DK...



Humbug Throw, a total riot of vibrant colours which just seem to work together!





...And my newest creation, Starflower Throw. This has a real vintage feel, pretty colours in a Duck Egg blue surround.




So hope to see you there, what fun it will be ! Saturday 6 May 2017, Sew Much To Do, Hatter St, Bury St Edmunds



Tuesday 14 March 2017

Happy Days...



So, do I tackle the 'Boring Things I Must Do' list, which seems to get longer, no matter how hard I try to shorten it, or...hmmmm... do I crochet myself a blanket so HUGE I can hide underneath it and make the aforementioned list simply disappear?! Yes, that sounds perfect! Have a lovely day, avoiding the boring lists too if you possibly can ! xxx
PS my Sedge Stitch Pattern is available as a freebie on my Patterns Page here if you'd like to try it.