Ding Dong Merrily...

As the inevitable roll (stagger?!) towards Christmas starts again, my mind turns to all things crochet-crafty-festive. Thought I'd share this cute decoration pattern with you; I hang these jingly decs up all over the place, windows, over the fireplace, even a few together as a garland look sweet and twinkly, merry and bright (see, I am trying really really hard to muster up the spirit even in November).

So, without further ado, here's my pattern. Hope you enjoy it!

You will need
Any cotton yarn you fancy (pic shows Scheepjes Catona 'Royal Orange')
A 3.5mm crochet hook
A cheap thin metal bangle
A bell decoration, or anything to hang in the centre
Some twine/ribbon

It's easy to crochet around something like a bangle, just take it slow to keep your stitches even.

Round 1: Attach yarn around bangle, then make 59dc around, ss to first dc to join.

Round 2: *skip 3 dc, (3tr, ch2, 3tr) in next dc, skip 3 dc, ss in next dc: rep from * 6 more times, ss into final 2 dc. Fasten off, weave in ends.

...and there you have it! Just tie your bell to the twine or ribbon, and attach the twine/ribbon around the bangle at the top where you made the final 2 ss. If you want, you can starch these, or paint on a thin layer of 50% water/50% PVA glue to the back to give them a bit more structure.

Enjoy, have fun, try different yarns (maybe some glittery yarn oooh there's my next make right there!), experiment with colours, more stitches, y'know, just enjoy the playing around. It's too early for me to even... urh... say happy Christmas, but for now, happy calm-before-the-festive-storm. xxx

Hexagons are the new circles... or something...

Playing around with yarn, creating, letting the mind have a wander, it's all good isn't it? My youngest has recently been studying tessellation at school, and I thought it was such a cool topic that I joined in too. Circles becoming a hexagon, well, I was unaware they could do that before! And the yarn here in my new rug design 'Blue Lagoon' is super-lovely to work with. It's a heavy duty cotton by Hoooked called Spesso. There is of course no give in it whatsoever so it's tough work with a 10mm hook. Calloused hands, pah, I do not care. I have a wonderful new yarn in my life (and a rather fabulous rug too)...

The pattern is out now in Issue 75 of Simply Crochet Magazine!

cool cool colours... in hot hot heat...

Oh my, it's like the Sahara in Suffolk at the moment. We are in the hottest part of the UK, no rain for almost 8 weeks. Pathetic pale Brit that I am, I am keeping out of the sun and finding dark dingy corners of the house to work in. But just notice, if you will, my colour choice of late, it's all cool greens, with cool soothing names like Moon Stone and Tiber... the new Scheepjes River Washed shades (such as the aforementioned Tiber) are very beautiful. I hear the sound of running streams, I see dappled light on babbling brooks, if only there were an actual river to jump in right now... I'd be right there...

Forest Shawl

Take the wonderful hexagon. It's a fabulous shape, right? It's loved by crochet fans everywhere for its delightful tessellating qualities and speed of flying off the hook. Oh, and what goes on within those 6 sides can be amazing. 

We often walk in the woods and forests near our house and I felt inspired by the light dappling through the leaves. Time to design. The yarns for this new Forest Shawl (yes, an obvious name but it is apt I guess!) had to be Scheepjes' Catona as even the names were perfect: Forest Green and Spruce. 

One hexagon with a certain off-kilter repeat in it. On its own, well, it's perfectly fine. Add it to many others...and... there's the pattern! Swirling leaves appear. The beauty of repeat. The beauty of crochet. This pattern is out now in Inside Crochet issue 103 should you desire some forest vibes in your life...

Sunday Collar

So thrilled my Sunday Collar is available in the fabulous new Scheepjes YARN Book-a-zine 5 'Woman' out now! I loved working on this design, it's always interesting to be challenged with concepts outside one's sphere of comfort (and expertise, can I say that?) And I don't usually work on such a fine hook. There is a lot of very intricate and beautiful lacework crochet out there at the moment, and this is probably as near to that delicate work as I'm ever going to get. The yarn is Scheepjes Sweet Treat, an utter joy to work with, as the colours are strong and deep, and the yarn is smooth and just gorgeous. This sweet collar looks beautiful worn over a blouse, or works equally well worn as a pretty neck adornment with a little summer vest top. Options! Always good to keep your options open, my Mum tells me this regularly and I reckon it's sound advice from one of the wonderful women in my life! 

Sore hands, could it be Too Much Crochet syndrome?

Well, there has been far too much crochet going on over the past couple of weeks. I can tell because my hands ache. And, as I simply refuse to stop taking on fabulous commissions from various lovely places such as crochet mags and fabulous yarn makers, something has to be done to save my poor aching fingers!

The answer, I discovered, is simple. Gardening is not only good for the soul, but good for the hands too, as I think I must be using different movements for planting and weeding to dc-ing and trebling! My recent purchase of this beautiful selection of herbs for my herb bed is now planted in the ground, waiting for some sun. There's yarrow, borage, cotton lavender, hyssop, chamomile, thyme, nepeta, angelica and lavenders. A bee's delight in a few weeks I hope. My hands feel better for the break too.

  
In all seriousness, though, us crafters do have to watch out for RSI and muscle strain by taking regular breaks from our beloved projects, even if it is almost impossible to put down the work and move away. 'Just one more row' I know- I can almost hear you saying it! xxxx

Mosaic love...

Hi there, not much time to chat on in my usual waffling way today! Too busy!! Found a new favourite obsession!!!! Oh my, mosaic crochet is both fun AND highly addictive. I'm just writing a new pattern for my new design and cannot stop. What do you think: a cushion cover? A baby blanket? A big throw? A bag?? Right, back to it. Some of us have got work to do, you know.

Spring is coming... Daffodils too!

Spring is in the air... even though it's freezing! Late Feb means daffodils are popping their brave beautiful blooms out of the ground. And on that note, I'm crocheting daffodils... The reason for this daffy make is to help raise money for the Marie Curie charity, which offers end of life care and support. A charity close to many of our hearts I'm sure.

You can find my free pattern on my Patterns Page; if you'd like to get involved and make daffodils to raise money for your local Marie Curie charity, please do.

UPDATE!  2 April 2018

So far, our crocheted daffodils have raised £120 for Marie Curie. I am very proud and very very grateful to everyone at Crochet Club (and beyond) who helped. You are all stars, thank you! xxx