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

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!

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

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

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.