Crochet workshops @ Butterfly Bright, Sherborne Call Ali or Lizzie on 01935 817303 for details of upcoming crochet workshops or check out the website for lots of other gorgeous crafty courses.
Daisy May's crochet workshops Join me at Daisy May's in Wareham for:
Beginners & Intermediate Crochet. Call Fiona or Karen for information on upcoming courses 01929 551185.
Crochet @ The Olive Tree Easter courses for children & grown ups, come & crochet some egg cosies & pretty flowers at The Olive Tree. Plus, a four week summer course (one date per month, giving you plenty of time to work on your skills in between classes!), where we'll be putting together a gorgeous summer throw, amongst other projects. Call 01929 477260 for dates and details.
And a whole heap of eggs! Inspired by the simple knitting patterns in my MS 'Living' last spring (knit a rectangle, stitch up both sides and hey presto, instant hat), I thought I'd use up the last bits of Debbie Bliss 'Cashmerino' from 'Crochet Cat'. And here are the results, little egg cosies decorated with sherbert coloured pom poms. Many of you will remember my Cascade 'Magnum' knitted scarf with it's enormous pom poms - well here's the opposite end of the size spectrum. Worked around the tiniest cardboard circle, I used some Debbie Bliss 'Rialto Lace'(pink and green), Rowan 'Wool Cotton' (lilac) and the blue hand-dyed yarn I picked up in Vancouver last year. For the egg cosies:
With a 4mm hook work a foundation chain of 17; row 2 - 1dc into 3rd chain from hook, *ch1, skip 1 stitch, 1dc* repeat from *to* across; row 3 - turning chain 2, *1dc into 1ch sp, ch1* repeat from *to* across; repeat row 3 working your dc into ch sp and separating each dc with 1ch until you have 24 rows in total. Fold your rectangle in half and stitch down each side. For US crochet, replace the dc with single crochet.
And here's a little pile of spring inspiration - I can't seem to get enough of sherbert shades and gorgeous yarn at the moment. Bottom up - my 'star' blanket from 'Inside Crochet', issue 38, Feb 2013 in Jeanette Sloan 'baby alpaca dk', shade 'chartreuse'; my craft cotton summer weight cot blanket, mix of craft cotton, Rowan 'cotton glace' and any other left over cotton I could find!; a matinee jacket in Rowan 'Wool Cotton', all topped off with my pom pom yarns. It's about time I finished some of my mountain of projects. But with Easter here I've been a bit distracted with....
... our Easter tree.
The kids and I have been blowing and painting our bantams' eggs to add to the beautiful blossom branches gathered from the garden. And the contents of the eggs made it into some delicious cinammon buns which have proved popular today!
Hope you've all had a peaceful and enjoyable Easter. I'm hoping today's sunshine is a sign of the spring weather we're all longing for here in England xxx
Just a quick post to show you how I"m joining my random granny squares as I work...
As you can see, I've moved on to the pinks and greys. Essentially, I work three rounds of the square and then position my square to see approximately where it will fit with a fourth and final round. I then start the round on the top side and join where appropriate on the joining sides. I work 1dc (1sc US crochet) in the place of the 1ch that would normally separate the 3tr. At a corner, I work 1ch 1dc into the adjoining squares 1ch in between my two sets of 3tr. I wish the photos were clearer, but with the snow and a sick boy (we've been house bound for 3 days now), I haven't been able to pick up my dad's super duper all-singing, all-dancing camera, and my little old Olympus automatic isn't really up to 'how to' photos!!! Hopefully, you'll get the picture though.
And for those of you with some odd bits of yarn crying out to be used up, here is the bookmark 'flower' pattern...
Use the hook size appropriate for your yarn, I used a 3.5mm with a dk yarn (mix of baby cashmerino, eco baby cotton, sirdar snuggly...).
Round 1: with a slip ring work 3ch (counts as 1tr) 11tr into ring, pull tight and ss into top of 3ch to close. Cut yarn and weave in end.
Round 2: change yarn and join to any of the stitches from the previous round with a dc. Work a further dc into same st and then 2dc into each st, ss into original dc. Cut yarn and weave in end.
Round 3: using a fine crochet cotton, eg. Anchor artiste no.8 and a 1.25mm hook, work a dc into the top of any stitch from previous round. Work 1tr 3dtr 1tr into next st, ss into following st, continue this petal pattern round finishing with a ss into original dc. Cut yarn and sew in.
I attached my flowers to a short length of ribbon on the sewing machine with a simple running stitch, back and forth a few times. I would probably have hand stitched them, but the machine was out on the kitchen table and I was after an instant project! You can see there is some variation in my bookmarks - I'm not good with repetition, hence some I have used htr for the centre (in which case just ch2 to start), some have only 9sts to start, some I have worked in an additional round in the same colour after round 2 (2dc into blo followed by 1dc into next 2sts, repeat around), etc. I gave each of the flowers a quick press with a steam iron before sewing into place - just lay a linen napkin or tea towel between your flowers and your iron to protect them when ironing. Have fun with what you've got ;) xxx ps. will post a photo tutorial for this as soon as I get my hands on that camera!!!
....I'm still hooking up snowflakes in all colours for my Christmas stocking and just in case you were planning some last minute Christmas crochet, here is the pattern.
Yellow snowflake in foreground:
Round 1: slip ring, 2ch (counts as 1 htr) into ring,
11htr into ring, ss into top of 2ch, pull ring tight to close.
Round 2: 1ch *2dc into back loop only of next st, 1dc
into blo of following st*, repeat from *to* finish with ss into 1ch (19sts)
Round 3: 3ch (counts as 1dc, 2ch), skip 1st,
*1dc, 2ch, sk 1st*, rep from *to* finish with ss into 2ch (29sts)
Round 4: 1ch, *2dc into next 2ch space from prev rd,
1dc into next 2ch sp, 14ch (to form one spike of snowflake), sk 1ch nearest
hook and ss into each of next 13ch, finish with 1dc into same ch sp*, repeat
from *to* alternating 10ch for the next spike and 14ch for the following,
finish with ss into 1ch.
Round 5: 1ch, ss into each st from prev rd on each of
the 6 sides in between the spikes.
On the 14ch spikes, work 2ss, 5ch 4ss back along
chain, 3ss, 4ch 3ss back along ch, 2ss, 3ch 2ss back along ch, 8ss up and over
top of spike before repeating pattern back down opposite side of spike i.e. 3ch
2ss, 2ss, 4ch 3ss, 3ss, 5ch 4ss, 2ss.
On the 10ch spikes work the same length ‘branches’, i.e. 5ch, 4ch and
3ch but separate them with 1ss, 2ss, 1ss. Finish with ss into 1ch. Cut yarn and
weave in.
Pink snowflake in background:
Round 1: slip ring, 3ch (counts as 1tr), 15tr into
ring, ss into top of 3ch, pull ring tight to close.
Round 2: 2ch *1dc into next 3sts, 2ch*, rep from *to*
four more times, ss into top of 2ch.
Round 3: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 1tr into same 2ch sp
*6ch, 2tr into 2ch corner sp* rep from *to* four more times, ss into top of 3ch.
Round 4: 1dc into next tr, 6dc into ch sp *1dc into
next 2tr from prev rd, 6dc into ch sp*, rep from *to* finish with 1dc into last
st.
Round 5: ss into top of next 7sts (blo), 10ch (to form
first ‘spike’), ss back down 9ch, ss into next 7sts, 15ch (to form next ‘spike’),
14ss back down, continue round with 7ss followed by a 12ch, 15ch and 13ch spike
(each separated by 7ss).
Round 6: ss into next 4sts, 4ch (to form picot), ss into next st, ss
into following 2sts (repeat this sequence for each ‘side’ of your snowflake, in
between the ‘spikes’). For each spike work the ‘branches’ as in the previous
pattern, but make the first one 7ch, second one 4ch (only 2 this time), 4ss up the side of your spike before the first branch and a further 3ss before the second branch, then ss up and over the top of each branch before mirroring
your pattern on the opposite side.
I used a fine crochet cotton (no.8) and a 1.25mm hook, but I've since made some using left over lace weight yarn and a 2.25mm hook, same pattern. Once you've mastered the technique of making 'spikes' and 'branches', just make up your snowflakes as you go along, that way no two will ever be the same, which is how snowflakes should be!
The stocking is nearing completion and hopefully I'll be able to 'reveal' the finished article before the 24th! xxx
And here is how to make them! What could be simpler, less than a metre of yarn and a tapestry needle is all you'll need for your first birds eye button. Here's how:
Cut your length of yarn, approximately 70-80cm (27-31”). Wrap the yarn around a crochet hook/knitting needle/pencil several times (the more you wrap it the bulkier your button will be).
Using a tapestry needle, thread the other end of the yarn and pass it through the centre of your bundle as you slide it off the hook.
Pass the needle right through the centre of the bundle and back up through the loop you have created on the outside of the bundle before pulling the yarn tight - in effect a blanket stitch (see below).
Don’t worry about the tail of the yarn bundle, you can work it in as you move around your button and snip it off at the end.
In a circle, keep working blanket stitches through the centre of the bundle. I often work with my needle upside down, pushing the blunt end (where the yarn is threaded) through the centre of the button. The sharper end can sometimes split the yarn as you go through and prevent you from getting a sharp tangle-free finish.
Your button is complete when you have filled your circle, covered your bundle of yarn and nudged up against your first stitch.
To finish off, just turn your button over and stitch through the top of your first stitch (a bit like a slip stitch in crochet! Sorry, I'm not very good with sewing terminology, but hopefully the photo helps!!).
Flip your button face side up and stitch up through the edge of the next blanket stitch, before passing the yarn through the centre of the button and out through the back, leaving a length of yarn to sew the button on when required.
Here is the finished button alongside a larger one I made earlier. The pink one is worked in dk wool over a 10mm crochet hook - hence the hole in the centre of the button. The smaller button in cotton glace wound around a 3.5mm hook.
And why not stack your finished buttons? You can sew them together, I just pass a few stitches around the stitched edges of the top button, through the inner circle of the button below. Then you only need one yarn tail to stitch your button into position.
Hope you enjoy making your own buttons, let me know how you get on xxx
ps. Rachel, I look forward to seeing them on your apple cosies!
pps. sorry about the scruffy nails, it's been a hectic few days and I haven't had time to tidy them up!!!
ppps. And 'thank you' to the quite wonderful Marion Howitt who taught me how to make these buttons at one of our Wool Workshop meetings in Corfe Castle.
A ball of linen yarn from Namolio, an old 1.25mm stainless steel hook and the following pattern are all you need for a lovely summer crochet project:
Make 6 ch, ss into first ch to close
Round 1: 2 ch (counts as 1 dc, 1 ch), 1 dc into ring, *1 ch 1 dc into ring*, repeat from *to* a further 10 times, 1 ch, ss into 2nd of 2 ch
Round 2: 1 dc into ch space, 7 ch (counts as 1 dtr, 3 ch), 1 dtr into next ch space, *3 ch, 1 dtr into next ch space*, repeat from *to* a further 9 times creating 12 spokes in total, 3 ch, ss into 4th of 7 ch
Round 3: 1 dc, 3 tr, 1 dc into each ch space
Round 4: 1 dc, 14 ch (counts as 1 trtr 7 ch) into top of 4th ch of 7 from round 2, *1 trtr into top of 1 dc at beginning of next ‘petal’ created on round 3, 7 ch*, repeat from *to* a further 10 times, ss into 7th ch of 14 ch
Round 5: *2 ch, 1 dc three times into ch space, 2 ch, 1 dc into top of trtr from round 4*, repeat from *to* a further 47 times
Round 6: ss into next 2 ch, 1 dc into middle of ch space, *3 ch, 1 dc into next 1 ch space between each dc*, repeat from *to* a further 47 times, ss into 1 dc
Round 7: repeat round 6
Round 8: ss into next 2 ch, 1 dc, 2 ch into ch space (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into next ch space, *5 ch, 2 tr tog into next 2 ch spaces*, repeat from *to* 23 times, ss into 2nd of 2 ch
Round 9: *5 ch, skip 5 ch, 1 trtr, 3 ch, 1 trtr, 3 ch, 1 trtr, 3 ch, 1 trtr into top of 2 tr tog from round 8, 5 ch, skip 5 ch, 3 dc into next ch space*, repeat from *to* a further 7 times
Round 10: *1 dc, 4 tr, 1 dc into ch space created by 5 ch, 1 dc, 3 tr, 1 dc into next 3 ch space, 1 dc, 2 tr, 1 dtr, 2 tr, 1 dc into next 3 ch space, 1 dc, 3 tr, 1 dc into next 3 ch space, 1 dc, 4 tr, 1 dc into next 5 ch space, 1 dc into 2nd of 3 dc*, repeat from *to* 7 more times. Cut yarn and sew in.
Of course, you can crochet the motif in any yarn you choose, just adjust your hook size to suit your yarn. The pattern is in UK crochet terms eg. dc (UK) = sc (US), tr (UK) = dc (US) and so on.
Pipi is off on a school trip tomorrow, so I think I'm going to sew her up a quick drawstring laundry bag with a couple of these on ;) xxx
It made me smile to see my apple cosies on German design blog designchen. My German is non-existent I'm afraid, so I'm not too sure what they were saying, but I think it was along the lines of 'the apple trees are in blossom, so get cracking on your cosies now in time for the fruit harvest later in the year'! (Any German speakers, feel free to correct me on that one!). And it set me thinking. Our crab apple tree is very much in blossom and quite beautiful. It took me a few months to master crochet, so why not - learn now and by Autumn you'll be making little apple cosies as gifts for children, their teachers, or friends. The pattern is such a simple one and is ideal for beginners - the first edition of Mollie Makes, featuring the pattern, is now available for free download (if you're an iPhone or iPad user - not me, ironically), alternatively you can get it online with The Guardian, or better still it is featured in my new book, together with a sweet little apple blossom pattern and so much more. Inspired by that very apple blossom, I picked up some green, white and pink Rowan 'cotton glace' and whipped up some lunchbox sized apple cosies for my Etsy/Folksy shop. The only problem being, the children are eating the apples as soon as I nestle them in a cosy - I'm afraid I don't even follow my own pattern, I just use an apple as my guide and off I go! xxx
The yarn I picked up in Canada is taking shape. With our spring weather here in Dorset being variable, but predominantly wet and windy, I thought Pipi could do with a pair of 'in-between-season' wristwarmers. I picked up the beautiful fine blue yarn from the Fibre Studio on Granville Island, a pair of 3.25mm needles and here we are - 45 stitches per row, 70 rows in stocking stitch, crocheted together with some pink cotton yarn and finished off with some buttons from my little jar. I simply double crocheted the two edges together, leaving a gap for the thumb and a 5mm edge at the top (to roll back - I hear rolled back knitting is on trend at the moment?!). Anyway, they look really cute and even better, they're perfect for early morning lamb feeding!
If you fancied knitting up a pair but haven't got any handspun yarn at your disposal, just use a lace weight yarn, it's ideal for spring time temperatures. I'm cracking on with my fine cotton stash project this weekend, hope you have a good one too xxx
Following on from my great balls of yarn post, I have been knitting away at my scarf and yesterday evening I indulged myself by making two huge pom poms to attach to it - each one weighing in at 68grams! And here is the finished scarf ....
Just in time for our sub zero temperatures too - it really is super warm. And if you're tempted, I used two 250g hanks of Magnum 'Cascade', 10mm needles, 15 stitches per row, 240 rows in garter stitch (knit every row). The remaining 136 grams of yarn I then divided into two equal balls for my pom poms, each one measuring 15cm in diameter.
With chunky done, I've got my sights set on trying something new - I was admiring Jill's beautiful scarf (one of the girls at our Wednesday 'Wool Group') and was completely smitten by the Habu copper yarn that she was using. The Sicilian and I hit the big smoke yesterday - he needed a new passport for our upcoming trip to Canada and I needed some more yarn!!! So two hours in the Italian Consulate (only the Italians can manage such extraordinary lengths of administrative mayhem!), followed by a trolly dash to 'I knit London', before catching the train back to Dorset. 'I knit London' is tucked away on Lower Marsh Street, just behind Waterloo station and it is packed to the rafters with the lushest of yarns. I kept my focus though, one eye on the clock, the other fixed firmly on the Habu yarn. And here's my newest, most treasured find, two cones of Habu 'wool stainless steel' ....
Violet, curious as ever, perched on the window sill to get in on the action and check out my new yarn! x
A simple project inspired by the beautiful pages of January's Martha Stewart 'Living' magazine, a pair of mittens for a little babe. My babes are too big to try these on, but I would estimate they would be ideal for newborn through to nine months(ish). If you want them bigger, just add two or three chains to your foundation chain and insert 2 rows for each additional cm of length required.
Baby Mittens
Materials: 23grams of left over yarn (I've used Rowan 'Handknit cotton' in 'ice water' 239, with a row of Debbie Bliss 'Fairtrade Eco' in 'gold' 32603;3.5mm crochet hook; 1.5m of 5mm ribbon; tapestry needle for threading ribbon and sewing in ends.
Tension: 22 stitches and 20 rows of dc over 10cm
Foundation chain: start with a slip knot and 10 ch.
Round 1: (work around the foundation chain, across the top and then back along the bottom, look at the image on the previous post to see how it should look) 1 dc into each st, working 3 dc into the end st of the foundation row before working back along the bottom and finishing with 3dc into the 1st ch.
Round 2: 1 dc into each st along top and bottom, 1 dc, 1 htr, 1 dc into end st at both ends.
Rounds 3 to 10: 1 dc into each st (including end stitches - not increasing at this point will give your mittens straight sides).
Round 11: cut yarn from round 10 and sew in. Using the contrast colour yarn, join to a st from the previous round and work 1 dc into each st finishing with a ss into 1 dc, cut yarn and sew in.
Round 12: re-attach the main colour and work 1 dc into each st.
Round 13: 1 dc into each stitch across the sides of the mitten, decrease at the end of both sides by working 2 dc together twice.
Round 14: to make the spaces to thread your ribbon, ch 2 (counts as 1 dc, 1 ch), *1 dc into next st, 1 ch*, continue round repeating *to*, finishing with a ss into original 1 ch. Cut yarn and sew in.
Thread the ribbon through the spaces created by the 1 chain, starting in the middle of one side of a mitten and finishing 1 stitch away from the start point (i.e. don't thread the ribbon through the last chain space, this will give enough room to tie the bow). With the long end of the ribbon, thread through the other mitten. You can either use the length of ribbon to keep the mittens attached and dangling out of the arms of your little coat, once you have established the right length, pull the ribbon through each mitten and trim accordingly before doing your bow. You can stitch the ribbon in the middle at the back of the coat if you don't need to move them from one coat to another. Similarly if you are concerned about the combination of a length of ribbon and a small baby, you can simply stitch a short length of the ribbon to each sleeve attaching the mittens.
