Autumn/Winter Projects Update

I'm really enjoying crocheting this poncho.  I just love making the cables. Every time I come to the end of a row I can't put it down and have to do another row to see how it looks.

These pictures aren't showing the colour very well. The middle one is the best of the three.

My main problem with getting the poncho done is trying to unravel the coat that I had originally knit with the yarn. Well, it's not really the unravelling that's so hard but unpicking the seams before I can even start to unravel. The one good thing is that I don't think I'll need all the yarn from the coat to finish the poncho.

Anyway, at some point I wasn't getting too far with the seam-unpicking and knitting-unravelling so I started the Star Fruit Rug from my Boho Crochet book. I didn't use the yarn suggested in the pattern but substituted Drops Paris cotton instead.

The colours I used were as close as I could get to those used in the original design. My colours were red, orange, mustard, moss green, green, dark turquoise, denim blue, raspberry, petrol and dark purple. The Drops Paris yarn, which is Aran weight, is horrible to work with; it splits constantly. But I'm happy with the finished rug!

I like to have something to work on in the car too. This lap blanket was started using three 100g balls of chunky acrylic that I had in my stash. The black and the sort of grey looking one were Stylecraft but I'm not sure about the green yarn. I ended up buying another two 100g balls of Rico chunky to finish the blanket.

This one is going to the Rathfriland Manor Nursing Home where I think it would be suitable for an elderly gentleman to use.

It is certainly a very warm blanket, as I know from having it across my knees when I was making it.

Thanks for all your comments, as usual. I'm joining with Jennifer and her Winter Project Link Party.

A Lap Blanket

Here's a little lap blanket I made recently. I used some left over Aran weight yarn and a 5mm hook to make this. The pink is 50% wool and 50% acrylic and the yellow is a Stylecraft 100% acrylic. The pattern for the motif was in a Simply Crochet magazine a few months ago.

Can you see where I ran out the yellow yarn and had to use pink?

Each motif was started with a yellow circle and then the pink flower part was done. So that's two motifs that just about cross the middle of the picture below. I joined the motifs as I made them. There was a hole left where four motifs were joined. Yes, the blanket is full of holes, but this was a considerably big hole! So I made the yellow flower/star to fill in the gaps.

I'm really pleased with the results and hope that whichever elderly resident of the Manor Nursing Home gets to use it will also be happy with it.

Thank you so much for the very encouraging comments about my St. Petersburg blanket. Well, I'd better hurry on as this is just a quick post to let you see what I've been crocheting. Bye for now.

Thanks for Guessing

This is the picture I showed you in my last post. Thanks to everyone who tried to guess where it is. No-one got it right! This is Stornoway. We visited here very near the end of our holiday. Unfortunately I still haven't got the holiday photos sorted out to let you see them. We've had people staying. That's my excuse!

Anyway, what about a spot of crochet? Before I went on holiday I finished a cardigan for myself. It is worked from the bottom up, fronts and back all at the same time. When the armholes are reached you crochet the sleeves. Then the cardigan is finished by crocheting the sleeves into the main body and continuing to the neck, decreasing as you go. The pattern is from my Crochet Noro book.

I'm really pleased with it. Not least because it fits me (unlike the dreaded Aran coat which I have yet to un-knit). Do you see how the beech hedge has produced gorgeous new leaves?

Here's a close-up of the pattern. Three rows of trebles (UK) - or double crochet for US readers - followed by a row of V-stitches. Very simple but effective. The yarn is Stylecraft Senses Lace. I've used it before for a little shrug I made last year.

A couple of evenings ago I started trying out some of the patterns from the Boho Crochet book. There are lots of very beautiful items in this book! Very tempting indeed.

The Annie blanket looked simple so I tried a small sample. Then I realised it would make a lovely cosy for my one-person cafetiere. What do you think? Isn't it cute?

It's just some leftover scraps of yarn; all 100% acrylic. A mix of Stylecraft Special and Robin yarns. I used some blue buttons to keep it on.

Finally, here is our amaryllis about to flower. It first flowered shortly after the New Year of 2014. Then it flowered again after a couple of weeks of the first flower dying. Nothing more until now.

When it is in full bloom I'll let you see it again.

At last I've remembered! I keep meaning to tell you something but when I'm writing my posts I forget. Remember I told you about roasting rhubarb? Well, have you ever tried spreading roast rhubarb on toast? Or on a pancake? Or on a scone? Like you would use jam? It's delicious! Go on, give it a try. And talking of rhubarb, that reminds me that there's still lots more out there waiting to be roasted.

All the best for now.

Shall We Dance?

Let me just say, right away, that I can't dance. I'm totally useless. But this isn't really about dancing as you'll see when you read on.

All you knitters and crocheters will know that it's inevitable that, no matter how hard you try, you eventually amass a bit of a yarn stash. In an attempt to use up some of my stash I decided to crochet a blanket. This was also something that I wanted to be able to work on in the car (as a passenger!) even when the journey was done during the hours of darkness. 

It had to be something simple so I settled on doing a Granny stripe. Since I was just using up scraps of yarn, although for some of the colours I had almost a full 100g ball, I didn't make the stripes any particular number of rows. In fact, some of the rows have a colour change at some point along it.

The crocheting was therapeutic. Row after row of three treble groups. I always counted; one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three ... My mind wandered and I thought how the counting was like the timing for a waltz. Then it wandered further; to one of my favourite musicals; The King and I. It has to be the one with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr, of course. Then I was singing to myself 'Shall we Dance?' and the blanket was henceforth known as the 'Shall we Dance?' blanket. When I started crocheting it, I had no intention of giving it a name!

Right, I'd better stop talking about it and let you see it. This is it spread over the mattress on a double bed. It gives you an idea of the size.

This is slightly better colour though not quite the full size.

The rest of the photos were taken outside to try and get the colours to show up well. First, draped over the sweet pea frame.

Now spread out a bit over the sweet pea frame. I'm sure by this stage the neighbours were  well and truly convinced of my insanity.

Here's a close up of the border.

Spread over the summer seat.

Same again but from a different angle. Well, you know what it's like! You just keep taking photos.

Folded and sitting on the summer seat.

Then flipped over to show the other colours.

For something that was done just to use up left over yarn, and done mostly in the dark, I think it has turned out very well. In fact, I'm delighted with it. Really, really love it. Every time I catch a glimpse of it, it makes me smile.

The facts:

The blanket weighs 1.45 kg. That means it took fourteen and a half 100g balls. I actually had to buy six of those in order to have enough.

The yarn is mainly Stylecraft Special DK with some Robin DK so it is entirely made from acrylic yarn.

And look! This is all I had left. 

Let me hasten to add that this is not all that is left in my stash. It's all that is left of the yarn that was suitable for this blanket.

The blanket will soon be going to my son. That is who I crocheted it for because he wants to make his house more homely. He doesn't know yet that he's getting it; it will be a surprise. I hope he'll be pleased with it. After all, there's nothing more homely than a Granny striped blanket, is there?

Thanks for all the lovely comments you leave. Please let me know what you think of the blanket. Bye for now.

How's it Going?

I hope you are all keeping well and enjoying the fact that we're now into February. I have a few projects to show you, in case you were thinking I haven't been doing anything. Here's the scarf I crocheted for my sister. She liked the hat I made her so much that she asked for a matching scarf.

It is made using James C Brett marble DK and an 8mm hook, working trebles into the back loop only. (UK treble or US double crochet stitches). It turned out lovely and soft and squishy, long enough to wrap round twice.

Do you remember my crocheted chillis? I had a bit of a problem with how to display them. Some of your comments suggested joining them together to make a ristra. I tried that - had tried even before I posted about the chillis. There's only one way to describe what the chillis looked like. A cow's udder. Enough said.

Another solution had to be found for the chillis and I favoured a crocheted bowl. It has taken me all this time to finally get round to it. The yarn has been sitting in my bag all these months just waiting to be made into this useful little bowl. It's made using Stylecraft Special DK in Denim. I used a strand of Claret to work a little running stitch 

round the top of the bowl. I'm extremely pleased with the result!

Another project that I'm working on is my Aran coat, started back here. It keeps being left to one side to get something else done; like my crocheted socks. But, even with all the interruptions, the coat is progressing quite well. One of the fronts is finished.

And the back is now up to the waist. When I get the back finished I want to check that I am going to have enough wool to finish. I'm using wool from New Lanark Mill - well, it's 90% wool and 10% silk.

I'm pleasantly surprised at how quickly the coat is making up. Though I'm sure by the time it's finished it will be too warm to wear it!

Let me know what you think of my makes. I love to read your comments. Bye!

Armchair Cushion

Remember the armchair throw? Judging by your lovely comments you all seemed to really like it. You also seemed to like the armchair too so I'll tell you the story!

First of all, have a look at the cushion I made to match the throw.

It's made using Granny squares in each of the colours used for the throw (Stylecraft Special DK in Claret, Burgundy, Petrol and Mocha). Back and front are the same. I made the cushion filler using an old t-shirt belonging to the husband. He never liked it nor wore it so now it has a new life!

Here are the throw and cushion together on the armchair.

Now the armchair story. We got this, another the same and a leather sofa from Next about this time last year. Our old leather suite had seen much better days and had to go. Actually, calling it a leather suite was a bit of a liberty. It was bonded leather. Something I didn't know anything about until our suite started to shed the very thin layer of leather it was covered in. It looked really awful. I covered it with a tartan quilt for a while but eventually we could bear it no longer.

Our son was living in a rented house in which the landlord had left a suite that was arguably worse than ours. So son contacted landlord and agreed that the leather suite could come to live in his rented house. We hitched up the trailer and delivered the leather suite, where it lived happily until the landlord happened to call one day a few months later. He thought it looked so bad that he got it removed and supplied another suite which, although it certainly isn't new, is a lot better than either of the other two suites!

Would you like to meet Priscilla? Priscilla is the beautiful pink rabbit I won in Suzy's giveaway. She arrived a few days ago with a card from Suzy and a little bag of tiny hearts.

Thank you so much Suzy; I don't know how you could bring yourself to part with this gorgeous bunny!

Isn't she just the cutest rabbit you've ever seen?

Welcome to my new followers and thanks for all the comments you leave. All the best for now.

Snowy Days

Welcome back; it's lovely to have you visiting again. When I tried to do this post a few days ago, I couldn't load my photos because of a server error. I've no idea what caused it or how to fix it. Thankfully I have a new iMac, just set up today, and I'm able to load my photos without any problem.

On Friday last the husband was off for the day; I'm always off on Fridays. We were going to take the trailer and get loaded up with wood blocks but we woke to a white world. We decided that discretion was the better part of valour and didn't try taking the car out with the trailer attached.

We leave plenty of food for the wild birds and they really needed it. The feeders are next to our beehives.

 I couldn't resist taking some photos as it looked really lovely.

 All of a sudden the snow started falling again. It was beautiful to watch though it made everything look like the world was in black and white instead of colour.

The poor wee birds. They still had to come looking for food even though it was snowing.

These two daffodils are the only two in the garden that are blooming!

Now it just so happens that on Thursday last week (the day before it snowed), I saw a pattern for crocheted socks in the Simply Crochet magazine. And, I saw where Daisy had actually crocheted said socks. In fact, she has since crocheted another pair for her mother. Well, when I saw the snow I knew what I simply had to do; crochet a pair of cosy socks for myself. I couldn't start right away as we braved the elements and went out for coffee. It was actually Friday evening before I could finally get out some yarn, my hooks and the pattern and get started. I thought it would be a good idea to work the two socks together. So make the toe for the first sock, make the toe for the second sock, work the first stripe of the first sock, work the first stripe of the second sock and so on. Things went really well until I had done the number of rows stated in the pattern before I was supposed to turn the heel. I have long, narrow feet which necessitated me having to work an extra five rows before the foot section was long enough! That held me back!! I crocheted like someone possessed as I really wanted to get them finished before going to bed. Anyway, I turned the heel on both socks and crocheted the number of rows that were supposed to be completed before the rib top. Again this was too short for me and I needed an extra three rows. Too late though for Friday night and I had to leave them to finish on Saturday.

The snow was still about on Saturday as there were some more snow showers overnight. It was a beautiful day so, after being out in the morning, I spent the afternoon in the kitchen. I made more blackcurrant cordial and a batch of cranberry sauce. We had some with Sunday lunch and it was delicious.

Then I also baked apple and blackberry tart using fruit from our garden. This is the first tart ...

... and this is the second.

Side by side!

These were also delicious even though I say so myself!

What about my socks? I got them finished on Saturday evening and took some photos on Sunday morning.

The socks are very cosy and I just love looking at them. They make me laugh every time I see them. I'm hoping you'll let me know what you think of them.

I'm just so excited to be able to get back to my blogging with this new iMac. It's taking a bit of getting used to but I'm picking it up pretty quickly.

Something else exciting happened. I won a giveaway! And my prize arrived today. It is a beautiful pink rabbit that Suzy very kindly sent me. You can see the rabbit here but I will also be taking photos of it and letting you see how lovely it is.

That's all for now. Thank you for all your comments and a welcome to new followers. I hope you are managing to keep warm wherever you are and hopefully not too warm.