Poncho Finito

Well, my poncho is finished and I've been wearing it too. I'm really pleased with how it turned it. The husband and I were going for coffee one Saturday morning recently and I asked him to take a few photos of me wearing my poncho. Here's the first one.

I really don't know what he was thinking of! Anyway, he took a few more and I'm actually in them. See how swollen the Bannn river is; we've had so much rain.

You can look back here, here and here to see some more details about the poncho. It took a lot of work as, if you spread it out, it would be almost as big as a single bed blanket.

The green yarn is from New Lanark Mills and is 90% wool and 10% silk. It smells like real wool should and has a lovely crisp feeling (if you know what I mean!). I was a bit worried that it would be itchy but it's fine. The collar is knit using a full ball of James C Brett Faux Fur in colour H2. That doesn't convey much about the colour, does it? It's a silvery grey with a slight tinge of green.

Ha, ha!! I've just noticed how long my cardigan sleeves look! Actually, it was only because my cardigan was falling off underneath the poncho.

Let me know what you think of my poncho. I hope you like it as much as I do. Sorry about not being able to do much commenting recently. My shoulders and arms are sore so I'm trying to reduce the amount of typing I do. I didn't even realise, for a while, that apart from not having much time, this pain was putting me off using a keyboard except when absolutely necessary.

By the way, have a look back here if you want to read why I say finito.

All the best for now and I hope to get reading and commenting on your blogs soon.

Crocheted Bag Finito

First of all, thanks for the great comments on the garden and the wind chimes. I passed them on to the husband and he is well chuffed!

A while ago my brother asked me to crochet a bag for my sister-in-law's birthday, just like a bag I'd crocheted for myself. The details about the yarn I used are in my post about this commission, and also on winding the yarn and progress on making the bag here and here and here.

Well, the bag is finito. You can check back to read about why I say finito.

Here it is with the edges done and the handles attached. Also a wee tab for the button.

The colours of the bag really look well against the copper beech hedge!

The lining fabric matches so well, I think.

So this is the bag before being lined.

The lining fabric was cut to the right size and I added three pockets.

The bag sits better after being lined; you can barely notice any difference but it's just more substantial looking.

A bit more refined!

Open up to show the lining; two small pockets on one side ...

... and one bigger pocket on the other side.

It was my sister-in-law's birthday yesterday. She was really delighted with her new bag and especially with the colour scheme (which was chosen by my brother, not me).

I'm well pleased! I'm pleased to have been asked to make the bag, I enjoyed the making and I'm pleased that it was well received.

What do you think of it? I'd love to hear your comments.

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.

Armchair Throw

Hello everyone and welcome back again. A special welcome to my new followers. Thank you all for reading and for your lovely comments. It takes time to leave a comment so I really appreciate them all.

In my last post I promised you an update on my crocheting. Well, here is my armchair throw and it is finito. I took it outside for some photos to get the best possible light.

It's not a full blanket size but just the right size for leaving over the armchair. The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK, a really nice acrylic yarn. I used burgundy, claret, petrol and mocha. I love it when they give the colours a name; especially when the name conveys a good indication of what the colour is like.

Rather than making a Granny square, I decided to try my hand at a Granny rectangle. This ws actually more tricky than it sounds! Quite a bit of maths was required to get it started at the length needed so that when the number of rounds were done to make it the right width, it ended up also being the right length. I think it turned out very well, though I don't know that Granny rectangles as set to really catch on.

Here it is draped over the back of the armchair.

A good match, I think. I've also crocheted a cushion cover with some of the leftover yarn. I just need to get a suitable cushion pad to fill it and then I'll let you see what it's like.

My sister has asked me to crochet a scarf for her to match the hat I did. It's almost finished now. Then I will be able to get back to my knitted Aran coat. So far I have finished one of the fronts and probably a third of the back. I'm really pleased with how it is turning out and can't wait to see it finished.

All the best for now. It's hard to believe we're almost half way though January already! Which reminds me; I must let you see the latest additions to our garden. Next time!

Mini Finitos

Welcome to my new followers - another few have joined us - and many thanks for your lovely comments. I've really enjoyed reading them all.

 

This post is just to let you see some of the mini projects I've finished since coming back from my holidays. Do you remember the Hebridean wool I bought on Skye? You can read about it here if you don't or this is the first you've heard of it! I used the wool to knit the husband a new hat for the winter. Here it is. Just a simple cabled beanie but he likes it. It isn't cold enough to wear it yet; he has that pleasure to look forward to. I probably only used half the ball, so when he either loses the hat or pulls it to bits in the thorn hedge, I'll be able to knit him another one.

 

This next project was actually crocheted while I was on Skye (started here and completed here). I started making a bowl thinking I would use it to store odd balls of yarn. But while I was crocheting I thought it would be nice to use the bowl to display some heather. So, since coming home, I've put heather in the crocheted bowl and here it is. The heather is set straight into the bowl without anything else inside. I'm really pleased with the results. I like the way the bowl isn't completely rigid and sort of slumps a bit.

Now here is something really, really strange. When I made the heather bowl I thought I was doing something reasonably unique. Certainly not following a pattern or even replicating something I'd seen and liked. The book below is one I got about four months ago and think it has lots of gorgeous patterns in it. I flicked through it a few times when it was new and started a cardigan (which has been left to one side for now).

After coming home from my holiday, I was looking through the book again to find a pattern for a hat, and look what I found!! A crocheted bowl with, admittedly not heather, but similar looking flowers in it. Is it just a coincidence? Or did I see this picture months ago and make my heather bowl because this image was stored somewhere deep in my subconscious?

Anyway, I found a pattern for a tam that I thought would be nice for making myself a hat with the alpaca yarn I bought on Skye (read about it here). I worked a strand of King Cole Cosmos yarn along with the alpaca to achieve the sparkly effect.

Here I am modelling the hat. I wear it even though it isn't really all that cold yet. It's not just about being warm, is it? I love this wee tam and I've had many compliments on it.

These squares are finished and blocked though not joined yet to make a bag. While loading the photos for this post I went off and ordered leather handles. Susan, who writes Simple Cozy Living, suggested that I try bittersweetbasketsandsupply.com for leather handles and I was very impressed with what they have to offer. Thanks you Susan for pointing me in the right direction.

My peg loom arrived while I was away so it was great to unpack it and get weaving as soon as possible. I did a few small pieces first to practise; I'll show you them another time as I'm going to use them for small wall hangings. Here is my first proper woven scarf. What do you think? It's made using Stylecraft Swift Knit Super Chunky in Wedgewood. I'll show you more about the peg loom another time. I posted about wanting to get one way back here and Ingrid of My Funky Crochet let me know that I could get a loom from Jenny's Crafts and Soft Furnishings. Thanks Ingrid!

I think that will do for now. For those of you interested in the cotton blanket - I've had to put it aside for awhile as I want to make lots of things for Christmas. I want to make so many things!! All the best. Leave me a comment please about my mini finitos and let me know if you like them.

Baby Blanket

There was some Rowan Fine Milk cotton in my yarn cupboard. It's a lovely soft yarn being a mix of 70% cotton and 30% milk protein. I have no idea how milk protein is made into yarn but it is! Although the result is beautiful, the yarn is quite hard to work with as it tends to split.

 

Anyway, this is really a baby yarn so I decided to make a small baby blanket. I wanted it to be lacy so I used a 4mm hook instead of the recommended 2.75mm. The pattern for the square is from a Reader's Digest book called The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches; the Daisy Cluster square. Using the 4mm hook these worked out at 4" square. I joined them as I went along, alternating the Snow (this is a soft off-white rather than a bright white) with the cream shade (sorry, can't remember what it's called), so as to end up with a bigger square made up of seven by seven of the small squares.

 

Using the cream, I then crocheted a border using pattern 93 from Edie Eckman's book Around the Corner Crochet Borders. This worked out about 2" deep, making the finished blanket 32" square. When I was crocheting the border I thought I was maybe going to run out of yarn. Ingrid, of the funkycrochet blog, very kindly checked where I could get more of the yarn; it has been discontinued. In the end I got the border finished without any problems.

 

There it is - a baby blanket that didn't take too long to make and is now finito. I'm going to give it to a friend who is expecting a baby early next year. I really hope she likes it.

Daisy, Daisy

Do you know this little song?

Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do.

I'm half crazy all for the love of you.

It won't be a stylish marriage,

I can't afford a carriage.

But you'll look sweet,

Upon the seat,

Of a bicycle made for two.

This post has nothing to do with marriage or tandems but rather another crocheted blanket. I didn't get a chance to show you its beginnings and now it's finito.

The blanket is made up of seventy two daisies and these are arranged in six rows of twelve.

All the daisies are made first and then joined using the green to make a leaf at each corner. Most of the daisies were made in the car and some of the joining was also done in the car.

Each strip of daisies has a round of raspberry pink done before joining the six strips of daisies into a blanket, also using the pink.

When all the strips have been joined an outer edging is worked right round the blanket using the raspberry pink yarn. So here's the finished daisy blanket. It isn't very big, measuring approximately 44" wide by 57" long, but it's big enough for the bottom of a bed or the back of a settee. I think this will make a nice present for someone special; I have someone in mind!

Here it is folded in my green work basket.

I love the way the sun is shining on the daisies in this picture.

Spread out over the back of a small settee.

There are too many shadows in this picture but one of the shadows is of the chair I'm standing on so I've put it in anyway.

 
This is the daisy blanket! The daisy blanket is finito!!

The pattern for the blanket is from a book called Crocheting Easy Blankets, Throws and Wraps. It was £2.99 in The Works so I had to buy it just because it was so cheap. Unfortunately the pattern has quite a few mistakes but I managed to get them sorted out.

The green yarn is Robin Aran, 75% acrylic and 25% wool, taken from my stash. The yellow is Stylecraft Baby Aran which is 100% acrylic. The white and pink are both Stylecraft Special Aran which is also 100% acrylic. The Stylecraft Special yarn is very soft and makes lovely blankets. Normally I would steer away from acrylic, preferring to use natural yarns such as wool, cotton, silk, alpaca, linen and so on.

Anyway, the blanket is crocheted using a 5mm hook. I used 1 x 200g ball yellow (used less than half the ball), 5 x 100g balls white, the equivalent of 3 x 100g balls of green (this yarn comes in 400g balls) and 4 x 100g balls of raspberry pink.

This blanket will be really warm as the daisies are very plush and deep. All in all it's a very squishy, chunky beauty!

I hope you like this garden of daisies. Let me know what you think of it please!

Bye for now.