Inspired by Lichen and Bark

Progress has slowed with this blanket as the fine weather and the garden call me outside, but it is growing

At just under 3′ square this would make a good place to stop for a Baby Blanket or a Lap Blanket. It is just a few rows into Part 5 of Helen Shrimpton’s free pattern ‘Virtue’, which comes with full video tutorial.

I’m using a 4.5mm hook and Stylecraft Special Double Knit and Stylecraft Batik

I really like the texture Helen gets into her patterns, they look stunning in one colour too.

This is my 4th Virtue. I really like this pattern because, when changing the shape from a circle to a square, the corners are built up as you go rather than separately, so there are fewer ends to sew in.

Fascinating how the same pattern looks so different in different colourways. This one was inspired by Autumn

This one by a picture of flamingoes

If you were to choose a colour theme for a crochet blanket, what would it be?

 

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Ombre Blues

You might remember that I started a Ripple Blanket for Miss E.F.

I have not found it easy to get the ombre, graded effect she seemed to like. There has been much unpicking or ‘frogging’ as they say in the crochet world.

This is my fourth attempt.

Stylecraft Special DK and a 4.5mm hook

9 rows of Midnight, 1 row of French Navy, 2 rows Midnight, 2 rows French Navy,

1 row Midnight, 8 rows Franch Navy, 1 row Royal, 2 rows French Navy, 2 rows Royal, 1 row French Navy, 8 rows Royal

The next colour to be introduced next is Lapis.

I hope it works!

 

 

Ice Creams Down by the Sea

This is the title of my latest finished crochet blanket.

I thoroughly enjoyed Eleonora Tully’s recent Crochet Along, ‘Down by the Sea’

Her design uses a few new techniques which have been fun to try and I was inspired to make a few alterations.

I tried Eleonora’s way of representing the balustrades found at seaside resorts,

but they didn’t go with the dreamy quality of the ‘atmosphere’ of the blanket. Can a blanket have an atmosphere?

I wondered if they would look better in pastel colours, but after a couple of days of looking at it, I realised it was the pointiness of the zig-zags that didn’t sit happily in my version and so I changed them for the waves. I also added a picot on top of each ice creamdid two more stripes in the ‘parasols’ and added an extra row of granny stitches to each side to give the blanket a little more width. Ta Dah!

Made with Stylecraft Special Double Knit and various sized hooks.

8 Colours: Cream, white, toy, clematis, powder pink, duck egg, storm blue, lincoln

A Blanket for Miss E.F.

I have made a blanket for each of my children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces, plus a few for friends. I am now borrowing the grandchildren of friends to make blankets for. I just don’t feel right unless I have one on the go.

I made one for Miss P.  She used to sit next to me on the Park bench after school and always took an interest in the crochet and the blankets I was making. She particularly loved the colours in the blanket I made for Miss M.

She still likes bright colours and I gave her the Harbour Blanket I made last year. Miss P. has a sister Miss E.F. and a brother Master T.F. so it is only right that I should make a blanket for them as well.

I have a box of all the little left-over bits of Stylecraft Special DK and I took it round to them after school one day.

Miss E.F. is one of those hugely positive and energetic smiley children and her favourite colour is blue – she wanted them ALL! and set about sorting them into the order she wanted them to appear in the blanket.

She decided on the pattern of the Attic24 Neat Ripple  and I have made a start

Foundation Row: 154 + 3

4.5mm hook

Stylecraft Special DK

Colours so far: Midnight, French Navy, Royal

I am trying to use some of my little balls of yarn and weigh them to see if they will complete a row, which takes about 6gm.

This is a very relaxing pattern that I can do in front of the TV and pick up in odd moments, whilst I wait for Part 4 of the Virtue Blanket Crochet Along.

I will tell you which colours Master T.F. chose in another blog post.

A Crochet Along called ‘Virtue’

I do love to join in with a crochet along, and Helen Shrimpton patterns are always so trustworthy and easy to follow with brilliant video tutorials.

You get a new part to follow each week.

This is Part 3 completed

I am making it for my niece. I absolutely love choosing colours with the person whom the blanket is for. It means I use colour combinations I would never have chosen otherwise.

S sent me a photo of her sitting room and I noticed this cushion on the sofa. We decided to base our colour palette loosely on the flamingoes and foliage.

Using Stylecraft Special DK and a 4.5mm hook the circle currently measures 27.5 inches or 70 cm diameter.

In Round 36 made each of the last popcorns independently in Spice (orange) so that the zigzag pattern in Spice and Tomato was more defined.

You can see a list of the colours in this post and I have now added Petrol and Cypress.

In a Vase on Monday: Snapdragons, Eucalyptus & Crochet

Hello!!

It’s been a while hasn’t it.

I have been wihout my computer since 22.August which has been pretty stressful! I have had a shocking time with Apple, which I won’t go into now, as it will raise my blood pressure.

So to celebrate being back, here is a two-for-the-price-of-one post.

I am joining Cathy and her merry band of gardeners with In a Vase on Monday today. Her post is gloriously autumnal. Mine looks more like summer, but my late sown antirrhinums have been such good value from late summer til now – and the colours go so beautifully with my latest crochet project.

I am following Helen Shrimpton’s 2022 Crochet Along (CAL). The pattern is called Virtue. I love her patterns as they are so well tested and totally reliable. They come with video tutorials and there is a supportive Facebook group as well.

The colours have been inspired by flamingoes, a favourite of my niece whom the blanket is for.

The snapdragons in the vase have been teamed with fronds of eucalyptus.I love this combination of shapes and colours.

In both projects.

I am using a 4.5mm hook and Stylecraft Special DK

Starting from the centre:

Spice, Tomato, Vintage Peach, Blush, Parchment, Lincoln, Storm, Duck Egg, Cream, White, Clematis, Soft Peach, Buttermilk, Stone.

Gosh – 14 colours!  I didn’t realise I had used so many.

I will be adding more in future rounds.

The photo shows Part 1 and Part2 of the CAL.

❤ It’s good to be back! ❤

 

Sacred Space for a Wedding Present

At last I can post photos of Sacred Space – a free pattern by Helen Shrimpton, which comes with a video tutorial.

I made it as a Wedding Present for my niece.

In 2017 I made Lucy’s Moorland Blanket for her.

Sacred Space is made with a 4.5mm hook in Stylecraft Special DK in Sage, Storm, Duck Egg, Cream, Petrol

Part One

Round 1,2: Sage

3, 4. Storm.        5,6, 7. Sage

8, 9, 10, 11 Duck Egg

12, 13 Cream

14, 15, 16 Sage

17, Storm

18 Sage ; 19 Storm ; 20 Sage ; 21 Storm

22 Sage ; 23 Storm ; 24 Sage ; 25 Storm

26 Sage

27, 28, 29, 30, Storm

Part Two

31, 32 Sage.           33, 34 Storm

35 Duck Egg.       36, 37, 38 Cream

39, 40, 41 Sage

42, 43, 44 Storm

45 Sage

Part 3

46, 47, 48 Petrol       49, 50 Sage

51 Duck Egg.            52, 53 Storm

54, 55 Sage

Part 4

56 – 63 Petrol

64 Storm ; 65 Sage ; 66 Storm

Part 5

67 Sage        68, 69 Storm

70 Duck Egg

71, 72, 73 Storm

74 Petrol

75, 76, 77 Cream

Part 6

78 – 82 Storm

83 Sage ; 84 Storm ; 85 Sage ; 86 Storm ; 87 Sage ; 88 Storm

89, 90 Duck Egg

Part 7

91, 92, 93 Sage

94, 95 Duck Egg

96 Sage        97, 98, 99 Storm

100 Sage

Part 8

101, 102 Storm

103, 104 Petrol

105 Duck Egg

106, 107 Storm

108 Sage

Part 9

109 Cream

110, 111, Sage

112 Petrol

113 Storm

114 Sage

It certainly was a joy to make.

You can rely on Helen Shrimpton’s patterns to work out well.

Attic24: Harbour Blanket

Each year in January, Lucy of Attic24, has a Crochet Along and I love to join in.

This year Lucy took the colours of a harbour as her inspiration. Although I liked Lucy’s colour choices, I was making this for Miss P, who absolutely LOVES bright colours, so I had to go BRIGHT.

Kingston Lacy Christmas lights

Well – maybe not quite that bright.

Starting row of Chain 150, I have made a Lap Blanket

In Stylecraft Special Double Knit (SSDK) and a 4.5mm hook

In Lucy’s Easy Eyelet Ripple

My colour order is:

Lapis, Bright Pink, Clementine, Empire, Fondant, Sunshine, Cornish Blue,

Spice, Turquoise, Matador, Bright Pink, Aqua, Lapis, Clementine,

Sunshine, Aster, Fondant, Spice, Empire, Matador, Aqua,

Turquoise, Lapis, Fondant, Aster, Bright Pink, Sunshine, Aqua,

Clementine, Empire, (a random blue yarn from my stash, but this could be Cornish Blue is sticking to SSDK), Spice, Matador, Fondant, Lapis,

Bright Pink, Turquoise, Clementine, Aqua, Empire, Matador, Fondant,

Aqua, Sunshine, Aster, Spice, Bright Pink, Turquoise, Lapis

49 colour stripes, each of two rows.

Border:

First row to fill in the ripples – Cornish Blue.

1 row of double crochet (US) – Empire – I love that colour!

One row of Single Crochet (US) – Bright Pink

Final row of Half-double crochet – Turquoise

The final measurements are 50″ x 40″ or 127cm x 103cm

In March I spent a glorious day with friends at Sculpture by the Lakes, we hired a private space there, The Pavilion, it was glorious.

and I took the blanket out and about for its own little photo shoot

I hope Miss P will like the blanket. I think her sister might want one as well, I wonder what colours she will choose.

Friends of Attic24: Dorset

It was a glorious sunny day here last Sunday, just the day for a visit to the seaside

I am a member of a group of crocheters, who live in Dorset and all like and follow Attic24.

Lucy, of Attic24, runs an annual Crochet Along (CAL) and this year the inspiration for her blanket design is harbours.

Lucy used to live near West Bay so our group often meets at West Bay. Just 3 of us on Sunday

We took our blankets down to the harbour for a photo, but it was so packed with people, it was hard to find a place to get a good shot. So we turned to the beach and found an upturned boat

The blanket on the left is following Lucy’s colours. I am going a bit brighter and making a stash-busting blanket for the granddaughter of a friend, Miss P, who loves bright colours.It is such a relaxing pattern to make, I can recommend it for a crochet beginner.

Attic 24 Harbour Blanket Crochet Along

The annual Attic24 Crochet Along is always such a lovely event to be part of. Thousands of people, all around the world join in.

There is something quite magical about being part of a group of people all making the same crocheted blanket at the same time.

I am making a lap blanket for the granddaughter of one of my closest friends. My friend and I used to collect our grandchildren from the local Primary School every Friday for about 4 years. If the weather was fine we would take them to the Park. The children played on the swings and climbing frames while we chatted and I crocheted.

A few of the children would come to watch the crochet and Miss P was always particularly drawn to the bright colours.

She was very interested in Little Miss M’s blanket, and watched it grow.

Lucy has taken her inspiration from the colours seen at a harbour in Summer. She has 9 different blues in her design. I will swap out a few blues for pinks and reds, keeping the summery feel but going with brightness for MissP, and most importantly, using yarn I already have instead of buying new..

My colour order for the first 15 rows:

Lobelia, Turquoise, Bright Pink, Spice, Aster,

Sunshine, Spearmint, Fondant, Matador, Empire,

Aqua, Clementine, Turquoise, Bright Pink, Lobelia

 

So Summery!

 

 

Bonfire on the Beach at Sunset

The Coastal Crochet Cal (crochet along), Picnic on the Beach, has finished and it was a joy to take part. The pace was just right and although it is not a race it is nice to keep up and be part of seeing all the amazing blankets that are being created at the same time, all over the world. I do love the sense of community that builds through the Facebook page, and by Eleonora sharing picture collages on her Instagram pages and on Facebook.

Eleonora’s video tutorials are excellent. I am excited to see what she comes up with next.

My colours were inspired by the colours I used in Attic24’s Dahlia Blanket and the sunsets I see from my west-facing sitting room window.

One was from last week

A painting in the sky.

I used Stylecraft Special DK  and a 4.5mm hook.

Colours: Lipstick, Spice, Matador, Claret, Burgundy, Clementine, Sunshine, Pomegranate, Blush, Duck Egg, Dandelion, Tomato, Storm Blue, Petrol.

In my last post about this blanket I showed you the horror of all the ends to sew in. Eleonora did provide a tutorial on how to weave them in as the Tunisian Entrlac was being worked, but there were still a LOT of ends to sew in for this blanket. Worth it though, and amazingly they are all sewn in. Sometimes it takes me months to do that job.

The blanket has been designed as a picnic blanket and so is not too big to carry around, and works very nicely as a blanket to snuggle up in on cool evenings.

Coastal Crochet Crochet-Along

I do love a Crochet Along and Eleonora’s pattern, Picnic on the Beach, intrigued me.

It starts with Tunisian Entrelac, which I have never done before.

Eleonora’s video tutorials are superb!

In Eleonora’s pattern the squares represent red and white Gingham, but ever since my Sunset blanket, made from Attic24’s Dahlia pattern, I have wanted to do another project in sunset colours.

There is one drawback

Yikes! All those ends.

I have sewn them all in, but if I did it again I think I would crochet a plain square  in single crochet (US) to cover them up at the back.

The pattern comes with full photo and video tutorials in both US and UK terms.

Week 1

This is the central square.

Stylecraft Special DK and 4.5mm hook

Colours: Lipstick, Spice, Matador for the small squares.

For the basket weave stitches: Lipstick, Claret and Burgundy.

Week 2

We added waves and I was reminded of the colours over the sea I saw from my Christmas Hideaway

Colours for the waves: Clementine, Pomegranate, Blush, Duck Egg, Dandelion.

My background colour and the colour that will tie the blanket together is Tomato.

Now that the waves have been added, the dark edges of the central square makes me think of a bonfire, so the working title is now

‘Bonfire on the Beach at Sunset’

It gives me a warm glow just thinking about that as I am making it.

Octogonical Part 4

I posted a photo of this blanket-in-the-making on Facebook and someone said that it reminded them of lighting in a night club – I love that!

So this is my night club blanket – haha! two more opposite things brought together is hard to imagine.

Octogonical by Helen Shrimpton is a free pattern. I am making it in Stylecraft Special Double Knit and 4.5mm hook.

I haven’t been posting much on here have I.  A combination of the WordPress format changing which I struggle with; enjoying the ease of posting on Instagram; and sinking deeply into a creative hibernation mode during these strange times.

There is plenty of creativity happening, I just can’t seem to find interesting things to say about it.

How are you doing?

 

Octogonical: Part 1

I tried hard to resist this Blanket Crochet Along – failed!

Helen Shrimpton’s Octogonical.

My excuse to myself is that I am only going to use yarn I already have:

Stylecraft Special DK and a 4.5mm hook

Colour Order

Lobelia, Royal, Teal, Lobelia, Bright Pink, Lobelia, Emperor, Lobelia

What can I say – crochet makes me happy, and joining in with other crocheters on the same project is fun.

And the Rainbow Blanket goes to ……..

Pebble!

Yes Cathy, you were right!

Liitle Miss M asked for the blanket to be for Pebble and I crumbled!

Pebble arrived yesterday and has settled right in. I am not one to go all gooey over animals in general but ……. I have to admit I’m smitten.

We had a black labrador in the 70s/80s called Dido, this is Dido as a puppy

and later, (circa 1974) curled up with Basil and Rue, our two rescue cats, next to the solid fuel Rayburn in the kitchen, on a very comfortable chair I bought in an auction for £1.

Dido went on to have 8 puppies and by the time of this photo was taken, with my son (then two and a half, now 44) she was heartily fed up with them!

The next photo is when Pebble met Little Miss M and Master R for the first time, after school yesterday. She snuggled in and went to sleep just after this photo was taken with two very happy children, beaming from ear to ear.

My daughter sent me a text this morning to say Pebble is very happy with the Rainbow blanket and slept on it last night, and sent this photo, saying that Pebble seems to be a fan of the scrap happy blanket too.

Happy Days ahead!

Yarn Along: Mosaic Crochet

I am having a go at Mosaic crochet for the first time.

The pattern calls for Aran weight yarn, but I have so much SSDK in my stash, I am using that in 5 colours of Stylecraft Special DK and a 4.5mm hook.

The colours are Parchment, Cypress, Lincoln, Copper and Silver. This will be for my nephew (aged 30).

The pattern is Santa Cruz by Moira Douglas of Daisyknots, on Ravelry

I am left-handed and at first I thought I had to flip the charts over to follow them, but no, they work if read from left to right.

It is easier to create these patterns than I expected it to be. Moira’s You Tube videos were a great help to get me started.

My top tip is not to cut the yarn at the end of each row until you have completed the next row, because it is easy to make mistakes in the placement of each stitch. Put the yarn on a stitch holder until you have finished the next row.

Warning: this is addictive, it is hard to put down as you just want to see how the pattern works out.

Which makes it hard to read a book right now, but I have been lent this book and it comes highly recommended. Have you read it?

Joining in with Ginny’s Yarn Along

Making Rainbows

 

When the world gives you Storms, make rainbows.

Attic24’s Neat Ripple Blanket and size 4.5mm hook.

Mostly using Stylecraft Special Double Knit  (SSDK) but having to add other colours from different ranges to get the effect my 10 year old grandson, Big Bro, wants.

I am making a blanket for each of my grandchildren – this is the 8th and last one.

I show 6 of them here.

The 7th was one made for Big Sis, she also wanted Rainbow colours.

The pattern is Amanzi by Jen Tyler, but I did my own variation on the edge.

 

Colour order for the Neat Ripple Rainbow (not the Amanzi) for the first 30 rows.

There are 2 rows of each colour:

Turquoise SSDK

Azure –  Hayfield Bonus DK, Extra Value (0824)

Petrol – James C Brett or  Geraardsbergen (2011) Scheepjes Colour Crafter  (blue)

Empire SSDK

Teal SSDK

Green SSDK

Grass Green SSDK

Sunshine SSDK

Bright Orange –  James C Brett

Matador SSDK

Fuchsia Purple SSDK

Raspberry SSDK

Orchid – King Cole Pricewise DK

Purple – King Cole Pricewise DK

Royal SSDK

Scrap Happy Edge

Scrap Happy in August: I finished the Scrappy Blanket that was started in February and I gave it a rather magnificently over-the-top edge.

I made up the pattern for the edge as I went along, using Helen Shrimpton’s Sunbursts from her Cosmic Cal pattern as a guide.

Some of you might wince at this. Lynn and Jane, I’m thinking of you. 😉 Look away now!

It felt very freeing not to worry whether the sunbursts were always on a corner or not.

It looked particularly at home on the bench made of recycled pallets

and next to the repurposed empty blue agricultural detergent container, which is now a waterbutt. The blanket has gone to live as a throw over an armchair in my daughter’s grey, white and sunshine yellow kitchen, so I made myself another smaller one!

and thought this bench perfect for the photo shoot.

The bench is in the children’s play park where much of my scrap happy crochet is done, I sit and crochet whilst the children play – what better way to spend a few happy hours of Granny hooking time.

All the yarn is either left over from projects, unravelled old projects or from my Mum’s vast stash, gathered when we cleared out her house. Nearly every strand holds a memory, adding to the joy of making each blanket – and there is lots more to go!

I tie each piece together with a reef knot and leave the ends on show for texture. If I feel I want a change of colour, I just cut the yarn and add in a colour I want.

These blankets are made with a mixture of yarns – cotton, acrylic, mixes and a small amount of 100% wool. They wash well in the machine at 30C.

Pop along over to Kate’s place and see links to lots of other inspiring Scrap Happy projects. Scrap Happy day is on the 15th of each month.

Worbarrow Bay Blanket

Last year, in April, I was in a quandry about which colours to use in my Coastal Cosy blanket – and you dear readers helped me out – pinks or no pinks that was the question.

I finished the blanket back in the Autumn, but have been waiting for a suitable sunny day to take it to the beach for its Ta Dah! moment.

Yesterday was the day and we went on a fabulous walk at Tyneham before getting to the beach

there was a bit of resistance to climbing that hill but after seeing this sign

chatting about exploding cows got us to the top

walking through coconut scented gorse bushes towards Flowers Barrow and looking inland at Lulworth Castle

and then the most glorious view of the steep descent to the beach

oh my aching knees! but Oh! it was so worth it.

The blanket had found exactly the right place to be photographed

and because it went so beautifully with the colours there, it has been re-named the Worbarrow Bay Blanket.

Master R and Little Miss M were happy to help me with the photo shoot.

and came up with some novel ideas of their own …

blanket angels

“we are a rock”

“it would look good on this rock over here Granny”

and then back to hunting for sea glass

our haul after about an hour and a half

tiny pieces of treasure.

We walked 3.8 miles bringing the total number of miles walked by Little Miss M and me to 65 of our 500 mile target.

More details of the colour order and the edging of the Worbarrow Bay Blanket to follow in a future post.

Edit

In case you would like to visit Tyneham and Worbarrow – here are the Opening times for this year.

Click on any photo to see it full screen.

 

Lost Garden Corners

The pattern is Lost Garden by Helen Shrimpton.

Made with Stylcraft Special DK and 4.5mm hook

in

Parchment, Lincoln, Cream and Stone

This colourway has gathered some lovely comments on Helen’s Hookaholics FB Group. Some have said it reminds them of a Victorian design, Poldark, Meissen china or Snowdrops.

See my previous post for colour order up until the corners here.

Order of colours for the corner:

Rounds 50 – 53: Parchment

Round 54 and 55 in Stone

Round 56 in Lincoln

Round 57 in Cream

Round 58 and 59: Stone

Round 60 and 61: Parchment

Round 62: Stone

Rounds 63: Parchment

Rounds 64 -66: Parchment

It measures about 90cm square at this stage.

I am going to wait for the new Stylecraft Colours to be released before I go any further. I think ‘Toy’ could work well in the border.

Edit:

The colour order for the rest the blanket is here

https://daffodilwild.wordpress.com/2019/05/10/lost-garden-vintage-look/