Autumn Virtue

This is becoming my favourite Helen Shrimpton pattern (And it’s free!)

I like it because the corners are built up in the round, which means there are a lot fewer ends to sew in than on other patterns where the corners are built up separately.

I have made this Throw for the daughter of one of my closest friends.

Lucy is the same age as my first born and her Mum and I lived in the same village. We became friends when we had our babies together in 1976.

Lucy has a Podcast: Spinsterhood Reimagined, which celebrates the positives and discusses the challenges of a single, child-free life.

She had seen my blankets and throws on Instagram and remarked ‘I want one!’.

I had wanted to make another ‘Virtue’, so when she said she would choose Autumnal colours, I was thrilled and started immediately. I just love this colour combination.

So cosy!

Stylecraft Special DK, 10 colours:

Tomato, Spice, Gold, Dark Brown, Burgundy, Claret, Copper, Walnut, Khaki and Bottle.

The pattern comes with Video Tutorials and is lovely to make.

I stopped short by a few rows and edged the throw with Helen’s Knot Stitch, from another free pattern – Sacred Space, Part 9. Penultimate row.

🙂 Haggis (f) likes it. 🙂

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.

Free Seahorse Pattern

I have been trying to make the pattern for this little Seahorse easier to understand. This little chap has led me a merry dance! Here goes.

There is a printable pattern – with just one photo of the finished seahorse, for sale in my Etsy and Ravelry shops.

The pattern is written in US terms. I am left-handed, if you are right-handed the seahorse will face the other way.

Use a 3mm up to a 4.5mm hook and any double knitting yarn.

I have used Stylecraft Special DK

or the pattern can be made in cotton with the appropriate sized hook.

(Use the bigger hook if you like the motif a little bigger and looser)

Abbreviations

ch      chain               sc      single crochet                dc     double crochet

hd     half double     sl      slip stitch                        tog     together

BODY

Ch 35

Dc into 4th ch from the hook, 1dc, 3 dc2tog

2 dc, 2 tr, work 2 tr into each of the next 3 chs.

1tr, 2dc, 2 dc into each of the next 2sts, 2 hd, 3sc2tog,

2 sl (leaving the remaining chs unworked)

1ch

TURN

Miss one st, sl 8, 2sc, 1hd, 2hd in next st, 1dc, 2dc in next st,

2dc, 2dc into next st, 1dc, 2hd,

3sc, 2sl, miss 1st, 2sl, (to the neck)

Ch1

TURN

Miss 1, 6sl, 4sc, 2hd in next st 4 times, 2hd, 2sc, 3sl

Ch1

TURN

Miss 1, 3sl, 16sc, sc2tog, 3sl (you are now at the lower point of the neck)

HEAD

ch 8, sl into 5th ch from the hook to form a loop, (the loop will form the eye)3 sl into the chains (working back towards the neck).

TURN

6dc into loop,

TURN

miss 1^st, 2 sl,

SNOUT

ch5, sl into 2nd ch from hook (forming a picot that will be the top tip at the end of the snout), dc, sc, dc.

Flip the snout over, so that the picot is facing upwards.

Sl into the top of the last of the dcs into the loop to attach the snout to the head.

2dc into loop, 2hd into loop, ch3, sl into the top of the hd

1hd and 2dc into loop

sl into the first ch of the HEAD (at the neck).

2sl to the top of the neck,

TURN

1dc into each of 3 sts, on the top of the head

ch2,

TURN

sl into the top of dc directly below the chs

sl, ch3, sl into 3rd st from the hook, sl into dc directly below the picot just made,

(sc,* ch4, sl into 4th ch from hook, sl) twice, sl

The picture below is at this first sc*, which is made into the loop at the base of the foundation chain.

ch3, sl into 3rd ch from hook, 2sl

(ch4 miss a st, sl) 3 times, sl

FIN

ch4, 2 tr into next st. twice, ch1,

TURN

(sl, ch3) 5 times.

Fasten off.

Sew in the end.

When sewing in the end of the tail pull slightly to get the tail to curl.

This new improved pattern comes with many more photos. If you have a go, I would love to know how you get on.

It would also be fun to see how you use the motifs.

I put them on a Hoodie.

Rainbow Junkie made a wonderful wall hanging for her bathroom.

Happy Hooking!

Crochet Squirrel Motif

As the Woodland Blanket is being made for Little Bro aged 5, I wondered if he would like a few leaves and squirrels.

He would!

and so it seems would some of you!

I was pleasantly taken aback by the squirrel-love that poured in when I posted a picture on Facebook and Instagram, with lots of people asking for the pattern.

Oh my goodness – creating a squirrel is relatively quick and easy compared with creating a pattern for others to follow.

These mischievous little creatures have led me a merry dance, but at last I have arrived at a pattern.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Pattern for the Squirrel Motif

Stylecraft Double DK

4.5mm hook

US crochet terms. I am left-handed so the photos will show work from a LH perspective, but the pattern should work just fine for right-handers. Working with the right hand the squirrels will face the other way.

Starting with the back leg

Make a magic loop, Ch1, 8sc into the loop, pull loop together, sl into the 1^st ch. to join.                                                  8 sts

2^nd Round

Ch1, 2sc into each st, sl into the first ch. to join.                                          16 sts

3^rd Round

Ch1, 2sc, 2sc into next st,

(back foot) ch4,

sc into 3rd and 4th st from the hook, sc into same st as the 2scs

sc into the next 4sts.

2sc into each of the next 3sts, sc, 2sc into next st, 2hd into next st, 2dcs into next st, 2 tr into next st.

(neck) Ch4 

work 4dc into the 4^th ch from the hook

** please note that is between the bottoms of these stitches that you will work scs in Round 4. See Picture 6 in Round 4**

sl into same st of Round 2, 2sl, sl to join.

4^th Round

Sl into next 3sts. sl into next 2 loops (back foot)

Picture 1

2sl into next st, which takes you round the end of the ‘foot’,

Sl into next 9sts, 4sc,

Picture 2

(tail) 4sc into back loops (if you can find another loop lower down, at the back of the work, to work into as well this stabilises the back loop stitches), 2hd into back loops, ch7,

Picture 3

3hd in 3^rd ch from hook,

2dc, 2tr, dtr (yarn 3 times round the hook)  in next ch,

miss 1ch,

Picture 4

2dtr, tr in next ch

2tr, dc, in next ch, sl into next st of Round 3

Picture 5

2sl, Work 5 sc in the gaps between the next sts. (also covering the thread at the base)

Picture 6  **

Here are a few more photos to explain where the single crochets go

and in a different colour for clarity

Hope that helps.

Picture 7

At last it begins to look like a Squirrel

(head) ch3, sl in 3^rd ch from hook,

sl into one of the ch3 (into, not over), sl into first dc of the neck,

Working into the gap between: 4sc, hd, sc.

Picture 8

2sl, hd.

Picture 9

(front foot)

2sl, ch2, sl in 2^nd from the hook, sl into the body at base of front foot . Cut yarn and pull through to the front, then take the end to the back (leave a long tail of thread if you will be sewing this on as applique), or sew in the ends.

Pin to shape and block.

How did you get on? I’d love to know. 🙂

See the finished blanket here: Squirrel Nutkin and Old Brown