WIP Blanket

Hello All!

Well the last week or so has been lovely and sunny! Which means ive been busy, but not so much on the craft front. There’s a few things in the pipe line at the moment though. 🙂 Some of which are incredibly fun and exciting! I’ve recently started on another blanket. Its made with lots of different types of ‘Drops Fabel’ (which are currently on sale at WoolWarehouse!!). And its just amazing stuff. The colours, the different prints, the texture, and mixing them all together looks sooo good!! Its quite a pleasurable time im having making this 🙂

Heres a few pictures! –

Well i do hope the weather holds up, and everyone is having a great time getting out in the sun! xx

Flat Flower Tutorial

Hi, hope everyones well? 🙂
Thought i would share with you this super cute flat flower pattern. I wanted some pretty flower garlands, to either sell or decorate my summer stall with. Or even just to liven my house up a little.
This pattern came from an old book, that i picked up in a charity shop, it was in us terms, so i have translated it to uk as below.

CH – chain stitch
SS – slip stitch
DC- double crochet
TR – treble crochet

Start: Chain 6, Join with a SS to form ring.

Round 1: Chain 2, then do 23 TR in the ring, finish round with a SS into the 2nd chain stitch of the beginning chain. (24 TR’s)

It may be a struggle fitting all the TR’s in, but just keep pushing them back, and they will fit, I promise!

Round 2: Chain 4, 1 TR in the closing SS of the previous row; Chain 1. Skip 2 st, *1 TR, CH 2, 1 TR; CH 1.* Repeat 7x. Close round with a SS in 2nd ch (of 4) of the start.

Round 3: Chain 2, 1 TR, CH 2, 2 TR under the chain 2 space of the previous round; 1 DC under the CH 1. *2 TR, CH 2, 2 TR as before; 1 DC as before*. Repeat 7x. Close round with a SS in 2nd ch (of 2) of the start.

Round 4: Under the chain 2 space of the previous round, 3 TR, CH 1, 3 TR. Then 1 DC to the left and right of the DC of the previous round. Repeat 8x and close with a SS in the first st of the round. Bind off.

Chain 6, Join with a SS to form ring. Chain 2.

23 TR in the ring, finish round with a SS into the 2nd chain stitch of the beginning chain. Chain 4.

1 TR in the closing SS of the previous round.

Chain 1. Skip 2 st, 1 TR.

Repeat this as mentioned above.

Close round with a SS in 2nd ch (of 4) of the start.

Chain 2, 1 TR, CH 2. (under the chain 2 space of the previous round)

2 TR (still under the chain 2 space of the previous row) – Then 1 DC under the CH 1.

Repeat all around, and close with a SS into the 2nd ch (of 2) of the start.

Under the chain 2 space of the previous round, 3 TR, CH 1, 3 TR. Then I’ve shown below where to do the 1 DC to the right.

Do the DC to the left too, Then continue doing this around. When finished, I’ve shown where to finish with the SS.

All done! 🙂

The Sun is Shining!

Hi everyone! Hope all is well?

The sun is still shining, and we now have a nice long weekend, what more do we need?! 🙂

Ive been busy though, with ongoing projects, that im not sure i should share with you just yet, little more work to be done before the big reveals 🙂 But its all very exciting. Im working on another blanket at the moment. Although i said i wouldnt want to do another just yet, i just couldnt resist this one!

Been on some lovely walks around the village. I do love the countryside, especially when the sun is shining. The village where we live is beautiful. And now all the flowers are coming into bloom, its just so pretty! We also have two Dalmations which are around 10 months old now too. So they come out exploring with us. We have decided though, Dalmations will eat ANYTHING! Including Rape-Seed plants!

Heres some pictures from our outings this week… 🙂

Enjoy the weather while it lasts, and have a great bank holiday weekend! 🙂 xxx

Lakeside

Me and the Man Friend have just got back from a lovely mini trip on the lake. He likes to fish and i just love the simple things in life. No phones, no work, no hassle, just calmness. We made some food, packed the car up on friday, ready to leave Saturday morning. Yeah, it was a little drizzly, and a tad cold, but the lake was beautiful, with a forest right behind it. So I went off exploring 🙂 …..

…..Ahhhhh…lovely. I swear i could have stayed there for days. So peaceful, pretty, relaxing and fresh. Just appreciating fresh air these days can be hard. Stuck in a stuffy office all week, not for me. This however, is where i wanna stay.
People work from home, maybe i could just work from lake?! Its a nice thought 🙂 x

Bunting & Stall Prepping

In preparation for the Village Fete I’ve been busy making Bunting Triangles, either to sell or decorate my stall. Haven’t quite decided yet 🙂

I have done the triangles in Granny style, and have made 2x of every colour of the Style Craft Special DK, I have (which is more than I thought actually!) So it took me a while overall, but each triangle takes less than 10 mins. I used a pattern from talented blogger and teacher Lucy, from Attic24.

As she states in her tutorial, they do look a little worse for wear so will need a good steaming, but NOT for the iron to come in contact with the triangles. But if anyone knows please let me know…. Will it be worth spritzing a bit of starch spray on them before the steaming?

So after ALL the ironing that lies in wait for me, there comes the fun part…. Colour grouping! Rainbow, Nautical, Neutral, experimenting with different colour combo’s. Trying to push your limits, and break your normal colour styles can sometimes be quite tricky! People tend to stick to what the know and feel comfortable with. My advice, just be random and you might end up pleasantly surprised!

I am a little nervous about the Fete though….Desperately trying to get everything ready and collect my ideas, and organsise the pictures of things ive found appealing. Then Also…
How I want the stall set up? Do I need to make price tags? Do I need carrier bags…. ??

I could get it all done, I hope anyway. Pressure’s on. 🙂

Memories from Marseille

Thought I would share with you some photos I took whilst in Marseille. 🙂

Liebster Award!

Liebster Award! 🙂

WOW! Thank you so much Night’sWatchBlog for the nomination! What an amazing suprise! 🙂

So here’s how it works…..• Thank the blogger that nominated you
• Answer the 11 questions you were given
• Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 500 followers
• Post 11 questions for your nominee to answer
• Tag your nominees and post a comment in their blog so they know they’ve been nominated.

The questions I was given to answer 

1. Why did you start blogging? – I started blogging so I can receive tips on how to be a better crafter. It’s a fun way to share and document my ongoing projects. To appreciate seeing great pictures and reading material of what everyone’s up to. I’m a little nosy in that sense!
2. How has your blog evolved over time? – I’m still pretty new, but I suppose it’s been a massive learning curve so far. I have learnt so much, not just in my crafts, but also how to get my work out there.
3. Five favourite authors? (I need some new reading suggestions) – David Thorne, Sam Lipsyte, Mark Haddon, Stephen Davis, Anthony Bourdain.
4. How do you spend your free time? – Crafting!! I also enjoy a good camping trip 
5. I have to repeat this question – If you could only listen to only 5 albums for the rest of your life what would they be? – Im sorry, but thats too much of a tough one!
6. Do you like your job? Why or why not? – Unfortunately not. I get fidgety if confined to the same space too long. So office work probably isn’t for me!
7. What is your beverage of choice? – Coffee! Lots and lots of coffee. Don’t know how id survive without the stuff.
8. What is currently your favourite television show? Why? – Oh I have many favourites! But at the moment, probably Fringe. I appreciate a great, witty story line, with strong characters. I like how every episode has its own story line, as well as the ongoing one.
9. What is the best item you own? – My bed! It’s my sanctuary after a long day at work. Somewhere soft and comfy to crochet.
10. When do you read other people’s blogs? – In the afternoons when work tends to slow down, or just before bed for a bit of light reading.
11. How and when did you learn your favourite hobby? – Not long ago actually, probably just before Christmas. My nan came to stay and taught me some basic crochet, and it all spiralled from there. So thanks Nan 🙂

My 11 Nominees  …..

1- the twisted yarn
2- laxmanprajapati
3- thefabulousleo
4- tbilisitales
5- trkingmomoe
6- yarnanddespair
7- Dare2BeBold
8- Victoria
9- SWIM
10- Life with Crafts
11- All Night Knits

Questions for the nominees to answer …..

1. Favourite things to blog about?
2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
3. Most amazing place you have visited?
4. The thing you could not live without?
5. Do you sing in the shower?
6. What is the signature dish that you cook?
7. What do you like to do to relax?
8. What was the last thing you purchased?
9. What are you scared of?
10. What is one thing you miss about being a kid?
11. Are you a Tea or a Coffee drinker?

Massive thank you again to – http://nightswatchblog.wordpress.com/ for the nomination! 🙂 xx

Project Blanket – Its finished!

This project really has been a long one, but the best by far! Its taken many, many hours, and SO many balls of wool. But its amazing (if i must say so myself 🙂 ) I have loved every minute making this and watching it grow. And loved how it kept me warm what i was working on it!
It was never supposed to end up this big, i think i got carried away on more than one occasion and felt the urge to buy yet more wool, and turn it into the monstrous beauty it is today.

Its just over a double sized blanket i would say? My bed as shown in the pictures is a king, and its slightly smaller, so would look lovely draped over a double 🙂

Here’s some workings out I’ve done…
The Pink/Purple wool was ‘James C Brett Woodlander’ and the white/Gret was ‘Robin DK’. I used double strands throughout and a 9mm crochet hook. The stitch used was Half Treble.
It measures 150cm x 213cm / 59″ x 84″ / Appox 5ft x 7ft, and weighs around 3 Kilos!

And here’s some pictures… !

Well this truly was a great project, and although i have loved it, im going to focus on some smaller ones for a while i think!

Back soon 🙂 xxx

Cushion Makeover

Hi everyone! 🙂

Well it feels like forever since I’ve posted anything. I must admit, I’ve been a little lazy lately. Maybe It’s all the rubbish weather making me feel grizzly. But one reasonably sunny weekend and I’m back on top form 🙂 I also have great news…..I have booked myself a table at my local village fete! It’s not until July, so I have plenty of time to get prepared. But what to make?! There’s just far too many ideas swimming around in my head! So if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to leave me a comment! But now, back to projects!

The other day I decided my cushions needed a makeover. They were pretty boring, and me and boring don’t really get on. So using up some of my ‘Ice Yarn’ stash I crocheted a long rectangle just large enough to fit a 16″ cushion. Then just double crocheted the edges up, easy!

So take one cushion cover…

Crochet 1x 16″ by 32″ rectangle, put your cushion cover into place, double crochet around the open edges, and voila!

If anyone had had the pleasure of Ice Yarn you may know what I mean when I say this was an absolute pleasure to work with. I love how it changes colours, textures and thickness. It’s definitely different, but that’s why I like it!

See how pretty it is?! 🙂

Well that all for now! Back soon! xx

I made a purse!

So it was Friday night, and rather than going out, having a long soak in the bath, watching a film, or doing any of those ‘normal’ things a 22 year old should be doing, I spent Friday night with my new sewing machine. And I’m not even slightly embarrassed to say it, I had a great night!

I’d been meaning to have a good plan of attack to introduce myself properly to ‘The Machine’. After my first failed attempt of making a purse ended up looking like a pencil case, a badly made one at that. But hey, I’m still pretty new to sewing, so a good pattern and tutorial to follow was in order. Something I should have just done in the first place. 

I found THIS on Pinterest, and its good! Very informative with plenty of pictures, easy to follow too so perfect for a newb like myself. And theres a PDF, YAY! 🙂

And here’s the finished product!

I’m quite impressed. Maybe not so impressed with the fabric choices, but my fabric stash isn’t the best (Is this the perfect excuse to buy more?!). I do like the randomness of the different fabric patterns and colours, but I’m not sure about how they all go together? I feel some stash building and a second attempt coming very soon!

Jess x