Pinapple

This pineapple was made for a friend's daughter who is nuts about pineapples.

There were a few video ideas on YouTube but I went for a free pattern from this website, YarnPlaza.com.  The pattern is available here.

I used yarn by Scheepjes, Catona for the leaves and Chalista for the body.

Speckled Bird Decoration

I came across some rather gorgeous festive christmas makes in the Simply Crochet magazine this month and couldn't resist making this lovely speckled bird.  

I didn't have any Scheepjes Catona yarn so I made this up using some of the Stylecraft Special DK.

The pattern was very easy to follow and I made it within a few days.

Jack's Chain Quilt

I was very much inspired to make this quilt looking blanket when I saw it posted in Pinterest.  I tracked the pattern down on Ravelry and it was produced by Atty Van Norel.  You can obtain it from her Ravelry Store if you too are inspirect to make it here.

I used Stylecraft Special DK matching the colours to a painting I have recently purchased to hang in our lounge.

The pattern was well written and easy to follow.  When it came to joining, I found the simplest method was to use my stitch markers and pin a row of motifs together with these before stitching any together.  This enabled me to ensure that I didn't have any two of the same colour or shape within the same circle or adjoining circle.  Having said that I did have one or two mishaps and had to take a few apart!  I soon released not to sew in the ends until the very end then it made it easier to undo.  

I made a lap size blanket and it is now draped over the back of the armchair.  This blanket took approx 6 weeks to make, on and off.

Bolster cushion cover

I have had this bolster cushion for several years so it is not surprising that it is looking a little shabby now!

I couldn't bear to part with it as it gives me much needed back support when sitting on the sofa in the evenings, so I set about making a new cover for it.

Having just started making the Havana crochet blanket I learned a new crocheting technique and thought I would try this out and make myself a new cover.

There is a pattern repeat every 12th stitch which makes the design stand out.  The rows are crocheted using the single crochet stitch which is worked in the back loop only.  This leaves a horizontal stitch visible at the front of the fabric.  The horizontal stitch gives you something to get your hook around to make a treble in the row below, every 12th stitch.  This is what forms the pattern.

I began with 60 stitches + 3.  60 is divisible by 12 five times so I have 5 pattern repeats.  One of the additional stitches is required for the turning chain leaving me with two additional stitches.  These are needed either end of the piece of work and don't count when working up the pattern.  I worked a single crochet in them but through both loops.

After making the piece the appropriate length I then hand stitched a zip in place.  First I turned the work inside out and joined the seams either end leaving a gap for the zip.  Then I pinned the zip in place and hand stitched this in using embroidery thread.

Now for the end pieces.  These needed a circular piece of work large enough to fit the circumference of the roll shaped cover.

This is how I made them:

I made an adjustable ring and crocheted 10 trebles into the ring.   Throughout the rows the turning chain counted as a stitch made up of 3 chains.

Row 2:  Start with a turning chain. Crochet 19 trebles (2 in each stitch) total 20 stitches which includes turning chain.

Row 3: Turning chain followed by 2 treble in next stitch, (*I treble in next stitch, 2 treble in next stitch) *Repeat to end of round. (I, V). Total 30 stitches.

Row 4: Turning chain followed by 1 treble in next stitch, 2 treble in next stitch, (*1 treble in next two stitches, 2 treble in next stitch). *Repeat to end of round. (I, I, V). Total 40 stitches.

Row 5: Turning chain followed by 1 treble in next stitch, 1, treble in next stitch, 2 treble in next stitch, (*1 treble in next three stitches,  1 treble in next 2 treble in next stitch). *Repeat to end of round. (I, I, I, V). Total 50 stitches.

Row 6: Turning chain followed by 1 treble in next three stitches, 2 treble in next stitch, (*1 treble in next four stitches, 2 treble in next stitch). *Repeat to end of round. (I, I, I, I, V). Total 60 stitches.

 I finished off the pieces with one row of single crochet which I would use to attach the pieces to the main piece.  

I then folded the circles in half and put stitch markers top and bottom.  I then re-folded and added more stitch markers until I had 8 stitch markers in place.  I did the same with the tube shaped cover.  This made it easy to then pin the two together.  They were a perfect fit so I sewed them together.  All the tail ends were left on the inside of the work. I worked with the cushion cover inside out when attaching the ends and when finished, turned it the right way around.  This is what is looks like.

I am really pleased with the results.  If you think it looks good, post your comments below as it would be lovely to get some feedback.

Grey Blanket by The Patchwork Heart

I fell in love the colours of the grey blanket posted on Patchwork Heart's website made up from using Stylecraft DK in lovely bright colours of spice, parchment, meadow, petrol, silver, lime, storm blue, mocha, grey, denim and graphite.  I added my own twist by switching pistachio for denim.  

To avoid duplicating the squares with the same colours I created a spreadsheet and worked out a pattern for the colours.  By using  the "CountIf" feature in Excel I could then see how many occurences I had of the different colours and also balance this out over the rounds.  

I joined all the squares together as I worked the last round in grey and did the wave pattern on the final round of the edge.  

Here are some photos of my work as I went along.

Thinking about the layout of the finished squares back in January. 

Following this I individually soaked each square and laid out on a frame to shape them as they dried.

In March I started joining the squares beginning with row 1 working left to right.  

I joined the second square to the first after I have crocheted around three sides of the first square.  This first square will be in the top left corner.  I follow this process for all the squares in the row until I got to the last square. When I worked the final square in the row, I just worked the two edges.  

Row 2 - Working from right to left, I began joining the first square in the row directly beneath the last one I worked in the row above.  After two rows of joins are completed I worked a row of trebles across the entire row (left to right) so that the joining began on the third row from right to left.

You can find out more about joining as you go from this blog site page.

After all the rows were joined I completed the edging where the joining had not included the edging on the other three sides. Following this I did a number of rows to give it a border and then finished it off with a wave edging.

The blanket was soaked and laid out to dry to let the yarn settle into place.  It's now complete and ready for sale.

Here is the finished product, Enjoy xxx

Persian Tiles - Eastern Jewels crochet blanket

Back in the spring I joined a group on Facebook that were working on making the Persian Tiles, Eastern Jewels crochet blanket.

At first it took some time to get my head around the instructions / stitches but found with the support of the group and their postings, after crocheting a few motifs, it began to fall into place.  It was fun being a member of group that supports each other in encouraging them on and celebrating their achievements.

The blanket has been made as a gift to celebrate my mother in law's 90th Birthday today so it is only fitting that I post this on my blog on her birthday.  Happy Birthday Sheila!  

The blanket took me 3 months to make.  I planned to accomplish making a large octagonal tile per week but during some time off work, I managed to increase this.  The joining together was done on the reverse side of the blanket.

Here are some images of the completed blanket.

Country Walk by Drops Design

Today's crocheted item is a jacket I have made using Drops Muskat yarn.  

I purchased 15 balls in colour number 15 but actually only needed 13.  The yarn was £1.50 a ball which seems fairly reasonable.

The pattern was quite hard to follow and the although the back and sides were straight forward, the sleeves took a bit of work to get the decreases correct for my shorter than average arms.

The jacket took me 3 weeks to make but now I am comfortable with the instructions I expect I could do another in 2 weeks.  That's great as I do intend to make another one, but perhaps not this winter as I have other projects lined up!

Here is the finished item although it is waiting on some buttons.

Mermaid's Tail

In my crafty stash of yarn I had some Bernat Blanket yarn which I had purchased with the intention of making a cushion cover but I changed my mind and used some Aran yarn instead.  Then the other week I caught sight of a website where a Mermaid's Tail was being made in the very said yarn.  This gave me an idea of what to do with my Bernat yarn.

The website is called "The Crochet Crowd" and there is a video tutorial that you can follow that shows all the steps in making up this Mermaid's Tail.  A link to it can be found here.

The yarn is beautiful and soft to work with. I adapted the length of the tail so that it worked for me.

The tail looks realistic and has been created by crocheting into the horizontal bars instead of putting the hook through the two top bars at the top of the stitch. This creates a ribbing effect on both the front and back of the work.

I finished this project a fortnight ago and it has been lovely to snuggle into this in front of the television on these colder evenings.

This completes the trio of crocheted objects I have made in the last month so I hoped you enjoyed them.

Sprinkles the Unicorn

In Issue 33 of Crochet Now was free yarn and pattern to make up Sprinkles the Unicorn.  Sprinkles is made in the amigurumi style, in a spiral without slip stitching or turning chains.  It is really important to use stitch markers so you can keep track of the first stitch of each round.  

I found the pattern very easy to follow and made up very quickly.  

Asymmetrical Poncho

I have a few asymmetrical ponchos that I have purchased which are a nice light weight and perfect for the summer.  With the winter approaching I have had a go at making my own based on the same shape.  The shape I was aiming for was a long but narrow piece of work that is large enough to wrap around the shoulders loosely.  Instead of joining the ends like you would if you were making a tube, instead you join half way across the length leaving an opening that your head goes through.    

The pattern is a repeat as follows:

I have quite short arms so you may want to make it wider if you wish to give this a go.  I chained 6x6 (36 + 7 for turning).

The yarn used is Bamboo Cotton by King Cole.  I needed 3 x 100g balls for this project.

Here is the finished result:

And this is what it looks like laid out flat.  From the image you can see where I have left the opening for my head.

       
And one close up:

I have edged the poncho with a series of shells made up of 6 trebles and piques.  Considering I created this design from ideas on Pinterest, I must say I am very pleased with the outcome.

Natasha's Vintage Blanket

Work in progress

I am really excited to be sharing my latest creation which is another crocheted blanket.  I have been working on this blanket for the last three months and have enjoyed designing this one using vintage colour tones.  It feels lovely and weighty so great for those cold winter evenings!

The pattern is the granny stitch done in stripes of colours.  I followed guidance from Lucy at Attic 24 to ensure I got off to a good start and had no wobbly rows.    

The starting chain has to be a multiply of 3 plus 2 for turning.

The first row was is was done using the double crochet stitch.  Then it was a case of crocheting clusters of trebles across the row (missing 2 stitches on the first row) and then working in the chain spaces from then on.

I buy my yarn from Deramores.  I have used Stylecraft Special DK in the following colours:

• Grey x 4
• Pale Rose x1
• Raspberry x1 
• Mocha x1 
• Parchment x 2
• and a soft pink that I don't have the details of.

I have made this quite large so it will cover a single bed or simply make a decent size throw.

I used 4mm size hook

Starting chain 182 

178 rows

The Mabel Blanket

Little did I know when I picked up my crochet hook last summer, whilst recovering from a hip replacement surgery, that I would be making blankets still.  Although, I haven't abandoned card making completely, the joy of crocheting seems to have resurrected itself and I find it a much easier hobby to do from a wheelchair. 

Working in monochrome is something new to me when making blankets as they are often worked in bright and cheerful colours and often with leftover yarn.  However, in this instance I wanted to make a blanket that would compliment another one already made so I chose a blanket and white theme.  

I scoured the internet for ideas and came across the Mabel Blanket on a website called Meghan Makes Do. I was immediately drawn to this design because the granny squares are laid out as diamonds and the sides are filled with triangles.  It is a free pattern so if you are interested in having a go yourself hop over to Meghan's website and download the pattern here.

This blanket was really easy to do and I took less than 3 months to make it.  

I joined the seams with a needle joining the right sides together and sewing through through the back loops only.  This illustration is based on the right sides facing together and loops that are meeting are not illustrated.  I have just drawn the back loops that I have sewn through and the method I used to ensure a strong seam.

Here is the end result:

and a close up:

Well Ben, I hope you like your blanket!

Cosy Stripe Blanket

I am in the throes of making crochet blankets as gifts and have just finished making a Cosy Stripe Blanket.   The design and pattern for this blanket is courtesy of Lucy @ attic 24.    I have made this one for my niece Charlotte who wanted me to crochet it in colours that would remind her of the sea and sand.  I buy my yarn from Deramores who have always giving me great customer service.

These are the colours used:

• Stone
• Cream
• Sage
• Silver
• Mocha 
• Storm Blue

Storm Blue is my utmost favourite colour to work with and I enjoyed using these colour combinations.

The pattern uses one crochet stitch, the treble.  There are two rows of crochet for each colour which I liked as it meant less ends to sew in!   

I followed the instructions and chained 198 for the foundation row; starting on the 4th chain in from the hook as the pattern is a multiple of 3.  The turning chain was counted as a stitch and you work each row with a stitch count of 196.

When starting row two you should ignore the stitch at the base of the chain 3 and work into the next stitch along.  

When coming to the end of the second row of trebles work the last stitch into the top of the chain stitch.

Change colour yarn for the 3rd row and chain up 3 and crochet a treble into the same stitch as the chain.  Skip the next two stitches and work 3 trebles into third stitch and then repeat this (skip 2; 3 trebles into next stitch until you reach the end of row.  You only work 2 trebles in the very last stitch.  Chain 3 and turn the work to begin the fourth row.  Work 3 trebles in the next chain space and repeat to the end of the row where you work 1 treble into the top of the last treble.

When working row 5 which is a repeat of row 1 it is important to note that you do not work the last stitch in the top of the 3 chains at the end of the row.  

If in any doubt visit Lucy's blog at Attic 24 for full instructions and step by step photos.

I found that it took me around 2 hours to crochet 4 rows whilst watching television.  It does crochet up in about 4-5 weeks and there are minimum ends to sew in afterwards.

The edging is another creation of Lucy's and instructions can be found on her website.

Here are some photos of the finished blanket and my thanks to Lucy for the inspiration and the free pattern.

Crochet Bag

I know I have been quiet for a few weeks but look what I have been up to!

I strayed from my usual Stylecraft DK yarn to work with something new for this crochet bag  project.  I have been working with Sirdar Knit and Crochet Cotton DK yarn.  It is incredibly lovely to work with and I chose it because I wanted a yarn that wasn't going to have any stretch in it for my next project.

After a long search for a design to work with I came across a slouch bag that I really liked the look of designed by Very Berry Handmade.  

The pattern is free and if you hop over to her website you will be able to view the pattern and image of the bag here.  But before you do, let me tell you a bit about the bag I have made which is a hybrid of the Market Bag.

I didn't follow the instructions provided for the base of the bag although I did ensure that my last round matched the exact number of stitches of the original pattern.  This is crucial in order for the pattern repeat to work out.

With the base done I started working on the main design.  It was the design that attracted me to this bag as it is absolutely gorgeous and the pattern I found very easy to follow.  

Once I had enough rows for my needs, I then had to think about how I wanted to finish the bag because I had to take into consideration how I would wear this bag sat in a wheelchair.  

I decided the bag needed handles so it would be easy to hold onto.  When I got to the point I needed the gaps for the handles, I created a number of chains and then rejoined back continuing with the double crochet stitch I had been working in.  On the next round, I was able to continue in double crochet working on the tops of the chains I had created for the handles (front and back). 

I also felt that a shoulder strap would be useful so that it is fitted securely over my shoulder so I ordered some D rings and a canvas strap.  I then made some small strips of crochet panels to wrap around the D rings and sewed this onto the inside of the bag.  The strap has clips so they easily secure onto the D rings but are removable.
  

The final thing was to make a solid base for the inside of the bag so that it didn't collapse.  I cut a shape from an old plastic file and then covered it in some matching fabric.  

It has taken almost three weeks to finalise the project but I am really pleased with my new bag and love the fact that I was able to customise a pattern I adored to work for me as a wheelchair user.  Let me know what you think by dropping me a comment at the bottom of the article.