Wednesday 30 November 2016

Cold mornings and Warm socks

A crispy morning
 
It was a gorgeous crispy morning here today in Cornwall.
I was up early and took Tally out for a walk in the fields as the sun came up, crunching through the grass and even stomping in the odd puddle that had iced over.
 
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I have been working to finish my Christmas Wreath this week
and I hope to share it soon.
In the mean time I though I would share the Pumpkin Socks mentioned here.
 
They are finished and ready to wrap..
 
crochet bed socks

Not the most fantastic looking pair of socks you have ever seen
 but I am strangely proud of having completed them!
 

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I have never made socks before so the whole process was new to me and it was so satisfying to end up with something that was at least wearable. The pattern was fairly straight forward and can be found here at the wonderfully named Ball Hank n'Skein.
I didn't have enough wool to make them as long as the pattern but am aiming for
the "wrinkled round the ankles" warmth
rather than the "pulled up under long boots" look.
 
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And boy are they snug and warm so look out cold toes!!!
xx
 

Wednesday 16 November 2016

Wednesday 9 November 2016

Pumpkin socks

Pumpkin socks
 
When our children were young we read them a book called Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper.
 I loved the books that rhymed like this one,
with repetitive lines that the children learned and repeated with you...
 
'Pumpkin Soup. The best you ever tasted. Made by the Cat who slices up the pumpkin. Made by the Squirrel who stirs in the water. Made by the duck who scoops up a pipkin of salt, and tips in just enough.’
 
These socks reminded me of the colours of the book and our pumpkins are still out on the garden table. This is a free sock pattern found here and is a bit of an experiment. I am not a knitter and have never tried socks before but the pattern is very good and not too bad for a beginner to follow.  
 
WIP
There are also a few more bits for the Christmas wreath.
A poinsettia flower, pattern here by Happy Berry Crochet, I think.
 
And some pine cones, pattern by Lucy of Attic24 here
and another one on a blog called In the Yarn Garden here.
 

Saturday 5 November 2016

Eek mice!!

I went on a short trip to London this week for work but spent the three hour train journey happily sitting doing crochet!
I have always loved the beautiful wreaths made by Lucy at Attic24 and was planning to have a go at a Christmas one last year but it was one of those things that needed far more time than I had anticipated so it has turned into a 2 year project.
 
WIP- christmas wreath base.

 Thankfully this time I have a head start as the main wreath has already been covered so its just the fun bits and bobs to do.
 
I started by making some "jolly holly" the pattern for these is here at Attic24.

 I have also made a couple of weeny pompoms but will need more of these
 to make enough holly berries.
 
WIP

I found these absolutely gorgeous mice on Pinterest.
There is a free pattern on a blog called LucyRavencar-Crochet Creatures found here.
This is a new blog for me and I will certainly be going back for a better look.

two little mice

 I found the first mouse a bit of a nightmare to be honest
but I have never done any amigurumi so it was all very new. 
The most helpful bit of advice was to mark the beginning of each round
 and I used a little safety pin for this.
The wreath is still very much a work in progress but there should hopefully be plenty of time to get it finished this year and on the door!

A quick fix of sewing finished this little cushion which I am now sitting on..
 
patchwork cushion

 And the other finish up has been the flower garden blanket...

Flower garden blanket

 I started this back in May and the flower block pattern was in an issue of Making Magazine described here.

WIP flowery blanket

After completing the central panel I decided to do a big border.
It's funny how sometimes the unplanned bit turns out to be your favourite, do you find that?

Flower garden blanket

The edging is again one from Lucy at Attic24 and the tutorial is here.
She used it to edge her Cosy Blanket which I made last year and I love the way the edging just gives it a bit of structure holding the blanket flatter somehow.

Flower garden blanket

I
This blanket is destined for the camper but is in use on the sofa at the moment and I can't see it going anywhere else before spring.

Flower garden blanket

I hope that you have had time for some crafting too.
x