Tuesday 18 May 2010

An Update

I’m busy with some works in progress at the minute they are:

Flower motif scarf
Big granny square blanket
Mohair shrug
Stripey hat

Unfortunately I’ve been too busy for taking pictures so here are some blogs of note with bright coloured pictures and interesting posts for you to have a read of instead, enjoy!

http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/
http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/
http://bevmatheson.blogspot.com/
http://greedyforcolour.blogspot.com/
http://gephart836.blogspot.com/

Tuesday 11 May 2010

Knitted Baby Blanket

It's baby blanket time again and here's a project I finished a few weeks back but still need to weave the ends in (of course!!) This time it's knitted, I felt like experimenting a little. To be honest the squares were for another larger project which was just taking too long. Some of the squares became cushion covers and the leftover ones were sat staring at me. So I made them into a little baby blanket.

Can you see what's hidden in the centre square? No? How about a closer look...
Yep! A bear!

Somehow the tension isn't the same as the other squares so it looks a bit smaller. I'm hoping once blocked the shape will improve. It's the first time I've used knitting to make actual patterns and am rather pleased with the result. I found the bear pattern online somewhere - I can't remember where, I print so many off I lose track (if you recognise it let me know and I'll stick a link in) and it's also the first time I've successfully followed a knitting chart (I'm more of a pattern person!).

I then needed to come up with an edging. I wanted something fancy but easy. Unfortunately most of the edgings I found online were too complicated so I designed my own!

No doubt someone else will have done the same at some stage but I've never seen it. It's a ch3 ss into first ch, ss repeat and looks wavy and lovely!

Thursday 6 May 2010

General Election 2010

It's the General Election here in the UK where we choose our new Prime Minister. I will be voting later today and you should too. Go on, put down your crocheting and go vote!

Wednesday 5 May 2010

Hatty Bank Holiday

I love Bank Holidays. If I were in charge of the country there's be a Bank Holiday Monday at least every other week. It's amazing how they cheer everyone up! This weekend was Bank Holiday Monday which means an extra day of weekend! AWESOME!

My weekend was spent knitting hats and delivering hats I had crocheted especially for my sister's boyfriend and his brother in law (confused? yep. me too!). They both have rather big heads and struggle to find hats that fit. They're also both scaffolders so need something cuddly and warm to protect their chilly little [big] heads and that's where I come in! Armed with a 4.5mm crochet hook and a selection of fairly chunky yarn I set about creating these earflap hats.

Now I'm from Yorkshire, as is my sister (obviously) and like a traitor she fell in love with a Lancastrian. I say traitor, he's actually a very nice lad (other than the fact he talks a bit funny) the truth is there's just a half-joking, half drunkard moronic rage between Yorkshire and Lancashire folk which I believe has something to do with the War of the Roses. We liked white ones, they wanted red ones, no-one was prepared to compromise and get yellow ones as they didn't match the frocks, I'm not sure.

Either way I'm proud to report two Lancashire men have on their heads today Yorkshire hats crocheted by a Yorkshire lass made from Bradford wool . That's my bit for inter-county diplomacy. Maybe my next hat should have pink roses on it?...

Monday 3 May 2010

Adventures With Pastry

I've found out how to make pastry. As a result I've been experimenting with tarts. Tasty jam tarts!They're so easy I don't know why I haven't made them before. Luckily I always have cold hands which is apparently the key to making good pastry.

Here have a close up so you can see how tasty they are!

Saturday 1 May 2010

The Eternal Blanket of Colourful Doom

What do you call a blanket which takes up all of your spare time but ultimately, when finished is the most colourful project you've ever had the patience to make?

Why 'The Eternal Blanket of Colourful Doom' of course...My plan was to make small squares, join them to make bigger squares then join those to make one big cosy blanket. Sounds easy right? Yep, it wasn't. First I had to buy lots of new wool as I decided I wanted all squares to be joined in similar hues, then I had to stop and do the maths to see if I had enough squares every so often, arranging them neatly on the floor trying to stop a playful greyhound from laying on them, eating them or just messing them up. Then, once I had made enough and I'd joined it all neatly together I realised it didn't quite look finished so had to go round the edge twice with a nice yarn.
So I sat back to admire my work and realised it wasn't as finished as I thought it was. From the front I had a lovely neat colourful blanket but from the back I had the end-weaving in challenge of a lifetime.
I'm still very happy with it. The colours are great and it's very cosy when the cool Spring nights draw in but those ends, they go on forever! If anyone needs me I'll be busy weaving them in!