Sock yarn stashbuster blanket

We are gearing up for more renovations here at Doran Towers. I have had to clear out my craft room before work commences. Most of the contents have gone into a storage locker including six big plastic boxes of my yarn stash. It was quite a wrench letting them go along with the furniture.

Many of my WIPs (works in progress) that I couldn’t bear to live without and I may want to work on here have had to be squirrelled away and are currently nestling in various hiding places in the rest of the house like sad little refugees til I can get round to finishing them.

The one pictured above is the largest. It’s a sock yarn scrappy blanket. I throw away very little. I am a hoarder, particularly when it comes to craft supplies. Every time I finished a pair of socks, or any 4-ply project, leftover yarn was chucked into this box. When I got enough to make a good start, I cast on about 150 stitches using four strands at a time on 9mm circular needles. Every time a ball of yarn ran out, I Russian-joined another in, doing a few odd rows when I wanted something I could knit without thinking about. As it’s the biggest WIP, and nearly large enough to be considered finished,  I’ve given it a priority to complete.

My embroidery threads are living behind a cushion on the sofa, bless. The DMC cotton in the brown paper bag were rediscovered from my cross-stitching day’s in the late 80s. I forgot I had such treasure (told you I never threw away craft supplies). 

So there is a downside to the latest refurbishments but the biggest up is the discovery, under a cheap carpet, of a wonderful floor of real floorboards. It’s a bit careworn in places, some old woodworm and paint spattered but it’s beautiful and destined to be a backdrop to many photographs in the future.

Crocheted shadow blanket

This year's big blanket project has been to devise a shadow blanket. I saw some really lovely sewn quilts made out of coloured squares that had the illusion of floating above a neutral background. This inspired me to to see if I could make a crocheted version. This is what I ended up with. I made loads of granny square style squares with a dark grey shadow line along two of the sides. On the flat bits of the bed, the squares do appear to be floating above the silver base colour. I love it when a plan comes together!

Here's a close up of the border.

And another showing the join. The way I joined meant it was a trifle off centre in the middle of each intersection. This slightly irks the obsessive perfectionist bit of my brain. On the other hand, overall the effect works and I have a splendid blanket. B-u-u-u-ut ... I think it could be even better without the ridge of the joining stitch.

The above used Stylecraft Special DK in a variety of colours, just leave a message if you'd like to know which colours; I wrote them down somewhere so I will dig it out. I also know how much yarn each stage took so I can give the amount of yarn needed, I just have to get round to doing the maths. Overall it weighs 2,200g. 

I have decided to make another one with a different join and with a restricted colour pallet. I will be sharing how to make all the various bits here on my blog as I go so if anyone else would like the pattern, just follow along!

Finished crocheted temperature blanket and cushion

My granny stripes temperature blanket is finished. It has taken me a while! 1 January's row is at the bottom of the bed with 31 October just tucked in under the pillows.

The main reason for the delay was it was just big enough for my double bed when we needed a blanket on top of our quilt at the end of October 2016. If I added November and December's daily temperatures, it would be too long for my double bed because of the wooden footboard.

Originally, it wasn't ever going to go on my double bed, the size was determined by my calculations of fitting over a single bed (and quilt) with generous overspills on both sides and the bottom going virtually down to the floor. However, the refurbishments we planned last year didn't get done and so I still don't have any single beds in the house yet. Scaffolding is going up very soon for that, internal plaster removal of two upstairs rooms will begin once the external wall rendering is sorted so maybe NEXT year I will have some guest accommodation and a single bed to put such a blanket upon!

In December, wondering how I was going to finish it all off and get in two more months of temperature rows, I had a sudden brainwave to make a separate cushion incorporating the final two months of the year. Hence it is done in the cooler colours but it ties the bottom of the blanket in rather nicely, I think!

The photograph shows it on the bed just over the mattress and pillows, when the quilt is on, it JUST covers the edge of the quilt with a few inches to tuck in top and bottom.

For the border, I did groups of 3 tr (UK terminology) in each "holey bit" for the first row, then a row of dcs, another row of tr and for the final scalloped edge, I worked 7 tr inbetween two sts, skip 3 sts, 1 dc inbetween next 2 sts, repeated all round with more in the corners.  I used colours that corresponded and related to the rows, changing them as and when I fancied it according to whether the temperature was going up (or down!)

There's more about the concept of the temperature blanket, the pattern and colours I used, in some earlier blog enties:

6 January, 2016
16 January, 2016

Halfway through crocheted temperature blanket

I'm exactly half way through my 2016 crocheted temperature blanket. Here it is on my dining room table looking splendid, if I do say so myself.

January is far away at the fireplace end, June is closest to the camera.

So far it is 56 inches long which means it will be approximately 112 inches long at the end of the year making it long enough to generously cover a single bed. We don't actually have any single bed in our home but hope to by the end of the year.

At the moment, we don't have any guest facilities at our home, the only bed is our own double one though we have a sofa in MTM's study which converts into a Futon as an emergency measures and the sofa is always available at a pinch if we need to put anyone up.

One of the rooms I have earmarked for a spare bedroom with hopefully twin beds is planned to have major works on it very soon! Will our renovations never be finished?! We estimated it would take us two years when we moved in (three years ago) to do everything we wanted and it still feels like we have two years yet to do but we have found more to do as we got stuck in, family illnesses have taken up some of our time and also we've got a little more ambitious our plans as we've gone along but there's no reason to rush save it would be nice to finish and then sit back and enjoy it.

Other blog postings about progress earlier in the year on this blanket which details the pattern and colours of Stylecraft yarn that I'm using:

Meteorological colour clashes - 4 June 2016
Warming up on temperature blanket - 4 April 2016
Temperature blanket - 16 January 2016
Starting a temperature blanket - 6 January 2016

Here are individual month close ups of the temperature rows; top of the image is the 1st of the month going down to the end of the month (to within a day or two). Spring temperatures (and colours) arrived all in a rush in May in the UK!

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH 

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

I have plans to do a weather blanket next year which will incorporate more aspects of the weather like how sunny/rainy it is and wind speed ... am pondering how to do this at the moment and filtering my ideas - more on that soon! 

Getting my Unfinished Objects completed

I'm busy getting my UFOs completed so I'll have time to do the CAL next month.

Here's a less colourful version of the spiral blanket on the back of the sofa, I've turned the circular spirals into hexagons this time. I don't know why I was so bothered about the border .... you can't see it!

Rainbow spiral blanket (or afghan) finished

My rainbow spiral blanket is finished! 

I had to undo the first border I did, as you can see below, the original edging is all curling up on itself. As I was working it, I was telling myself not to worry, that blocking would soon straighten it out but by the penultimate row, it was clear that nothing short of steamrollering it would make it lay flat. 

This time, I worked up a design on a small scale rather than just "diving in", the swatch I made laid flat and so here is a close up of the new border it as it was being blocked. On the previous version I'd gone round the post of the row underneath to give some interest. This time I just used a double crochet (UK terminology) spike stitch into an intermediary black row.

Here's another photo of the blanket being blocked on my dining room floor laid out on towels.

If you're interested in me writing up the pattern explaining how I did it, contact me through my Ravelry account (SoozJewels) or leave a comment below. If there's demand, I'd be happy to do so!

Rainbow spiral crochet blanket update ... nearly finished!

You may remember my rainbow spiral crochet blanket. Well, all the motifs are all made, they've even been stitched together. I've turned them into squares instead of hexagons. I'm still going to do a hexagon version (because I've already worked out how to do that and don't want to waste the knowledge) in a different colour-way. All I have to do is the edging, as you can see from the photograph. I have started. There are three colours in the border, same as the spiral and the edging colours change according to the spiral closest to it. 

Today I have had so many things keeping me from making beads (which is my proper work really). Very cold again, icy steps, not as bad as last time but I have developed a tickly cough and cold. I just had a cold at the same time as my leg got hurt (DH bought it home from his office). I thought there was some kind of immunity that you build up, when you've had a cold, you don't catch another one for three months (or something). Well, anyway, this is obviously a different bug. Every time I go outside in the cold air, it makes the cough worse.

On top of that, my little dog, Missy isn't very well at the moment. She's very prone to stomach upsets. She got me up in the night to let her out to go eat grass (which she does when she's feeling off). And then she had to go out again to be sick (how lovely!) I wanted to keep an eye on her and it's too cold in the studio for her to go out beadmaking with me. Then there was a bit of mess she made in the lounge to be cleaned up (I will spare you the details!). She's feeling better now, after this afternoon's walk, it seemed to give her an appetite, she's eaten her dinner and looking much happier in front of the fire. 

If I'm honest, all I wanted to do was get on with finishing this blanket's edging, it's sooooo nearly finished! DH was at a training course in Birmingham which meant him leaving the house at a really early hour and he won't be home til late tonight. I can't really sit and crochet today whilst he's working hard at something he REALLY didn't want to go and do. I make money from beadmaking so even though I enjoy that very much, I don't feel guilty when I'm making beads (I'm "working"!) but crochet is just a lovely self-indulgence. So today I have been catching up with the housework so I don't feel guilty about enjoying myself (I definitely don't enjoy housework!) Spent the weekend glossing up the bookcases in the dining room so I am a bit behind with everything.

Tonight is another matter, dinner is all ready, just the pasta to put on when DH gets home, fire blazing away in the grate, dog happy. I will be crocheting ALL evening - happy happy happy! 

Spiral rainbow crochet blanket (or afghans as some people call them)

Being stuck with my leg on a cushion for the past week has meant I've had time to get started on a new project. It's going to be a rainbow blanket made up of these crocheted spiral circles each made with three different colours. The above photograph shows the colours that I've picked, I need quite a few more than the ones in the pic!

These colourful circles are going to be turned into hexagons using a couple of rows of shaping in black and then sewn altogether. Piled up like this, I thought they looked like colourful pancakes, DH thinks they look more like poppadoms, he was about to start cooking a fish curry at the time so I guess the imagery is understandable.

I've started a project for it in my Ravelry account, I'll be adding the yarn and colours I've used in there when I get a chance and I'll also write it up as a free pattern. For now, I've been sitting normally for too long and my shin is complaining so I'm going to put my leg up and get going on crocheting some more.

When I started on this, the weather was really grey and dreary and I was fed up of sitting still, the colours really helped lift my mood, I hope these pics do the same for you!

Small cheerful chair throw

Here I am showing off my latest very cheerful chair throw - three lovely colours of Adriafil Regina yarn (100% merino wool) in Deep Yellow (046), Dark Orange (035) and Lilac (033). The photo below shows it just after blocking with the pins removed which highlights the border.

To make it I combined the Sunflower Square (motif #34 on page 87) from Betty Barnden's book 75 Crocheted Floral Blocks and Edie Eckman's Border #24 on page 70 of Around the Corner Crochet Borders. The individual motifs were hand sewn together using back loops only, I really don't like sewing that much but it wasn't too bad, put a film on the DVD player and just get on with it! Absolutely typically, I have since discovered a crochet method of joinig that I probably would've used instead. I don't think it would've been any quicker but next time I have to join motifs like this I think I will try Dedri's zipper method as there's not a sewing needle in sight!

Coppery highlights and a dog blanket

I went to see George (short for Georgina) yesterday and she sorted out the mess left by the other hairdresser and I also had some coppery highlights put in. These have inspired me to create the above new beads (but more of that later). First I have to tell you how absolutely wonderful George is, she has got my world back on an even keel. Before yesterday, EVERY day since my last hairdresser appointment was a bad hair day. George used to cut my hair when we lived close to Lincoln, I followed her around to 3 salons because she was so good. It was a sad day seven years ago when I went to see her for the last time before we moved to Cambridge.

These days she is her own boss running "Aspire" on 46 Clasketgate in Lincoln. She's now about an hour's drive away by the time you get through very heavy rain near Newark and get parked but well worth it.  I've put photographs of her work taken when I got home in an album entitled "New Hairdo" on Facebook, click the link to see if you're interested! (I've made it public so you should be able to see it even if you're not a Facebooker yourself).

The beads in the photograph are made using a custom frit blend which I mixed myself (secret recipe so don't ask for it!) This is the first frit blend I have created and I'm really pleased with it. I made lots of different beads with various base colours and techniques and the ones in the photograph are the best of the bunch. They came out brown and coppery to match my hair, there is a new brown spankle bead in there and an orangey twiddly twirly bead. I'll be going into production to make more of these so keep an eye out for jewellery made with them very soon!

Update on the wrist, it's still a little sore from time to time. I have to go back to see my GP next week to check he's OK with me continuing to take anti-inflammatories and wear the brace. But I know it's getting better, it's nowhere near as bad in the mornings; most of the time apart from the inconvenience of the brace getting in the way, I don't feel it at all. From time to time though doing something (like chopping carrots or operating scissors) will give cause for malediction and for some things I have to take the brace off for (like signing my name), I barely recognise my handwriting at all actually!

I even started tentatively knitting again yesterday. I am breaking myself in very slowly and knitting a square every night for a Battersea Dogs and Cats Home blanket. Battersea is asking crafters across the country to help its most sensitive dogs by knitting them a special security blanket. If you're a dog lover and a knitter and would like to take part, there's a free pattern download on the link. Share the love!