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! 

Little crochet project and hall update

I like to have a few projects on the go at a time when I'm in a manic knitting or crochet streak (crochet at the moment!) The blanket is still continuing to grow but I just finished this little tablecloth and doily for my partly redecorated hallway.

I still have to rub down and undercoat the doors and there's some filling to be done around one of the light switches, two light individual switches have been converted to a single with two switches so I'm having to build that up in layers. I'll do a photograph of the other end of the hallway when that's finished!

At the moment, finishing the hallway decoration is having to wait because we have ordered a carpet for the dining room. It's being fitted on Friday so we're all hands to the deck to get everything as finished as we can before then!

To do list:

• Rub down the door
• Undercoat door
• Gloss architrave and door
• Tiling to fireplace
• Put up curtain pelmet
• Make curtains
• Shelf over fireplace
• Wiring up new sockets
• Fix telephone socket to wall
• Buy new light fitting and get it fixed
• Touch up ceiling where masking tape to get a nice clean line has pulled some paint off
• Fix pre-made bookcases into alcoves (not arrived yet but ordered)
• Clear all the furniture out before fitter arrives

Some of these like making curtains and the shelf over the fireplace and probably some of the others are definitely not going to get done by Friday but those can be done after the carpet ... I'd better get on with the rest of the jobs I'm down for!