Little grey

Happy Tuesday ladies and thank you for your lovely responses to my previous post!

 

Well all the decs are now gone :( . I'm always sad to see my tree go but actually it is sort of nice to get back to normal. The boy is totally blissed out with his presents, especially THE Lego camper van. It was the only thing he has evr asked for, as he usually says that he will be happy with anything Santa brings (yes he still believes in Santa!!). This Lego set is for a 16 plus years so we thought it may take him a few days to finish.....

 

Lego camper van - the beginning.....

 

 

Five hours of solid Lego-ing later.....

 

So all done in just five hours. Now he just spends a lot of time looking at it!

 

But enough of the Lego! Let's get to the really interesting part, which is about what I have been making!!

 

We got a new baby boy in the family a few months ago and I decided to make a blanket (no surprises there). What I did though was to try out a different colourway. This blanket is grey and a sort of off-white and I think it looks rather Scandinavian. I love it but I'm not sure the new mama likes it so much...ah well. What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a lovely week! xx

 

Oops! Forgot to say that the basic hearts pattern came from here at  Ravelry

Sticks and stones

Hello! Back from the coast where the weather was horrid but the company was great. In fact I didn't take out my camera once!!! However, the Mr, the boy and I went to the East Yorkshire coast a couple of days ago and it was glorious - a hot sun finally dispelling the morning mist.

We went to a place called Spurn Point, which is an historic site because of its role during both world wars as a defence point for the river Humber. It is a strange place; not beautiful but very stark and interesting...

The beach was covered in the detritus of war...these huge concrete blocks were anti-tank defences...

Then we came upon the remains of jetties, the wooden posts still standing in line but with nothing to support...

I found them very sculptural and beautiful in an odd kind of way...

Then the sun came out and Little S and I stopped to strip off some layers as we walked to Spurn Point lighthouse...

And here it is!

I have a soft spot for lighthouses and when I was a child I used to fantasise about living in one!!! Sadly, this one is out of action and is boarded up so we couldn't go inside and have a look around. I'm pleased it hasn't been demolished though as it looks superb on the beach...

Then the boy and I indulged my passion for fossiling. I seem to have an uncanny knack to spot a fossil immediately I step onto a beach! Little S found some interesting stones too and he set them all out this morning...

I found this rather splendid bit of amonite about a minute after I started looking - much to the Mr's chagrin...he ever finds anything!

I plan to use these flat, smooth stones to have a go at Margaret Oomen's fabulous crochet stones pattern...

They are stunning, aren't they.

Ah, that brings me to a bit of my own crochet.....

A dear friend has had her first baby and I whipped up this blanket in a couple of days...

It is made from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino 4 ply and it flew off the hook. I love the muted, vintage colours - a change from the brights I usually use. It isn't huge but is perfect for a car blanket.

Well that's all for now, dear ladies. I'm off to catch up with your blogs and see what you have all been up to! xxx

Border country

Hello dear ladies! Sorry it's been a while and I've been rubbish at even keeping up with all your lovely posts but this op has really taken it out of me. I returned to work this week (again!) and am amazed how tired I have been. I still get some pain but am generally feeling OK apart from the fatigue. I guess it will take time.

I wanted to share a book with you that I think is wonderful. I had a lot of comments on my Jewel blanket about the edging and this is where I got it from....

This little book is full of fabulous crochet borders all beautifully illustrated. Instructions are written out but also in diagram form.

Some borders are complex and some are very simple but I would say that the only really tricky thing is making sure you have the right number of stitches to begin with. Most patterns have a repeat so in order for them you work out you need the correct number of stitches. There are some that don't have a repeat and the number of stitches is irrelevant.

 And the author shows very clearly how to do the corners...

For my border, I used two of the patterns together and that was very easy to do.

The borders can be used for more than just blankets; they would work on garments or anything else that would benefit from a pretty crochet border. Even picture frames!

I love this book and would really recommend it to anyone wanting to make their borders a little bit special.

Enjoy your weekend! xxx

On the go :: something different

Good morning dear ladies!

As promised, I have some crochet to share with you! I have been working on a blanket for my sister-in-law. She chose the colours - sort of earthy shades - and so I set about trying to find a pattern. Well, I tried all sorts of things...

Triangles based on this pattern. It is a lovely pattern but I just wasn't feeling the love with these colours

Then I made some squares but again, it wasn't working for me.....

Then I tried another squiggly ripple....

Nope. Bacon rashers anyone?!

I was getting very frustrated at this point and was about to give up but then I found this pattern and it was love! And the colours were also similar.

This is what I've done so far......

It is very different to the blankets I have made previously and it is strange working with such a limited palette. I'm not used to using these colours either but, you know what, I am enjoying making this. There is enough complexity in the pattern to keep me interested and I think the colours work well here.

I am so happy to have finally resolved this as it was getting me down! A blanket is such a huge undertaking in terms of time and effort and I needed to be happy with what I was doing in order to finish it!

I'll keep you posted on progress.

Thanks for the comments on previous posts. Perhaps my next project will be a vulva blanket!

Enjoy your week xxx

Auntie Andrea's blanket

Hello dear ladies

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments about Jemimah's blanket...and a huge welcome to new followers!

It seems that you would be interested in the joining method so I will post on that and also on the picot edging. There are those who are fantastic at tutorials (I'm talking to you Lucy) but I will try my best! I have been busy making lots of other things for Jemimah and can't wait to show you those soon.

There is also a prize and a beautiful gift to blog about.

For now here is a photo I just received from my niece titled 'Auntie Andrea's blanket'. All together now......awwwwwww

Of course it is going into winter there so a snuggy is needed for afternoon naps. It was made with lots of love and I hope they both feel that when they use it.

Have a lovely weekend! xxxxxx

Jemimah blanket :: finished!

Hello dear ladies

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my last post. Jemimah's mum is thrilled!

I have finished the blanket and here it is.......

I had started a really lovely cluster edging but realised that I wouldn't have enough yarn, so I did my trusty picot edging.....

This is a poor photo but I wanted to show you the join. I used a very quick and nifty method that my clever sister devised....not sewing and not crochet...sort a mixture of both. It leaves a very strong flat seam....

It is much bigger than I had planned but it is certainly snuggly and Jemimah will grow into it! I have been asked to crochet some sun hats for Jemimah so more hooking this afternoon.

Enjoy your week xxx