FO: Blanket No 2

Well I managed to get the blanket finished the other day. We were having a party on Sunday evening and it was the push I needed to get on with sewing the ends in and doing the border so that it could go out of the way. In the end I decided to do a fairly plain border, mainly because the other blanket has no border and I didn't want one to look lots fancier than the other.

So here it is:

I used a crab stitch (also called reverse single crochet) for the edge

I also managed to make lots of cakes for the party. I did some Apricot & Banana Muffins and some Vanilla Cupcakes:

And we carved the pumpkins to sit on the table:

WIP: Blanket 2 & More Bunting

Sorry for the late WIP post this week. I've not managed to get anything finished this week so there's no FO Friday post. Still, I hope you enjoy seeing what I'm working on. First up is the second kid's blanket. I still haven't decided which child is getting which blanket. At the moment I'm thinking of wrapping each of them in a gift bag and letting Alan write the name on the bag so it's a surprise on Christmas Day.

I'm now up to 60 stripes. another 10 to go and then a border to go on.

60 Stripes done, 10 to go!

I'm really loving the Halloween bunting I made and decided that really I should have some bunting in the same place when it's not Halloween. I had a little search around in my fabric stash and was sooooo happy when the little scrap pack of 4 fabrics I bought at the Festival of Quilts were big enough to get two front pieces from. That was enough for the 8 flags and I just backed them in some leftover off-white I had from another project.

I bought these fabrics with the idea of making 'something' for the kitchen but I didn't know what. I think they're perfect for bunting. It's just one line of sewing left to do (to join them to the binding) and it'll be finished but it's such a small job that I've not managed to convince myself to drag the sewing machine out for that one line!

Also this week I treated myself to two new craft books as I got a £20 Amazon voucher.

First up is this crochet book I've had my eye on for a while: Around The Corner Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman. I make a lot of crochet blankets so I'm looking forward to trying out a few more borders for them.

Secondly, Country Cottage Quilting by Lynette Anderson. There's a lovely little purse and needlebook if you look through the preview that I'm looking forward to making.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed they arrive early next week so that I can add a different border to the granny stripe blanket above. My other two granny stripes use the border that Lucy used on hers.

WIP Weds: Yarn FAIL

When I first started making granny squares with my leftover Stylecraft Special I hadn't quite decided what I was going to do with them. Then I decided I'd edge them all with white and join them. The original plan was to make two blankets from the leftovers so I only bought one ball of white to see how it looked. Anyway, I changed my mind about doing two blankets from them as I found I didn't have enough bright, colourful leftovers to give a reasonable balance in both blankets. I decided on a granny stripe for the other as my Aunty's Xmas present had worked up pretty quickly and thought that by alternating every colour with white it would tie in a bit with the granny square blanket (the kids share a room). This meant I used up the white much quicker than expected, so I picked up another ball on Saturday. Well, I did in fact use that one up by Sunday evening. So I picked up another ball while at sewing class on Monday evening thinking it would be enough to finish the granny square blanket and then I could do a batch order for the granny stripe as I'm going to need some of the other colours too.

It wasn't enough. I've run out on the final horizontal join and still have the vertical joins to do. So here it is after I ran out a little after midnight - I was trying to get the squares joined so that I didn't end up joining them in the wrong place!

I might head over to Knit & Natter on Friday and pick up another ball of white while I'm there, though I should be revising really.

Until then I shall have to get on with sewing instead. I have plenty of sewing projects on the go and first up is a Halloween project I started last year. Not a lot left to do on it but it's the fiddly bits that are left.

I've gone round most of the edges and mainly have the features to add (eyes & hair). Hopefully I'll have it finished before this Halloween!!!

More WIP post at Tami's blog and at Frontier Dreams.

FO Friday

I've managed to finish 3 items this week. As I mentioned yesterday I finished a ballet bag for my neice that I can't show just yet.

Sorry to be the organised one (I'm not really!) but the other two finished objects are Christmas things. First up is a blanket for my aunty. I can show you this because it's very unlikely she'll see it. I know my neice won't see my blog either but her parents might and I'd quite like it to be a surprise for them too.

It's another Granny Stripe by the Attic24 pattern. It's pretty quick to work up, though this version was more repetative than the previous one because I only used 5 colours this time (last time I used 17) and I repeated the colours in order this time (last time I did random stripes).

It's a lap sized blanket. It took 2 balls each of Stylecraft Special DK in Cloud Blue, Silver, Teal, Aspen, Turquoise (there was a bit leftover from the two balls even after the border was added).

I changed the colour order for the border, mainly because I didn't want the first border colour to be the same as either end of the blanket. Order of colours for the border: Teal, Cloud Blue, Aspen, Silver, Turquoise.

I'm really pleased with it. I love the colours and I hope my aunty does too.

I've also finished the Christmas wallhanging.

WIP Weds: Yes, I realise it's only July

so huge apologies for mentioning the C word ;-)

Yes, I have officially started getting ready for Christmas! On Monday evening I basted a quilt panel ready to start quilting as soon as I have time to sit and do some sewing. I bought it ages ago. I thought it was 2 years ago but actually it might only be about 18 months - it was massively reduced so am guessing it was getting close to Christmas when I bought it. I've never got round to making it but I'm determined to have it finished for this Christmas!

The other project I've started is a present for my Aunty. Last year I made her a scarf and she loved it so this year I'm making a granny stripe blanket. I just love this pattern by Lucy of Attic24 as it's so simple and I can do it while watching tv as it doesn't require much concentration.

I'm making it in Stylecraft Special DK, which is just a cheap acylic yarn but so lovely to work with, far better than most acylics. My Aunty loves teal so I'm using Cloud Blue, Silver, Teal, Aspen and Turquoise, in that order.

Granny Stripe blanket in progress

The colours are a bit more vivid in real life. I'm into the third colour repeat and am hoping to need 60 stripes in total. I'll then add a border.

I started the blanket with foundation single crochet rather than a chain and the a row of sc and I started with 142 stitches (it has to be a multiple of 3 plus 1). I'm hoping to have a lap sized blanket at the end of it and it seems to be working out so far.

WIP Weds: Granny Stripe Boutique Bag

First of all, apologies for not posting for a while. I have been really busy with my course but have now submitted my assignment so have been able to get on and blog! It was mentioned that the module I'm currently studying is one of the hardest Level 3 options, partly because of the enormous workload and they weren't wrong.

So this afternoon I just had to do a quick project to feel like I've got somewhere with my crafting. I guess you could technically say I've finished this one as I've done all the crochet but I'm planning on lining it and maybe making a fabric flower brooch for the front.

It's the Granny Stripe Boutique Bag by Tangled Happy, though I've made a few adjustments which I'll detail below. It's a very quick make and would be great gifts for kids.

So the changes I've made are as follows:
1. I wanted a bigger bag, so I increased the size. The pattern is based on 50sc stitches. This number needs to be a multiple of 3 plus an extra 2. Going by total guesswork I based my bag on 62 stitches.
2. The bag is made in the round and rather than following the pattern and whip-stitching the bottom closed at the end, I made a smaller chain and worked both sides of it. i.e. I started with ch32, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch along. Then worked my way back up the other side of the chain to give me 62 sc stitches in total. I then joined to the first sc with a sl st and continued as per the pattern.
3. I just did the pattern until the beg looked deep enough. I then fastened it off and rejoined at one end for the rounds of sc. This was mainly because each round you make moves the start of the round over by one cluster. By the time the bag was deep enough, the start of a round was in the middle of where the handle was going to go, so I knew I'd have to rejoin at some point anyway. I also ignored the stitch count for these rows and just measured to find the central stitch and couted 7 stitches either side and placed stitch markers so I'd know where to make the handles.

And a close up of the colour - I dyed this yarn using tea and Kool Aid. The pictures don't capture it very well, it's somewhere between the photos above and the one below.

I've also done a little more of the Vintage Vertical Stripe blanket I started ages ago!

Crochet Hero 3KCBWDAY3

Well, what can I say. When I saw the topic for Day 3 of Knitting & Crochet Blog Week there was only one choice. I had to pick Lucy from the Attic24 Blog.

There are so many reasons why I've chosen Lucy and here are the main ones:

1. Her designs are stunning and yet so simple to make. I love that you can often start them and after the first couple of rows the pattern is so stuck in your head that you can just sit and crochet without needing bits of paper around you and it doesn't matter if your kids are asking a million questions because you're not losing your place each time you pause to answer them.

My Neat Ripple Blanket

2. The lovely bright colours she uses. They just make me smile! I love that places are now selling a "Lucy Pack" of the 17 shades of Stylecraft she used in her granny stripe blanket.

My Granny Stripe Blanket, made using a "Lucy Pack"

3. I wish I had her photography skills. It's a pleasure to read her blog just for the pictures!

4. She makes so much for her own home. This is something I didn't really do before I found the Attic24 blog. I would make things for my kids. I would make the odd thing for myself. I would perhaps make something for my house at the sewing group I go to, if we were all doing a project together. I made a quilt for the bed and planned to make some for the kids. But after finding her blog and making the granny stripe above, I just couldn't stop. I wanted that Homemade Home! I've made multiple blankets, cushion covers & jar cozys, not all from Lucy's patterns but inspired by the lovely photos she has of her home. It's like I no longer need to just make for other people.

Candle Jar Cozy

Owl Family

I think that seeing the photos of Lucy's beautiful home has made me realise that I can make things just because they're pretty, that I can dot things about the room to make it look nice, that the things I make don't have to just be practical. She's helped me turn my house into a home.

 

Quick Granny Stripe Update

So, I forgot to do this earlier but here's an updated pic of the Granny Stripe blanket. It's now at 45 stripes. I think though that the weight is making it seem wider once it's on the bed and I think I've made it too wide. Current plan is to do another 15 stripes, then add the border and put it the other way on the bed so the stripes are vertical.

Blog Inspiration

So I've been busily crafting away in any spare moment. 

First up is the progress I've made on my Halloween quilt. Originally I had planned to make it 4 blocks wide using the same idea as on the Quilt Dad blog but then I realised that (a) it was going to have to be 8 blocks long and (b) I didn't have enough fabric for 32 blocks. So in a change of plan I decided to make it 3 by 5 blocks and have each block in the same orientation. Of course I decided on this plan after ordering the backing fabric for the bigger size but it's worked out for the best...the sewing group I go to are doing a Halloween quilted bag quilt along so I at least have fabric for the lining and the background.

With limited time this month I am really pleased to have got the blocks sewn together. Just need to decide on a plan for the border so I can get on with it. Here's a pic of the final layout (no pics of it sewn together cos I haven't had time to take any!)

I would have been much further on with it if it hadn't been for a weekend in Lincoln (congrats to Mark & Ming on their wedding) and a weekend in Scarborough, where we had a great time at Flamingo Land and a relaxing day on the beach.

The kids loved Daddy getting buried in the sand

and digging in the sand

and paddling in the sea (even if it was freezing!)

We were really lucky with the weather and definitely chose the right time to go to the beach. By the time we were having a Fish & Chip lunch it had started to darken over and get a bit chilly.

Though obviously you have me to thank for the current heatwave. The hot hot sun had to come out once I was working on a huge blanket didn't it?! The Attic 24 Granny Stripe Blanket is lovely to do and I am up to 23 stripes but making slow progress because of the heat. Here's a picture of the blanket at 22 stripes

I've made it wide enough for a double bed and am hoping to add enough stripes that it works as a blanket but also looks good on the bed. The Attic 24 used 60 stripes so I'm hoping to do around 60-80 and will probably judge it a bit by eye as to whether it's long enough.