Another WIP: Vintage Vertical Stripe Blanket

I've started yet another blanket. This time it's the Vintage Vertical Stripe. I've been wanting to make one of these for a while now because I love the look of it. It's a very simple pattern, made of US dc (UK tr) but with the stitches made into the spaces between the previous rows stitches rather than under the loops of the stitch and with two dc in the final space to keep the number of stitches correct.

I've chosen to make this in deep, warm, earthy tones in Stylecraft Special DK. Here's my progress so far:

WIP: Neat Ripple Cushion

I just couldn't resist getting my hook out and starting on the Stylecraft I bought from Coldspring Mill. I knew I was going to make a cushion cover with it and had a browse on Ravelry to see if there was a pattern I liked. I was really struggling to decide, mainly because I really fancy doing a circular cushion but the pads I have are square. In the end I decided to do another ripple cushion but this time I'm going to make the whole thing crocheted, rather than backing it with a jumper.

Here's the progress so far:

The yarn is lovely to work with, though it's a bit thinner than the Jarol Heritage DK.

Day Trip: Coldspring Mill

Erin hasn't felt great the last couple of days but she seemed to perk up this morning after a bacon sarnie! So, we decided to go out somewhere. After a bit of debating where to go and what to do on such a lovely day, we settled on heading over to Coldspring Mill at Cullingworth. I've heard lots of people say the wool shop is great for a bargain but it's hit and miss what they have in stock. They seem to have given their website a little makeover recently and the picture of the wool shop made me want to go and check it out. We thought we could head over to Hebden Bridge afterwards and have a wander round in the sunshine.

By the time we got over there it was time for lunch. I settled on the small breakfast at a super value price of £2.50. Alan went for sausages in Yorkshire pudding with mash and peas, despite plans for a roast dinner later. It certainly filled us up and the kids loved looking out of the windows at the fields.

Then we wandered into the outdoor shop. I was tempted by the jams but managed to resist. We had a quick browse of camping stuff, before heading down the stairs into the Wool Shop. Now I have to admit, I was expecting a few shelves of yarn but there was loads. I thought it was slightly randomly spread out too, I found some Stylecraft Extra Special Dk but the Stylecraft Special DK was the other end of the shop. There was some cotton on one aisle and others elsewhere. A little mixed up, you might say. I still haven't decided whether it was frustrating or if it just added to the treasure trove feeling.

There was a good range of cheap acrylics (lots of Stylecraft, James C Brett) but a few higher end items. There were tubs of bargain packs of unlabelled yarn and various random balls at £1.99+. Definitely the sort of place you could go and find something for your latest project.

So, what did I buy? Well, so many things were tempting but I am supposed to be Not. Buying. Yarn.

Just 3 balls slipped in the basket. This Stylecraft Life DK.

I'm planning on making a cushion for the living room with it. When I saw it I knew it would be perfect colours for the living room, though I couldn't quite decide between the Cobalt (on the left) or a more grey colour. I didn't like the two together and settled in the end for the cobalt and I thought it just looked a bit fresher. the other colours are Heather (in the middle) and Crocus (on the right).

We never made it over to Hebden Bridge as I managed to break a tooth while out and didn't really fancy it.

WIP: Bargello Quilt

I have to admit that when the lovely Annie mentioned she was going to make a Bargello quilt, I had to google it. I was really amazed by the results and thought "I have to make one of those". I was given a gorgeous Moda jelly roll (Sophie by Chez Moi) for Christmas from the in-laws that I thought would be great for it. Then I discovered that to make the size I was wanting I'd need two jelly rolls, so I decided instead to use half a jelly roll (20 strips 2.5" wide) to make a wallhanging.

It took me a while to decide on the 20 strips to use and the order to put them in but once that was done it was fairly quick to sew all the strips together. Here they are before I joined them into a big loop.

I'm hoping to cut the strips and start sewing them together this week. Then I'll probably have to look for a fabric for borders.