Jumping with excitement!

Oh, I'm SO excited I can barely contain myself!!! Why? Well, I have just completed what I think is my most satisfying project so far, I am about to go to a craft event that I have been waiting a whole year for, I've got two new hooky projects on the go AND I may be exhibiting and selling my creations through craft fairs very soon which I have wanted to do for ages! Let me tell you more........

Firstly, I have just finished my Flower Garden Blanket so called for reasons that will soon become very obvious!! I can't tell you how thrilled I am with it! Those of you who have been following my projects will remember me first creating my flowers whilst lounging on the beach in the Caribbean which I wrote about here. As usual, I got distracted from this project by new yarns and stitches and have completed lots of other projects before getting back to this one. But this week I came across it again in the bottom of one of my craft baskets (which are now empty of old unfinished projects -Yippee!!!) and determined to finish it. So, here it is!

Voila!!!

I think you can see why I have called it my Flower Garden Blanket! It not only has hexagon flowers in the centre but it also has green 'grass' and flower borders! I must say I just LOVE it!

Because it is a pram/ crib/ cot blanket I have deliberately not decorated the top edge and the small flowers in the border were securely crocheted in place as I went along, not sewn on afterwards.

The 'grass' fringes are also very securely attached to the bottom border.

I am so pleased with the way the 'grassy' areas and flower borders have turned out. I love the shape of the border and also the colours. I'd love to know what you think?

Although I'm always pleased when I complete a project, I honestly don't think any other project has thrilled me as much!

Still, I must move on to other things!

The second thing that I'm all excited about is this weekend's Yarndale event taking place in lovely Skipton, which is one of my very favourite places anyway. Organised by a team of local yarn-crafters, including the inspiring Lucy of Attic 24, ( you really must check out her blog if you don't already know it!)  the Yarndale event is a cornucopia of all things to do with yarn! I just cannot wait to feast on all of the wonderful, colourful creations, and the supplies to make them, that I know will be there! I will have my camera with me of course so watch out for a full report soon!

So, what else? Oh yes, two new projects! Another hexagon themed one which I was inspired to start last night, having just put the finishing touches to my Flower Garden.

I'm still experimenting with this as yet and so it all may change! These hexes are completely different from my flower ones. I like the idea of  a shape within a shape and, since all of my creations are usually so full of colour I thought I would try a neutral edging while keeping colourful centres....
Mmmmm...........

The other project is another Blackberry Bobble stitch one, like this one which hooky friends will have read about in previous posts.

I like to have a project where I can get into a flow of continuous happy hooking without having to break off, change colours, join bits together etc and this fits the bill perfectly! I love doing this stitch and the multi-coloured yarn does the rest!

And the final thing that has got me all excited is the possibility of doing Craft Fairs! I have been thinking about this for ages and it looks like it might actually happen quite soon! And in two of my very favourite places - Skipton as I mentioned before and Saltaire where I used to live! Skipton is a lovely market town on the edge of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales here in England, whilst Saltaire, now a World Heritage Site, is the prettiest Victorian Industrial Village, with the most amazing architecture steeped in history. Preparations and discussions are underway, dates are being considered etc so we'll see!

Well, I think that's far too much excitement for one day! I need to go lie down in a darkened room to calm down!! Look forward to hearing from you! Bye for now, Tricia xxx

On A Roll!

I really am on a roll as far as finishing projects are concerned, with another one finished while watching TV last night! My two project baskets, usually full to overflowing, are looking very tidy and manageable now - quite satisfying but also a little disturbing! I now have only one on-going project - my Flower Garden Blanket - and I can once again see all of the colours of the balls of yarn that still fill my baskets!

So, here is the latest! Voila!

 I have called this one my Turquoise Blush Baby Blanket because of the combination of turquoise and soft pink which I think is very unusual and beautiful.

The blanket began as a collection of small traditional Granny Squares in pink and turquoise, as seen above and below

I alternated the colour-ways for variety before joining them together and surrounding with a simple border of turquoise trebles followed by a few more rows of pink

and finally a few more rows of turquoise trebles before finishing it off with a final row of Puff Stitch in turquoise.

I must confess that I would have liked to have done a final row of Puff Stitch in pink but I didn't have enough of exactly that same pink yarn left!



So, there you have it! The Turquoise Blush Baby Blanket is pram/ stroller or small crib size and you can find full details here and here if you are interested.

Well, what next? Now that I can properly see all of those delicious coloured yarns in my baskets I can't wait to choose for my next project! And I have some new yarns too which I would not let myself begin with until I had completed all of those unfinished projects. So, whoopeee! I can now try out some of those new yarns too! I'm SO excited! And that idea of combining rippling with bobbling, which I mentioned in my last post, is still very appealing - I might just have to try that out!

Bye for now, and Happy Hooking!! Tricia xxx

Blackberry Bobble Baby Blanket Finished!

Hi again! A little while since I have been here but it's been a happily busy time during which several projects have been completed and new ones begun!

First, I can show you my Blackberry Bobble Baby Blanket. Voila!

I just LOVE making all these rows of Blackberry-like bobbles! I think an older baby or toddler will love feeling at these as much as I do! There is just something very pleasing about their beautiful bobbliness!

I love these soft pastel shades too. All in all I'm very pleased with how this turned out, especially as I had no idea how it would look when I started and I just made it up as I went along.

But that's not all! I sold my Rainbow Ripple Cot Blanket this week but finished a smaller pram/ stroller sized one! 

I cannot tell you how much pleasure I get from rippling and bobbling and watching a blanket grow as I'm doing it! 

Maybe I can combine rippling and bobbling into one fabulous creation! Now there's a thought!!! Watch this space!

But hold that thought because I have still not finished revealing! 

Last, but not least, I have also finished the only blanket I have ever made using a new-to-me chunky yarn appropriately called Baby Chunky. It's really thick and soft and incorporates a range of lovely soft pastel shades twisted with white. Which is why I have called it my Candy Twist Chunky Baby Blanket - it's the blanket that's chunky of course not the baby!! 

Anyway, here it is......

After all that rippling and bobbling and because of the extra thick yarn I was using, I decided this time to do giant Granny Squares with a very simple trebles border

Unfortunately, the pictures cannot convey that velvety thickness nor how lovely these subtle, soft pastel shades are.

This is why I love hooking SO much - because there is so much variety in the colours and textures of the yarns and also there are so many stitches to choose from. So every project is a completely new and unique experience and each time I complete one I can't wait to begin another! And in fact, as many of you know, I usually DON'T wait to begin another! Which is why I always have several projects on the go at once!

Well, that's three more down - off to the craft basket to see what I fancy doing next! Mmmmm, that ripply-bobbly idea is calling to me...! Catch ya later, Tricia xxx

Bobble Baby Blanket Sneek Preview!

I just couldn't wait any longer to give you a sneek-peek at my latest project, my Bobble Baby Blanket.
Voila!

I just love it! I just decided I wanted to do something using Blackberry Stitch which I haven't used much before and so just started using some left-over lemon yarn. After a few rows of Blackberry Stitch I thought I needed to introduce some colour and chose the soft pastels of one of my favourite brands by ICE called Baby Design. You can find the Baby Design range here. The one I'm using is the yellow/pink/lilac/blue. I also love their Dancing Baby range. It's just a shame they don't name the different colour combinations to make them easier to identify! As I say, this one is pastel shades but there are also very bright ones - my Carnival Hoodie and Blanket Set, which you can find here and here, is made with one of the bright combinations in the Dancing Baby range, which you can find here.

SO, I changed yarn to introduce some colour and decided also to change stitch, experimenting a bit before finally deciding on simple half trebles. Just a note again here that I use UK crochet terms which are different from those used in many other places including the US. So, here is a chart giving the terms and their abbreviations according to which you use. As you can see, my half trebles are half double crochets elsewhere. I think the Blackberry Stitch is the same everywhere.

  

US	UK
chain(ch)	chain(ch)
single crochet (sc)	double crochet (dc)
double crochet (dc)	treble (tr)
half double crochet (hdc)	half treble (htr)
triple crochet (trc)	double treble (dtr)
slip stitch (sl st)	slip stitch (sl st)

Here are some close-ups of the Blackberry Bobbles. I finally settled on three rows of bobbles (which is actually 4 rows of crochet) followed by 5 rows of half trebles, then 3 more rows of bobbles. It's really quite a simple pattern but I really like the way it is working out.

The blackberry bobble rows are actually worked on the wrong side of blanket but the bobbles puff out on the right side.

Here is a very quick outline of my basic pattern.

Foundation chain.

Multiples of 4, plus 3 extra at the end for turning.

Row 1.

Skip 3ch (count as 1 half treble) half treble into the 4th chain from hook, then half treble into each chain to end. Turn

Row 2.

Ch1, double crochet into each of first 2 stitches * treble5tog into next stitch, 1dc into each of next 3 sts* repeat from * to last 3 sts. Treble5tog into next stitch, 1dc into each of last 2 sts. Turn.

Row 3

Ch 3 (count as 1 half treble). 1 half treble into each stitch to end. Turn

Row 4.

Ch1, 1 dc into each of first 4 sts * work 1 treble5tog into next st, then 1 dc into each of next 3 sts* Repeat from * to last stitch, 1dc. Turn

Row 5

Ch3, 1 half treble into each stitch to end. Turn.

TIP: to get a nice neat straight edge at each end of the row I always work the last stitch into the final chain not into the space.

Rows 2-5 are actually the pattern rows, the treble5tog in one stitch making the blackberry bobble. You then repeat rows 2-5 for as long as you like! As you can see I have just done 3 bobble rows which is rows 2-5 and then rows 2 & 3 again. I then follow with 4 more rows of half trebles but no bobbles before beginning this pattern repeat, rows 2-5, again. I hope that makes sense!

A quick guide on how to treble5tog. Yarn over hook, hook into stitch, YO & pull back through st as if working a treble (3 loops on hook). Yarn over & pull through first 2 loops on hook only (2 loops remaining). *YO, go through SAME stitch again, YO & pull back through, YO & pull through first 2 loops only* repeat * to * for a total of 5 times, ending up with 6 loops on hook. Yarn over & pull through all 6 loops. Secure bobble with 1chain/slip stitch.

After working treble5tog into the same stitch you'll end up with 6 loops on hook as in the pic above. Then yarn over & pull through all 6 loops on hook, like this.....

Then secure the blackberry bobble with 1chain/slip stitch before working 1 dc into next stitch as per pattern.

This is the view of the wrong side. If you turn the work over you'll see the bobble puffed out on the other side. And that's it!! 

Well, I've spent much longer than I planned writing this post so must love you and leave you till next time! Don't hesitate to get in touch if you want any help or advice with these instructions - or with anything else in my posts. Just one final request tho', please don't use my photos, although you are welcome to use links to my pages, and if you do use my pattern or instructions please DO acknowledge the source and include a link to my blog page. Thanks, BFN, Tricia xx

More Pups and Projects

I thought you might like a pup update! For those who haven't read my previous pups post, my glorious bromeliad, which was a birthday pressie from a dear friend in June and which still has its original flower more than two months later, also had 'pups'. Apparently that's what you call the new plants which shoot off from the base of the mother plant. Well, I decided a few days ago that it was time for the biggest of these pups to be delivered! So, having watched a few internet tutorial videos I got ready to play puppy midwife! And this is the result!

As you can see, the mother plant survived very well and looks as beautiful as ever - she's positively blooming!

Everything didn't quite go exactly to plan tho'...... Following the internet advice I had intended to take off only the two biggest pups but I think I had let the biggest one get too big and it needed much more force than I had thought to gently break it away from the mother plant - and in that process the compost holding the other littlies in got broken apart and they literally fell out!! Obviously, they were not as strongly attached as this big one which I think was taking the lion's share from the mother. So, I potted the littlies up together for company. I hope they are big enough to go it alone! Maybe they'll actually do better now that they are away from Big Brother!

It's been about a week now and two of them look to be doing fine. The tiniest one might not make it tho'. 

I'm really VERY excited to see how they all get on! There was actually another medium sized brother, not pictured here, which I took to my friend who bought me the mother plant. According to my research we can be hopeful that these plants will produce their own beautiful pink flower in 1-3 years time and then pups of their own after that! Isn't nature wonderful!

Well, besides delivering pups, I've been working on a very special crochet restoration project which unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures of as I went along! I was asked by my brother if I could repair and restore a much-loved blanket that my darling Mum had made some years ago for his Grand-daughter, Dxxxx, who is now 11. The blanket has been so much loved that it was literally coming apart at the seams. Not only that, but I discovered that some of the yarn had broken and the granny squares were unravelling from the insides! Despite having no idea if I could actually do it, I undertook to try. 

The first issue was locating some matching yarn, especially as the blanket had been made years before! I searched through all my Mum's left-over yarns which I had kept, but without success. I really thought then that I had no chance of matching the yarns, especially as they were not common colours but a very unusual bright pink and deep purple! Then I thought of one of my favourite wool shops in the centre of Skipton - a long way from home but a place I enjoy spending the day when I meet up with friends. So, armed with two strands of yarn to match up, off I went - and yippee! My lovely wool lady not only had a PERFECT match for one yarn but, incredibly, for BOTH! FANTASTIC! Not only that but she only charges £1 per 100g ball for many of her yarns which is amazing! 

So, I set about painstakingly restoring my beloved Mum's blanket, re-sewing all the seams and, to my own amazement, re-crocheting the inside rows of Granny Squares, reattaching them to the previous and following rows! I was amazed that you really can't see where the repairs are at all! I really wish I had taken before and after pictures! Too late now tho' because I've already returned it. 

Anyway, although it turned out surprisingly well, it is nevertheless still past it's beautiful best and the yarn is fading in places so, I returned to my Skipton wool lady and bought several more balls of each colour - and started a new exact relica of the original! And here it is.......

This new one is a surprise still to be delivered - I didn't tell anyone I was making it. I still have all the ends to weave in but once that's done I'll take it down to Staffordshire on my next visit. So Dxxxx will be able to keep the original much-treasured blanket my Mum made for her and use this new replica that I have made.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

I'm amazed at how blue it looks in these pictures because it's actually a deep purple! 

There was something very special about being able to restore my Mum's original blanket and then re-creating it again in a completely new one. And there was definitely a 'meant-to-be' about finding exactly the right coloured yarns in Skipton!!

As usual, as soon as one project gets close to completion I seem compelled to start another new one - and so my Bobble Baby Blanket has been born! But more of that next time.....

Bye for now, Tricia xx

Projects, Pinks and Pups!

But not the kind of pups you might think! More of that later........

I just can't believe how fast this summer is flying by! Since I took early retirement a few years ago I hardly ever really notice the date unless I need to, for birthdays etc and was so surprised to realise that July is almost over when it seems it's only just begun!

There are so many reasons to be outside as much as possible, enjoying the warm, and often downright HOT, sunny days. Hot, sticky nights are not so great but hey, I'm not complaining!! Tending the garden, going for long country walks, any excuse really to get the sun on my skin but not TOO much, of course. And the evenings are so long and beautiful too.... So any crafting really has to be done out-of-doors as it's just too lovely to be inside. Having said that, today is overcast and we're having sprinklings of drizzly rain so I am indoors - and the result is Pineapple and Cherry Upside Down Sponge for tea!

A nice surprise for P when he gets home!

I have been working on some crafty projects too. My second cushion is now finished! I'm really pleased with how these have turned out......

And I enjoyed doing them so much that I am now debating whether to do a matching lap blanket/ throw to go with them. I'll think about that one......

Meanwhile, I have also finished a mini version of my Rainbow Ripple Cot Blanket. This one is a generous pram/ stroller/ crib size.

 Just the ends to weave in, my least favourite bit, and then it's done!

Another one I can cross off as finished! 

I still have several Oh-So-Nearly-Finished projects, like my little Carnival Hoodie which is still waiting for its teddy bear buttons to be sewn on! 

The matching blanket does have all its ends sewn in now tho'. Just the buttons and then I'll be ready to list it on Etsy with my other things.

Despite saying I wouldn't, I have also started a new project. I know I shouldn't but hey-ho, there ya' go! I made the mistake of going with my friend J, to a craft shop that I hadn't visited before and as soon as we walked in there, right in front of us, were the cutest knitted dungarees! Well, we both loved them so much we bought yarn and patterns there and then! I think I have done VERY well to resist this long before starting on them, especially as J, who won't mind me saying is a fairly novice knitter, has actually finished hers - and a matching cardy and bootees and a little teddy too! And she has done a fine job 'cos they look lovely. Here is mine so far.....

It's too early to tell yet maybe, but they really look lovely when finished and pressed etc. I'll show you when they're done. I think I'll be doing my trademark hoodie to match mine. 

Well that's it for this update craft-wise, but before I go I thought you might like to see my orchid which has been flowering almost continuously for about three or more years now!

 Just GORGEOUS isn't it?

And I'm SO excited because my bromeliad with the amazing huge pink flower, which you can see here,

is having pups!! Yes, that's what they are called! At the moment she has two which are about ready to be 'delivered' and two more very small ones just starting to show!! And if I can raise them, which is apparently fairly easy, in 2 or 3 years time they will produce beautiful flowers like this too. How exciting is that! And on that very happy note I'll say BFN, catch ya' later! T xx