Granny Blanket

A very special baby boy is being born into our family in the next day or two. Our hearts are bursting with excitement.

He would have to be a very special person to be the recipient of a blanket like this. A huge investment of time, planning and, of course, yarn.

Made in my ‘spare time’, this blanket has taken me two years to complete.

I started off using my yarn stash – granny squares are perfect for those tiny bits that can’t be used for much else. I changed my colour scheme about 3 times along the way, and ended up discarding the first few squares I made.

Unless you are making a purse, or some other little granny square project, don’t think of it as a great way to use up your stash. I ended up with a bigger stash than I started with.

This collection of 70 squares spent many days on my lounge carpet being arranged, and re-arranged, until I was happy with its layout.

It’s made of 29 different colours of hand-dyed, locally produced, 100% bamboo yarn, and a 5mm hook.

Some great strategy I learned early on: stitch in the ends on each colour change.

I tried a number of different ways to join the squares and settled on a simple ‘join as you go’ method. I’m happy with the softness that the boarder gives the blanket, and it also gave me my desired finished size.

I found the following chart helpful in planning my joining.

The bamboo yarn gives this blanket the most gorgeously soft and cuddly feel. I’m delighted with the finished product and trust it will last a lifetime for our young man.

Wooly Hat

It’s another hat!

I said I’d try making my beach hat with a cotton that is not mercerised, and this is the result. It looks very wooly to me. Definitely much more of a winter’s day hat than a summery sunshiny day hat.

Having said that, I love this colour. It’s called peacock, and is a rich greenish kind of colour. The cotton itself is a lovely natural cotton. Delightful to work with.

The pattern I used was this one, but I made a round circle rather than a hexagon. The bucket section is 2 rows less, as my thread is thicker. And the brim is much narrower, just to do something different. I used a 4.5mm hook and crocheted quite tightly. I wish I had used a 4mm.

The cotton is Elle, Cotton on, double knit, which is 100% virgin cotton, and comes in 250g balls. I got mine from Pandora’s (no, I’m not being paid to say that, just doing my bit to support local).

Now I need to decide what to do with the remainder of the ball of peacock cotton….

Patchwork Blanket

This blanket was made over many hours. The most memorable being those with my friend, Janet, sitting in front of her wood fire, sipping sherry, on their farm in the Winterberg.

I just love the fun selection of colours picked out by Pippa, as I made this for her little daughter.

It is just the most basic granny square pattern made with the simplest acrylic yarn and a 5mm hook. I made it to fit a single bed.

Acrylic doesn’t have to be cheap and nasty. It is durable and perfect for items that are going to be well used. The trick to keeping it perfectly soft is to not crochet too tightly. If you naturally crochet more tightly than others (like I do) then try using a bigger hook.

This is a wonderful project to sit with in the evenings. And a very special gift that will last a lifetime.

Marco Scarf

One of the four scarves I made for the gents in my home. I’d been eying out this yarn in the stores for months trying to decide what I’d do with it. It has a texture that catches my attention every time I see it:  very soft and warm with the raw wool and uneven speck giving it a fantastic rustic appeal. Eventually I settled on this scarf.

I used a 6mm hook and ‘rib look’ crochet stitch, then added tassels to each end. The ‘rib stitch’ looks more like knit than crochet which I feel is more fitting for men. It’s a high quality yarn made up of a blend of cotton, tweed, wool and acrylic. The end product does justice to the yarn and can be worn in either a smart or casual setting. Versatility is always good.

Jono’s Night Cap

Oh the things you make when you have teenage children! So, this is a night cap, or as Jono likes to call it, a cool long pointy beanie thing. And yes, he actually wears it, not only with his pajamas but out to the mall – gosh.

I simply used tr crochet, starting at the point, slowly increasing until the last about 9 rows. Then I added a few rows of dc to make the band. It’s an acrylic dk, or worsted weight yarn and I used a 5mm hook. And finally added the pompom. It’s been many years since I made a pompom, taking me back to my childhood.

My Cotton Scarf

I found this gorgeous yarn and had to make myself a scarf. There were a wide selection of colours, but I chose light grey, charcoal, beige and cream. I’m please to have a  scarf that I can dress up with now.

The yarn is 80% cotton and 20% acrylic, which is a fantastic combination. I prefer it to 100% cotton. I didn’t have a pattern, but with a 6mm hook, I used a simple V stitch for the entire scarf. That is Tr, ch, Tr in every second stitch (British terminology). I didn’t want a long scarf, but made it just long enough to go around my neck twice. It is super warm and wonderfully comfortable.

Hipster Beanie and Boots for Baby

I loved making this little set. The yarn is so soft and ideal for keeping a little head and feet warm. The very natural and earthy look of the yarn also lends itself to the hipster style.

For the hat I used this easy to follow pattern by April Cromwell. Thanks April. The only change I made was shortening the ties a little. I used a 5.5mm hook. And one of my favourite patterns for boots is this one by Repeat Crafter Me. I used a 3,5mm hook to make it smaller and tighter (my yarn is so soft I had to firm it up somehow) and I only made 3 rows of the cuff, then I added the laces. The yarn is a stunning, locally-produced blend of cotton, tweed, wool and acrylic.

Long Scarf

I realize winter is almost over, but I did make these scarves a little while ago. I made 4 scarves in 6 days, one for each of the gents in my home. This is a long, tasseled, loose-stitch crochet scarf with a knit look. Sometimes you just need a simple ordinary old scarf. And this is particularly warm too.

I used a simple double knit (worsted weight) yarn and an 8mm hook. The loose stitching makes this a very comfortable, soft and casual looking scarf. A smaller hook makes a tighter stitch and is a smarter style, as you’ll see when I post two of my other scarves.

I’m not sure my boys will get much more use out of them this season, but they are timeless and should last a few winters.

 

Beige Circular Scarf

It feels a bit strange making a scarf right at the beginning of summer, but this was made on request from a friend.

This is the fourth scarf I’ve made using this pattern and I’m never disappointed by the results. This time I used a beige double knit, single strand, and a 9mm hook. It’s not as chunky as my first one, but came out great anyway. The yarn is Elle Pure Gold, which is a South African produced 100% acrylic.

It’s been a slow week on the production line here. A few months ago I promised myself I would work on one project at a time. Well, I’ve been working on a cushion cover, and it’s taking forever, so I’ve deviated a bit from that ideal. I have an order in for some baby boy gumboots and some baby girl shoes. My cushion cover can wait….again.

Ladies Twisted Headband

 

I’ve been meaning to make this headband for a little while. Glad I finally got round to it, and it really was very quick, once I worked out some interesting quirks in the pattern.

I’ve enjoyed giving myself to a few different projects after spending quite some time on baby headbands. I don’t have ADD, I just like variety. This is a great pattern by PD Designs. I got it a bit wrong in the beginning, but reading through some of the comments at the bottom helped me get it right. My yarn is the last of a ball I got from Mongolia and is an Egyptian cotton / milk fibre blend in grey and white. Made up with a 6mm hook.

It has a great texture, is nice and stretchy and very warm, although not too warm for summery days when you just want protection from the wind. Nice idea for Christmas gifts too.