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Crochet blog – update #7

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Hello and welcome to my 7th update.    I am still aiming to do these weekly but my week was crazy busy last week and I didn’t make enough progress to tell you about!

Over the last two weeks I managed to complete the squares for my hearts and spots blanket.  Here are the last four rows.    These are not laid out in the order I plan to put them together here but you get the idea.

The original colour layout looked like this.    I will be joining the blocks in this order more or less.

The heart squares are less stable than the spot and solid squares so rather than make it random I am rotating the three designs which means that a heart square will always be surrounded by solid/spot squares.  Here are the finished blocks in their colour piles!

I have been working on joining methods.    For my sunshine flower blanket I wanted to make the joins as invisible as possible.    This hearts and spots blanket will make a feature of the joins.    I am using the mid colour from each of the sets to join the blocks in each row.    For the joins between rows I haven’t decided what to use yet.    I might carry on with the mid colour of the previous row or might use the bold colours.

Away from this blanket I have been trying to get organised.    I recently published a couple of posts on daily and weekly planning with free printable planner downloads.  I have also been working on a stash catalogue which I will share in a separate post but this is what it looks like.   Here is the file as a free download.   The file is A5 size so you might need to resize it if you would like a different format.    If you have any problems with this please let me know and I will resize the file for you!   stash catalogue (19524 downloads )

I have quite a large stash of yarn (!) and much as I try to make use of it before buying more yarn, it doesn’t seem to reduce any!   I hope that having it catalogued and available to browse through will improve my ability to create ideas to use it all.   One thing I have found is that as I go through the backs of cupboards and packing boxes to look at all my yarn, I am falling in love with it all over again.    I have found some yarns I didn’t know I had!    I read an article on yarn stashing and I know I am not the worst for this.   I do not have any yarn deliberately hidden from my family.    I loved one story I read, of a knitter who had removed a bath panel to create a new hiding place for an extreme stash 🙂

That’s all from me this week.   I will go back to joining squares and cataloguing my stash.    I hope to be able to edge the hearts and spots blanket next weekend and to share the final pattern.   Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Crochet blog – update #6

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Hello and welcome to my sixth update!   This week I made more progress on my blanket project.   I realised I have been calling it different names as is has progressed.   It started life as my Shades of the Rainbow blanket but more recently I have been calling it Hearts and Spots!   Whatever name it ends up with I have to confess, I am ready to move on… I have never been great at finishing things but this blog acts as a conscience so I will get it done!

This photo shows four more completed rows of squares.   Only four more to go and I can start the making up.   I have already made the majority of the blocks for those last four rows but still need to fasten off the ends.

I started to look into pricing of this project, researching on Etsy and google for similar items and found a huge range of pricing.   Some of it was incredibly low and looks to cover the cost of materials at best.   This got me thinking!   I built myself a little spreadsheet to calculate the cost of producing the blanket.   I know what the yarn cost including shipping and I used the UK minimum wage to value my time. The blanket isn’t finished yet but when it is I will know what I should be charging. The spreadsheet has a section to record the number of hours worked.   I think I will use one for every project from now on.   I created it as a PDF and set up a FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.   Pricing basics (25887 downloads )   I wrote a longer post on pricing which you can read here – pricing basics.

As a break from my big project this week I designed this new block in the picture above.   I have made it up in a few colours with some of my left over scraps. I am very pleased with the way it turned out.   Here is a link to the FREE PATTERN. There are no complicated stitches so it should be suitable for beginners.   I have listed the instructions in both UK and US notation.   I haven’t decided on my next big project but I would quite like to make a blanket with this block.   I worked it in Drops Paris yarn on a 5mm hook and the finished blocks are about 14cms square.

The problem with these little side projects is that they hold up work on the main project.   I do tend to get a bit distracted by new things.   Confession time, I have three other side projects on the go.   I am working on a cushion design, a summer top and a shoulder bag design.   The good news is that I will be able to share those patterns with you soon I hope.

For now it is back to finishing of little Hearts and Spots squares.   I hope you have a good week. Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Wagon Wheel Block

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Hello!   This post contains a Free Pattern for my Wagon Wheel Block.   I wanted to create a block that would lend itself to Ombre projects and would also be suitable for stash busting as I have a lot of small remnants of yarn left over from my larger crochet blanket projects.

The pattern is made of simple stitches so should be suitable for beginners.    I made this up in Drops Paris which is 100% cotton in aran weight and works up on a 5mm hook.

Wagon Wheel Block – UK terms

Round 1.    Chain five and join to make a circle.

Round 2.    Chain 2, work 12 DC into the circle and join with a slip stitch to the second chain that started the round.

Round 3.     Chain 4,  (Tr, chain 1) repeat 11 times so that you have thirteen spokes to the wheel – (the chain that started the round plus 12 more spokes).   Slip stitch into the third chain of the 4 chains that started the round.

Round 4.     chain 2, DC into the space between the trebles on the previous round.   (2 DC into the space between trebles) repeat 11 times.   So you have two DC between each of the trebles on the previous row.   Join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round.

Round 5.     Chain 4, (Tr, chain 1) repeat 24 times so that you have 26 spokes to the wheel – (the chain that started the round plus 25 more spokes).   Slip stitch into the third chain of the 4 chains that started the round.

Round 6.     Chain 2, DC into the space between the trebles on the previous round.   (2 DC into the space between trebles) repeat 24 times.   So you have two DC between each of the trebles on the previous row.   Join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round.

Round 7.    Chain 2, (2DC into same stitch, Htr, 2 Tr into same stitch, DTr,  chain 5, miss three stitches and DTr into fourth stitch, 2Tr into same stitch, Htr, 2 DC into same stitch, DC, DC)  repeat twice, 2DC into same stitch, Htr, 2 Tr into same stitch, DTr,  chain 5, miss three stitches and DTr into fourth stitch, 2Tr into same stitch, Htr, 2 DC into same stitch, DC.  join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round.

Round 8.   Chain 2, DC into each stitch from the row below to the corner 5 chains.   Work into each corner 3 DC, 2 chain, 3 DC.  Repeat to end of round and join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round.

Round 9.     Chain 2, DC into each stitch from the row below.   At each corner work 2DC, chain 2, 2DC into the 2 chain space on the row below.    At end of round join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round.

NOTE – where you are changing colour on each round to create the ombre effect it works well if you move the start of each colour around rather than start and stop in the same place each time.

Wagon Wheel Block – US terms

Round 1.    Chain five and join to make a circle.

Round 2.    Chain 2, work 12 SC into the circle and join with a slip stitch to the second chain that started the round.

Round 3.     Chain 4,  (DC, chain 1) repeat 11 times so that you have thirteen spokes to the wheel – (the chain that started the round plus 12 more spokes).   Slip stitch into the third chain of the 4 chains that started the round.

Round 4.     chain 2, SC into the space between the trebles on the previous round.   (2 SC into the space between trebles) repeat 11 times.   So you have two SC between each of the trebles on the previous row.   Join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round.

Round 5.     Chain 4, (DC, chain 1) repeat 24 times so that you have 26 spokes to the wheel – (the chain that started the round plus 25 more spokes).   Slip stitch into the third chain of the 4 chains that started the round.

Round 6.     Chain 2, SC into the space between the trebles on the previous round.   (2 SC into the space between trebles) repeat 24 times.   So you have two SC between each of the trebles on the previous row.   Join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round.

Round 7.    Chain 2, (2SC into same stitch, HDC, 2 DC into same stitch, TRC,  chain 5, miss three stitches and TRC into fourth stitch, 2DC into same stitch, HDC, 2 SC into same stitch, SC, SC)  repeat twice, 2SC into same stitch, HDC, 2 DC into same stitch, TRC,  chain 5, miss three stitches and TRC into fourth stitch, 2DC into same stitch, HDC, 2 SC into same stitch, SC.  join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round.

Round 8.   Chain 2, SC into each stitch from the row below to the corner 5 chains.   Work into each corner 3 SC, 2 chain, 3 SC.  Repeat to end of round and join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round.

Round 9.     Chain 2, SC into each stitch from the row below.   At each corner work 2SC, chain 2, 2SC into the 2 chain space on the row below.    At end of round join with a slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round

And there it is.   I hope you like it as much as I do.   Happy Crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Hair accessory

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Hello!    I wanted to share this free pattern for a hair accessory with you.    Most of my making time at the moment is going into a large blanket made of smaller squares.   I am spending all my time making these squares and finishing off the ends.    The work is a stash buster in its own right as it uses small quantities of yarn to make each square.   However, I am still finding myself with some very small oddments and it hurts me to thrown those away so I have come up with this design to use even the smallest pieces of left over yarn!    Here is the finished result.



Instructions – Hair Accessory.

To make this you need small oddments of yarn, an elastic hair band/tie and the size of crochet hook appropriate to your yarn.   In my case I am using left over Drops Paris yarn which takes a size 5mm hook.

Start by making a magic loop that goes through the middle of the hair band.   I found this a bit of a mind bend to start with!   I am including a picture below so that you can lay your work down and copy mine if that helps!

Work 12 DC (SC US) into the magic loop.    You might need to vary this according to the weight of your yarn.   It doesn’t really matter how many stitches you put into the loop as long as you can pull it tight to circle the hair band – see below.

Without breaking the yarn work a chain to the length you require.   This will form one of the ‘ribbons’ in the final item.   If you are using light/acrylic yarn then the ribbon will spiral so you may need a longer chain.   In the yarn I am using the ribbons do not curl much and I used a chain of between 12 and 16 in the finished piece pictured.

When you have the chain to the length you require work back along the chain either using slip stitches or DC (US terms SC).   The SC will give the effect of a cord, DC (SC US) will give a thicker strip.    Finish off the strip with a slip stitch into the outer edge of the DCs in the magic loop.  This will reinforce the join between the ring and the strips and make the item more robust.

Join in other colours to the DC’s in the magic ring and repeat the steps above to add more strands to the accessory.   Keep these close together on one side of the ring so that the other side can sit against the wearers head without making it uncomfortable.

Finish the piece by sewing in the ends but this need not take long as you can run the loose ends down the length of the ribbons very quickly!    And that is it – you can play with colours – match them to other garments or use any random oddments in your stash!    These could look lovely on flower girls if they were worked all in cream/white or could be made to match the colours of flowers or bridesmaids dresses.

Hope you have a go at this and enjoy the results as much as I did.    I think it is a really fun way to use up tiny scraps of yarn and a lovely break from big projects.  Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Crochet blog – update#4

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Hello 🙂

Welcome to my fourth weekly update.   This update is slightly different as I have decided to split out the crochet content from the blog progress updates.   If you are interested in the blog progress then you can read about them here.

Soooo – crochet!!   This week I have been working on my Shades of the Rainbow blanket – do you like that name?   I am not sure yet.   I might call it Shades of the Heart because I have worked up my heart pattern into a square for inclusion in this blanket.   Here are a few of them laid out.   I have about five more sets of three colours to complete and about four more where I have completed the crochet but have to tie in all the ends yet *sigh*.   Here is a picture of some of the finished squares.

I put up a blog post giving the free pattern for the Heart Square – just follow the link if you would like to give it a go.


I am working on another type of square to include in the blanket – a spot.   I wanted to include more solid squares as I am worried that the heart squares might not be very stable given how much space there is around the heart.   Here are a few of the ‘spot squares’.   I worked these up from my sample square pattern but changed the colour of the yarn for the first round and last round.

These squares have all been brilliant to work on my commute – I only need to take a couple of small balls of yarn and my hook.   The yarn is Drops Paris which is incredibly good value at c £1 per ball for pure cotton.   The yarn splits a little so needs care to work with but it has been very good quality for the price with very few of the hated knots and breaks!

The other project I have worked on at home this week is my Spring Flowers Blanket.  I started this in Spring, hence the name but I don’t think I will be finishing it until next Spring at this rate of progress.   The problem I have with it is that I am working across the full width of a blanket so I cannot really take it out of the house as it is already getting a bit big to carry around!

This is the latest progress with the flowers joined to the body of the work and the next section started.    I will work up another row of flowers on my commute when I have completed all these hearts and spot blocks (see above!).

That is all from me for this week… happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Heart square

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Hello, in this post I am sharing a free pattern for a heart in a square with you.     A few weeks ago I designed a crochet heart and shared the pattern as a stash busting project.   I wanted to include my stash busting hearts in my Shades of the Rainbow blanket so I have designed a pattern to put the hearts into a square of the same size as my sample squares.

Here is a link to the heart pattern.   This pattern starts with a completed heart.   The heart you made should look like this.   I have also included the heart pattern again at the bottom of this post.

The picture above shows the start point for this pattern and the points where the outside border joins the heart are indicated with an X.

Heart in a Square pattern – UK version (US version below)

First round – slip stitch into the side of the heart in the stitch indicated in the picture above.  CH2, DC into next stitch, CH5, miss three stitches, TR into the next stitch (at the top right of the heart), DC into next stitch, CH5, DC into stitch at the top of the left side of the heart, TR, CH5, miss three stitches, 2DC, CH12, DC into the bottom stitch of the heart, CH12 and slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round to join to your start point.

Second round – CH2, DC, (2DC, CH2, DC) into the corner, 2DC at the top right hand side of the heart, 5 DC across the centre/top of the heart, 2DC into the top left hand side of the heart, (DC,2CH,2DC) into the left hand corner, 2DC, (7DC, 2CH,5DC) into the bottom left corner, DC into the stitch at the bottom of the heart, (5DC,2CH,7DC) into the bottom right corner and slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round to join to your start point.

Third round – CH2, DC all round working 2DC,2CH,2DC into the corner chains.

You should end up with a square that looks like this 🙂

Heart in a Square pattern – US version

First round – slip stitch into the side of the heart in the stitch indicated in the picture above.  CH2, SC into next stitch, CH5, miss three stitches, DC into the next stitch (at the top right of the heart), SC into next stitch, CH5, SC into stitch at the top of the left side of the heart, DC, CH5, miss three stitches, 2SC, CH12, SC into the bottom stitch of the heart, CH12 and slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round to join to your start point.

Second round – CH2, SC, (2SC, CH2, SC) into the corner, 2SC at the top right hand side of the heart, 5 SC across the centre/top of the heart, 2SC into the top left hand side of the heart, (SC,2CH,2SC) into the left hand corner, 2SC, (7SC, 2CH,5SC) into the bottom left corner, SC into the stitch at the bottom of the heart, (5SC,2CH,7SC) into the bottom right corner and slip stitch to the second of the chains that started the round to join to your start point.

Third round – CH2, SC all round working 2SC,2CH,2SC into the corner chains.

In case there are issues with the heart link or just in case you would like this pattern all in one place – here is the heart pattern:

Heart Pattern

UK terms

Make a magic loop, chain 3 and working into the magic loop, 3 dtr, 3tr, chain 1, 1dtr, chain 1, 3tr, 3dtr, chain 2, slip stitch into magic loop and pull the thread to close the centre of the heart.

second round – 2 sl stitch into the gap behind the three chain from the first round.  3dc into the next stitch (top of the left side of the heart), 3 dc into the next stitch and 2 dc into the following stitch.   Work 4 dc to take you to the bottom loop of the heart.  3dc into the bottom stitch of the heart, 4 dc, work 2dc, 3dc, 3dc into the next three stitches, 2 sl stitches and one final slip stitch into the centre of the heart.

third round – 2 slip stitches then 2dc into the next five stitches (around the top of the left side of the heart) 7 dc, 3dc into the bottom stitch of the heart, 7dc, 2dc into the next five stitches, 2 slip stitches and finish off to complete the heart.

US terms

Make a magic loop, chain 3 and working into the magic loop, 3TRC, 3DC, chain 1, 1TRC, chain 1, 3DC, 3TRC, chain 2, slip stitch into magic loop and pull the thread to close the centre of the heart.

second round – 2 sl stitch into the gap behind the three chain from the first round.  3SC into the next stitch (top of the left side of the heart), 3 SC into the next stitch and 2SC into the following stitch.   Work 4SC to take you to the bottom loop of the heart.  3SC into the bottom stitch of the heart, 4SC, work 2SC, 3SC, 3SC into the next three stitches, 2 sl stitches and one final slip stitch into the centre of the heart.

third round – 2 slip stitches then 2SC into the next five stitches (around the top of the left side of the heart) 7 SC, 3SC into the bottom stitch of the heart, 7SC, 2SC into the next five stitches, 2 slip stitches and finish off to complete the heart.

 

That’s all for now.    I will be sharing my completed blanket in a few weeks – just a few more squares to go – and a lot of ends to tie in!!

Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂