Granny squares.....a pattern a week for 2013

New CROCHET project

A NEW SEAT COVER

Same stitch as the bolster...Moss St. stripes.

LINK TO MORE INFO HERE

 

The new lap blanket is so cosy and a perfect size at 38" x 56"

I will make this one again in a different colour way.

 

Hope everyone had a Great Christmas and you are all ready for 2013?

2012 has disappeared so fast don't you think?

Thinking of a picture collection for 2012 so many pictures I still can't show you but i am sure i can find 12 for 2012.

 

Hugs to all x

BIRDCAGE WALLPAPER...bedroom may be

Acouple of days ago I saw this wallpaper in B&M Stores...another Arthouse wallpaper

thought it might look good in the en suite and our bedroom.

just on the top bit where the silver wresath is and one wall in the en suite.

 We plan on a new suite in spring next year...may be I should wait?

probably not though got the wallpapering bug, about right for me just before Christmas hehe

 

enjoy your weekend everyone xx

 

Let's see it today is any easier?

Not too sure what had happened to my laptop for the last couple of days, I down loaded something and it seemed to take over Google Chrome so I deleted it and added Internet Explorer...not so easy to use all sorts of things disappeared and changed...this morning they all seem to be back again so lets see if I can add this post as before!

 

Eventually got the wallpapering done.....just two rolls but they have been lookig at me for months now

so far so good.....!

 

COMPANY....

They hate each other and a scrap usually happened when Mr T pushed his luck, he can be a bit of a bully sometimes and Lettuce although big is timid and a good girl, she never used to fight back but wasn't going to put up with Mr T's bad behaviour so she packs a wallop now....Mr T will still try it on sometimes, but does give her a wider birth than before.

 

James weighted her the other day...a big cat and she weighs 1st 2lbs hehe a a big girl hey?

 

Put my hand out to get another ball of wool yesterday and I got a furry purrrrr. lol

Splodge had snook into my wool bag and I didn't see him hehe.

 

Can't believe everything with the blog seems to be back to normal again.

My first Christmas party tonight...lucky, my 6 weekly hair appointment is today too.

Have a fun day xx

Crochet bolster..Moss st. stripes

Really having all sorts of problem this morning uploading picture.....

 

Hoping this is the end to it....

LINK TO MORE INFO ON BLOSTER HERE 

 enjoy your day hugs xx

WINTER CROCHET SPACE......

We bought a purple sofa a few months back...love it to look at 

but it is soooo uncomfortable that I decided to move it into the dining room and bring a couple of the Ikea bouncy chairs into the lounge, for now at least.

BUT.....

I needed a foot stool, the ones that go with the chairs fill up too much space.

This was a good solution....£3.99 from B&M Stores

strong enough to stand on and great storage...I bought A LIME GREEN ONE months ago.

the fabric that it is made with is nasty, so it needed a cover....I found a piece of crochet that had never been finished, lots of those in my craft room lol

It was originally meant to be a blanket, then I thought it would make a garden chair cover....

but has been re-modelled into a cube/storage/seat/ foot stool for the new look comfy, winter crochet/TV space in the corner of the lounge.

Just big enough

so my little Winter crochet corner is almost complete, just need to finish the Moss st. blanket

Have fun xx

BARGAIN SLIPPER BOOTS AND GLASSES

The time for shopping is here...Only a month away too.

A little something to keep my toes warm and only £4

and a couple of pairs of £1 reading glasses in stripes

can't show you the pressies bought for others though...wouldn't want to spoil their surprises

have a fun filled week everyone

hugs xx

CROCHET STRIPES IN SHADES OF BLUE AND GREEN

A PEG POT bag I think..

STRING PEG POTS

But in Moss Stripes...might take this with me to make on the coach tomorrow then my trolly will have lots of space for possible crafty buys and books?

enjoy your Sunday xx 

BRUPBRUP LOVES TO LIE ON PLASTIC BAGS...

Cute...

Almost managed to do all the holiday washing but with Phil having an accident badly cut hand d 6 stitches and a week at home with me, a great day out with a new crochet loving friend and watching a couple of great films plus a visit to Phil's twin sister the crochet has taken a back seat for once.

 A couple of samples but the light is so bad at the moment pictures are not looking so great

Knitting and Stitching show day out tomorrow... a long day but hoping to manage a few rows of the moss stitch blanket on the 7 hour journey there and back.

Hugs to All xx

MOSS STITCH AND IT'S VARIATIONS

A selection of Moss Stitch samples, with colour variations you can make all sorts of patterns..

HOW TO DO ALL THE PATTERNS HERE

 from tweedy looks to spots and stripes all just by changing the colour combinations

 lots of fun to be had with Moss Stitch don't you think?

have fun xx

COLOUR TRENDS FOR 2013...

All of us that crochet know that this rainbow of colour is on trend don't we?

Pantone prediction for Spring 2013...

Softer, chalkier versions of the rainbow, all my favourites, what about you?

Have a terrific Tuesday Everyone x

SNOWFLAKE PATTERN as promised

Fun to make and can be used for all sorts of Christmas projects.

LINK: Snowflake pattern as promised

and the 

Star pattern LINK

Instructions included to do the 5 and 6 point star and snowflake

STAR MAKERS RAVELRY GROUP

have a fun filled week everyone x

ONE OF MY HELPERS...Lettuce

Lettuce decided I need some help with the Shell stitch cushion...

have a fun filled Sunday everyone x

SHELL STITCH CUSHION FINISHED..2 DOWN ONE TO GO

Oooops I was woken up at 4.15 this morning but fell asleep again about 9ish and didn't wake up until 12, but managed to finish the 2nd Shell stitch cushion by about 4 this afternoon.

The motif bag in the collage, that isn't quite finished would make a great cushion too, don't you think?

Can't finish the second straight Moss stitch as I have run out of one of the most important colours. 

So a cone of cashmerino and a James C Brett marble are about to become something.

Have Fun x

STRING PEG POTS...

Forgot to show you these, a friend ask if I would make her a peg bag a few weeks back, so I made a couple one for her and one for myself in soft cotton string, £1 for 4 balls, and i think it took a couple to make a pot.

 bargain don't you think? 

The shell one is mine and the flower one was for Fiona, she liked it that much is keeping it as a bag for her and now I have another one to make hehe

have fun, shell stitch cushion is calling me today. x

RED CROSS CHARITY CHRISTMAS FAYRE....

First Christmas fayre of the year this morning and I bought two wonderful gifts for someone.

A beautiful purple scent bottle

and....

A FABULOUS pair of striped handmade socks for the silly price of dare I say £3.50...

What a wonderful pressie they will make for someone...

Aren't they gorgeous?

Cushion progress not good...

The Moss stitch cushions aren't getting the attention they need right now. Lots of new stitch samples to play with lol.

I will finish them and then make a patchwork cushion of all the samples too...

I think it will work alongside the others

Simple shell stitch and an easy ripple cushion to go with the moss stitch plus the patch work.

Still looking for the right buttons for the new Cashmere Cowl?

Have fun x

CROCHET RIPPLES , WAVES MARBLE YARN AND CORRECT HOOK SIZE

Been playing with a few ripples and waves over the weekend instead of finishing my Moss stitch cushions......

Repinned a pattern on PINTREST 

I Love crochet diagrams so much easier to follow than reading written patterns, you can see it all in one look, except of course if you miss read it because you haven't got your glasses on but I realise quite quickly I had made a mistake....oops!

Love the pattern but getting the right hook size so the crochet isn't hard and the right yarn to ripple can take a bit of time, not right yet and once you get going the pattern isn't as complicated as it looks

love the pattern, 

love the colour, 

love the variegated yarn....

but the hook size isn't right yet. This JAMES C BRETT Marble DK has never felt hard before but it does with this sample so I will try a 5mm hook instead of a 4mm, see if it softens up a bit.

Treated myself to a few colours of 100% Cashmere from COLOURMART on monday, probably the most expensive yarn I have ever used and if I am very honest it is like old rope to work with (oiled yarns), I have string softer lol.......but I had already made and washed a 

granny square and WOW! it is so soft and beautiful after washing.

A Before and after picture tomorrow of the Ripple Button Cowl 

Moss stitch cushions to finish

have fun x

When does an open shell stitch become a 'v' stitch...love the shell stitch and all it's variations was playing yesterday with a sample.

Can you tell in this sample when the stitch changes from an Open Shell Stitch to a Double 'V' Stitch?

NO NEITHER CAN I...and I did the sample!

so which is it then?

the first row from the bottom: 2dc 2ch 2dc

the second row: 2dc 1ch 2dc

the 3rd 4th 5th rows: 2dc no ch 2dc

6th and 7th: 2dc 1ch 2dc
at least I think that is how I did each row???

but the difference was so slight, the only thing that happened when you use 2 ch it grew sideways and no chain it pulled back in again maybe it is a little more open than no chain space but really it would be hard to decide don't you think?

A Jan Eaton ripple

A REPEAT OF 13 STITCHES

A friend asked about a Jan Eaton ripple she was having difficulty with so I help out with that and decided to make a blanket using the same ripple and a plain colour, 

16 Ripples long so if I get bored it can turn into a scarf.

So I have been a bit distracted from the Moss Stitch cushions, peeking at me from my string bag ....

A couple of day ago I told you about the Bus Stop Knitter, well I forgot to tell you about the 

Purple Shop Knitter, another complete stranger I invited to follow me home last Saturday, must stop doing this. 

She couldn't get the colour of wool she wanted in the shop, so I chirps up...

'oh! I have that colour at home if you want to come home with me' lol...completely mad I am.

But she was a fellow woolly person so I couldn't let her go home without the right colour could I?

She rang me and came back yesterday and took another 5 balls of a green she likes too hehe...

Another woolly friend may be?

off to try and get some of the cushions and the ripple done tonight, unless something else distracts me

have fun xx

UPDATE ON THE MOSS ST. CUSHION

Sorry I didn't get back to this yesterday, I forgot that it was wonderful Wednesday.

Wednesdays as from a couple of weeks back is now filled with new friends, cups of coffee and shared knitting and crochet at a KNIT AND NATTER group in Shrewsbury....Thanks Erika for a fabulous and friendly group, so pleased I made it to your group eventually and Thanks Maralyn for suggesting I go along. 

A fabulous group of girls who made me feel very welcome from the first minute I arrived....Thanks Girls I look forward to many a fun filled Wednesdays from now on.

4 of us took a trip to Colinette yesterday too, a fabulous wool store well worth a visit. 

Here is the new stitch numbers for the Diagonal Cushion Pattern I shared a couple of days back

HERE

MOSS ST. DIAGONAL CUSHION new sts numbers

When I did the pattern I forgot how moss stitch tightens up and has very little stretch, unlike dc used in the original  Diagonal Striped cushion

These sts numbers are for Moss Stitch only

Using a double strand of DK worked together and a 5mm hook

70 base chain, made a 13" diagonal cushion but will make an 18" straight cushion 

82 base chain, will make a 16" diagonal cushion

90 base chain will make an 18" diagonal cushion

98 base chain will make a 20" diagonal cushion

BUS STOP KNITTER, how new friends can be made?

Met someone at the bus stop yesterday polite chat revealed she was an avid knitter and we had a great chat, I got out my crochet on the bus and she came over to see what I was doing, she loved the Moss Stitch and said she would definitely be having a go....new friend made? lol

HAVE FUN X

Crochet Moss Stitch Diagonal Cushion Pattern

Remember these diagonal striped cushions?

Making a new version of the cushion picking the colours from the rug...

Decided to use the diagonal cushion pattern (made in the round) but using Moss Stitch this time instead of DC.

Moss Stitch

simple but effective stitch 

Round 1: sc, in first st, ch 1, miss a st, repeat to end of round and sl stitch to complete cut off and weave

Round 2: sc, into the chain space, ch1, sc into next chain space, repeat to complete round

Quick pictorial HOW TO...

Using a 16" cushion and a  5mm hook 

2 strands of DK worked together as one (or chunky yarn) will make a very firm and durable cushion cover

I chained 70 stitches (length of the diagonal) in the first colour and then did sc down one side and back up the other side of the chain, an even number is required if you are doing Moss Stitch

changed colour and started the Moss Stitch.

ANY STITCH...

Any stitch and any colourway (plain or striped) can be used for this cushion just start with the chain and sc all around the chain.

TO MAKE A STRAIGHT CUSHION

Start with a long chain the width of the cushion, but you will need to crochet twice the length of the diagonal cushion length to cover a cushion this way.

Hope to have the first cushion finished for pictures tomorrow morning

AFTERNOON UPDATE:
As the cover progressed it got very tight on the 16" cushion, the nature of Moss Stitch I'm afraid

I didn't allow for the tightness of the stitch so it fits an 18" cushion perfectly but as a straight cushion cover

One thing for the diagonal cushion cover, if it isn't big enough for a diagonal fit it will at least fit a bigger cushion but straight!!! oops
I will need to adjust the number of stitches FOR THE DIAGONAL to make if fit a 16" cushion tonight and post amendments tomorrow
SORRY IF YOU HAVE ALREADY TAKEN THE PATTERN

and from this side it looked as if it was going so well too...turn it over and you can see it would never fit...

pulling really badly and sooo tight
BUT...
.....as a straight 18"cover it's going to be perfect, a lot more work though.

Have fun x

new chart for stitch numbers:

MOSS ST. DIAGONAL CUSHION new sts numbers

When I did the pattern I forgot how moss stitch tightens up and has very little stretch, unlike dc used in the original  Diagonal Striped cushion

These sts numbers are for Moss Stitch only

Using a double strand of DK worked together and a 5mm hook

70 base chain, made a 13" diagonal cushion but will make an 18" straight cushion 

82 base chain, will make a 16" diagonal cushion

90 base chain will make an 18" diagonal cushion

98 base chain will make a 20" diagonal cushion