March is National Crochet Month in USA, but this has spread rapidly all over the globe so I prefer to call it International Crochet Month.

If you are a Ravelry user you will know that there are all sorts of activities planned for the month, and plenty of offers as well.

I am joining the fun and spreading some crochet love too!    From now until the end of March (until midnight GMT on 31st March) I am offering you a 10% discount off my patterns on Ravelry.  This discount can be applied once only per person, so if you have several patterns you want to buy you should purchase them all at the same time, just use  coupon code CROMO17 on checkout on Ravelry to obtain the discount.

You can find my Ravelry patterns here.

Watch out for more interesting activity and offers on my blog and Ravelry during this month of crochet love 🙂

Happy crocheting xxx

 

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the Spring Blossom Blanket CAL.  It is always inspiring seeing what colours people choose and how those colour choices and other tweaks (such as moving motifs around) can make a design look so different – one blanket design can result in so many different looks.  I hope to share some finished photos with you in due course.

Another thing that I loved about the Spring Blossom Blanket CAL was the many compliments I received about the joining technique I used.   It is second nature for me to join neatly and quickly but I know that joining can be very tricky for some people which is why I use methods that I think (hope!) are easy and effective.  For blankets I tend to favour joins that lie flat partly because I don’t like the ridge that some joins produce (unless the ridge is a feature of the design) but mainly because, for me, a blanket should drape and a flat join aids this.      So I thought I’d show you some of my favourite joining techniques.

First let’s just have a look at the joined hexagons in Spring Blossom:

The technique was to join as you go (JAYG).  I had never seen JAYG on ‘solid’ motifs, that’s not to say there aren’t any as I don’t spend my time looking for techniques!   But I do know that joining hexagons can be a pain, there are so many angles that whatever you do it can prove difficult to get very neat joins where the corners of the hexagons meet.  So I designed a simple JAYG which gives a slight lacy look to the joins but is also easy and consistent throughout the blanket, all joins look the same.   This technique can be applied to any ‘solid’ motifs whatever their shape and I will definitely use it again (I have triangles in my mind as I type this!).  And, of course, one of the joys of JAYG is that once you finish the last motif it only needs the border to finish!

JAYG is quite common in lacy motifs like my Summer Garden Throw:

You can see that the lace motif works well with JAYG and not just on blankets, but all sorts of accessories and garments.

The next example is a join I use frequently, slip stitch through back loops on the reverse side of the motif – it gives a fairly flat join.  Here’s some close ups of the finish and technique from the Christmas CAL 2014, I’ve used this in so many blankets that I’ve lost count!

 

I love the look of this, it makes the motifs look like they are just snuggling up against each other 🙂

Another method of joining is to use part of the design as a joining feature.  This next example is a join I used in a couple of blanket designs – Teal Dreams and Poppet’s Blanket.  I used the ‘diamond’ stitch pattern as a join, which gives consistency in the overall blanket design.

Again it gives a flat join.   On the left is Poppet’s Blanket with the joining in red, and on the right is Teal Dreams with the joining in brown.

This last one is my favourite.  I haven’t yet used it on a blanket but I used it on the Medina Cowl and several bags, like Ollerton:

It’s slip stitch through back loops only on the front of the design and provides a flat join.   One of the advantages is that using a different colour you can highlight or define  the edges of the motif.   The Ollerton join is in a pale grey (Dove) and the Medina join varies according to the edges of the motifs it joins.

I hope I haven’t bombarded you with too many photos of joins!    Do you have any favourite joining techniques?  Please tell me about them.

Happy crocheting xxx

The last part of the Spring Blossom Blanket CAL has been published – you can find it here.

For the finale I wanted to share a fabulous photo of the finished blanket but the weather has been poor – the light levels are low at this time of year and the skies have been grey and it has rained.  Virtually every day for the last 3 weeks I have tried to grab any bit of sunshine to photograph the blanket outside – the few opportunities I had were fruitless.  So this week I had to try some inside shots.  First I laid it on the floor and this happened:

Every shot was photobombed!

So I placed it on the sofa, but the photobomber (Poppet) was too quick for me, in fact she liked the sofa more:

Despite Poppet’s successful photobombing, I think you can get a good idea of what the blanket looks like!

It is very difficult getting great photos of finished designs, especially in winter light.   I took well over 100 shots this week.  But I did manage one exterior shot which wasn’t too bad:

I hope you have enjoyed the CAL and please continue to share photos on Ravelry and Facebook!

Happy crocheting xxxx

Welcome to week 4 of the Spring Blossom Blanket CAL.  This week the 4th and final motif is published.   You can find it on Ravelry here.

If you have been following the CAL exactly, then making 24 of these motifs will complete the centre of the blanket and you will have only the border to do (which will be published next week).

This is a close up of motif number 4:

It has a little floral centre but morphs into a circle, thus combining the circle of motif 1 with the florals of motifs 2 and 3.

I have been very pleased with all the love this CAL has been receiving, everyone loves the join as you go method I designed for the motifs and some people want to make bigger blankets.   I have been asked several times if I can design more motifs.

Well, your wish is my command, as they say!   So I have designed a fifth motif which will fit with the other 4 and can be used in a bigger blanket or even just swap some of the motifs around for more variety.  The pattern can be found here.   It is a separate pattern, but if you purchased the Spring Blossom Blanket pattern then you can purchase this bonus motif free for the next week (until midnight GMT 18th February) – just pop it into your basket on Ravelry and it should automatically spot you have already purchased Spring Blossom Blanket and give you a discount (if it doesn’t work just send me a PM on Ravelry). I guess you want to see the motif?

I hope you like it 🙂

Happy crocheting xxx

 

 

Welcome to part 3 – the third motif for the blanket.   It’s the one in the centre of this photo:

I confess this is my favourite!  And now it is added you can see the blanket taking shape.

If you have purchased the pattern you should have received an email from Ravelry with a link, but if not you should be able to find it in your pattern library in Ravelry.   There is also an updated alternative layout.

There are some gloriously colourful blankets being shared on Ravelry – pop over to have a look.  If you haven’t yet joined the CAL you can find the pattern here.

Until next week, happy crocheting xxx

 

 

Welcome to week 2 and the second motif in the Spring Blossom Blanket CAL.

Whilst motif 1 was simple and helped you to get your tension/gauge right and practice the join as you go technique, motif 2 is most definitely floral!

I used 2 colours in the floral centres but you could use 3 if you like.

This motif has been included in the pattern and the update is ready for you to download from Ravelry if you have purchased it, the layout has also been updated to show where motif 2 fits in.  I have also included an alternative layout which you may follow if you choose.

Please share your progress  🙂

Happy crocheting xxx

PS If you have not yet bought the pattern it is available here.

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to day 1 of the Spring Blossom Blanket CAL.

Today Part 1 of the CAL pattern is published, the first of 4 hexagonal motif designs.  If you have purchased the pattern through Ravelry you should go to your Ravelry library and download the updated pattern (Ravelry will have sent you a link as well so you can access it easily).

It took me a long time to decide which motif to publish first.  Should I give you the prettiest motif first?  I was very tempted, but then the practical side took hold and I decided on the simplest of the hexagonal designs.  This will allow you to have a good play with your colour combos, to test your tension/gauge and to learn the join as you go technique.

It includes a layout showing where Motif 1 sits in the design and details of what I did with my colours (but this is for information as I want you to try your own combinations!), as well as a photo tutorial of how to join these motifs as you go.  Oh, and it includes the first half hexagonal motif!

I hope you enjoy it 🙂  Please share your colours and progress here, on Facebook and on Ravelry, sharing makes the CAL so much fun!

Part 2 will be published in a week, and that will be a lot more floral looking than part 1!

Happy crocheting xxx

If you haven’t yet purchased the pattern it can be found here.  And if you use the coupon code BLOSSOM on checkout on Ravelry you will get it at a £3 discount – coupon code only available until midnight GMT tonight!

Are you ready for the Spring Blossom CAL?   It starts a week today ……  I’m getting excited!

Some of you may watch Facebook and Ravelry, but for those who don’t here is my latest design:It is named after my mother Muriel.   Ok, it looks odd in the photo, that is because it shows 2 shawlettes.  Each made from one skein of sock yarn. The one on the left is the ‘solid’ version and is slightly smaller overall than the ‘open’ version on the right.

For me this is the perfect one skein shawlette for that favourite skein of yarn.  You want to see the yarn and not have the colour compete with a ‘fussy’ pattern, simplicity works best and that is what this shawlette provides in 2 variations and 2 different borders.

You can find the pattern here.  And until midnight tonight (or until 20 people have purchased, whichever is sooner) you can buy it on Ravelry at 50% off the purchase price if you use coupon code BEQUICK at checkout.

Happy crocheting xxx

 

 

 

So you have almost 2 weeks until the Spring Blossom CAL starts, plenty of time to sort out your yarn.  But what if your hook is itching and you have a huge stash and want to use it?  Well make some big blocks and make a quick blanket!

By ‘big blocks’ I mean crochet squares that are at least 30cm/12” square and preferably in one colour so there are no stops to change colour and fewer ends to sew in (this makes it even quicker).  For my tension this means a granny square of 9 rounds in aran weight yarn or about 12 rounds in dk yarn.   But everyone’s tension varies, so you may find a 9 round aran granny is 11” or even 13” – if you’re making a blanket using scrap yarn then the tension doesn’t really matter.  What does matter is that 9 rounds (or 12) are pretty quick to hook – so the squares make up quickly.  And you won’t need many for a blanket, so you’ll soon have one.  But why stop at just grannies?   This quick blanket includes 4 of my designs, all roughly same size, they look good in one colour but can be adapted to more than one colour.  Using these you’ll soon have a blanket!

There are lots of these types of square available free on the internet if you look.  In fact have a look at the Friends Around the World CAL here.  The first 2 squares are the 2 that I designed as my contribution to the Friends Around the World CAL, so some of you may find them familiar!

My blanket was made of 16 squares – 4 by 4, and it has a narrow border, so the finished size was 1.2m (4ft) square.  If you want to make a blanket before the CAL starts then  you just need to make 8 squares a week – can you manage that?    Here it is:

Yarn:  Each square used roughly 85m of aran weight yarn – I used Drops Nepal at 50g/85m per ball and I used 8 colours – 2 balls each of 6 colours and 3 balls each of 2 colours (the ones in the border).  You could use as many colours as you like, but for a blanket of similar size you will need at least 18x50g balls of aran weight.

Hook: 5.0mm (US H/8) crochet hook

The first 2 squares are called Octoghan and Flower Compass, these were used in the CAL last summer.  I made 4 of each and used all 8 colours.  You can find the patterns here and here.  Of course, you could just use a simple granny or some of the other designs from the FATW CAL

Again I made 4 each of the last 2 squares and used all 8 of my colours.  The patterns for these use standard English crochet terms.

The first is Large Agathi. This is based on a square I designed for a CAL over last winter – it has been extended by one round.

Rounds 1 to 6 are the same as the original Agathi which can be found here 

Round 7: ss into 2ch-sp, 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), 1tr into the same 2ch-sp, 1ch, *(1tr in next st, 1ch, miss 1ch-sp) twice, 1tr in each of next 3 sts, 1ch, miss 1 st, (1tr in next st, 1ch, miss 1ch-sp) 3 times, 1tr in next st, 1ch, miss 1 st, 1tr in each of next 3 sts, (1ch, miss 1ch-sp, 1tr in next st) twice, 1ch**, (1tr, 2ch, 1tr, 1ch) into the next 2ch-sp; repeat from * another 2 times, then from * to ** once, join to 3^rd st of starting 5ch with a ss.

Round 8: ss into 2ch-sp, 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), 1tr into the same 2ch-sp, 1ch, (1tr, 1ch) in each tr along each side (missing all the 1ch-sps and the centre tr of each group of 3tr) and (1tr, 2ch, 1tr, 1ch) in each 2ch-sp on the corner, join to 3^rd st of starting 5ch with a ss.

Round 9: ss into 2ch-sp, 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), 2tr into the same 2ch-sp, 1tr into each st and 1ch-sp around, (2tr, 2ch, 2tr) into each 2ch-sp, and work a final 1tr into the first 2ch-sp, join to 3^rd st of starting 5ch with a ss.  Break yarn and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing or crocheting together later.  You should have 35tr along each side and a 2ch-sp at each corner.

And the last one:

Foundation:  Make a 4ch foundation ch and join into a ring with a ss

Round 1: 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), (3tr, 2ch) 3 times into the ring, 2tr into the ring, join to 3^rd st of starting 5ch with a ss.

Round 2: ss into 2ch-sp, (note for this and each subsequent round: this ss is to position the start of the round in the right place) 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), 1tr into the same 2ch-sp, 1ch, *1tr in next st, 1ch, miss 1 st, 1tr in next st, 1ch, (1tr, 2ch, 1tr, 1ch) in next 2ch-sp; repeat from * another 2 times, 1tr in next st, 1ch, miss 1 st, 1 tr in next st, 1ch, 1tr into the first 2ch-sp, join to 3^rd st of starting 5ch with a ss.

Round 3: ss into 2ch-sp, 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), 2tr into the same 2ch-sp, 1tr into each st and 1ch-sp around, (2tr, 2ch, 2tr) into each 2ch-sp, and work a final 1tr into the first 2ch-sp, join to 3^rd st of starting 5ch with a ss.

Round 4: ss into 2ch-sp, 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), 1tr into the same 2ch-sp, 1ch, *(1tr in next st, 1ch, miss 1 st) repeated until next 2ch-sp, (1tr, 2ch, 1tr, 1ch) in next 2ch-sp; repeat from * another 2 times, (1tr in next st, 1ch, miss 1 st) repeated until first 2ch-sp, 1tr into the first 2ch-sp, join to 3^rd st of starting 5ch with a ss.

Round 5: as Round 3
Round 6: as Round 4
Round 7: as Round 3
Round 8: as Round 4
Round 9: as Round 3.  Break yarn and fasten off, leaving a long tail of about 6m for sewing or crocheting together later.  You should have 35tr along each side and a 2ch-sp at each corner.

Joining the squares:  You can join your squares in any way you choose.  For my sample, I opted for joining through back loops only using slip stitch from the reverse of the blanket.

I had limited yarn left, so I opted for a simple 2 round border.  The first round was slip stitch into back loop all the way around.  The second round was (1dc, 1ch, miss 1 st) repeated around.  Whilst simple this also gives a nice finish.

So there you have it – a quick blanket with big blocks, and very rewarding.  You have just enough time to make one before the Spring Blossom CAL starts!

Happy crocheting xxx