Flower Power

I got a book out of the library recently about crochet blocks.  Who doesn't like crochet blocks?  Trouble was, everything I tried needed altering one way or another because the patterns just didn't work.  Whether that was down to me getting something wrong, or the pattern being written wrong, I don't know.  However, I made my alterations and wrote the pattern down the way it worked for me.

Both of these blocks are lovely flower patterns, and really versatile.  Decorations on a top, bag or skirt?  Tick.  Coaster?  Tick.  Flower garlands?  Tick!  The eight-petalled flower could even be joined together as a  throw or shawl.  I've worked them in Paton's 100% Cotton 4 ply with a 3.00 mm hook, and it works perfectly.

Patterns here!  I hope they work.  Any problems, let me know.

Granny flower

• Ch 5, join with sl st to form ring
• Ch 2 (counts as tr), 2trtog (1st cluster worked), ch 2, (1 tr cl into next ch sp, 2 ch) 7 times to end, join with sl st to top of Ch 2
• Sl st into 1st ch sp, ch 3, 2 tr into same sp, ch 1, (3 tr, 1 ch) into each ch sp to end, join with sl st to top of Ch 3
• Sl st into next 3 sts and ch sp, ch 3 (counts as tr), 2tr, ch 1, 3 tr into same ch sp, (3 tr, 1 ch, 3 tr) into each ch sp to end, join with sl st to top of Ch 3
• (7 tr in next ch sp, sk 3 tr, sl st between sts) in each ch sp to end, join with sl st to last sl st of previous round
• Fasten off.

Lacy Flower

* Ch 3, join with sl st to form ring
* Ch 3 (counts as tr), 10 tr into ring, join with sl st into ch3 - 11 st
* Ch 3 (counts as tr), 1 tr into same st, 2 tr into each st to end - 22 st
* Ch 4 (counts as tr & ch), tr into next st, 1 ch, (tr into next st, 1 ch) to end, join with sl st - 44 st
* Ch 3 (counts as tr), 2 tr into next ch sp, 1 tr into next st, (2 tr into next ch sp, 1 tr into next st) to end BUT lose 2 st on round by only working 1 tr instead of 2 in 2 ch sp - 64 st
* Sk 3, (7 tr into next st, sk 3, sl st into next st) to end, join with sl st
* Fasten off.

Here are some flower garlands I made with these patterns.

All these will be going on my Folksy shop later on, when I've got them measured up.

I've also started a new cushion cover, in  my ongoing bid to brighten up our living room.  I made a cover for the chair in the extension, from a pattern in Inside Crochet Issue 36.

It worked really well with that Rowan Lenpur Linen yarn I had, and the colours match the scheme there really well.  I had an idea, though, that if I took the central two squares and used them as blocks, then I could build an interesting fabric from that, so here's the start of that project.

One block...

Five blocks...

Each block seems to be a little less than 10 cm, so 16 blocks and an edging should make one side of a 40 cm cushion cover.  That's the current plan, anyway.  We'll see how it works out.

On to measuring bunting!

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UFOs!

As promised, here are some pictures of my UnFinished Objects.  Is it normal to have so many things on the go at one time?  I find that I often get to a nearly finishing point and can't quite decide what handles or what brim to put on and I defer the decision by starting something else.

Here's my most recent start.  The crown of a hat which may become a cloche-type or a beanie-type or a bonnet-sort-of-thing.  I feel my way a bit and do what seems right as it develops.  It will definitely have a bundle of flowers and leaves on it though!  Pretty as this Sirdar Click yarn is, it'd be a little sombre with no decorations.

This is another bag, also destined for a contrasting decoration.  This yarn was from a bargain bucket, and I love the mix of colours.  The feel is quite fluffy too, and it creates the effect of already having been felted.  Handles still to come!  It's going to be a handbag, with crocheted handles strengthened by ribbons.  I just need to do the sums of numbers of stitches...  

Now, this is a cushion cover, or the first half of one.  It's from an actual pattern, rather than from the bizarre recesses of my head.  Pattern to be found in Issue 36 of Inside Crochet.  It's intended to create an optical art effect, and I'm doing it with the last few balls of my Rowan Lenpur Linen.  The colours are perfect to go in our kitchen extension!

And this is what I'm doing with all the wool I bought back in October - http://alibennett.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/hippoos-rosettes-and-little-big.html.  It's for me - a big granny stitch throw using a pattern from Granny Square Crochet by Catherine Hirst.  It's only supposed to be 14 squares wide, but I increased it to 18 so that it drapes properly over a double bed.  Easy enough, and quick to work with the granny stitches.  You could do this with a minimum of experience, I think.

 Here it is laid out - about 6 feet wide and 2 feet long.  Two bands of squares and the rest ought to be stripes.  I may decide to change that, but we'll see.  It's more fiddly doing squares than stripes.  Stripes can be worked with only half my mind on the crochet, and there are fewer decisions about colour to make as I go along.   Mind you, with something this big, it's hard to carry on when Herbie decides to climb on my lap.  He's my quality control supervisor, and he takes his job very seriously.  

So, this is what's going on right now.  Slowly, because I'm back into term-time and there's sooo much to do!  Plus I'm starting work on a Masters degree with the OU this month, so that's most of my spare time accounted for.  

Did I mention I got a banjo for Christmas?  It's brilliant!  I am a guitarist, so it's not a totally new pursuit for me, but the techniques and notes are different enough for me to have to practise.  I seem to have committed myself to doing Duelling Banjos with a colleague at a concert in February.  *coughs*  It'll be fine, I'm sure it will.

More practice then!

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Rosettes and a Hippoo stampede!

This was my present for my best friend, that I didn't want to post before her birthday, in case she saw it.  I did give her the cushion to go with this cover, but I handed that over before I'd finished this, because that was when we met, and cushion pads are hard to post!  So, the front of the cover...

And the back.  Because plain white is just boring, right?

I'm stocking up on certain other items too.  A lady bought a whole batch of rosettes off me at one go, so I made a new batch for my Folksy store (available http://folksy.com/items/3924166-Handmade-Crochet-Rosettes).  They've been sitting around for a week, waiting to be photographed, but I've finally got it done.  It is the season to be jolly, to get up at the crack of dawn to play Jingle Bells in various school assemblies and to stay out till all hours singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (a special bluegrass version this year).

Here are my new rosettes!  (Backed by the lovely craft paper printed free in Craftseller magazine - I knew they'd come in useful!)

Carnival Cherry.

Deep Waters

Silver Linings.

Strawberry Cream.

Wine and Roses.

My other current projects include stitching the lining for my Spice Dots Bag.  I've sewn the dots on, sewn the linen spotted lining together, and I'm stitching the webbing to the straps now.  I've got some gorgeous buttons for the straps too.  

This is a close up of the other bag - pink and purple Rowan Revive - with the fabric I'm using for the lining.  Not yet sure what decoration I'll put on this one - flowers?  Circles?  Maybe a lacy square?  Jury's still out.

And new Hippoos!  I'm working on one using the same yarn as the Spice Dots bag.  I just can't seem to keep Hippoos in the house right now!  Only a couple of weeks ago, there was a small but thriving herd of Hippoos in my stock drawers, but then there was a stampede off up to the Ever After shop in Lincoln.  Another Hippoo followed them quickly for my Dad's birthday present - he lives there too.  And then the last one trotted off to an ex-colleague in Birmingham.  They were, in order of mentioning, Rainbow, Delta, Rosalie, Algernon and Lily.  I'm going to have to get a baby names book at this rate!  Not to mention keeping a rogues gallery of Hippoos past and present, so they're all truly unique.  Any suggestions?

Just time to stuff a Hippoo before bed, I think.  Or maybe search my stash for the yarns for the next one.  Or maybe just a glass of port and a cuddle with the cat...

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September Already

Well, that was the summer holidays...  I don't know where they went.  Back to school we go!  Actually, I like the routine of termtime.  I'll have had enough of it by about November (September 14th), but after the summer hols, it's a bit of a relief.

I have not been entirely idle, although my study is still full of rubbish.  Slightly less full than before, having cleared the surface of the desk and filled the recycling bin with paper, but the shelves are still untouched.  Between outings, I've been crocheting like a maniac, always with two or three projects on the go.  Here are my creations!

Another little Folky Bird.  The wings are outlined with pearly beads and it's got heart-shaped shell button eyes.  I'm thinking that these might make good Christmas tree ornaments.  I might make some more for the shop for the season of joy and jingle bells.

Hoot Hats!  Daddy Owl, Mummy Owl, and Baby Owl.  A lady setting up a new shop in Lincoln got in touch with me through Folksy expressing interest in hats like the one currently on my shop.  These new ones are actually much better because they're in a nice cotton Rowan yarn and they're lined with the cotton jersey in the next picture.  Cuteness! 

Using my ironing board again for cutting out fabric.  It's just the best way to do this!  I use it for wrapping presents too.  Top tip!

Now, a senior moment.  The Hippoo hiding in the tissue paper isn't terminally shy, I just forgot to photograph it before wrapping.  *is idiot*  It's a very pretty Hippoo, made as a present for a friend who's having a baby.  Not sure what kind of baby, so I used a lilac shade of Baby Cotton Kapok and made little white hearts to go on the side.  I wish I'd taken a picture, because it was very pretty.  The next picture shows the yarn and the very first stage of making.  *rolls eyes at forgetfulness* 

And the major project of the summer - a gorgeous flowered cushion cover!  I worked out a pattern for a rosette square and picked some pretty colours in Patons 100% Cotton 4ply.  There was quite a lot of experimenting, and I originally thought of making the squares into a bag.  Much better as a cushion cover, though, I think.

The back's in plain white granny squares.  I had wanted to do a single large granny square to cover the whole back, but I cannot do one that doesn't swirl round.  More experimenting necessary.  I'm obviously doing something wrong...

The cushion cover has a plain white cotton pillow-case style liner, and the crochet cover slips over, closing with five little ribbon ties.  Sweet!

More pictures of this in progress are available on my Flickr photostream - just click on the badge in the sidebar.  The cushion cover and the Folky Bird will also be going onto my Folksy shop later on this week.

 And now for something completely different...

If anyone's interested in encouraging wildlife in the garden, this is a fabulous plant - a Monarda or Bergamot.  We put it in last year when we redeveloped a border, and it's been brilliant!  The most amazing flowers, and every time I look at it, there are at least a dozen bees on it.  They adore it!  The picture above was taken in June or July, I think, and the one below was taken this morning.  Still flowering away, although it's going over a bit, and the bees are still in love with it. 

Okay, I must go and get on with things, and I must resolve not to neglect my blog during termtime as much as I have over the summer.  More updates soon, I hope!