Hello and welcome to Patchwork House . . . . .
my little corner of the world in England, where you will find me addicted to colour and playing with yarn!


30 November 2014

Christmas Baubles

Christmas is definitely coming!
 Patchwork House is like Santa's workshop this week
 with dishes and bowls of Christmas baubles everywhere.
 Oh what a gorgeous sight they are too
 they would be just as nice in a bowl as on a tree!


It all began with the arrival of this beautiful yarn
I had so much trouble choosing my colours
 as there is an amazing range of 42 colours!
It is a beautiful soft yarn with a rich sheen. 
These gorgeous little balls contain 50g and 130m of yarn.


Some people use polystyrene balls
 and others use clear plastic baubles
 but I chose just a cheap pack of baubles
 which can be easily found in many shops right now!


When I started making I didn't have a pattern
so I just experimented by making 2 identical granny circles the same size
 Any experienced crocheter will be able to read a pattern
 just by looking at these circles.
 I started with 12 UK trebles in a magic loop for round 1.
 Round 2 and 3 increase as you normally would
 to keep the circle flat, but after that do not increase
as you want the circle to turn into a hemisphere.
I used a 3mm hook as I wanted the crochet to be fine and close.


Leave a long tail when you finish the 2nd half
 and then use it to sew the 2 hemispheres together around the baubel.
Finally I made a chain of 30 to use as a hanging loop.


There are many patterns available to buy on Etsy
 and if you follow this link to my Pinterest board
 you will find many pictures to inspire you and links to follow


For most of my baubles
 I have used 5 different colours for the 5 different rounds
but as you see here it is also effective with 2 shades.


Be warned these are addictive and you wont be able to stop!



Happy weekend friends

Heather

X X X



22 November 2014

My Crofter Blanket

It seems a good few weeks now
 since the first excitement of starting my colourful Crofter squares.
 They have now been edged and joined with cream
 and the blanket finished off with a deep straight border.

I was inspired by the lovely blanket made by
Anita Mundt
and have made my own version here


So here as promised is how I made my
 Crofter Blanket
it has 81 squares and measures approximately 115 x 115 cm

Yarn
 7 balls of cream Sirdar Snuggly DK
8 balls of Sirdar Baby Crofter DK
2 Elsie
2 Kaitlyn
2 Mimi
2 Maypole

you can buy the yarn
HERE

(Edit :: Elsie has now been discontinued, but can be replaced by Winnie) 


I am using a 3.5mm hook and UK crochet terms,
 for American terms you will find a conversion chart HERE

The Solid Granny Squares

Round 1 ~ Make a magic loop, you can follow a tutorial HERE

Round 2 ~ 3 chain 2 trebles, 2 chain
* 3 trebles 2 chain *
repeat from * to * twice
slip stitch into top of 1st 3 chain 

      
Round 2 ~ Make 3 chain for 1st treble then
 1 treble into the top of each treble of previous round
In each corner make 2 trebles 2 chain 2 trebles
So each side of round 2 has 7 trebles when complete

Round 3 ~ Make 3 chain for 1st treble then
 1 treble into the top of each treble of previous round
In each corner make 2 trebles 2 chain 2 trebles
So each side of round 2 has 11 trebles when complete

Round 4 ~ Make 3 chain for 1st treble then
 1 treble into the top of each treble of previous round
In each corner make 2 trebles 2 chain 2 trebles
So each side of round 2 has 15 trebles when complete


I made 10 squares from each 50g ball so that made 80 squares in total.
 This would make a rectangular blanket 8 x 10.
 I fancied a square blanket though
 and had enough yarn to make 1 more square 
giving me 81, which made a 9 x 9 arrangement.

If you missed the original blog post
 about the making of the squares you can read it HERE


The squares were all edged in cream and the ends sewn in.


If you missed the previous blog post about edging 
you can read it HERE

To join my squares I worked from the back
 using dc through both loops


This makes a good strong join
 and creates a nice neat look from the front


You can read last weeks blog post about the joining method
 HERE


With the blanket now in 1 piece it was time for the border.
After much procrastinating and trials of several borders,
 I finally decided (with the help of my Instagram friends)
 that the joy of this blanket is the colourful squares.
 The purpose of a border is to frame
 and in this case
 it must not detract from the beauty of the squares.
So
and I kept it simple
 with a continuation of the same rows of trebles into each stitch.


To help the border lie flat
 I did 2 trebles then treble 2 together 
all the way round on my 1st round of the border.
 This decreases the stitch count and removes any frillyness.


I am totally in love with my finished Crofter Blanket 
and it is already feeling very much a part of Patchwork House!

This yarn has been a delight to work with.
 Its is smooth and slightly finer than most DK
 creating beautiful stitch definition.
The colours in the Baby Crofter are stunning making every stitch a joy.

This blanket is a keeper and will become a family treasure.
I hope you have enjoyed the watching
and maybe fancy having a make yourself?

Happy hookin!

Heather

 X X X











15 November 2014

Joining pleasures

Today is a lazy Saturday here at Patchwork House
with lots of
 sitting and hooking
 and
 recharging our batteries!

It has been such a delight
 joining these pretty squares together. 
My hook just glides through this yarn
 like a knife through butter!


Every stitch has been a pleasure.
I love the rhythm
 and the perfection of hooking each 2 stitches together.
I have been joining from the back
 with right sides together
 using UK double crochet through both loops. 


I join in rows
 linking from 1 square straight onto the next.


All the rows going in the same direction are joined first.


This leaves gaps in between the squares
 going in the opposite direction.
 At this point the blanket is rather difficult to hold
 but don't worry it will all come together soon!


Next the rows are joined in the opposite direction.
Again using double crochet through both loops. 
When I meet the ridge
 I make 1 dc in the corner loop either side of it.


I really like this joining method
 as it produces a good strong join with an attractive finish.


When joining is complete
 there is a ridge on the back


and neat lines on the front.


There is an added bonus
 of a pattern made by the holes
 which I also think is very attractive
 adding another dimension to the blanket.


I am totally in love
 with the arty and colourful look of this 
Crofter blanket inspired by Anita Mundt.

I have used 4 shades of Sirdar Baby Crofter DK for the squares
and joined them with cream Sirdar Snuggly DK


If you missed the previous posts
 about the yarn and square making you can read it
 HERE

Do come back next week for the
 BIG REVEAL
 when I will be blogging about
 the pattern details for the square joining and edging!

Have a lovely weekend my hooky friends
I'm off now for a wonderful evening of border making!

Heather

X X X












9 November 2014

Sunday afternoon treat

Hello my hooky friends
 happy Sunday to you all!

Oh there is so much excitement 
here at Patchwork House this week
 as the gorgeous colourful squares of my new blanket
 have been surrounded with cream.
The lovely people at 
gave me this pretty
 to work with.
 If you missed the previous post you can read it
  HERE.



To be honest at first
 I wasn't liking the random effect
 as much as I thought I would.
 I adore the yarn
 as it is so soft and finer than I am used to.
 It produces beautiful even stitch definition
 and the colours are just fab!
I am using
 Elsie
 Kaitlyn
 Maypole
 and 
Mimi.


However when I made the border of each square
 in cream Sirdar Snuggly DK
it just made the colours
 POP
 and I totally fell in love!


It is a frequent sight
 here at Patchwork House
 to find piles of squares
 as ornaments on tables and window sills
 in baskets and on trays
but oh what a pleasure
what a wonderful sight 
when the ends have been sewn in!


So today I have rushed home from church
 and am going to delight in
 an afternoon of joining!


Imagine 
my delight
 to be
 home in daylight hours
 in a quiet house
alone with this pile of yarny goodness!

Do come back next week
 for an update on the joining progress and border!

Till then have a happy hooky week my friends

Heather

X X X








2 November 2014

Half term hooky


 Half term for me
 has been a wonderful time of relaxation
 in my favourite part of the world
  


The Yorkshre Dales


 we spent time enjoying
 sheep pheasants sunshine autumn leaves and lovely walks


quality time
 in a lovely cottage in a quiet village 
was just what the doctor ordered



breath taking scenery


special time together
 away from busy jobs and lives
 brings us home
 feeling blessed and recharged for the next 2 months!


Of course there was hooky
lots
and lots
of wonderful yarny therapy!


Sirdar Snuggly Baby Crofter
 is a variegated yarn with amazing colours.
 It is very soft and fun to work.


Random or self striping yarn
 is the ideal portable yarn for taking on holiday,
 one ball, hook and scissors fitting very neatly in my bag everywhere I go!

I was inspired by the
made by the very talented blogger
if you dont know her blog
 you are in for a treat ... pop on over!

As a change I chose to make a baby blanket
 so I am working with the softer brighter colour palette of 
Sirdar Snuggly Baby Crofter DK



I am now very brave and hook in public most places I go
on trains
in the car
on picnics
and in cafes and pubs


 it is wonderful when people stop to talk
 and ask about what I am making


Well as you know I have many OCD tendancies
 and love nothing more than planning my crochet.

 Matching hooks and mugs
lining up colours
counting equal amounts of each round
all make it perfect and appeal to my Mathematical brain!


So when I first started with this random yarn
 I must admit that I wasn't too keen!
But as the week progressed it has grown on me!
 I am now loving the arty look of these variegated squares
 and they come with the added bonus of no ends from changing colours!


I have used
 2 x 50g balls of each of the following 4 colours
 and made 80 squares.
These are now being edged with cream Sirdar Snuggly
 and I am liking them even more as the cream makes the colours pop!



Do come back next week
 for a progress update of my variegated blanket!
When complete I will be writing up the pattern for you
 and joining and edging instructions
 to be published with the final tadaa photo in a few weeks!

My final treat of the holiday
 was a morning spent with a wonderful hooky gang at the 
Skipton Knit and Natter group.
I was so delighted to be invited and had a wonderful time
 with lovely ladies who speak the same yarny language!
 Thank you all for making me so welcome.




So now after a heavenly week of hooky and countryside
 it is time to get ready for back to school.

Here at Patchwork House
 I am enjoying a new thrifted jug for my flowers. 
Wishing you all a happy Sunday!



Heather
X X X








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