Juicy Fruits

The last few weeks have been very colourful

 here at Patchwork House,

as I have worked on another order

 for the popular Circle of Friends blanket.

I have been using the pattern written in US terms by Priscilla Hewitt

which you can find

HERE

Stylecraft Special DK

has the most wonderful colour palette

and it is always such a joy to work with a new recipe.

This one which I have named

 Juicy Fruits

 was put together by my customer

 and I'm sure you will agree it is delicious!

To make this blanket you will need

1 each of Stylecraft Special DK in

 pale rose

fondant

fuschia purple

tomato

spice

mustard

pistachio

sage

duck egg

bluebell

and

violet

to be joined with 

4 denim.

You can but this yarn

HERE

Stylecraft Special DK

Working in my production line mode again for speed

 there have been frequent lines and piles on my coffee table

many cups of tea and dishes of sweets

and tons of photo opportunities at every stage.

The most frequent question I am asked

 is how do I plan colours to avoid any repeats

If you missed my popular post a few weeks

 ago written about this very thing you can read it

 HERE

Planning is key

 but it's not hard

 and becomes second nature.

The colours in this lovely blanket

 have given me many exciting photo opportunities to

satisfy my love of crochet mug matches!

Another question I am often asked is about my hooks.

I use Clover Amour hooks

 which have a coated, shaped handle. 

These have stopped the hand pain that I used to get 

and enable me to be very productive, despite health issues.

Storage and organisation of projects in baskets

 helps me to keep my work area (living room) tidy

and makes the squares easily portable

 to another room (bed) or going out (car).

This is a big blanket which is a special commission.

Laying out the squares in Sudoku fashion

 helps me ensure an even distribution of colours.

To join I have used denim

 which has nicely balanced out the hot shades

 of orange and pink.

Once again I have used the flat braid join

 and adapted it to do in the continuous join as you go method.

You can read a tutorial in US terms by Baby Love Brand

HERE

I've been tempted by the vibrant colours

 to eat sweets at every stage!

Now the blanket is in 1 piece and ready for its border.

Come back next week or watch out on

 Facebook

 and

 Instagram 

for the final tadaa!

I wish you all a happy hooky weekend

and as always thank you for your support and encouragement.

This year has been difficult learning to cope with a chronic illness

 and making the decision to leave my job as a teacher.

You can look forward to more regular blog posts

 and many improvements here,

 as I seek to work out my role as a full time crochet artist.

Heather

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