Pretties for Spring

Spring is on the way!

As I write  I'm enjoying open windows in the house

 the smell of fresh air and the sound of the birds singing.

This morning I've been cleaning and tidying

 Patchwork House

 and having much fun rearranging 

I love to see piles of prettiness

 and 

colour around my home

It was time to put away the valentines hearts

 and add some

 spring coloured flowers and baubles to my twigs

The last few weeks I've been busy stocking my

 Etsy shop

with pretty spring goodies

Ive really enjoyed these quick little makes

and the massive dose of colour therapy!

Rico Essentials Cotton DK

Rico essentials Cotton DK

 has a wonderful range of colours and a gorgeous rich sheen

pattern from Simply Crochet magazine issue 14

Mandalas are such fun to make

pattern from Simply Crochet Magazine issue 7

and are a glorious addition to any home

pattern from Made in K Town blog

being pretty and practical

pattern from Simply Crochet magazine issue 12

you will find them in plenty at Patchwork House!

DMC Natura Just Cotton

DMC Natura Just Cotton

 has a lovely natural texture and deep warm shades

pattern from Made in K Town blog

Sirdar Cotton DK

 has a luxurious feel

 and a very good twist which prevents splitting

Sirdar Cotton DK

I use a 3mm hook

 when making mandalas to achieve a firmer finish

pattern from Simply Crochet magazine issue 14

and for flowers too

pattern for rose from Attic 24

pattern from Katicrafts blog

Stylecraft Classique Cotton

 has 5 new shades and I'm loving this leaf green and fondant

pattern for rose from Attic 24

Patchwork House is ready for Spring

As a newbie to Etsy

 I'm amazed at how fast these pretties have sold!

I'm restocking every few days so do keep visiting!

Etsy Shop

Now my chores are done

 you will find me here for the rest of my weekend

 doing what I love!

Happy hookin friends

Heather

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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

Rico Essentials Cotton DK

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

HERE

 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

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