Crochet Flowers

Hello friends its been a while!

Sorry for my absence in blogging,

 but my health has had other ideas and kept me away sadly.

I've not been idle though, far from it,

 you can always find me on

 Instagram

and

  Facebook

 most days, to see whats on my hook!

I thought you'd like to see the gorgeous flowers I've been making recently,

 as this is something quite different and great fun!

I'm using a pattern from

 Knitting Network

 which in all honestly is the easiest flower pattern I've ever used.

 It's made in a flat strip which you wind it up to make the flower.

 Variations can be made with tighter winding for a bud,

 or looser winding for an open flower.

You can buy this pattern

HERE

I have used vintage knitting needles for the stems, which

 I have collected from charity shops.

 If you fancy trying this, do ask in the shops, as they keep them out of sight!

Simply wind up the flower tightly, stitch it in place

 and then push the knitting needle through the middle.

The flowers are best made in cotton yarn.

I have used

Sirdar Cotton DK

and 

Sirdar Snuggly Cotton DK

These flowers are now for sale in my

ETSY SHOP

Other news

 is that I've been doing a lot of work here behind the scenes,

 making some updates to my blog. To tidy it up

 and make it easier for you to find things,

 I have 2 new pages for 

Tutorials

and

  Blankets

 You can find the pages list on the top right of the blog.

I do hope this makes life easier for you and gives you much pleasure.

Next I will be working on a page for Colour Recipes

so watch this space!

Wishing you all a happy hooky day

Heather

x x x

A busy week

Hello my friends happy Friday to you all!

Today has begun with an hour working on a batch of these mini grannies. Oh they are so labour intensive at this stage and I must admit I don't like the fiddle of the ends . . . but as we all know if we want colour we have to put up with ends! As always, I'm working in a production line fashion and will do all of the round 2s in stone, then sew all their ends in.

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is how I deal with ends. Unfortunately in the traditional granny square you cant just crochet over them, as the work is not close enough to hide the ends or hold them securely, so they must be sewn in with a needle at the end. I will be writing a tutorial soon about this very topic to help the many of you who have asked.

This pretty pastel granny square blanket

 began this week and is to be a gift for a new baby.

 I have designed this colour recipe to be neutral

 and so suitable for boy or girl.

I am using

 Stylecraft Special DK

 in

cream soft peach apricot

 stone parchment lemon pistachio

 spring green duck egg and cloud blue

Its been a busy week here at Patchwork House

 with Mandala making having been an exciting task in between blanket making.

 The arrival of a gorgeous new book

Mandalas to Crochet

by Haafner Linssen

has been such a delight!

I highly recommend it!

Beautifully written with clear instructions, 

photos and charts and using UK terms!

you can find a link to it on my recommended book list

 on the sidebar to the right.

I have used

Sirdar Cotton DK

It has a fine twist which prevents splitting and a lovely sheen.

 I chose to use a 3mm hook to produce a firm texture for the mat.

The new designs I've made have been so popular

 and have flown out of my 

Etsy Shop

with great speed.

 But there are still a few others remaining if you are quick!

Finally I promised to show you the final views of the

 Juicy Fruits blanket

 which has now reached its new home.

This blanket was a special commission for a

 new yarn shop 

opening soon in Holmfirth, W Yorkshire.

For the border I chose 27 from the book

Around the Corner

by Edie Eckman

This is a great book with a fantastic choice of edgings.

 It has clear instructions written in US terms and also charts.

You can find it in my list of recommended books again on the sidebar.

It was sad to see this go as it had been a pleasure to make,

 but it really wasn't my colours,

 so I will be happy to see it soon in its new home at

Poppy's

yarn shop in Holmfirth.

Coming next

 you will see me working on some

Ombre Crochet

using again the

 Circle of Friends square

 by Priscilla Hewitt

I have been plotting and planning

 lots of yummy colour blends from the wonderful colour palette of

 Stylecraft Special DK

and I think you'll agree its amazing

 how different the square looks in these colours!

so here I'll leave you

 with a little snippet of what is to come!

Have a very happy hooky evening my friends

Heather

X X X

The gentle art of crochet

The gentle art of crochet

provides

hours of creativity playing with colours

Bridal gift

mental stimulation as I learn new patterns

Gift for a baby girl

and

huge satisfaction

 as I see balls of yarn turning into useful items to sell

Heart is a variety of colours

but so much more than that

it gives me something to get up for each day

a sense of being at work when I can't

it has given me crochet colleagues and customers

 to chat to all around the globe

and is a wonderful distraction from pain and fatigue.

Even if I am sat in my pj's

 and haven't been out of the house for days

 crochet keeps me sane!

Thank you for the many lovely emails and comments

 I have received here in blog land and on

  Facebook

and

  Instagram.

 I read them all

 and really appreciate the time you all take to write.

It's great to be back in this happy place!

 It has helped me along meeting many of you

 who also cope with chronic illness

 and helps me to cope as I start my new journey

 along this unknown path of Lupus.

Granny Sweet Heart by Nancy Drew

This week has been all about hearts here at Patchwork House

 restocking my little Etsy shop with gifts for you to buy!

 I enjoying making this quick little heart,

and have been working with a fabulous cotton that does not split!

Sirdar Cotton DK

 comes in 29 shades and I highly recommend it!

 The pattern for the Granny Sweet Heart is available free on

 Ravelry by Nancy Drew.

 Putting together colour recipes is my joy, 

conjuring up combinations that will appeal for different occasions

A gift for a bride

A gift for a baby girl

A gift for a baby boy

A new home gift

Whatever the occasion these hearts are just the job!

So it's back to my hook now

This weekend is looking purple!

I am working on a plum starburst flower blanket which is an order

(Pattern by Jane Brocket in the book The simple art of knitting)

and a lilac ripple pram blanket which is for sale

(Pattern neat ripple from Attic 24 blog)

Stylecraft Special DK

I also have picked a delicious colour selection

 ready to make myself a ripple

 to add to the blanket collection here at Patchwork House!

I sell ready made items in my Etsy shop

 and also take orders for customised blankets.

 If you would like to order please email me at

thepatchworkheartuk@gmail.com

 and I will send you a price list.

Have a wonderful day friends

Happy hookin

Heather

X X X

Making Rainbows

Today I am really excited

 to be able to tell you about a competition

 to win £500 worth of yarn!!!

I have joined together with 5 other bloggers

 to help launch the

 Deramores Blog Competition 2015

Here's how you can take part!

Everyone loves a rainbow

red  orange  yellow  green  blue  indigo  violet.

Lately I've been playing with colours

 a lot

as a Mathematician

 order is very important to me

and

as an artist 

colour fills me with passion

so

 to create a rainbow

 is perfection

 in my little world!

A few months ago

 I made myself a set of shade squares

 for all my favourite Stylecraft Special DK shades.

I used a small 3 round solid granny square

you can find a pattern 

HERE

Hours of fun and playing

 ended up with this combination

 for my bright traditional rainbow

I tried it out on a star shaped baby blanket

using a free pattern by 

Celeste Young on Ravelry

and the result was amazing!

but the artist in me wants to play

and my brain is continually making new rainbows

a pastel rainbow was next on my hook

oh so pretty

then again more playing with my squares

resulted in 

bright versus vintage

rainbows

using my creative license

I next hooked a

vintage look rainbow baby blanket

and I really love these soft muted tones

So where did this rainbow trend begin?

I have to give thanks

 to my hooky friends over on

 Instagram

This winter there has been a craze inspired by

 a beautiful Cath Kidston blanket.

So many of my clever hooky friends

 have been making their own versions, 

beautiful granny striped blankets

 with a parchment background.

totally inspired by the lovely makes of

 @wooly_creations

@pandagourgh

@yarnandwhatnot

@thelittlegreencupboard

and many others

I finally gave in and tried it myself

adding the neutral background

 to my vintage rainbow

 resulted in this amazing 

Cath Kidston inspired

 granny square baby blanket

Rainbows have spread into my cotton creations too

I always begin with a traditional colour order

Mandala making

 is such a perfect way

 of trying out colour combinations

but I soon find myself thinking

 that rainbows don't have to include all 7 shades!

Before I know it I'm shading pinks and purples

and blending blues and greens

Working with colour is therapy to me

it excites me

and makes me come alive!

So what better rainbow celebration

than my latest creation of a dream catcher!

This pattern by ATERGcrochet is available to buy on Etsy

HERE

So are you inspired?

 Do you want to play with colour too?

Oh I do hope I've got you rushing for your hooks

 and diving into your stash!

Ladies I'm really excited to tell you

 about the fabulous new

 competition 

I'm helping launch

would you like to win

 £500 worth of yarn

? ? ?

All you have to do

 is play with colour and crochet something wonderful!

Blog about your makes and enter the competition.

You will find all you need to know here

HOW TO ENTER THE COMPETITION

Go on you know you are itching to create

and who doesn't need more yarn!

You can enter many times

 and there are 5 other trends you can follow too!

This week I will be playing with a bright rainbow

 and a cream background! 

Come back next week to see what I made!

Do leave a comment to let me know what you are making

 and entering into the competition, 

I'd love to pop over and visit your blogs

 to see what you are making

Happy hookin

Heather

X X X

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

X X X