Shade Squares

This week I have been playing with colour

lots of tiny squares in nearly 60 shades

have been giving me so much fun!

Oh the satisfaction

 I have had from playing with these is unbelievable!

 I have made rainbows,

 greens, blues, purples, pinks, browns and neutrals 

and all are equally delicious!

My default yarn for blankets is 

Stylecraft Special DK

I love it for its huge colour palette of 60 shades,

 it is so soft, machine washable and very affordable.

This makes it perfect for baby blankets and throws

 and a delight for any crochet artist who likes to dabble with colour!

 I have not made all 60 shade samples just the colours I like to use.

I plan on labeling my squares with the shade names

 which will make for easy photography when I share my colour recipes, 

which I know have become so popular.

This weekend I was asked to make a hot water bottle in bright colours.

I had great fun playing with my colour squares and came up with a recipe of

spice

petrol

raspberry

meadow

lipstick

aspen

and

saffron

inspired my a favourite Cath Kidston mug!

I needed 7 shades

 so I replaced the lipstick and raspberry with pomegranate

 which is a nice half way measure

 and added cream for brightness

Just look at the fabulous stitch definition

oh so yummy

I love this yarn!

One day when I do not work full time

 I will write up this pattern for you all as I am frequently asked . . .

 but I'm sorry for now it is still in my head!

Christmas is fast approaching

 and I am busy trying out new decorations this year.

 Last week was all about baubles . . .

 if you missed that post you can read it

 HERE

this week is all about stars!

I have used a wonderful pattern

 which I bought on Etsy from ATERGcrochet

you can find it

HERE

I highly recommend it for a few pounds,

 it is very clear and easy to follow with lots of photos!

The yarn is Rico Essentials Cotton DK

oh wow

this is new to me and I am smitten!

It comes in 42 shades

 and has a beautiful rich sheen perfect for decorations!

Im sure I will be making more!

2 weeks of school to go and then I will be a crocher queen again ... oh I cant wait ... but now Monday looms and I must love you and leave you to prepare

Wishing you all a blessed advent 

Happy hookin my 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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