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Circles in squares baby blanket.

 

With a homemade blanket being the perfect gift for any new born baby I have designed a blanket that is not only bright and colourful but will have them learning their shapes before they know it !

With a bobbly border and pompoms added at the corners there’s also lots of lovely texture for those little fingers to explore.

I made my blanket in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino as it gives the softest of finishes and there is a wonderful array of colours to choose from.

For my blanket I used 6 x balls of White 340100, and 1 x ball each of Duck Egg 340026, Slate 340009 and Acid Yellow 340091.

I worked with a 3mm hook.

Each square is made up of a central circle in one of the three colours, with the white yarn being used to make a square around the circle and then to join all the squares together.

 

In total I made 21 squares in each of the three different colourways.

 

Once all the squares were joined together I added a bobble border all the way around the blanket and finished it off by adding three small pompoms , one in each colour, at each corner of the blanket.

The finished blanket measures approx. 60cm x 50cm.

To make the circle:

Round 1: Make a Magic Ring and work 8 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from Round 1, 16 sts.

Round 3: *Work 1 DC in to the next stitch and then work 2DC in to the following stitch*. Repeat from * to * all the way around, 24sts.

Round 4: * Work 1 DC in to each of the next 2 stitches and then work 2DC in to the next stitch*. Repeat from * to * all the way around, 32 sts.

Round 5: Work a round of DC, 32 sts. Slip stitch to join, finish off and sew in the ends.

Making the circle in to a square:

Round 1: Working in to the back loops only, join in your white yarn with a Sl St. Work 1 DC in to the same stitch and then work 2 further DC. You are now going to make your first corner:* work  1 HTR,  and then in to the next stitch work  1HTR, 1TR and 1HTR . Work 1 HTR in to the next stitch.*

   

Now work 5 DC to make the next side and repeat from * to * to make your second corner.

Continue working around the circle so that each side has 5DC and each corner is worked as for * to *.  After your 4^th corner work 2 DC. This will bring you back to the beginning of the round, Sl St to join and chain 1.

              

Round 2:

Now working in to both loops as usual, work a DC in to the same stitch as the chain at the end of your last round and then work a further 3DC. *Work 1 HTR in the next stitch, followed by 3 HTR all in to the next stitch. Work 1 HTR.*

Now work along the next side with 7 DC, and repeat from * to * to make your second corner. Continue on around the square in this way working 7 DC along each side and repeating the corner 4 times.

After your fourth corner, work 3 DC, Sl St to join and chain 1.

   

Round 3:  Work a DC in to the same stitch as the chain at the end of your last round and then work a further 4DC. *Work 1 HTR in the next stitch, followed by 3 HTR all in to the next stitch. Work 1 HTR.*

Now work along the next side with 9 DC, and repeat from * to * to make your second corner. Continue on around the square in this way working 9 DC along each side and repeating the corner 4 times.

After your fourth corner, work 4 DC, Sl St to join and chain 1.

   

Round 4:

Work a DC in to the same stitch as the chain at the end of your last round and then work a further 7DC. *Work 3 HTR all in to the next stitch.*

Now work along the next side with 13 DC, and repeat from * to * to make your second corner. Continue on around the square in this way working 13 DC along each side and repeating the corner 4 times.

After your fourth corner, work 6 DC, Sl St to join and finsih off. Sew in the ends.

   

Joining the blanket together:

Once you have completed all 63 squares lay them out onto a flat surface in the pattern that you want the finished blanket to be in. I find the best thing for pinning the squares together is safety pins as you can easily pick up the blanket and work with it without all the squares moving about.

 

   

To get a neat finish to your blanket work all of your joining seams in the same direction. I started by joining all the long seams first and I joined the squares together by working in Sl St all the way along.

To add a little bit of extra texture I used DC to join the shorter seams.

 

Adding the border:

Round 1: Work a round of DC all the way around the edge of the blanket, working 2 stitches in to two of the corner stitches as you go round, to stop the blanket losing its shape.

Round 2: This round is the bobble edging. With the wrong side of the blanket facing you, *yarn over and pull through to approx. TR height. Repeat the yarn over and pull up 5 more times. Yarn over and pull through all the loops on your hook.

   

Work a Sl St to hold the bobble together *and Sl St in to the next stitch. Sl St in to the next stitch and then repeat from * to * in the next stitch. Work 2 Sl St after each bobble. Continue this pattern all the way around the edge of the blanket and Sl St to join at the end of the round. Finish off and sew in the ends.

  

To finish off my blanket I made a small pompom in each of the three colours and secured them firmly to each corner.

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Sunflower Tea Cosy.

 

I have been wanting to design a Tea Cosy for a while now and when a thank you gift was needed for some friends we stayed with in France, a Sunflower Tea Cosy seemed too good an opportunity to miss ! With their house being surrounded by fields and fields of these beautiful flowers it was the perfect reminder of our lovely stay.

    

For my tea cosy I used BERGERE DE FRANCE MAGIC, 2 x balls of LICHEN, 1 X ball of CRIQUET and 1X ball of SENEVE.

I worked with a 5.5mm hook for the main body of the tea cosy and a 4.5mm hook for the sunflower on the top.

As a finishing touch I added two tiny bees to my cosy and for these I used some small amounts of 4 ply yarn and a 2mm hook.

         

My tea cosy is designed to fit a 3L, 10 cup teapot.

To make the sides of the cosy. Make 2:

Row 1: Using the LICHEN and a 5.5mm hook make a chain of 31. ( If you are making a cosy for a different sized pot your chain needs to be the height of your teapot from the bottom to the top of the lid.)

Row 2: Starting in the second chain from the hook work a row of TR. 30 sts. Chain 2 and turn.

Row 3: Working in to the back loops only work a row of 30 TR, chain 2 and turn.

Rows 4 to 20: Continue working as for Row 3. Finish off. Your piece of crochet should now be the width of the teapot. ( If you are making a cosy for a different sized pot the width of your pice of crochet can be adjusted at this point by working more or less rows.)

Make a second piece as above.

          

Joining the sides of the cosy together:  

Lay one piece on top of the other on a flat surface and using pins mark on each side the space that you need to leave open for the handle and the spout.

For my cosy I left a gap of 10cm for the handle, with a seam of 4cm below the handle and 5cm above the handle.

For the spout I left a gap of 7cm, with a seam of 5cm below the spout and 7cm above the spout.

I used a needle and yarn to sew the seams. Finish off and sew in the ends.

 

Fitting the cosy to the teapot:

Turn the cosy so that the seams are on the inside and slide it on to your teapot. Using double thickness yarn run a gathering thread all around the top of the cosy and then carefully pull it up so that it closes around the top of the lid. Stitch firmly in place.

    

To make the sunflower:

The flower centre is worked in a continuous round.

Round 1: Using the CRIQUET and a 4.5mm hook make a Magic Ring and work 8 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from Round 1, 16sts.

Round 3: *Work 1 DC in to the first stitch and then two DC in to the next stitch*.  Repeat from * to *all the way around. 24 sts.

Round 4: *Work 1 DC in to the each of the next 2 stitches and then two DC in to  the next stitch*. Repeat from * to * all the way around. 32 sts.

Round 5: Work a round of 32 DC.

Round 6: Work a round of loose slip stitch, 32 sts. Finish off and leave a long end for sewing the circle to the cosy.

You will now have a small dome shaped circle.

       

Stitch the circle to the centre top of the cosy, so that the gathered up top of the cosy is all hidden 

away.

For the petals using the SENEVE and a 4.5mm hook make a chain of 114.

Row 1:  Sl St 1 and then *chain 9. Sl St back down the chain ( starting in the second chain from the hook ) and work down the chain as follows: DC 3, HTR 4. This will bring you back to the long chain. Skip 1 stitch and rejoin to the main chain with a Sl St in to the next stitch.*

Repeat from * to * all the way along the chain.

             

  

 

For the leaves using the LICHEN and a 4.5 mm hook make a chain of 41.

Row 1: Sl St 1 and then *chain 13. Sl St back down the chain ( starting in the second chain from the hook ) and work down the chain as follows: DC 3, HTR 3, TR 3, DTR 3. This will bring you back to the long chain. Skip 2 stitches and rejoin to the main chain with a Sl St in to the next stitch.*

Repeat from * to * all the way along the chain.

Both the petals and the leaves will benefit from blocking. Once pinned out I sprayed mine with an ironing starch as this helps to stiffen them up.

Blocking will help your petals and leaves hold their shape.

 

Joining the leaves and petals to the cosy:

Wrap the string of petals around the centre of the flower three times. Pin in place and then stitch securely.

Wrap the string of leaves around the centre of the flower , underneath the petals, once. Pin in place and then stitch securely.

    

To make the bees: ( worked in a continuous round)

Using some small amounts of 4ply yarn and a 2.5 mm hook make the bees body as follows:

Round 1: Using yellow yarn make a Magic Ring and work 4 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from Round 1, 8 sts.

Round 3 to 6: Work a round of 8 DC.

Round 7: DC 2 stitches together all the way around. Push all the ends inside the bee and close up the end.

Using a thin, black fibre tip pen draw on the black stripes and eyes. 

To make the wings using white yarn and a 2mm hook chain 2. In to the second chain work a DC, HTR, TR, DTR, TR, HTR and DC. Turn your work and working in to the other side repeat the same stitch pattern for the second wing.

Fold the wings in half and stitch in to place on the bee.

       

 

 Stitch the bees in to place and then it’s time to put the kettle on !

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