♥ Baby Star Blanket ♥

With February chills still nipping at our heels my design for this week’s Crochet Club over at blog.lovecrochet.com  is all about keeping our tiny tots warm and toasty. This Baby Star Blanket is the perfect size to throw over the top of a baby car seat or pushchair, but could be made slightly bigger for a cot or crib.

With the main blanket worked in DC and the stars being hooked up separately and stitched on to the finished blanket, this is a beautiful and totally unique handmade accessory.

 

I used 7 x balls of Debbie Bliss Mia in Silver (22) for the main part of the blanket and 1 x ball of Debbie Bliss Mia in Light Pink (11) for the stars.

For the blanket I worked with a 4.5 mm hook for the main part and a 3.5mm hook for the finishing edge and border.

The stars are worked with a 2.5mm hook.

The finished blanket measures approx. 62cm x 52cm.

To make the blanket:

Chain 91.

Starting in the second chain from the hook work a row of DC, 90 sts.

At the end of the row chain 1 and turn. Keep working rows of DC until your work measures approx. 60cm, finishing on a RS row. Remember to chain 1 and turn at the end of each row.

Do not finish off at the end of your final row.

Edging:

Round 1: Switch to using a 3.5mm hook and work a round of DC all the way around all four edges of the blanket, working 2 or 3 stitches into each corner stitch to stop the blanket from becoming out of shape.

( I found it helped to keep the edges flat by working  1 DC in each stitch on the top and bottom edge and two stitches in every alternate stitch down each side. )

Round 2: Work a second round of DC , working 1 DC into each stitch all the way around, and two or three stitches into each corner stitch if needed.

Round 3: You are now going to work the Picot border as follows :* Sl St, chain 2, Sl St back in to the first stitch of the chain you have just worked, Sl St in to the next stitch.* Now repeat from * to * all the way around the edge of your blanket. Sl ST to join at the end, finish off and sew in the ends.

To make the stars:

I made a total of 23 stars for my blanket. Using the Light Pink and 2.5mm hook makes the stars as follows:

Round 1: Begin by making a Magic Ring and then work 5 DC in to the ring. Sl St to join.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from the first round. Sl St to join . Work a Sl St in to the next stitch and then * work a chain of 4.   

    

 

 

You are now going to create your first point by working back down the chain as follows: beginning in the second chain from the hook work a Sl St, followed by a DC, followed by a HTR. Now skip a stitch and Sl St the point back to the central circle*. Repeat from * to * until you have 5 points. Sl St to join, finish off and sew in the ends.

  

 

Once you have made the required number of stars lay out your blanket and position the stars as you want them. I pinned mine with safety pins to hold them in place whilst sewing each star in to its final position with a needle and thread. When sewing each star work your way all the way around the edge with small stitches to ensure that each star is held firmly in place. 

 

 

Happy baby snuggling ! 

♥

Autumn Wrap

Autumn Wrap.

♥

Finally, finally I have managed to get around to putting together the

 pattern for my Autumn wrap.

Flu,work and just general day to day stuff seems to have got in the way somewhat -

but I got there in the end !

I have had the idea for this shawl at the back of my mind for some time now and so 

when I saw this beautiful hand dyed wool by Eden Cottage Yarn

 I knew straight away that this was the yarn I had been looking for.

I wanted the design for my wrap to be really simple and contemporary,

                            made in a stitch that would be easy to do and give a good drape.

These are the approximate final measurements of the shawl.

Anyway , here it is .......

The yarn is a DK and I used a size 4.5 mm hook.
I used 4 x 100g skeins.

The wrap is worked in a TR stitch.

The pattern is worked starting at the left hand corner and worked all the way

 across to the right hand corner.

Start by making a chain of 5.

Work a TR in to the 3rd chain from the hook.

TR in to the next 2 st, CH2 and turn.

As you work you will see that you have one straight edge and one curved edge. 

This next row is the start of your straight edge.

At the beginning of each straight edge row: TR in to the first st and work the row in TR all the way along. At the end of the row CH 2 and turn.

This next row is the start of your curved edge.

At the beginning of each curved edge row: DTR in to the 1 st and then TR in to the same st. Work the row in TR all the way along. At the end of the row CH2  and turn.

Continue working this pattern of one straight edged row, one curved edge row, one straight edge row etc until your wrap is 67 sts ( approx 43cm )wide.

You are now going to just work straight rows ( 67sts ) of TR's, remembering to CH 2 and turn at the end of each row. My rectangle part of my wrap measures 52 cm .

At the end of your rectangle you need to start decreasing to mirror the shape of the start of your wrap.

On your first decreasing row have your curved shape edge on the right hand side and begin your first decreasing row as follows: Work a DTR in to the first st, but leave the final loop on your hook, then work a TR in to the second st, again leaving the final loop on your hook. You will now have 3 loops on your hook, yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. Work in TR to the end of the row, ch 2 and turn.

Your next row is a straight row of TR , remembering to CH 2 and turn at the end.

Continue alternating your decreasing rows and straight rows until your wrap matches the first half when folded in half down the middle of the rectangle.
Finish off and sew in your end.

The next step is to work two rounds of DC all the way around the edge of your wrap, remembering to work 2 or 3 DC in to your corner stitches so that your wrap does not lose its shape.

To finish off my wrap I added a bobbly edge.

There is a full tutorial on how to do this edging over at Once upon a Pink Moon 

I worked mine slightly differently to the original as I worked my bobbles straight from my previous DC round rather than looping one bobble to the other.

And there you have it .... one very snuggly Autumn wrap.

Happy Crocheting.

♥

Random .... to be or not to be ?

♥

So, here's the thing ... 

whilst I am eternally grateful to my Mum and Dad for

 giving me 'the neat and tidy gene' and enabling me to be super organised

 and super tidy wherever I go, when it comes to crochet it seems, 

quite unexpectedly, that this poses a bit of a problem.

Now it's nothing too earth shatteringly awful and life can continue 

without it being too much of an issue ...... 

but, oh, how I would love to be able to do random !

But I can't.

I simply cannot make myself sit down and do a completely unplanned, 

spontaneous  and what's the word .... organic, piece of crochet.

It's literally quite impossible for me to put two colours together that might clash a bit 

or that don't maybe sit right together. 

It's almost bringing me out in a cold sweat just thinking about it. 

And then, just imagine if someone made me sit down with a whole basket of odds and ends , 

in all the colours of the rainbow ,

 and asked me to just go with the flow .... definitely in a cold sweat now !

So why bother I hear you cry - well, because as I have traveled on my crochet 

journey I have discovered that whilst I may not actually be able to do it,

 I have become rather partial to a bit of a random patterned blanket or two.

I have even attempted to have a go with this blanket that I made a couple of years ago,

but if you look closely you'll see that I literally got not further than a quarter

 of the way through before I had reverted to type and a lovely,

 neat and tidy pattern happened.

Don't get me wrong, I still love this blanket very much but since finishing it, 

always at the back of my mind there's been that little voice

 saying 'go on, go on, do random, do random. '

I've even had all the yarn ready and waiting in a bag in my cupboard, 

just tucked away quietly waiting for that moment.

And then, one day, one very normal every day kind of day ...... 

JOY OH JOY , 

the lovely Heather over at Pink Milk very quietly posted a post all about 

this most miraculous of inventions called, wait for it ....

THE RANDOM STRIPE GENERATOR !!!!

My heart is beating faster just thinking about it.

LOOK !!!! 

It actually works out the random for you ! 

You just put in a few details like your colour choices,

 number of rows etc and off it goes, again and again and again !

 Endless randomness, 

it even allows you to choose which random you like the most !

Bloomin' fantastic !

Heather - I owe you big time .

Well, before you could say 'what colour next' I had hot footed it upstairs,

 got the hidden bag of yarn out from the back of the cupboard, printed off 

'The Golden Chart of Randomness'

and the blanket had been started.

And, oh, oh, oh, big happy sigh of relief ....

I can do it !

I can TOTALLY do it.

My Pootling bag is packed and wherever I go, it comes too.

And, boy .... is it addictive !

I can't stop.

I love it.

Hook, line and sinker - I AM IN.

So, here I am, one very happy and satisfied crocheter sitting in a lovely tidy house doing random crochet to my hearts content - who says you can't have the best of both worlds :-) 

♥

Probably just worth stating at this point that the irony hasn't been lost on me that I have still had to stick my charts very neatly and tidily in a brand new note book, that all my colours are neatly noted down next to the stripes, in very neat handwriting and that all of my yarns are also very neatly recorded on a little tag that is tied very neatly in to my very neat and tidy notebook.  

Hey - ho, not quite fully off-piste just yet but one step at a time eh !

♥

                 ( Further post to follow with pattern details ....  

            but for now just click here to be transported to 

                                The Wonderful World of Randomness ....                   

 Random Stripe Generator )

Apple cosies

♥

With crochet blankets having always been my number one love, not for one minute

 did I  imagine that  I would be happily sitting working away to design a crochet apple cosy ! 

But that is one of the things that I am loving the most about having been asked to 

design patterns and put together tutorials for lovecrochet.com 

- I have had to totally come of of my little comfort zone, 

not only in the things I have been asked to make but also in the 

colours and yarns I have been working with.

It's been both rewarding and refreshing and I shall never scoff at an 

apple cosy again as they have been SOOOOO much fun to do ! 

The full pattern and tutorial is available completely free here at lovecrochet.com

but I just thought I'd give you a little taster here.

The yarn I used was Rowan Handknit Cotton - if you haven't used this yarn before all

 I can say is it is such an absolute treat to work with that you have to give it a try ! 

It's as soft as cotton wool , yet gives you all the weight and

 definition needed for a good bit of structure.

 

The apple cosies are worked in a round, 

with a top half and bottom half that are hinged at the back with a row of over sewing.

I then worked a bobble in to the last few rounds of the bottom half 

and a chain loop in the finishing edge of the top half to create a fastener.

With a little stalk and a couple of leaves added as the finishing touch

you have the smartest little apple cosy to happily grace any desk or lunch table.

And then .........

woo-hoo, the fun starts , 

as the possibilities to add a bit of 'je ne sais quoi' are endless !!

From pink piggies,

  

to high tec ( ! ) robots,

  

to the cuddliest of penguins ...

  

... these cannot fail to help sneak in those 5 a day.

And it should certainly put a smile on your face

 every time you walk past the fruit bowl.

One little word of warning though - 

you may not be the only one who falls in

 love with your new apple cosy !

♥