Granny Flower Square - The Pattern!

If you read this blog since the first year (thanks for putting up with me all that time!) you might remember this blanket, It's one of my first crocheted blankets. I finished it almost three years ago. As you can see my palette has changed a bit since then, nevertheless I still like the blanket. It has exactly that seventies vibe I was after.

Recently my eyes fell upon it and I thought it might be a good idea to write the pattern down. Mind you, only for the squares. The border is not my pattern so not mine to share and unfortunately I can't find the source anymore, I believe it was a Portuguese magazine.

The pattern

Remarks beforehand
- You can either start a new round by chaining 2 (as a substitute dc) or – and that’s definitely my recommendation! – by making a standing double crochet. With the latter you can't tell afterwards where you started the round.
- The pattern calls for a join at the end of each round. My preferred method is to make a seamless join using a blunt needle. Alternatively you can slipstitch in the first stitch of the round.
- I used a 4 mm hook and I made 285 squares in total. Each square measures 10x10 cm (appr. 4x4 inch).

To start
Magic circle or chain 5 and join with a slipstitch to create a ring

Round 1
*1 dc in ring, ch 1*, repeat between * * 11 x, join

Round 2
*2 dc in ch1-sp, ch 1*, repeat between * * 11 x, join

Round 3
*3 dc in ch1-sp, ch 1*, repeat between * * 11 x, join

Round 4
Please note: The corners are worked in trebles.
*3 dc in ch1-sp, ch 1, 3 dc in ch1-sp, 3 tr in ch1-sp, ch 2, 3 tr in same space, ch 1*, repeat between * * 11 x, join. Weave in ends.

Joining the motifs
I used the join-as-you-go method for joining the motifs.

Please don't copy or share the chart elsewhere, but link to this page instead - thank you for linking with love! 

That's it!

I hope you've had a lovely week so far. Wishing you a great weekend!

Happy with Blog MakeOver!

Welcome to my brandnew blog! I'm very excited about the new design and I hope you like it as much as I do.

After a few years of blogging (time flies!) I felt it was time for a makeover. I wanted something light and crispy and the talented Madeline Cline designed just that for me (and on top of that she is a delight to work with). Click here for her Blog Design Studio on Etsy (or find the link below on this blog). If you are considering a new blog design I highly recommend her services.

 

As you will probably notice some parts of this new blog are still work in progress as I added some new features. Eventually this will lead to a site where it is easier for you to navigate, to find patterns and - hopefully! - inspiration. But I just couldn't wait to share it with you. ;-)

To mark the festive occasion of my blog makeover I thought I'd share some happy yarn pics...

There is a practical reason for that choice too, as I'm still working on some bigger projects which I can't share here yet. ;-) So for now it's mainly wip's and yarn... Like the Vinnis Nikkim (above) and the byClaire (below).

Well, I hope you like the new blogdesign!

Many thanks for your visit. Wishing you a lovely weekend ahead.

Projects in the making

Recently I have been working on new designs - which I love doing. It also leaves me with tons of trial & error pieces. I never throw them out, as they sometimes spark an idea for something completely different.

Or, I just like a colour combo and want to use the same colours in another design. Some can come to good use as embellishment. Especially the small flowery ones!

Many thanks for your visit & a lovely day to you.
♦♦♦

It's a Pastel Day

Love these happy stacks of crochet... There are quite a few of these stacks, most of them neatly tucked away in boxes in my little studio... Sometimes I open a box at random and am surprised by what I find... Pieces I had forgotten about... I take a picture and stow them away again... Maybe I should open an Etsy shop after all. ;-)

I'm curious to know what you do with the work you make.

The weather is getting sunny here again and I'm hoping to do a spot of outside crocheting this weekend. Looking forward to that.

Thanks for your visit. Wishing you a lovely day!
♦♦♦

This & That

Thanks for your kind comments on my previous post! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. The sight of my crochet hooks is tempting me to start new projects, but I'm still working on a couple of big projects I need to finish first.
(Q: Is that your entire collection of crochet hooks? A: Nope, not by far...)

'Cause I can't you show you my works in progress yet, I'll make do with other, recent pictures that I didn't share here before.

I really like the fabric below. I'd l o v e to make a skirt out of it. Pity I don't know how to sew - yet. It's still on my to learn list. (Like proper knitting. The advantage of knitting over sewing being that knitting needle don't make as much sound as a sewing maching. Or are modern sewing machines less noisy than the old ones? (#dta!)

If you follow me on Instagram you've seen these beads already. I'm so very much in love with the colour. I think they'll make a gorgeous necklace. Come to think of it, I should really make one soon. It would be perfect for the summer. Do you use beads in your work?

I'm a bit restless at the moment and would love to travel somewhere soon but alas, obligations of daily life make me stay put for at least a while. Although I have to say I can miss my little studio when away. Because more often than not I suddenly crave to work with that hook, or that yarn, which obviously is still at home and I'm not. ;-) 

Do you have any travel plans in the near future? Or maybe you're currently exploring new horizons? Which ever it is: I thank you for your visit and wish you a lovely week ahead!
♦♦♦

It's been a while... Let's talk yarn!

So much for my resolution to blog more often... What can I say... It's been busy! The next posts will be a roundup of what I've been up to crochet- & yarnwise. I realised that I've never given a proper account of the lovely yarn I sourced when I was in Thailand earlier this year. So let me make up for that hiatus in this post. And I'll squeeze in a cappuccinno with coconut milk here and there. Just because. ;-)

Maybe you remember my search for yarns when I was in Thailand last year, I wrote about it here and here. This year - through dedication and perseverance (read: my obsessive compulsive yarn-related behaviour) - I found some other lovely yarns.

Like this amaaaazing shiny fine cotton (suitable for a 2.5 - 3.5 mm hook) in the top picture and the three below. Apparently it's made in Japan, but I have no further information. Unfortunately... If you recognize this yarn and know where it's manufactured, I'd love to hear!

^ Working on a mystery project during a lunch break... ;-)

Just to clarify: I've bought more colours than you see in these pics, but I wouldn't mind getting my hands on even more... ;-) It's definitely one of my favourite yarns.









Then there were these pretty bobbins with handspun and plant dye fine cotton...

I love the irregularities in it and its slightly wool-ish (the pink one) and linen-ish (the grey one) appearance. Here's a closer look:

And this - huge - skein.... This too is handspun and plant dye cotton. I like the texture, it's quite different. Not sure what to make with it yet.















Oh, and before I forget, I got these lovely shades of embroidery floss... Which was actually a bit of a yarn fail, 'cause I didn't notice all the ends and thought I was buying adorable mini skeins of regular yarn. Ha! So much for being a connoisseur, right? ;-) However, the colours inspired the super talented Cornel Strydom to create these mittens that - for sure - are the prettiest mittens I ever laid my eyes on. Click here to admire them! (I just can't get over how lovely they are.)

More Crochet & Coconut (one of my favourite combinations!) to end this post. With another glimpse of my mystery project...

I hope you enjoyed my little yarn tour... Did you buy new yarns recently? Or are you on a  strict yarn diet?

Many thanks for your kind visit. Much appreciated! I wish you a most lovely weekend.
♦♦♦

Candy Scarf

Hello! Without further ado I hereby present to you the Candy Scarf. Plus the making details and pattern. Hope you like it!

Details
♦  I used three balls of MoYa yarn, one of each of the following colours: Bubblegum, Rose Quartz and Misty Rose.
♦  For the squares I used a 4.5 mm crochet hook (because it creates a nice, soft drape). But for the lacy joins I used a 3.5 mm hook to create slightly smaller chain stitches for an elegant touch. ;-)
♦  My scarf consists of 28 squares and measures 1.65 x 0.20 mtr.
♦  I blocked the individual squares pre-joining them and afterwards I blocked the entire scarf to stretch the lacy join.

And here is the chart! Please don't copy or share the chart elsewhere, but link to this page instead - thank you for linking with love! By the way: this pattern would work very well for a blanket. (Actually, I'd love to make a blanket like this some day.)

I loved working on this cute little project. And I'd love to see your pics if you make a #candyscarf yourself!

If you'd like to read more about the making of this scarf please click through to my previous post.

As always many thanks for your kind visit. Wishing you a most lovely week.
♦♦♦

Candy Scarf in the Making!

Recently Scaapi gifted me with three balls of the South African organic MoYa cotton. I had not worked with it before, but had seen pictures of it on the internet. Like this beautiful doily blanket in the making by the talented Maaike from Crejjtion.

I wanted to make something that would do justice to the look and feel of the yarn. MoYa has a sturdy rope-like look, but feels - surprisingly - soft. I wanted to create a fairly solid texture which would highlight both these qualities. I was in doubt whether to make placemats or a scarf, and in the end - after trying several patterns - decided on the latter.

Love the texture and colours! 

Blocking...

Tomorrow I'll publish the pictures of the finished scarf plus the pattern and other details. But - because it's such beautiful yarn - I thought I'd share some pictures of the work in progress here with you today.

Many thanks for your visit. I hope you are having a lovely week!

♦♦♦

Doily Delights and Potholder Pastels

Just so to say a quick hello and hit the publish button for a short post... Lately I've been digging deeper in my boxes with - mainly older - pieces of crochet. It was fun to look back at what I've made.

Many thanks for your visit, happy day to you!
♦♦♦

Little Pink Flowers

Thanks for your kind comments on the necklaces from my previous post. Today I'd like to show you another one. I felt the pink flowers needed a little shiny accent, so I added the beads and, in the neck part, a short golden chain with clasp.

For this necklace I used a 0.7 mm hook and crochet thread from a brand named Julia. (I bought the yarn in a local yarn store, I tried to find this brand online, in case you're interested, but to no avail.)

I enjoyed making the necklaces and I'm full of ideas for other ones - so maybe there will follow more... What do you have on your hooks currently?

Many thanks for your lovely visit.
Wishing you a good week.
♦♦♦

Crocheted Necklaces

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my necklaces as work in progress and now it is time for the reveal!

This long flowery white one is perfect for spring! I didn't follow a specific pattern, but did dive into my pile of Japanese crochet books for inspiration. These were all made with a 1 mm hook.

 *plays nonchalantly with her new necklaces*  ;-)

I'm working on a couple of bigger projects which I can't show you yet and therefore I like these smaller in-between projects so I can still have a little tada-post every now and then. ;-)

In the next blog post I'll show how the work in progress below turned out. ;-)

Almost weekend in this part of the world... Hooray!
Wishing you a most lovely day.
♦♦♦

Pattern Breezy Summer Bag

As promised: The pattern for the Breezy Summer Bag! I made mine with JungleVine - read more here and here. Of course it would work with other yarn too.

Remarks beforehand
 ♦ I don't give one size for the bag. You can make it as big as you like by adding chains to the begin chain or by using a more voluminous fibre.
 ♦ The chart is therefore only schematic, it doesn't give a specific number of stitches - just the general pattern.

 ♦ I used JungleVine and a 2.7 mm crochet hook.

 ♦ In principle you don't have to cut your yarn, it's a 'in-one-go-pattern' as it were. This to make you bag as strong as possible. (Of course it depends on the yarn you use if you need to use more balls.)
♦ American crochet terminology.

Pattern

Bottom of the bag
♦ To start
make a chain (the lenght of this chain will be the length of your bag).

♦ Round 1
sc in third chain of your hook, continue dc'ing in every ch st.

♦ Round 2:

turn work, ch 1 and sc in each sc of previous round.

♦ Round 3 to round [x]:
- repeat round 2 until you have the bottom of your bag has the desired size.

- don't cut yarn

- single crochet along the four sides of the bottom, with 2 sc in each corner.

- don't cut yarn

Sides of the bag
 ♦ Round 1
- ch 2 as a first dc, dc in the backloops of every sc of the four sides of the bottom (backloops only because this creates a ridge. The following rounds you crochet through both loops as per usual)
- sl st in 2nd ch of the 2 chains that form the first dc

 ♦ Round 2
- don't turn turn work
- ch 1, 1 sc in every dc of the previous round
- sl st in 1st sc of this round

♦ Round 3
- ch 2 as a first dc, dc in every sc of the previous round
- sl st in 2nd ch of the 2 chains that form the first dc

♦ Round 4 to round [x]
continue alternating round 3 and 4 until your bag has the desired size.

Handle
- single crochet on one side of the bag till your handle as the desired width.

- continue in the same fashion of the rest of the bag, alternating sc and dc for every (short) row, 

- until your handle has the desired lenght, crochet the last round also through the other side of the bag to attach the handle on that side.

Decorative edge and button hole
- single crochet along the last round of your bag (with another colour)

- sl st in first sc, 

- don't turn work, 

- do a 2nd round of sc, but make chain the middle (instead of sc's) to make a button hole, like you see on the pic below:

And here is the chart, I hope it's clear, it was a bit difficult to draw... (Please keep in mind that it's schematic and I don't give a specific number of stitches because that really depends on the size bag you'd like to make and it doesn't matter for the basic pattern.)

Okay, that's it my crafty friends... If you are making this bag I'd love to see it.
Thanks for your visit and have a lovely day!
♦♦♦

Crochet Extravagance

Last week I have been rummaging through my boxes with crochet. The smaller pieces, that is. And - since I had something of a doily-and-potholder-phase - there are quite a few of those smaller pieces... Anyway... I thought I'd share some my finds here with you too. Introducing... 'Haafner - The Early Works'. ;-)

Now, this potholder has an - for me - unusual colour combination... ;-) 

Have a lovely week - craft on!

♦♦♦

PS. Still working on the pattern for the bag of my last post. Will post it later this week.