Crochet granny blankets update

Hi again,

Another quick post as I'm still not back to full health, though I went back to work last Monday. Yesterday I had to see an emergency doctor and he nebulised me. I don't even think it was an asthmatic attack, just chest pains that I'm having a lot recently, unfortunately my asthma is really playing up right now, so I'm back on steroids again too... I really wish it would all go away, I guess it's back to the doctor tomorrow...

Anyway, I thought I would give a brief update of my granny blankets that I'm still working on.

Loose hexagon/squares, double knit acrylic wool, 4.5mm crochet hook



Large squares, 9 rounds, double knit acrylic wool, 4.5 mm crochet hook



Small squares, Stylecraft special double knit acrylic wool (the nicest wool I've worked with), 4.0mm crochet hook



Today I was comparing my crochet made with different hook sizes 4.00mm and 4.5mm. Basically I've usually made grannies with a 4.5mm hook but recently saw the fabulous granny blanket made by the fabulous Lucy at Attic 24 (http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2012/09/granny-patchwork-blanket-.html and http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2013/02/granny-patchwork-blanket-ta-dah.html). She uses a smaller hook to give a small more dense result which I think gives a pleasing look.

This is a quick photo showing the different effect changing the hook size gives. The larger hook work is softer and less structured, the smaller is tighter and firmer. Obviously the larger hook crochets up a larger size more quickly, so if I was trying to make a large blanket I would probably go with a larger hook, especially as I take so long to finish anything!!!!



Until next time
Gillian

Just right

Sometimes when you quilt you have to decide just how to put it together. It's a process of trial and error, placing and moving until it looks just right. This was yesterday's job with my current quilt. I then took a photo so if I mix up the pieces in some silly careless moment then I know how they should go back together.

Now it's just waiting to be sewn together.

Until next time
Gillian

Here it is- just right!

Details

Well we're back from taking Tom to university in Portsmouth. Its been quite a hectic weekend and I confess to very contrasting emotions about it- it is the right time for him to leave and move on so in a way I'm not sad, but I'm also a mum so I'm worrying about him all the time... gosh I hope I get past that stage quick! I have to keep busy to help forget ... cooking, crochet and blogging here I come...


I've been asked a few questions about the quantities of yarn I use to make my hexagon grannies so I've got my best maths head on and worked out a few things. 

 Firstly my Field of Flowers granny; 79 four round hexagons weighed 380g. This is with a fairly cheap acrylic wool blend- I'm not too worried that wool is softer (but then I'm the sort of person who doesn't use fabric softener in my wash as I don't really see much difference). I also use a 4mm hook with double knit wool. As I used wool from my stash I didn't buy anything to make this granny. I reckon on doing another 18 hexagons which will be another two rows. This will give a blanket that fits from lap to floor for one person - I may of course keep going and make it larger so two can snuggle under it- I still have plenty of left over wool- that will depend on how I feel about it... I make decisions with a very emotional viewpoint, ie I do what feels right for me... the best thing about doing grannies is that you can make the blanket as small or big as you like- mine mostly turn out about the size that covers my lap nicely when  I sit and watch TV so sizing them involves simply laying them over me and adding more until I'm happy with the size!


I took six complementary colours of wool with me to Portsmouth so I could crochet on the way. I've done 40 hexagons to round 3 already and really love these colours. I intend to try and make each one different. If I've worked it out right this means I can do 120 different hexagons. 


The maths part now- 40 hexagons to row 3 weighed 105g. So my six 100g balls of wool should be able to make around 240 hexagons. I plan to do row 4 in white to join the hexagons. Based on the Flowers granny 40 hexagons to round 4 is about 190g so for 40 hexagons round 4 alone would need around about 85g of wool. (If you've spotted a mistake in my maths I don't mind if you gloat quietly!) I bought 1200g of white not long ago so I've plenty and will probably do a picot edge when I'm done. 


This one is a bit special because of the link to Tom leaving- I've already called it Strands. The six colours either represent the strands of my family-the five of us plus us a whole... the strands are the way we all interact and mix in multiple ways...


or the strands of my life; wife, mother, woman, person, crafter, worker... interwined with each other...


or the stages of my life; baby, child, teenager, independent young adult, parent, independent adult.


All the strands weave in and out of each other, making the myriad colours and patterns of life.


So philosophical... must be to do with all the change in my life at the moment...


Oh and by the way, tonight I burnt the tip of my right index finger whilst cooking tea so I'm not actually sure if I can crochet today- won't stop me trying though!


So until next time
Gillian

My lucky find

Whilst looking for my old coat today I found two balls of wool I didn't know I had (I didn't find the coat- where it went is a mystery!) . Does that sound weird? Well I thought I had used it all up making a hexagon granny blanket last year and so the blanket stopped growing as the wool ran out. Well now it can grow some more!!!







The wool is lovely to work with and produces a really gorgeous variegated result. So it looks like this will be my third hexagon granny on the go at the moment!  That's not too bad though as it is already big enough to cover my lap, so it will be wonderful to add to it as the evenings start to get colder as we move into Autumn. There's nothing as cosy as sitting under a granny blanket as you crochet... well perhaps you could add hot chocolate topped with marshmallows and cream... now that is perfection... a heavenly treat


Until next time
Gillian

Crochet along

Oh I've been busy this week- back to work Monday to Friday and getting everything ready for when Tom leaves home next Saturday to go to University. I think the only thing that has kept me grounded this week has been sitting quietly crocheting whenever I can. It takes just enough concentration to push out the stresses, yet I can have conversations and watch TV whilst doing it- just what I need...


I'm doing a crochet along with Inner Hooker on facebook aka Scotti, see also http://oxfordfam.blogspot.com/ . We're at the end of the first two weeks. It's the first time I've joined in with anything like it and I'm loving it. 


So as to my progress- I'm pretty happy with it so far... I now need to lay them out on our bed to take a photo rather than on the settee- I know it's a strange way to mark progress- but I've never claimed to be conventional!

The Field of Flowers granny is my first ever attempt at being random and is therefore quite therapeutic.  I am struggling with the lack of a repeating pattern- it means I'm actually constantly having to think about making sure no one colour combination dominates any area- that's harder than I thought it would be- I find myself almost wanting to plan it out- aaarh!

My other granny is the opposite- just four colours and a very controlled pattern- sets of 7 hexagons which I will join with surface crochet when they are all done. I had to get more wool today and managed to match 3 of the colours but not the fourth so I have to hope I have enough... I'm sure a solution will present itself if necessary...

I have two boxes on the go, one for each granny, here's the coffee one...

... I take these wherever I want to crochet- even in the car (I can get quite a lot done whilst John gets to be my chaffeur  - hee hee). I just keep grabbing 5 minutes whenever I can and doing a little at a time...


I discovered that I like crocheting in the car in the summer. During the 6 hour drive from Bodmin to Liverpool I made the arms, legs, muzzle and ears for this little fellow...

Amazing what you can get done when you are not able to do much else!


I made another little cutie during that trip too. 

Both are based on patterns I found on Etsy by Dawn Toussaint (note - I have made changes to both patterns to make them the way I wanted).


Anyway time to crochet beckons,
So until next time
Gillian

Finishing the Unfinished

Earlier this year I resolved to finish projects as I have a track record of starting lots of projects but not finishing too many. Its a big ask of someone like me who has more ideas than time...

Yesterday I dug out a blanket I started crocheting some time ago- I don't even know when- but fortunately I had some wool left and so I decided it had to be done. The only problem was that I hadn't left a crochet hook with it and I couldn't remember what size hook I'd used. I tried a 6mm but the stitches looked too big compared to the row that was already started. So I unpicked it and used a 5mm hook, this time the stitches seemed the same size so I carried on for three rows to finish the pattern repeat. I then held the blanket up to decide how to finish it. This is when I noticed that the blanket was not so much a rectangle as a trapezium. It was several inches wider at one end than the other...

...clearly I had ended with a smaller hook than I started. Aaaaarhhhh!!!!

So what did I do... well I couldn't face going back and unpicking a large amount. It was more than the three rows I did yesterday. I must have been inconsistent with my hook size more than once during the crochet. So I have left it!!!

I finished with a row of double crochet (UK) around the edge and am now sat under it- it is a thick yarn with a dense stitch and so is quite warm and it is a little cooler  today than the last few days.

I don't think anyone will notice it is not even unless they fold it in half so long as I keep quiet...

Anyway, until next time

Gillian

Freeform and Tunisian Crochet

It's been quite a week for me, so sorry blogging has not happened for a few days. I've had to interview for the jobs I currently do, apparently this is the current trend in the UK when work hours have to be reduced- it's a horrible process causing enormous stress and I can honestly say this has been the most stressful week I've had in this job. Additionally we've had a Fair Trade week at school cumulating in a Fair Trade type sale of products made by the kids on Thursday; plus one friend left work  after 19 years there and another had a baby on Friday- that made it quite a week!!!


This week I did do a little internet shopping and bought a book on Freeform Crochet, basically it seems that anything goes when it comes to making things this way. There is no pattern, you just make small motifs or patches and crochet or sew them together to make a pleasing result. It gives unique results and can be used to make one of a kind items of clothing or bags for example. For me it appeals as I sometimes just want to play around and not worry about making something specific. Sometimes I really do not feel like following patterns!!!


This is my starting point. It's just a simple spiral but I'm going to add to it... More will follow in the coming weeks.


I think it will help me learn new techniques, and as I can also incorporate knitted pieces, I could also practise new stitches. It will also allow me to play with colour and texture as both are important to add interest in freeform crochet.


My first freeform is going to be mostly white, though I may add some light pastel elements. I'm thinking of also embroidering the crochet too. Maybe using funky fibres/threads with texture for interest.

Today we've been out shopping in Truro and I visited my favourite wool shop. As well as some lovely wool I bought some large diameter crochet hooks (my plans for them will be revealed another time) and a Tunisian crochet hook. This is really a hook with a long handle the size of a knitting needle. It's basically worked so one row is worked onto the needle whilst the next works off the stitches off the needle.






I've never done it before so this is my first little swatch. I like the result and think it is going to actually fit in with the Freeform crochet.


I'm going to enjoy the relaxation of not worrying about gauge/tension, it is like playing with wool to make little swatches and patterns. It's also very portable which makes it quite handy to carry a crochet hook and small ball of wool in my handbag for when I have a quiet moment when I'm out...


I'll post more photos as my freeform grows...


Until next time
Gillian

Just got to do the stitch up!

I have finished knitting my next doll, I just have to sew up the seams and stitch on the limbs, hands and feet. I found this all pretty quick to knit this time, as I'm getting the hang of how to hold the needles and keep count. 

Next it's on to the hair, this involves doing loop stitch which I'm very slow at. I'm also using a textured wool that is also a bit thinner than double knitting wool, so I'm trying my luck a bit, but hopefully it will work.

I'm still making the petal dress in sea colours- I'm enjoying this as it is shaping up nicely.

I'm also finding that knitting is really relaxing, perfect for de-stressing at the end of the day...

Until next time

Gillian

Starting something new

My favourite book of the moment

Time for a new project. I'm going to make a Sea Fairy doll based on the Daisy Livingstone Doll in Annette Hefford's book Knitted Pirates, Princesses, Witches, Wizards and Fairies. 

The legs so far...

I'm adapting the pattern so that the dolls body has a colour change so that she looks as if she is already wearing leggings and I'm thinking of also doing the same to make an integral strapless cami type undertop.


I've started the dress before finishing the body so I have two different elements going at the same time, one (the body) I can do while watching TV or talking, the other (the dress) requires lots of careful counting so I have to do it when I have no distractions... it might take a while therefore!

The first two petal panels of the dress.

The fairy will be dressed in pale sea greens and blues and will have a floaty petal panelled dress and jacket. There will be twelve panels altogether in the dress in varying tonal shades from sage to turqoise to pale green to a light lilac blue which sounds a bit weird but really matches well. The pattern is not overwhelmingly difficult, but is complicated simply because it is tricky to keep your place with several repeats that are different according to the panel you are on- a friend helped with this last week by just telling me to keep a record of exactly where I was in a pattern by writing it in a notebook- the simplest of advice, but I hadn't thought of it!!!!

It's going to be fun doing this one...

So until next time

Gillian

Knitted doll update

I had a rethink on the dolls hair last night. The bulky look of the loops didn't look right so I cut the loops to make a straighter look. I then decided to trim it so it looked properly layered. (I cut my husband's and boys hair so hairdressing isn't completely new to me... I just haven't cut a doll's hair before!) The hair is still pretty full but now looks a lot better.

 This is the start of the underpants. They ended up purple, not the green I planned- the green just didn't suit the doll... perhaps I'm overthinking this but I have to get everything just right.

I've found it harder to do the clothes as I'm now more aware of the need to get a more consistent tension so the clothes fit the doll. I'm also finding it hard to decide what to make first, I want to do so much... it will probably take a lot longer to do all the clothes than it did to do the doll's body. Plus I want to do another doll so that I can make it better next time....

Oh well, one thing at a time...

Until next time
Gillian

Knitting - progress update

A quick update...


1. Body sewn up and stuffed. Feet sewn, stuffed and attached.

2. Hair/wig started. Slow going as I've had to learn loop stitch and this is a slow and fiddly stitch anyway.

 3. Right hand knitted.

4. Left hand sewn up and stuffed. Quite pleased with this one. Surprised it actually looks like a hand!

5. Arms knitted


I'm hoping to do some more this evening. I feel the doll is close to completion so I'm feeling really pleased. I've started thinking about the clothes I want to make, but so far all I know is I'm probably going to make lots of green clothes- perhaps all the walking we've been doing has influenced me so I'm choosing colours associated with nature...


... no promises though as I've also got some wool in pretty pinks and corals.


Until next time
Gillian

Knitting update 2

Here's some photos of my knitted work in progress.

This is the top half of the body and the head with the arms either side.











This is the lower part of the legs and one foot.


I've still to finish knitting the second foot and both hands. This look really fiddly, with five fingers on each there is going to be lots of casting on, casting off, increases and decreases in a really small piece of work.


I'm currently putting off sewing up the seams, but will have to tackle them soon... I have sewn and unsewn the head seam twice already because I didn't like the way it looked- my invisible seam was very visible! Today I bought a hands free magnifying glass to see if that helps- it should make it easier to see what I am doing at least. 


I want to spend the evening tonight trying to do either hands or seams, I haven't decided which yet...


Until next time
Gillian