Just a little Christmas Crochet

A Linen mix to go with my Christmas Holiday outfits....

tried to make a blue bag before i went away, but didn't manage to finish, so i took some Linen/cotton mix with me to make something while in Lanzarote for Christmas.

Using the same motif design..
Popcorn flower HERE

had to make something to wear as my luggage would have been over the weight limit coming back.

as I bought a kilo of yummy cotton yarn...and only 2.50 euros for a 100grms.

next time I will bring back lots more...such a great price and so many gorgeous colours too.

hope you all had a fantastic Christmas

hugs xx

THANK YOU EVERYONE....Crochet Rainbow Decorations for Christmas 2013

A big THANK YOU to all who have supported my blogs this last 12 months,

a huge Thank You to GMC for publishing my book,

And a big Thank You to Stylecraft Yarns...I've loved doing the Classique Cotton and Summer Breeze designs....fabulous yarns.

 

I will be demonstrating for Stylecraft at the HOBBYCRAFT AND STITCH INTERNATIONAL

Spring trade show NEC on Sunday, February 16th 2014.

 

Sorry it's just for the trade, but anyone wanting the new patterns I have done for Stylecraft remind your local shop to call by the Stylecraft stand and say hello.

Stylecraft Classique Cotton Christmas Decoration 2013

 

Another big thank you to Homespun Magazine,

I'm looking forward to getting started on the new designs for you in 2014.

 

And a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the lovely friends that have joined the

GRANNY SQUARES PATTERN CLUB.

Lots more to come in 2014.

 

What a busy year I have had.......

And Thanks to all the Magazines that have featured some of my deisgns in the last few months....I'm still in shock over the success of my book and the spin offs from it.

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

 

Crochet Christmas Decorations or a Shawl motif?

I had 5 minutes to play yesterday....

Christmas Decorations, but they would join together as a pretty colourful Shawl I think.

Lots of Lovely work still coming in and from the most unexpected places.....

HOMESPUN magazine Australia, very surprised at that one.

HAPPY HOOKING XX

Hyperbolic Crochet Flowers...

I can see these around the edge of a wrap...

Happy Hooking xx

Crochet jewellery or wrist warmers?

They certainly keep you warm....jewelled wrist warmers then?

 Fun to make Chunky jems....

old bits of broken or cheap charity shop jems used to make a few decorative pieces.

 

HAPPY HOOKING X

 

 

Crochet Button Puffs.....

Stephane Inspired

 Fun Time....

 with sock wool and plains...

 

Happy Hooking xx

Stephane Martello alias mister crochet....I'm inspired

 

...........very inspired to play with organic forms.

 

 

Loving this creative crocheter and it's a guy too...

LINK: PINTEREST SITE WITH LOTS OF HIS WORK

Stéphane Martello

 

 

His crocheted designs are fabulous
Martello is inspired by nature and he has been influenced by seashells and barnacles in his architectural creations.

His designs are unisex and he combines architecture and knitwear into wearable works of art.

I'm inspired....

 

 

 

And all done with sc..

 

HAPPY HOOKING XX

 

STYLECRAFT CLASSIQUE COTTON....Fabulous cottons

I'm working on several designs for Stylecraft and one of the wonderful yarns I am using is

Classique Cotton DK, 4mm hook.

 

A wonderful cotton to crochet with....it's the first cotton yarn I've used that

hasn't kept splitting....no stopping me now.

 

Just some of the yummy colours I'm playing hooky with...

and new colours being added all the time.

 

Sorry I cant show you any of the designs to be released in London, in February.

Thanks Stylecraft for asking me to design for you, and thanks for choosing 6 designs and then adding 3 more....I am so excited about all of these projects.

It's been a great deal of fun working with such a lovely team at Stylecraft.

 

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND XX

 

Black and white Crochet Moss Stitch Stripes......

Made a little progress on the throw,

a couple of hours a morning is adding about 4 inches a day....

 

Run out of black and only enough left to do one more cream row...

Enjoy your weekend

xx

MOSS STITCH BABY BLANKET INSPIRED...

A new blanket...inspired by THIS, saw it a couple of days ago on Pinterest.

Loved it so much I am making my version of it

and in my favourite MOSS STITCH

 MOSS STITCH STRIPES....alternate rows of cream and grey or cream and lime,

changing every so many rows to create secondary broad stripes

 

 only a few inches done so far black and cream to be added soon

 

 

I did a lot of moss stitch sample variations a year ago in November 12012 

 

a couple of them in black and white

 alternate rows of black and white for stripes

or

two rows white, one row black for spots

 

Happy Hooking x

Almost half way down another Poncho with wrist warmers attatched...

Remember this....

 It is a bit of an odd shape but I love it so much,

it's comfy and warm and I love wearing it, so I'm making one in lime and aqua....

run out of Lime Green Marble to do any more for now....wrist warmers to do next then the remainder of the body

Single Crochet Rombus panel for bag....

And a second almost completed last night...too dark to take a picture yet...can't sleep so up in the early hours again....yaaaawn!!

 Loving the inset panels....a lot.

but look what arrived late yesterday....

so back to work for me.

 

Happy Hooking everyone xx

 

 

HELPFUL NOTE...

Someone has pinned my picture of SPOT MOSS STITCH onto Pinterest from

BLOGLOVIN...

and I thank you very much,

BUT.....

IT IS INCORRECT

 

They have added a caption on how to do this version of the stitch INCORRECTLY

and a lot of others have pinned it from them...oooops!

 

If you pin a copy please make sure you have the correct info.

If you followed their instruction you would end up with A VERTICAL STRIPE MOSS STITCH

and not the dot effect in the picture.

 

The correct version is HERE in MY CROCHET on PINTEREST

Hope that helps

Block Stitch Scarf to go with the Rhombus Triangle Bag

7" or 18cm wide scarf x long!

ch 30

ROW 1: dc in each st,

ROW2: 3ch st, loops every sc every 3rd st, (10 loops)

ROW3: 3dc in every chain loop

repeat rows 2 and 3 until scarf as long as you want it.

 

Rhombus Triangle Bag here

 

Have fun xx

More mini Triangles

link to the original mini triangle pattern

increase one st each row.

The bag mini is made with 2 strands of Stylecraft special a 5mm hook but the pattern is the same

 1-9 rows for each bag mini all joined to one another as I made them.

 

I added another row last night but I might have gone too far...ooops!

I woke up this morning knowing exactly how I want the bag to look.
I wasn't sure as I was working on the mini's and before a nights sleep...all sorted in my head now.

Using all my ends of mostly STYLECRAFT SPECIAL,
but there are a couple of other brands in there as well...so some mini's are smaller than others but blocking should sort that problem out.

KnN this morning...cya later girls.

HAPPY HOOKING

Fun with Textured, Single Crochet triangles

Another new bag in the making...

 

 

 

Rhombus Bag

I took a day off and guess what?....I played hooky and made myself a new bag

from a rhombus shape, adding a flower or two.

Decided less was more and only added 2 one on each side.

three was just over the top

Still needs a lining I think to keep the best shape.

Back to work this morning though.

Then may be an afternoon in the garden as the sun has decided to shine now after a lot of rain

we are building a screen at the bottom of the garden....the garden side, the beginnings of a car port Phil has wanted for 3 years to cover Noo Noo.

Happy Hooking everyone x

An Apology...

So sorry this blog has been a bit neglected just lately, several reasons...

 

I am back working probably 16 hours a day again....some retirement hey? lol

 

Although the 'work' is all playing hooky so I am lying when I describe it as work aren't I?

 

With the book's success and the magazine articles, it seems patterns from my book are in three different magazine this month alone.

Can't tell you how thrilled I am...thanks to everyone who has bought it huge hugs xx

 

This Wednesday I am taking part in a an event in Oswestry Library called

OSWESTRY MAKES 

click the link for the fabulous selection of things to try and whats on.

My event is sold out and already has an extra couple of people wanting to play hooky.

I do hope they aren't beginners and c at least crochet a few stitches?

 

THEN

Out of the blue, Stylecraft, having seen one of the magazine articles,

rang me and asked if I would do some Crochet Designs for them?

 

WOULD I?.... Lol!

 

Styelecraft: click the link for their complete range.

 

 Some of my favourite yarns for crochet, I already use a lot of Stylecraft special and the Life range, I jumped at the chance.

I have been given a brief and lots of the fabulous

Classique Cotton

Both wonderful yarns to crochet with, the cotton in particular doesn't seem to split like a lot of cottons, so I would recommend it for a beginner wanting to try cottons,

 

Summer Breeze

and the Summer Breeze is a pastel range of acrylic/cotton, soft and delicate.

 

 

Just one teeny tiny problem they have all got to be completed before Mid December, ready for Stylecraft to have them photographed and ready for a trade show in February.

 

So I hope you will forgive my absence from The 8th Gem for a while longer.

Everything I am creating at the moment is for the Granny Squares Patterns Club,

also doing really well (thanks everyone who has joined the fun) 

or for Stylecraft Yarns.

 

 STYLECRAFT COMPETITION ON FACEBOOK
win a £100 worth of YARN

 

TWO PATTERNS FROM MY BOOK......

A friend rang me the other day to say she had seen one of my book patterns in the magazine, INSIDE CROCHET, so off I trot to the shop to buy a copy, and on picking up SIMPLY CROCHET and having a browse find i am in that one too..how exciting is that?

 How one thing leads to another, a yarn company have aproached me to do 4-6 patterns for them after seeing one of the articles. Designs wanted before Christmas so a bit of a quick turn around, ready for a show in February 2014.......can life get any more exciting?

 

How's this for a perfect crochet outfit? lol.....

I will need something nice to wear don't you think, with no time to dress.  Lol

HAPPY HOOKING X