Hearts desire

Hearts...

Today I have been working on a different project.  I started a Christmas Present...yes I know its only July but you have to get ahead! :) but I thought I would take a break today and do something else instead.  Now that the nights are getting much, much warmer its nice to prop the doors open during the night and let the air circulate a bit so to stop the door slamming if there is a sudden gust of wind we needed a doorstop, so that's what I have made today :)

 

The chart for the heart pattern is very straightforward and can be found "pinned" on my Pinterest Board ~ Crochet & Knitting

 

I had some wool spare ( Patons Smoothie) so have made 6 squares of hearts but the one I just adapted the pattern and made an outline heart instead of a full one for the top of the doorstop

 

I decided to make the item stronger to crochet them together down the seam instead of sewing so did a double crochet down the seam and to strengthen even further slip stitched all the way back down again

 

Now, once they have all been joined the ends end finishing off...I have to admit I hate this bit and always try to crochet ends in if possible but I couldn't in this case

 

 

The base piece is then added and the cube is filled, I use microfiber filling and make a 'nest in the middle and add a 1kg bag of cheap rice, this gives it enough weight and is very eco friendly :) Once its stuffed full crochet seam the top square in place....and voila!!

I've added a little handle and a bow just to pretty it up a bit more.  I will definitely be using this heart square again on other projects I love it.

 

For now I will get back to my ripple blanket which somehow is very therapeutic to crochet

 

These are the colours I am using....

 

 

This is the blanket at the start its much bigger now...

 

Bye for now, have a great week x

 

Traditional Baby Blanket with Contemporary Colours

Hi

 

As promised pictures of the new baby blanket, I really love it, although it will be a one off as using 4ply for this blanket has taken an age! The colours are a complete departure for me, I'm very much a pastel, calm colours girl, but I have to say I have really enjoyed using the colours, so much so that I have done a few other projects using the left-overs :)

 

These are the granny squares which start with a yellow centre and then a creamy white round which sort of makes a daisy pattern again then the solid bright colours and I have joined as you go with white.  The wool is a microfiber acrylic from the Women's Institute range.  The blanket has been finished with an extra row of granny stitch and then a scalloped edge

Ta Da! Here it is, I used some plain squares in the block colours as I think this makes the "daisies" stand out more.  This is the perfect size for pram, pushchair or crib and it has used 30 squares.

 

I too have caught up in the Mandala craze at the moment, and I love doing them, I have them in all sorts of colours all over the home! These are some I made up with the left over wool from the blanket and they have come out very "Cath Kidston" style, I made the 4 coasters and teapot stand in no time they are so easy to do and very relaxing somehow.

 

Here they are in my kitchen with my retro style mugs from the afore mentioned designer and the Stanley cruet set my hubby bought me for Christmas I just love them, I don't use my Stanley's they sit looking at me on the shelf in the kitchen surrounded by my mugs and coasters!

 

Whilst on Pinterest searching for new ideas I came across a photo of a little bird house and hanging flowers and thought it was so charming I would give it a go as a wall hanging in the Grand Kids play room, again with a little left over wool, its amazing how far these balls of yarn will go!

The little bird needs a little bit of work, but I will definitely do one of these again so much fun :)

 

These are my very precious cheeky chaps who now have this on their playroom wall

 

In my garden my lilies have come into bloom and this year have done me proud, last year it managed to produce 2 flowers very beautiful but not enough! This year a magical 14 blooms so far and it looks like more are coming through

The past few weeks have been quite a stressful time with my other very precious little life, my Foxy, she's had to have a big operation this week and we have had a bit of game getting the wound to heal, so I took myself off to the charity shop and spent a whopping £1.25 on a baby grow! Oh its been the best £1.25 I've ever spent, I cut the arms and legs off and its been perfect to keep the wound covered and glad to say its healed and we are on the mend, thank goodness! But my hubby has been calling her "Baby Oleg" from the Meerkat adverts and I have to say she does bare a very good likeness ha ha!

 

 

Have a great week xx

Summer Is Here!

Summer is finally on its way, everything is starting to bloom in the garden, birds are singing and the temperatures are warm :)

On our trot out last week an idea sprang to mind for a baby blanket, the skies were blue, the grass lush and green, speckled with bright daisies. So when I got home I set to work. I think pram and pushchair blankets are so useful for everything, my daughter uses hers for in the car seat, at the supermarket when the children are in the trolley seat - it can get very chilly down the fridge I aisles :)

I had a few balls of Women's Institute wool left over from a tea cosy I had recently made for a friend, so made bright yellow daisy centres, surrounded by petals, placed in a pale blue square, just the colour of the skies, then joined together with a gorgeous lush green and edged with a soft furry creamy edge

So its all finished now and William is posing along side it

Perfect for baby boy or girl which is nice, its for sale on Misi

I mentioned the tea cosy I made for my friends daughter for her birthday, she absolutely loved the one that is for sale on a well known vintage style website :) so I made her my version of it, plus a teapot stand/mat to match

Perfect for Summer and she is loving having her friends over for tea now and showing it off!

You cant beat a handmade item as its totally unique there will never be another exactly the same and I like to keep it that way, I don't use the same colours for the same pattern again I always use a different combination that way the item is special, special for the person who receives it.

I've already started on the next blanket, which is in 4ply and I can tell you now this one will be a total one off its taking a long time to come together :)

The colours are a bit of a departure for me, I'm not known for using really bright colours but when I saw the colours together I just loved them and a lot of people like traditional things but in contemporary colours, its a lovely soft microfibre yarn so will be lovely and light for the summer.  These are the colours I'm using will post a picture of the completed blanket soon as its almost ready to join together,

 

I will leave you with the cutest picture, have a lovely day and be happy like this little chap :) xx