Post-Surgery with a bit of crochet!

Posted on 16 August, 2015 by patchworkfairy

Just a short post from me today. Been into hospital and had my total knee replacement surgery! I am so glad to be home 😀. I took my crochet in but only did some whilst waiting to go to theatre as afterwards it was enough of an effort just to get myself to the bathroom and back!

Now I am resting most of the day with little walks and knee exercises inbetween. I have been so glad of my soft Liberty fabric patchwork quilt, my warm colourful ripple blanket and a new bright owl fabric cushion I made last week before I went in. All of these have helped add a little bit of comfort to a rather painful time!

Yellow owl fabric cushion and crochet granny square in pink, cream, green and peach variegated cotton with two lilac rows.

My growing granny square and owl fabric cushion

The crochet is going to be a big granny square summer blanket using Rico Creative Cotton which is soft and not splitty at all

Well that’s all for now, time for my nap!😀

Linking up with Handmade Monday as usual over at Lucy Blossom Crafts

Simply Crochet Poncho!

Posted on 15 February, 2015 by patchworkfairy

Well firstly let me say thank you to all those who commented last week – it was really interesting to read different views and I now have a couple of courses to investigate which is good as I love studying!! I’ve managed a bit more on my Simply Crochet poncho but that’s about all this week.

However, this week I have learnt that I will be going into hospital for two lots of injections – facet joint and nerve root. I will be sedated so won’t know about them thank goodness and although initially I could be in more pain, within two weeks I could be ok and able to walk and drive again! I do miss driving – especially to fabric and wool shops and cafes!! I also miss being able to walk upright and like a normal person and for more than a few minutes! Never thought the day would come when I was looking forward to injections!!!

So this week craft wise I have done a bit more on my Simply Crochet Cowl Neck Poncho and now need to decide what the next few colours should be as there are only about 6 – 8 rows left to do!!

Poncho – not sure about the grassy green wool?

also I’m not sure whether to add another pink row or leave it as just a pop of one? Any suggestions gratefully received!

Now over to Handmade Monday Linky Party again!

Granny Squares and Ponchos!

Posted on 18 January, 2015 by patchworkfairy

In keeping with new year and new resolutions/ways of working etc I am trying to finish all my WiPs before I start anything else! This was been going well as I have finished my small granny square blanket and am getting well on the way with my Simply Crochet Poncho! However today I have had great news!!!! News I have been hoping for but trying not to get too fixated. ….. So … Well – after two grandsons I am now going to get a granddaughter!

So now it’s pink pink pink all the way! Pink Quilt! Pink Blankets Pink Dresses! I won’t make everything in pink as my daughter is not a pink fiend at all but it will be so nice to make some things in pinks and purples and flowers and hearts!

Here is my Granny Square blanket – it is now going to be a pram blanket!

Half completed poncho!

And here is where I am up to with my Simply Crochet Poncho – the cowl neck is quite loose which is what I wanted and the length is now the finished length according to the pattern but I am going to make it longer. I hope to be able to show the finished item by next week! Just need to decide on the remaining colours! So that leaves me with the difficult path of finishing off the poncho before crocheting a little baby dress! Will I manage it? No idea – but next week I should have something done to show anyway

Over now to Handmade Monday and it’s quite sad as I have just read that it will be the last one! I have enjoyed being part of this and will miss it! Hope to see some of you around in blogland though!

Blanket Making and Fingerless Gloves

Posted on 26 October, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Well as it has turned out I am not doing the Liverpool fair I thought I’d b etter get my items on my Folksy shop! Gosh it’s a lot of work! First trying to set up a bright space for taking the pics, editing them. then writing all the product details up, measuring the items etc! I’ve only managed to add a couple of new one so far! It’s not doing my ~~tennis~~ crochet elbow any good either 🙁 I couldn’t mange to write a post last week ‘cos my arm is so sore, but on the bright side, my sciatica has finally gone 🙂

I did manage to make myself another pair of fingerless gloves/arm warmers!

pink, purple, teal and green crocheted fingerless gloves

Fingerless Gloves / Arm Warmers

I am hoping my arm improves soon though as I was so taken with the warm autumnal colours in the Attic 24 Cosy Blanket I ordered the pack! It arrived in a couple of days in a lovely organza bag and I can’t wait to start it. As yet I am not sure whether to make the actual Cosy Blanket which Lucy is doing as a CAL from next week, or whether to finally make the ‘As we go stripey blanket’ by Not Your Average Crochet which lots of people were making a few months ago?

Wool Warehouse delivery in Organza bag!

Woolly Goodness!

Hopefully by next week I will have made a start one way or the other! Now over to Handmade Monday!

Outlander Style Arm Warmers/Fingerless Gloves!

Posted on 28 September, 2014 by patchworkfairy

So, firstly let me apologise if you haven’t heard of Outlander! Fans of Outlander will enjoy looking at/talking about anything remotely Outlander related, but for the rest of you, well – what you are about to see are just crochet arm warmers. But, these are not just any arm warmers though, these are Outlander Style Arm Warmers / Fingerless Gloves!!

Outlander is the title of a series of books by Diana Gabaldon, of which the first UK edition was called Crosstitch, while in the US it was called Outlander. However the use of that name has now widened to encompass the whole 9 book series and the recent US made TV series. There are worldwide Outlander fans – the books have been going for over 20 years – they are big long stories and each is a satisfyingly very good read. I never re-read any books, yet I am currently re-reading the whole Outlander series and enjoying it as much as the first time.

I won’t describe the story except to say it starts in 1940s Scotland and moves into 1743 Scotland. It is a story of an amazing relationship and is packed with Scottish and US history. It is not a ‘romance’ novel nor a ‘science fiction novel’ although it includes love, passion and time travel! So if you feel like a good read for the autumn and winter you could actually have it downloaded from Amazon onto your Kindle or E reader app in seconds! If you do try it I’d love to hear how you found it. One thing I would say is, don’t join the FB groups or any of the other Outlander groups until you’ve read at least the first book or you’re bound to read spoilers.

And now for the actual handmade crafty bit of the post! In the mini-series which started 8 week’s ago in US some of the female characters in 1743 Scottish Highlands have been seen wearing arm warmers and cowls to keep out the Scottish chill – hence the book fans are making/buying these with gusto! Here are mine – made from appropriately named Highland Tweed yarn!

Outlander-style arm warmers!

Mine are based on the pattern from Hopeful Honey although I have altered her pattern somewhat, to make my own version.

using fingerless gloves holding red flowers

fingerless gloves – hold things easily whilst keeping warm!

I love wearing these type of gloves as they make it so easy to pick things up when you’re busy, whilst still keeping warm. I can’t wait for it to get a teeny bit more autumnal so I can wear my new outlander style arm warmer/fingerless gloves!

Now I’m off to Handmade harbour and later I’ll be starting to crochet my chocolate brown Claire-style cowl in highlander chunky yarn!!

Japanese Flower Scarf

Posted on 21 September, 2014 by patchworkfairy

It all started when I wanted to make something special for my mum’s 85th birthday but couldn’t do much in the sewing room! Searching on the internet for ‘pretty’ things to make I became obsessed with the pictures of Japanese flower motifs in crochet. However, try as I might I could not find any instructions on how to make the delicate circular motifs I could view in blogs galore and as finished scarves! It seems I am a bit late to the party as these were all the thing back in 2011 and some originate from a motif contained in a book which is in Japanese and which I noticed some people had purchased back then, only to be very disappointed not being able to translate it! Asking around on facebook I was directed to some blogs with tutorials for variations on a flower motif but none really seemed just right. I knew I wanted to make a Japanese Flower Scarf, and it had to match the one I had designed in my head!

After a long time researching online when I could have actually crocheted a complete plain scarf to stretch over the Mersey, I found a diagram on this blog which for the first time in my life I could follow!! Using the Mohair wool I bought recently from Abakhan –

I started to make the circular motifs and this was the result –

motif with a touch of pink

Motif in three autumn colours

Soon (well not that soon) I had these –

Six crochet motifs in Japanese flower style

All the motifs!

These are made in single strand mohair and are very delicate. They are really pretty, but too fragile to be a scarf so I decided to make a sort of mesh upon which I could place them. I made up a rectangle shape in a lacy chain stitch using three colours together for strength –

lacy chain stitch mesh

I then started to sew on the motifs along the length of the scarf –

I made variations of the mohair colours and placed them so that no too adjacent centres or outsides were the same colour

flower motifs on the scarf

Here it is completely finished!

Finished Japanese Flower Scarf

Sadly I forgot to get one of mum wearing it as we were out in a restaurant and the moment just didn’t arise! Hopefully I will take one soon and amend the blog! It’s a lovely scarf to make – if you don’t mind the colour changes you can make all sorts of variations or if you prefer single coloured ones in different colours. Anyway, I am sure I will amend the design slightly as I repeat it, as I’d quite like one myself and they will make beautifully unique gifts for Chr…..s (arrgh!) or for any occasion!

Wonder what’s going on at Handmade Monday?

Another Road Trip Scarf

Posted on 7 September, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Hello!

Did I mention Road Trip Scarves are addictive? I made my first Road Trip Scarf a couple of week’s ago and displayed it in this blog post. Now I have just finished my second Road Trip Scarf (RTS) in a different yarn. The first one was in Bernat Mosaic Ambrosia and is quite a thick yarn. The second RTS is a lighter weight lovely red variegated yarn by King Cole.

Second Road Trip Scarf

This second one is for sale stock – for the Christmas markets, hopefully. I still haven’t heard either way about Liverpool!

My next makes are going to be some fingerless mittens and a cowl in chunky highland tweed yarn but I also have some beautifully soft, bouncy and strokeable mohair. I adore the look and feel of it but can’t decide what to make with it. It’s very thin and so I think I’ll need to use two strands together. I bought this during my visit to the new Abakhan shop at Flint last week. I only had a short visit because of my ongoing back pain but I can’t wait to go back!

Any suggestions?

5 balls of mohair

Of course I could always make another RTS!! The Road Trip Scarf is by Zooty Owl and the pattern is free on her blog here – I recommend trying it as it’s a very easy pattern if you can crochet and the end result is very satisfying.

So now it’s almost time for Sunday dinner (yum) and that means it’s also time for Handmade Monday linky party 🙂

Crochet Bag Becomes Crochet Cushion!

Posted on 31 August, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Gosh a summer’s day here in Wirral – we’ve had autumn weather all week so this warm and dry day is very welcome! Hope your day is as pleasant!

Remember this?

this is the bag base with all the colours to use

Well this was going to be my oceanic coloured crochet bag but things didn’t go to plan! I followed the attic 24 pattern completely but I used cotton whereas Lucy used a chunky merino and I think that maybe the problem as mine turned out huge!

It was when the bag area was this big that I started to think it just wouldn’t work as a bag !!

cotton bag keeps expanding

I decided I couldn’t face unpicking so it’s now become a rather comfy cushion for the couch!! Luckily my made -up pattern turned out ok!

crochet cushion for the couch

first side – originally bag base!

Oh well I have a nice cushion – just have to find some chunkier wool for that bag!! Now there’s a project to keep me happy!!

What projects are you doing? Let’s pop over to Handmade Monday and find out!

Simple Wavy Crochet Edging for a Blanket and finished my Road Trip Scarf!

Posted on 20 August, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Wow – I finished some WiPs! – my Ripple Blanket and my Road Trip Scarf!

My blanket is a Ripple Blanket – pattern is from Attic 24 Neat Ripple but I decided I wanted a simple wavy crochet edging on mine! First I used this tutorial to do a round of different sized stitches to make the 4 edges straight. (raspberry row) then I added 2 rows of double crochet all round.(purple and grey rows)

edging the ripple blanket

You could add as many straight rows as you like but I kept mine just to the two after the ‘straightening out’ row. For the wavy effect I couldn’t find anything anywhere that was simple – I didn’t want pom poms or holes or shells or drop posts or anything other than a simple wave!

So I decided to make my own simple wavy crochet edging as in the picture below! (see here for the pattern)

multi coloured blanket with patchwork fairy edging

simple wavy crochet edging

This week has been pretty similar to last week health wise and craft wise as I still have a very painful back and so still can’t get into my craft room to work! I can still crochet though, so after finishing my lovely Road Trip Scarf last week I immediately started another one in fiery red as I am really hoping I am selected for the xmas fair in Liverpool and so need some stock to sell! They have 100 more applicants than places though so some of us are going to be disappointed!

I did manage to finish my ‘Road Trip Scarf’ and add on the embellishments which make it look really pretty I think!

Finished Road Trip Scarf

Friday this week I was awake from half 4 and so I made a little bag for keeping my mobile ‘phone and glasses in as I can’t carry a big handbag at the moment – any kind of weight causes terrible pain – I can’t even the kettle unless there is only a tiny amount of liquid in it!

Here is one I made a while ago and the one I made on Friday!

crochet-small-bag

I do have a thing about bags – I love making them and owning them so I find it difficult to make them for selling! these were just practice ones with a made up pattern though so won’t be going anywhere! 🙂

Anyhoo, it’s time to meet up with Handmade Monday again! See you there?

Road Trip Scarf!

Posted on 17 August, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Wow I’ve been having much fun this week chatting in facebook groups where I came across the ‘Road Trip Scarf’ pattern on Zootyowl’s blog Now almost everyone in my facebook crochet group has made one, or is making one! Fortunately that means lots of help with the pattern! I am almost finished – I have to finish the top edge yet and do the flower trimmings but I am pleased with the way it’s looking already.

Road Trip Scarf – not quite finished

I’m having a bit of trouble following the last row of the pattern but other than that it’s been a lovely quick make! I’d recommend it if you enjoy crochet as once you get going it’s easy to do whilst watching TV or chatting! If you wonder why it’s called that just read her blog post about the pattern via the link above!

I also decided my ripple blanket wasn’t looking quite right and so made up a wavy edging to finish it off – I have one and a half sides to go yet!

wavy edging on ripple blanket

Whilst I was browsing all the other road trip scarves I fell in love with some purple King Cole splash yarn which just happened to be on sale!! Well couldn’t pass that up could I?

my latest delivery 🙂

So now I have to make a few more RTSs!!!

I am enjoying all this crochet as I am still incapacitated with back pain although it is slightly better after my GP prescribed some more drugs. I have my MRI date – 3rd September – not looking forward to that as I don’t like confined spaces 🙁 but at least I might then know what the problem is and what can be done to help it.

Finally I had to show you the lovely plant and card which my aunties and uncle sent for me to ‘cheer me up’ – and it did – immensely!

get well plant and card

So that’s my week – crochet, crochet, crochet and the road trip scarf! Now over to see the peeps at Handmade Monday, wonder what’s been going on in your world?