Thursday 19 February 2015

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Crochet Kindle Cover ta dahhh and pattern!

My lovely fella treated me to a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday (no more squinting at my phone when reading in bed at night HOORAY!) and so I quickly whipped up a puff cover for it to stop it from getting scratched and knocked as I am a clumsy sod.

Crochet Kindle Cover


For Christmas I made my mum a puff stitch scarf using All About Ami’s Puff Stitch Pattern and had a little left over yarn – it is so squishy and the puffs are perfect for cushioning my kindle when I plonk it on the side.


The Puff Stitch Scarf I made for my mum


I altered the pattern ever so slightly so the fit was more snug - my kindle cover is made from 11 puffs instead of 12 for the scarf.




The pattern for my Kindle cover is as follows:

Aran weight yarn and a 5.5mm hook

Chain 24

Row 1: In the 4th chain from your hook, work your first puff stitch. Then *ch1, skip next ch, puff* repeat 10 times. (11 puffs)

Row 2: Ch3, turn. *puff in next ch sp, ch1* repeat 10 times ending on a puff in your ch3 sp from row1. (11 puffs)

Repeat Row 2 10 more times.

First side of your kindle cover complete!

Make another side panel the same way and then sew both panels together.  Done!





Credit to All About Ami for the puff stitch pattern.
Continue reading Crochet Kindle Cover ta dahhh and pattern!

Wednesday 18 February 2015

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Crochet Classes in North Devon

Fancy learning how to crochet in person? I can teach you!

Throughout 2015, I will be running monthly crochet lessons in Ilfracombe, North Devon at my favourite local yarn shop (who also has the MOST amazing homemade cakes I might add) The Periwinkle.



I will be teaching lots of various classes from beginner lessons right up to advanced so whether you are a complete novice who has never so much as touched a crochet hook before, want to brush up on your skills or fancy meeting like-minded people and to pick up some tips, The Periwinkle is the place to be! 

With free tea, coffee and cake thrown into the mix what’s not to love?!




I also attend the monthly Crochet Drop In Club at The Periwinkle where I am available for trouble shooting and brain picking ;)




For the full list of classes, dates and times, please visit the Workshops Page or the Clubs Page on The Periwinkle’s website.

You can also find The Periwinkle on Facebook and TripAdvisor.

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Thursday 12 February 2015

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Crochet Granny Square Tutorial



USA TERMS

Make a slip knot. Insert hook and tighten knot onto hook. Wrap the yarn around your hook and pull it back through the loop you have on your hook. This forms a chain stitch.



Chain 4 stitches. If you look at your chains, you will see the front of your chain is formed with little v’s.


Insert hook into first chain (the one by the slip knot) and catch the yarn at the back with your hook (this is called a “yarn over”) then pull the yarn back through the chain and through the loop on your hook. This is a slip stitch. 


    
This forms a centre ring into which your first round of the granny square stitches are worked.


Round One


Chain 3 stitches. This chain of 3 stitches will act as a mock double crochet stitch.



Wrap the yarn around your hook (yarn over) and then put your hook directly through the little hole of the centre ring, (see photo) catch the yarn at the back of your work with your hook (yarn over) and bring the yarn back through the ring.

You will have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over again and pull the yarn through the first 2 loops on your hook, leaving you with 2 loops on your hook.

Yarn over for a final time and pull through the remaining 2 loops on your hook. This is a Double Crochet stitch.




Make one more double crochet into the centre ring hole. (yarn over, put hook through hole, yarn over, bring back through centre ring, yarn over, work off 2 loops, yarn over, work off final 2 loops) This forms your first double crochet “shell”

Chain 3.



Then double crochet 3 more times into the centre ring.

Chain 3.




Double crochet 3 more times into the centre ring.

Chain 3.



Double crochet 3 more times into the centre ring.

Chain 3.



Slip stitch (insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull yarn back through stitch and loop on hook) to the top of the chain 3 mock double crochet stitch you made first.



You will now have 4 sets of double crochet “shells” and 4 spaces formed by your chain 3’s in-between them.

Slip stitch into the top of the next 2 stitches to creep along towards the chain 3 space, ending with a slip stitch directly into the space ready to continue on to the second round of your square.



Round Two

Chain 3 (counts as first double crochet) then double crochet 2 more times directly into the space from the round below.



Chain 3 and then, working into the same space, double crochet 3 more times. This forms your first corner.



Chain 1. Then working into the next chain space from the round below, 3 double crochet, chain 3, 3 double crochet.  Second corner formed.



Chain 1.

Then, in next chain space, repeat the same again: 3 double crochet, chain 3, 3 double crochet. Third corner formed.



Chain 1.

In next chain space, 3 double crochet, chain 3, 3 double crochet. Fourth corner formed.



Chain 1 and join with a slip stitch to the top of your first chain 3 mock double crochet stitch). As with the last round, slip stitch along the top of the next 2 stitches and then into the chain 3 space to start the next round.




Round Three

Chain 3 (counts as dc) 2dc, ch3, 3dc into same space. First corner formed.



Chain 1. Working into the chain 1 space from the round below, 3 dc. First side formed.



Chain 1. Then 3 dc, ch3, 3dc into next chain space. Second corner formed.



Chain 1, 3dc, ch1 into next chain space. Second side formed.

3dc, 3ch, 3dc into next chain space. Third corner formed.



Ch1, 3dc, ch1. Third side formed.



3dc, 3ch, 3dc into next chain space. Fourth corner formed.



Ch1, 3dc, ch1. Fourth side formed.

Join to first Ch3 with a slip stitch.



If you wish to continue with the same colour, then slip stitch across the top stitches until the corner space as in rounds before.

If you wish to change colour then do NOT slip stitch across the stitches but instead cut your yarn after the first joining slip stitch leaving a long tail for weaving in and pull yarn back through the slip stitch.




Round Four (and how to change colour)

Changing colour:

Make a slip knot with your new colour of yarn.



Insert your hook into any chain 3 corner space of the round below and place the slip knot on your hook at the back.



Bring your hook back to the front, yarn over and chain 3 stitches with your new colour.





2dc, ch3, 3dc in same space. First corner formed.



Ch1, 3dc, ch1 in next chain space.



3dc, ch1 into the next chain space.  First side of 2 “dc shells” formed.

3dc, 3ch, 3dc into corner space. Second corner formed.



Ch1, 3dc, ch1 in next chain space.

3dc, ch1 into the next chain space.  Second side of 2 “dc shells” formed.

3dc, 3ch, 3dc into corner space. Third corner formed.

Ch1, 3dc, ch1 in next chain space.

3dc, ch1 into the next chain space.  Third side of 2 “dc shells” formed.

3dc, 3ch, 3dc into corner space. Fourth corner formed.

Ch1, 3dc, ch1 in next chain space.

3dc, ch1 into the next chain space.  Fourth side of 2 “dc shells” formed.



Join with slip stitch to top of chain 3.

Subsequent rounds


Continue as before, each time forming the corners with 3dc, ch3, 3dc and the sides will grow by an extra dc “shell” each time. Have fun!


Continue reading Crochet Granny Square Tutorial
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Round Ripple Ta Dahhh!

In the spirit of getting things finished, I have ACTUALLY FINISHED SOMETHING! (let’s not mention the fact that if you follow me on Instagram you may notice I might have started another project or 2 in the time I claimed I wouldn't shusssh)

I started this round ripple blanket 6 months ago, got 95% of it done and then, well, just threw it over the back of the sofa and forgot about it.



ENOUGH OF THIS!

I dragged out 3 more balls of the beautiful James Brett Monsoon yarn, added some extra rounds, did a simple crab stitch border and then made some lovely fat pompoms to add some weight to the corners. It only took a few hours to finish the blanket, I have no idea why I didn't do this sooner.



I have no official ta dahhh photos as such as my cats insisted that obviously this blanket had been lain out purely for them; I was relentlessly photo bombed haha!





The pattern for this blanket is available for free on Ravely by Celeste Young

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