Cosy Dutch Ripple Throw - DONE!

I have been quiet on the blog, plenty of knitting and crocheting in the last 18 months, but writing it up has passed me by, even if a lot has happened in that time!

My Cosy Dutch Ripple Throw was started at the beginning of May this year, and as ever the project accompanied me in the car, on the ferry, to knit and natter and friends' houses.It went to France three times, watched a lot of cycling on TV and has seen the seasons pass by. I worked on it outside in the summer and autumn, and finished inside as November started closing in.

The colours were chosen by my lovely eldest daughter to coordinate with her living room, and it will be flying off to Holland to live with her as her 26th birthday present.

I got a lot done watching the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España highlights every evening in June, July August and September. Extra bonus was the Rugby World Cup!

I had a very large birthday in August.

 Many Sundays after a long bike ride, I rested the aching legs and crocheted. The odd piece of cake may have been consumed (chocolate and beetroot here)

 Fitting in the odd row on the kitchen sofa whilst cooking.

 Until it is finished!

 A double crochet (parchment, walnut and burgundy) and scalloped border (burgundy), after filling the gaps in parchment.

 I repeated the ten main colours four times, but randomly. A parchment section (colour 11) every five colours to bind the design together.

Cosy Dutch Ripple finished 5th November (started 1st May 2015 so six months, very slow.)

YARN: 
Stylecraft Special DK

Couple of balls of each, 3 of parchment
1035 Burgundy
1054 Walnut
1061 Plum
1062 Teal
1063 Graphite
1064 Mocha
1065 Meadow
1067 Grape
1080 Pale Rose
1123 Claret
1218 Parchment

Purchased from Get Knitted

HOOK: 4mm 

PATTERN: Attic 24 Neat Ripple

Attic 24 Bag lining and a re-purposed basket

I've not been very inspiring recently. I have been plodding on with my French Stripey Throw and it is 3/4 done. Well I have used 75% of the yarn but cannot contemplate buying anymore even though I would like it to be bigger, for our bed not a single. I dug out some old Laura Ashley curtains and the easiest way to shorten them was to cut off the old tape as all the string was beyond hope to unravel, so I finally got my sewing machine out for the first time in 9 months or so. Our room now has denim coloured curtains with cream sprigs and this throw would look fabulous with them when finished. my plan is to start going round and round soon, the border helping to widen the throw, and making sure I get every last yard into the blanket so it is as big as possible.

The good thing being I also turned up a couple of other pairs of curtains and I got round to lining my Attic 24 "Lucy" bag at last! The stripey fabric were blinds in the bathroom about 15 years ago, I don't do subtle very well! I knew the fabric would be perfect and it was rediscovered in the moving house process. At least my hook and scissors don't make escape bids anymore.

Once the bag was done (hint, it is far easier to line BEFORE handles are sewn on the bag!) I still had loads of material left so a basket got lined as well, I made some fabric ties and threaded them through and now the yarn doesn't snag in it's lair. It is now a re-purposed basket, ha ha!

It has been so grey and so wet for so long that sun was a surprise last Tuesday. I managed to get out for a good walk with the dog and got a bit lost in the woods, it feels very suburban here compared to our old house but  there are still plenty of country walks that don't involve getting in the car first, thank goodness. I found my way out of the woods and found these snowdrops nestling the bank of the stream. The grass even dried out enough for me to mow it twice, and scarified. How a pocket handkerchief piece of grass can yield 10+ grass container loads of grass is beyond me, the house had been empty since the summer and I am not sure the grass had much attention since the summer. I was going to cycle the Sustrans Route 33 bike path today but it is so windy I fear I may end up blown on the railway line!

Roll on Spring!

 

Vintage Solid Granny Squares Blanket Throw - Done!

As promised, here is my Vintage Solid Granny Squares blanket all finished and DONE! I really enjoyed making it over the last 3 months, it has moved house with us and now has gone to live at mum's in Cumbria, it was her Christmas present and I think she loved it!

There are 16 colours of mainly Stylecraft Special DK for the squares and the 17th is teal used to do the double crochet join (just the inner two loops wrong sides together) and the border. It tones with mum's patchwork quilt and living room colours, although the gold is a bit off the wall. The colours are listed at the bottom of this post here. I forgot to take a picture in the room it was designed for.

The squares are from Little Tin Bird's lovely Elmer or Solid Granny Squares pattern, I got addicted to them making the Provencal style gingham cushion.  

The border was made up as I went along, as far as I can make out, a round of treble in teal, then double crochet in pale rose (I alternate direction working the border so it doesn't curl) then treble chain etc the third round in teal, then double crochet all around in Mint, then a staggered treble chain space round again, then double crochet in grape then a round of trebles in teal and I finally finished off with Attic 24's picot border again, just like on the cushion.

I love these neat squares, more so than ordinary granny squares, they seem more contemporary. One can be worked up in 20 minutes and carrying a ball of yarn around is so easy.

I loved the way they sat in piles on the footstool, I kept counting them.

However joining them all together, so the slightly different sized squares looked the same size, was very satisfying. I do find random very difficult though. I approached it in a Sudoku style, a colour should only appear in a column or a row just once, occasionally twice.

Here come some more gratuitous pictures, wish I could do the fancy photography others manage!

The tree was up when the border was being finished off.  

Vintage Solid Granny Squares Blanket finished 18th December 2012, it took me about 6 weeks as I started it as we went to France at half term! I was not overly happy that the border was a bit wavy, but other than trying to take the flat photo who notices? No I am not a perfectionist, but I am pretty happy with it!

FINISHED SIZE: I forgot to measure, each square was about 10cm so about 180cm x 130cm I should think with join and border.

YARN:  Stylecraft Special 100% acrylic Double Knit in 15 colours, each square is about 15m yarn. Mint and gold were other makes as they were colours lacking in Stylecraft. 17 in total. Colour inspiration was from the super talented Sandra of Cherry Heart fame and her Giant Grannie Patchs blanket
Mocha 1064
Copper 1029
Meadow 1065
Silver 1203
Gold (King Cole Big Value DK 323)
Mint (Stylecraft Life DK 2342)
Pale Rose 1080
Sherbet 1034
Claret 1123
Parchment 1218
Apricot 1026
Raspberry 1023
Soft Peach 1240
Grape 1067
Walnut 1054
Aspen 1422
Finally Teal 1062

Hook: 4mm

PATTERNS: Solid Granny Squares (or Elmer Squares) pattern by Little Tin Bird
The border was as described above finished off with Picot Edging by Attic 24

HOOKY HAPPY INDEX: 9/10

Links to the One a Day/Tuesday Tallies posts on my Vintage Granny progress are here:

Vintage Solid Granny Blanket Week 1
Vintage Solid Granny Blanket Weeks 2 and 3
Vintage Solid Granny Blanket Week 4
Vintage Solid Granny Blanket Week 5
Vintage Solid Granny Blanket Week 6

Not Just Another Granny Square Blanket - DONE!

Another Granny Square Blanket, but with a simple twist of a giant granny middle. However, it is my first granny square blanket, not just another one to me. Not very radical, but I disobeyed youngest daughter, whose blanket it is, and decided I wanted to work in a bit more interest. Starting with the intention of a 12x12 sqaure throw ie 144 six round solid granny squares. I thought I would try join-as-you--go or JAYG for the first time. Except I didn't mug up on the method before going away on holiday at the end of August. Six rounds because I am lazy, and it is quicker to make as you have fewer ends to sew in.

But I digress, the brief from my 16yo was a "Cath Kidston snuggly blanket for TV slobbing" so it didn't need to be big but it is big, plenty big enough for her double bed under the eaves in the attic! It covers two on the sofa too, we tried it out tonight as I am holding off on putting the heating on still.

The blanket has taken about 5 weeks, I got a move on the first week as we were on holiday so no PC and no guilt crocheting in the evening or a few squares over a morning cup of tea in bed...holidays are like Sunday every day.
I was using 8 colours of Stylecraft Special DK as commissioned by the customer: Candy Floss: Cloud Blue, Fondant, Lavender, Lemon, Lipstick, Spring Green and White. I tried to be random, but keeping the lights and darks spaced and fairly even in each row. The giant granny was not that giant, and replaced the centre 16 squares, so 24 rounds it was.

 The edging is 6 rounds of granny clusters, how easy is that?!

I officially love JAYG, it is a bit quicker than sewing up, as you are sewing in an end that still has to be fastened off if you JAYG. I just love the country blanket stitch effect. I found it easier to do on a table to get the tension even on the join.

 The patchwork teddy was made by my mum aka Granny when our smallest one was born 16 years ago, she also made our other two girls one in different colours at the same time.

Not Just Another Granny Square Blanket finished 3rd October 2012, it took me 5 weeks!

FINISHED SIZE: 190cm square
YARN: 2 balls each Stylecraft Special 100% acrylic Double Knit 100g in 8 colours, up to half a ball of each left
Candy Floss 1130
Cloud Blue 1019
Fondant 1241
Lavender 1188
Lemon 1020
Lipstick 1246
Spring Green 1316
White 1001

Hook: 4mm

Solid Granny Square Pattern (UK terminology)

Ch=Chain Tr=Treble SlSt = Slip Stitch, Sp=space
Start with 4Ch join to a loop
Round 1
6Ch then 3Tr into loop
(1Ch 3Tr 3Ch 3Tr) into loop, repeat 3 times in total.
2Tr and join to 3rd chain
Round 2
Sl st into corner chains 6ch
6Ch then 3Tr into same corner chains
(1Ch, 3Tr into 1 ch sp, 1Ch, 3Tr 3Ch 3Tr into corner chains) repeat 3 times as before and finish with 1 ch 2tr and join to 3rd ch.
Round 3-5
Continue as set
Round 6
Complete first side to corner chain, Ch1 (not 3) then follow JAYG instructions on Lucy's Attic 24 photo tutorial. I chain 1 when turning a JAYG corner.

I have no idea if this is the correct method, just how I did them. Often there are no1 ch spaces on granny squares and just 2 chains to turn the corner, do what you prefer! I am also sure this pattern will have been written down somewhere before, I am not claiming to be original.

Happy Hooky Index: 9/10

I enjoyed taking part in the One A Day and Tuesdays Tallies on Carole's blog
Here is how it came together
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5

How much?!

It is quite flattering that my rainbow ripple has been admired, both in blogland and in real life, not that blogland isn't real life but you get my drift? I have had 3 enquiries as to "how much?" would I sell it for.

Rainbow Ripple

A lot of hard work, sweat and enjoyment went into my first proper throw. It wasn't made for sale, but then again everything has a value, whether it be the raw materials, labour involved or aesthetics or most usually a combination of all of the above. The value is only what one person is prepared to actually pay though, as all of us trying to sell a house at present know well!

So far a friend wanted me to make one if she bought the yarn, I refused that offer. At present it is in my local yarn shop window and two customers have enquired as to "how much?" So far the price I quoted has not been responded too. I suspect they want to pay cost of yarn & £10 as well! Oh well, I am happy, I don't particularly want to sell it unless someone pays quite a bit to fuel other projects.

I don't think I have ever been at the receiving end of a "if you have to ask you can't afford it" enquiry before, but if you are not prepared to give my time some value then it is not for sale.

It is flattering that people like it though. How much do you think?  I used about £35 worth of yarn, it took about 80 hours and fits the top of our king bed, so generous for a double. That was a rhetorical question, it's a silly amount even at half minimum wage!!  But then again, some things sell for silly amounts.