We can talk back and more squares for the BBB 2012

Have you seen?  Am I the last to know (I usually am)! 

We now have 2 little buttons below each comment that we receive... 

one is DELETE and the best one...so precious... is REPLY!  

A great big Blogspot Ta-Dah....Well done Blogspot !

Yesterday my postman brought me this...

An envelope all the way from New South Wales, Australia!

Lovely Karisma from Karisma's Kraft sent me 4 squares for the 

Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012! 

Here they are:

Aren't they beautiful? They are crocheted in a lovely dark purple cotton.  

Karisma has sent 4 squares all the same which is lovely.  

Here are some close-ups..

Karisma also sent a card...

" Outback Sunset" 

Thanks so much Karisma... 

it is so lovely to know that you took the trouble and time to 

make them so beautifully and send them half way round the world!

I had another lovely surprise yesterday when Laura from 

My House in Africa  sent me this: 

My fourth Liebster Blog Award! This is what Laura wrote:

 "http://www.stocki.blogspot.com/ - here you'll find Jill from the UK 

who is funny, generous to a fault and very creative. She has some great pattern links on her site and, of course, you'll meet the delightful Fred......"

Thanks Laura! It means so much to be given these awards by such lovely people.  


Now before I pop off to take my Mum shopping I must confess to joining in yet another challenge for 2012... this time I really couldn't resist the gauntlet laid down by Barbara over at Made in K-Town 

Barbara set herself a personal 2012 Crochet Challenge which is 
to make at least 100 motifs from Edie Eckman's book, 
"Beyond the Square - Crochet Motifs" 


....and then Barbara invited her blog readers to join in... maybe you would like to join us? If so pop over and tell Barbara


I was looking for inspiration when we went into 2012 and now I have masses of it.... 


So far I am:

1.  Organising the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012 

2.  Taking part in Gingerbread Girl's One-A-Day project.

3.  Taking part in Lynda's Blanket Squares Swap 2012 at HookinwithLaalaa

4.  Taking part in Barbara's 100 Motifs in 2012 project.

5.  Taking part in Lynda's Travelling Craft box at HookinwithLaalaa



PHEW! Wish me luck.....

Monday catch-up...

Well how exciting!  There is another blanket swap going on... this time Lynda from Hookin' With Laalaa  is organising a blanket....  

Lynda has invited crocheters to sign up, then within a certain amount of time, everyone crochets a square for everyone else on the list... a bit more work than the Beautiful Blogger Blanket, but everyone gets a blanket so it will be worth it.  I've signed up!

(Blanket photos taken from Google search - origins unknown)

Laurinda from Remembering Rowan  got in touch and asked for her link to be included on the Beautiful Blogger Blanket list of links for patterns etc. so I decided to have a look at her blog... Please go over there and have a look too - after the loss of her daughter Rowan, Laurinda decided to inspire other crafters to make blankets, hats etc. to donate to local baby care units in memory of baby Rowan.  

The site includes patterns, tutorials and links to support for parents who have suffered the devastating pain of losing a baby. 

Back to the BBB2012 - I have had a couple of questions about what weight DK or Double Knit yarn is as other countries refer to DK weight under other names.  Try this link to Dummies.com for information on all sorts of problems like this.

Dummies.com

This weekend I worked a lot on my design for the crochet contest over at About Crochet - the following photos aren't of the design I have decided on as a final piece, but they are of one of the stitch pattern variations that Elisabeth specified.. this was a practise piece....

The stitch is called chain double-crochet(ch.dc) in the UK and chain single-crochet (ch.sc) is the American term.  You can see that the front view of the stitch is quite different from the back view. 

The pattern goes like this (using the English terms): 


Make a chain of 15 and add 2 for turning.  If you want a longer piece of work you need to multiply the 15, and then add 2 on, so for example:  15 + 2 = 17, 30 + 2 = 32, 45 + 2 = 47...etc....


Make 17 chain.


Row 1. 
Make 1 chain in the 3rd chain from hook, 1 chain, *skip 1 chain, 1 chain double-crochet in the next chain, 1 chain*, repeat from * to * until the end of the row, end with 1 chain double-crochet in the last chain, make 2 chain, turn.


Row 2. 
1 chain double-crochet into the first 1 chain space, 1 chain, *1 chain double-crochet in the next 1 chain space, 1 chain*, repeat from* to * until the end of the row, end with 1 chain double-crochet into the top of the turning chain, 2 chain, turn


Row 3 and further. repeat row 2.

Elisabeth got the pattern description from Mypicot.com , she also gives 3 variations of this stitch in the competition rules.  

Mypicot.com is a lovely site for stitch patterns (crochet and knitting) and tutorials - especially if you would like to try crochet with thread.

I am off to do some house work and walk Fred... he's a bit bored...

BBB 2012 -Squares from The Netherlands and FILET CROCHET at last!

On Tuesday this week a post popped into my 'reader' from Elisabeth of About Crochet  - Elisabeth has crocheted 2 beautiful squares for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012.. lovely pastel shades! They are winging their way to me now from the Netherlands!

Elisabeth is also organising a crochet competition which I blogged about here in November.  The rules are that, using one stitch pattern with 3 variations, participants should design a scarf, shawl, fingerless gloves or a cushion cover.  


Easy I thought.. but with one stitch pattern it is somewhat challenging... I've spent a long time starting a few projects and then starting again.. the end project has to be published on our blogs by 14th January....


There are 20 of us in the competition - I am the only one from the UK! Watch this bloggy space...

Have you seen the lovely idea that Lynda from hookinwithlalaa has had to start the new year off with a bloggy bang? Lynda is going to set up a Craft Box that will travel the country (Uk blogs only)....if you join the project by January 20th you can have a turn at the having the box arrive at your door - then you can take 2 things out of the box and replace them with 2 other things.. I'm not explaining it very well - pop over and have a look..... I'm in....


Right then, before I go to bed I want to show you something which I am tres proud of... I couldn't show you before as this was something I started for the Avent Swap (also organised by Lynda from Hookinwtihlaalaa).. and sent to Madison of Madison Makes. 

Madison blogged about them today here.

I conquered FILET CROCHET! Well, I say conquered... it was more of a picking up the sword to begin the battle really - but I did manage to make an 'M' for Madison - and sewed it into a very wobbly pin-cushion...

I also made a pot cover... this was also my fist attempt at adding beads to crochet which I loved.  I shall definitely be taking up the sword again as filet crochet is no-where near as complicated as I thought.. in fact it is VERY simple, kind of mathematical, but oh so fiddly at first!  It goes a bit like this... chain, chain, chain...treble, treble, treble...chain, chain, chain....Once you have been doing it for a while, as with everything in life, it gets easier...


My Mum's sister has a picture on her wall, of a little girl done in filet crochet which my lovely cousin made years ago..... Every-time we see it Mum asks me to make her something similar... I can't find a pattern anything like that, but I am looking... and I think it would be a great challenge for 2012....

Wait for meeeeeee....... I'm late for everything this week!

It's Friday already and I haven't done Tuesday's Tallies at Gingerbread Girl !


Nor have I blogged even once about the beautiful Advent Swap presents that I have been opening daily from lovely Madison at Madison Makes.  I haven't even had time to update you on the progress of the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012! 


SO.... Tuesday's Tallies... everyone else in the One-A-Day project seems to be in various states of getting behind, so at least I can feel that I am in good company there...For the record I now have 100 squares...and should have had 104 on Tuesday, so not so far behind.

The Advent Swap - Organised by Lynda at Hookinwithlaalaa ... I am so glad that I chose to join in with this swap... Madison has sent me so many lovely presents.  It all started with the big box that arrived...

It was all I could do not to start opening them all immediately.. after all, who would know?? But I decided to put the naughty girl in me to bed and open them daily.  Madison organised it like a 'lucky dip' box so that I could just chose one a day.  


The first 5 days went so fast the I didn't have a moment to show you the pressies... but here they are....

Ahem... sing along ladies......


On the first day of Christmas Madison sent to me... One huge ball  of DK 
(beautiful colour Madison).


On the second day of Christmas Madison sent to me... One ball of red mohair wool (are you surprised that I opened the squashy 'yarny' type pressies first?!)


On the third day of Christmas Madison sent to me... A lovely vintage glass vase!  (You've been reading my blog Madison... I swoon at the sight of vintage glass and this little vase is beautiful)!


On the Fourth day of Christmas Madison sent to me..... a hand sewn strawberry (which smells beautiful).


On the fifth day of Christmas Madison gave to me.... (I know it should be 5 gold rings, but it is...) a hand made felt Christmas tree with little button decorations which is hanging in pride of place on my dining room mirror now....

Breathe!  Aren't I lucky?  


If you haven't heard of Madison you should pop over to her blog Madison Makes ... Madison has a slight ( I'm sure she won't mind me telling you) passion for vintage china cups and saucers... she has a fantastic collection! She also loves to scour car boot sales for beautiful vintage finds... and has blogged about many of them.... 


I'll show you the next few pressies tomorrow.

On the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012 front I have been sending out my postal address and happen to know that squares are battling their way through the Christmas post to me right now!  I can't wait to see them... 


Lovely Shelley from all4meggymoo.blogspot.com has sent me her squares and they will probably be the first to arrive.  


Carole of Gingerbread Girl blogged about the square she is making here.....http://gingerbreadgirl-carole.blogspot.com/2011/12/time.html.... I was so excited to see it.... and I think you will agree that it is gorgeous! 


Thank you so much to those of you who have posted the Beautiful Blogger Blanket button on your blog and encouraged others to join in. It warms my heart to see it popping up everywhere.  


Okay.... IT'S FRIDAY!! I know many of you will be at the front end of the Christmas holidays with your children at home (oh I remember it so well)..have fun...make the most of every minute...you are making your children's memories NOW - so make them good ones xxx