A Picture Post [brief]

Sorry there isn't really much substance in this, just afew pictures!

The Shell blanket I made for a friend's newborn <3

A crocheted Mei Tei I made for the same friends older daughter so she could be like mummy.. (for play purposes only, not for use with a real baby, just toys!)

The blankets I made for the Neonatal fundraiser day...

Organising mine & the blankets other people made for me the night before the fundraiser...

Some of the blankets set up on the day, rain pushed us into one of the portable classrooms, I think we'd have done better if the rain had left us alone.. (we made around £80 in total but all of the blankets are going to the neonatal unit I just need to drop them off after my next antenatal appointment)

My little "NeoTot" all worn out after a long day riding on donkeys & looking cute

Been away (and crocheting!)

I'm so sorry for my lack of commenting recently.

We went away at the end of last week & have only returned home this evening so not even a proper update from me tonight (sorry, so so tired!)

It was a trip for a family gathering (nicknamed the summer event) & it was the first time that Mr. Me & I had managed to go, so we made a long weekend of it, and of course I took my crocheting with me as I couldn't not be trying to do more blankets for the fundraiser day, I finished one (that was already almost finished) on the way down, and started another one, which by the time the drive home came today I was almost halfway through and didn't put as much of the journey time into it as I should.

But here is my work in progress when we stopped at Watford Gap services on the way home today (and the packet of Haribo's that I was responsible for feeding to the Mr as & when required!)

Right I really must go to bed! So tired! Hopefully will do a proper update tomorrow! x

A Thank You!

I haven't managed to take pictures myself to do a proper blog post, but I *have* to do a thank you post to Felishumanus of Ravelry.

They saw a post I did asking for help with blankets for the fundraiser day and messaged me offering a blanket that needed a home.

Today it arrived and its absolutely gorgeous! Little H loved it the colours and the fun-ness of me holding it over his head as he was laid on the floor and draping it over him, so it created giggles in the house too.

Linkage to the blanket is... http://www.ravelry.com/projects/felishumanus/a-recipe-for-fish

Thank you so much! <3

It's a.....

Granny Stripe!!
Well I suppose to be grammatically correct I should say "It's an Attic24 Granny Stripe"
& I am totally in love with it!

I started it the other day, it's blanket number 9 for the Neonatal Funday. I got bored (well bored is the wrong word, but I needed a change from millions of half treble crochets!!) and just had to try and see if I could do the Granny Stripe. Turns out I can!

The wool is one of the ones I picked up at the market for £1.90 a ball so it's not really the perfect wool for prem babies so the blankets made of this wool will probably end up going home with someone not on the unit, but it's got a strand of something in it that gives it a shiney effect (I can't describe it but its there!)

I have to say Granny Stripe is one of my fave patterns that I've just picked up & had a go at. Although I did fluff up the foundation chain by one stitch, but I'll hide that when I finish up (shh don't tell anyone haha!)

The other day the postman came and brought me some presents...

I was so excited!

The book is the one referred to in Attic24's snake Tah-dah! blog post and I had a massive case of the wanties! And it finally arrived! I haven't managed to sit and look through it properly yet (I couldn't divert my attention further) but on flicking through the pages there's so many gorgeous pictures I can't wait! I've put my name down for a craft swap on the parenting forum for Christmas so I'll hopefully get to use some bits!

And the giant bag, oh how I love you giant bag!! It is for my wool stash. All those pictures from the stash blog entry are happily tucked up in there as well as more. Oh how I love it! Its the Night Owl bag from wantneedlove.com There's so much beautiful stuff on their site!

Right, back to crocheting. These blankets won't make themselves!
xx

(oh & to add, no UTI but the pain is still there, they just don't know what it is but I'm ok)

2nd edit to add.. take a look at Country Rose's blog. Gorgeous blog & she's currently running a giveaway!

My mini Tah-da moment!

I am so claiming this as my mini "Tah-da!" moment.

Yesterday we had round 2 of looking for new shoes for me to spend my birthday money on, and whilst on the lookout I wandered into Hobbycraft (wanted to see if they did stylecraft wool) and stumbled across a book that gave me an instant case of the "do wants"

So naturally I brought it. Totally inspired and in love. It was this one.. Crochet to Go! by Ellen Gormley.

I took it into the bath with me so I could have a look at all of the pretty patterns leisurely with no interruptions and fell in love with one called Rasberry Tart and just had to have a go. Naturally it was one of the ones that said it was "advanced difficulty" but I *had* to try!

As my bamboo hook is tied up with a Neonatal blanket and I was worried my attempt at the Rasberry Tart would take longer than I'd want the hook absent from the blanket (I get all worried that it'll just magically unravel!) I started with one of my original hooks (not sure what its made out of but its just one of the £1 hooks I had picked up years ago before I got my bamboo hooks)

So here are my pictures, on my hook on round 3....

And tah-da!! I love it so much!

I've got this idea to try and make a scarf out of it, joining as I go at the points of the octagon. Not sure how it'd work but I'd love to try!
The book has most of the patterns written for worsted weight yarn (which I believe is aran weight) and for 6.5mm hooks I wanted to try playing around, and did it in DK and was just some old balls that are upstairs in the bag with the hexagon blanket that I've never finished (doh!) but I didn't like that wool and I didn't like using my old hook, my bamboo hooks are a bit more pointy at the end so it makes it easier to get through the teensy holes and do slip stitches and stuff. I don't know how I didn't throw more projects out of the window with the old hooks.

The other thing I struggled with was the patterns are written in US terms, so I've been scribbling on the page in pencil to remind myself what's what!

I have a lot of love for my bamboo hooks and today have ordered a new 4.5mm bamboo hook, its my most used size. Now all I need to find some blocking blocks, does anyone know where does them that aren't hugely expensive?

Right off to go and finish Neonatal blanket number 6! Hugs & hooks to all! :P
x

The blanket stash

Well, its not so much of a proper stash considering 5 of them aren't actually for us.
But as I can't blog about how many stitches I've done on the Neonatal blankets everyday I dug out Little H's blankets for a bit of a stash session.

I love his blankets so much. There are only 3 that I have made, he does have more, but they weren't made by me (they were made by my much more experienced Nanna and no way am I putting my work next to hers! haha)

First of all we have my shell blanket (left). I *think* I made this in 2007, when being a mummy felt like such a pipe dream but I discovered youtube & "The Art of Crochet by Theresa" (as it was then!) and her shell tutorial (that I can't actually find the video for, but it was kind of like this one) And I just made it into a blanket by working out the multiples and going from there.
It was the first time I'd actually "followed" a pattern, even though it was more watching the video, rewinding it and watching some more to make sure I did it right. And then I made up the ruffly edging by chaining 6, doing a slip stitch back in the blanket and chaining 6 again to give it a wee ruffly effect.

Then on the right is my first attempt at Attic24's Ripple Blanket I saw the link to her blog on a parenting/pregnancy forum I go on in the home & hobbies section. I think my eyes popped out of my head all cartoon like when I saw the pattern. And it truly was the first time I'd seen a written pattern (the pictures at the bottom with the 2tr's etc totally freaked me out)
So I bookmarked it and went back to it when I was feeling brave, and that was the result.

Since then I have made 3 more Ripple Blankets. One for a craft swap on the parenting/pregnancy forum for my recipients little girl (the wool is my blog background, Rico Baby DK) and 2 were custom made for members of the forum, they picked the colours and I just got to work. I also sent the link for the pattern to my Nanna, and much to her annoyance she can't do it, *but* she's insanely proud of me that I've taught myself to read the patterns as she never did and can now only crochet her way!

Next up is the only blanket I made when I was pregnant with Little H. I started it with the colours I had laying around the house (amazing how much my wool stash has grown since then!) and I said at the time "Now I've put pink in a blanket Flo (bump) will be a boy!" and of course, bump was a boy!




Unfortunately I can't remember where I got the pattern for the edging from, it was probably from youtube but I have no idea, and the laptop that I was using back then broke shortly after Little H's arrival so I have none of my bookmarks. But it was easy to do and I still have it written on a scrap of paper somewhere!
& I must find a "proper" pattern for a granny square, the off-square-ness of it bugs me when I see it but its my "totally made up way to do a granny square"

And finally a quick picture of all of the blankets that are made by me and are in the house all together.... Cheese! :)

Number 6

So, blanket number 5 was completed last night, and blanket number 6 is underway.

I'm enjoying the ease at which I'm managing to do these diddy blankets, but I find my eyes wandering onto pretty patterns and the desire to do bright colourful blankets.
I spent far too long last night procrastinating looking at lots of pretty blogs, and peoples Ravelry pages, so many new favourites on there now. So much I want to do!

Must stay focussed, especially once the book I ordered arrives that was inspired by Attic24's snake post. Only have to last until September and then I can start making bright colourful things again.

Although I do feel like I'm doing something good by making these blankets for the Neonatal Unit.

Ooo & look at the colour difference between yesterdays picture and todays! Todays was taken on the camera! Must keep that battery charged!!

Diddy Blankets

So this probably isn't the best image to start my blog off with, I took it on my phone in my rush to get the blog set up and running, as I can't find the charger for the camera battery.

These are the blankets I've made so far for the local hospital Neonatal Fundraising Funday that is in September. 4 are completed and the blue one at the bottom isn't too far off.
I've quite enjoyed making them, as they're only basic blankets ranging from 19inch squares to I think 24inches is about the biggest so far, and I've only been doing half treble crochet stitches. The top two are in 4ply with 3.5mm hooks and have taken much longer than the double knit wool ones with 4.5mm hooks, but the 4ply ones are so soft and pretty!

I've got a few people helping me out knitting or crocheting the odd blanket for me to try and build up the numbers as the stall that I will be running is a "buy a blanket/donate a blanket" stall. So people will have the choice to either buy one for themselves to use as a car seat/pram/snuggle blanket or buy a blanket and donate it straight to the Neonatal Unit. So either way the unit will benefit.

I came up with the idea after thinking about last years fundraiser I "struggled" spending the money I'd taken with me, I brought some raffle tickets and had a play on some of the stalls and brought afew items off of one of the ladies craft stalls, but before leaving to go home I ended up buying a load of tickets for the gunge a dad stall but not using them (I had to leave to feed Little H) So I figured with the blanket stall if people had money left over they can donate the money & a blanket and go home feeling proud that they've done their bit (if that makes sense!)

Right, best get back to crocheting whilst Little H is having a nap.