DIY Circle Scarf

This is a super easy crochet project that you can make pretty quickly, and tweak it so it's as long and as wide as you want.

01. Pick some yarn you love. I went for this bright green DK.
02. Pick a hook size you like. I used a 6.5mm hook as I wanted a fairly open weave and large stitches.
03. It's a circle scarf, so it's made to wrap. Leaving a long tail at the beginning, chain a multiple of four, plus three stitches, to the length you want. Wrap the chain around your neck to see that the length is right.

04. Make several rows of fishnet stitch, which will be the first half of the full width of the scarf.
05. Make another row just the same except with one less stitch before each single crochet into the arch - this will give you a nice even chain to make your dividing rows into.
06. To make it more interesting to look at, make a few rows of half-double crochet - making these stitches into the back loop will give a nice ribbed effect.
07. Resume fishnet stitch, and make the same number of rows as you made for the first half.
08. Make a final row of chain to give you a flat, straight edge as before.

09. Using the long tail you left, single crochet or slip stitch the short ends together.

10. Ta-dah!

NB. For instructions on how to make the fishnet stitch I used Debbie Stoller's Stitch n' Bitch: The Happy Hooker. It's my crochet bible! ♥

One Sixth

From this:

To this:

To this!

I started making this blanket a few weeks ago now. It's very simple, but very large! I have never made a quilt before, and certainly never made anything this big. This is one sixth of the whole blanket, so I've got quite a way to go. Will I finish it before Winter? Hmmm... not too sure about that! I love it though. The colours, the hearts, the cute little squares. It is messy (be gentle with me, I'm still a beginner) but I don't really mind because it's rustic. (Well, that's what I'm telling myself anyway!)

The pattern is from Happy Yellow Hearts, and you can find it here. I am using Boyes own brand DK yarn. Cheap and cheerful!

I hope you all had a fab weekend.

On the case

It was my mother's birthday on July 1st, and since she is very much into crochet herself at the moment, I thought a good gift might be somewhere to keep her hooks. I started with a very simple pattern from here, and adapted it so it was taller and wider!

I got the flower pattern from this month's issue of Mollie Makes, which I managed to track down in my local WHSmith. At first I thought I'd be disappointed because I couldn't spot it with the crafty stuff, so I decided I'd do a quick recce round the rest of the magazine section just in case while I sent Mr. Doodle to buy a ticket for the Euro Millions. As he walked off, I turned around to see a separate stand of 'featured' magazines, and lo and behold, there it was. I couldn't believe my luck! (It later ran out, as I didn't win the lottery. Ah well!)

New things and a little project complete!

I have been doing things veeeery slooowly these past few days, as the sunburn I mentioned on Sunday was actually a lot worse than I realised and by Monday it was agony. I had coated myself in Factor 50 but somehow missed a small patch on my back and it now resembles bacon! Crochet has been the perfect activity - it lends itself to leaning forward, and is distracting without being too complicated, so the past couple days I've been making some hearts out of the end of a random ball of wool. I decided to make them into a little garland, and I also had a first attempt at Picot edging. Today I stitched the hearts to the 'string', and voila!

I didn't realise how apalling the light was! I am photographing it now anyway though, because my mornings and early evenings are currently spent cleaning and treating my burn! Silly sausage. I hung it around the top of my bed. The colours don't really go, but I couldn't care less - it is bright red and has hearts, so I love it. It will make me smile when I wake up in the morning and don't want to go to work!

I also had a delightful moment of happiness yesterday when I received a couple of parcels through the post. On Monday I only owned two crochet hooks - a 4mm and 2.5mm, one of which I half-inched from my mother! So I decided to change that and by Tuesday I had these:

They are colourful! My hook collection just septupled! (If that wasn't a word already, it is now!)

I also wanted some odds and ends to make some little bits and bobs like flowers, little toys or dolls and shapes of various descriptions. So I hit the internet once again and yesterday I got these:

I want to climb into the pile and roll around in it! They are all DK and are crying out to be made into happy little things. I think some little amigurumi dolls might be on the cards. I love the bright colours, and there are loads of little balls so lots of possibilities. It was a little parcel of pure happiness.

Have you had any exciting things through the post lately?

Having a go at granny squares

So despite the fact today has been the hottest day of the year so far, my thoughts have been on how I'm going to do what I can to get my poor little house liveable when we're at the opposite end of the year and I'm freezing my nuts off every morning and night when I'm not at work. What is that fable about the grasshopper that sings all summer and then freezes to death in the winter because it didn't work hard when the sun was shining? Well, I don't want that to be me, so I have designs on making a great big crochet blanket.

I'm still a relative newbie to crochet, my biggest project to date being a baby blanket and hat which I made for a colleague who was going on maternity leave. It was pretty straightforward, and that's how I like my crochet. I think my fingers are a bit hammy so it helps if it's not too fiddly!

I decided to have a look at The Happy Hooker, and learn how to make a very basic Granny Square, and here is what I came up with:

I made three, and decided to make them all different. It said you could make lots of variations on the basic design, so I changed up the colours for one, and used treble crochet instead of double for the other

I didn't bother to tidy them up as they were just a practice run made with super cheapy wool I picked up in Wilkinson's of all places - who knew? The blue wool looks so much nicer in these pictures than it does in real. Hurrah for Photoshop because the colour is actually a mucky sort of petrol-y/teal-y blue and I don't like it, hence it being condemned to be used for practices and never the real McCoy!.

I think it was a fairly successful first attempt. If you know of any good books or places for more exciting square patterns, do let me know!

Forget-me-not

A friend of mine is organising a charity event and she asked me recently if I would mind lending my crochet skills to her project. I was a little concerned that she over-estimated my ability, but when she clarified that she just wanted me to make some little flowers I thought I'd give it a bash.

The pattern is for little Forget-Me-Nots, which are really quite cute. Each guest will get one. Well, that's the plan anyway - so far I've only made ten! My first attempt was with a 4mm hook, and it was far too big. I haven't any photos of the evidence as they were so bad I disposed of them! I got myself online and picked up a 2.5mm hook, and the result was much more positive:

It's much more fiddly than I'm used to - my crochet experience at this point is pretty much limited to that 4mm hook and double-knitting wool. It's getting easier by the flower, though. And it's been a nice confidence boost! I'm growing a little garden on my desk!