A Crocheted October...

In October I joined in with the Lazy Daisy Jones Crochet Hook Up on instagram, a daily photo to go alongside the theme for each day. I am proud to have managed to actually post something every day, and thought I would share the month here...

Day One - Hello - me, obviously...
Day Two - Work In Progress - my 2015 blanket
Day three - Colour combination - several of my favourites
Day four - Blanket - my first ever blanket
Day five - Chunky or lace - brooch with tiny doilies
Day six - favourite hook - my 'go-to' hooks
Day seven - square or circle - squares, always!
Day eight - future project - Sarah London pattern
Day nine - Fave Stitch - puffs and popcorns
Day ten - cushion - sunburst with Brian modelling
Day eleven - border - I like a scallop
Day twelve - fave book - 200 crochet blocks by Jan Eaton
Day thirteen - scarf - chevron scarf from last winter
Day fourteen - fave make - bundles of blankets
Day fifteen - storage - cupboard in my studio 

Day sixteen - where? - my cosy spot on the sofa
Day Seventeen - Fave yarn - cotton in lovely colours
Day Eighteen - Christmas Crochet - glass baubles made last year
Day Nineteen - Who taught you? - my first ever square, made with the help of a fellow student at uni
Day twenty - Vintage pattern - my great grandmother's crochet book
Day twenty one - pastel or bright? - always bright
Day twenty two - amigurumi - unicorn from Simply Crochet
Day twenty three - crochet blog - Meet Me At Mike's, Emma Lamb, Twinkie Chan and Dottie Angel
Day twenty four - Flowers - my rosebud brooches
Day twenty five - yarn stash - my sock yarn, the neatest of my stashes...
Day twenty six - gift - teacosy from the pattern on the Crochet With Raymond blog
Day twenty seven - stitch markers - Yummy Doughnuts 
Day twenty eight - inspiration - galleries
Day twenty nine - local yarn shop - RKM in Oswestry
Day thirty - crochet toy - Groot from Twinkie Chan's pattern
Day thirty one - Halloween Crochet - my 2015 blanket square

Little Lessons

My favourite part of being a full-time crafter is sharing skills with lovely people. I know I've said it before, but I get so much from seeing people start their crochet adventure. 

I had a visit from Sharon on Wednesday, she came along to try out some new stitches, we had a go at crocheting rows, and varying with front and back loops, and we did a mitred square. 

Rita came popped up with her lovely daughter Jess, and we went over granny squares, then onto Sunburst squares. They are both naturals!

I was thrilled to hear that they'd spent the afternoon practising...

And on Saturday Tarloke visited for a beginner lesson, and made his very first square. 

 The days fly by when I have such lovely company. 

Oswestry Makes 2015

Oswestry Makes is a crafty festival that has been held for the last three years in our little town. I help where I can in the organisational stages, and as always offer crochet lessons over the weekend up in my little stall. This year it ran from Friday to Sunday, culminating in the Wonderful Wool Day. 

Friday was pretty quiet, but I had a visit from lovely Kitty, who is new to crochet and wanted to give crocheting in the round a try. 

I think she did rather well...

Saturday was very busy, starting with a visit from Rita, Jodie, Natalie and Kathryn. Rita and Jodie could already crochet so I only really helped them out with some pointers, but mum and daughter Kathryn and Natalie were completely new to it, so we started at basic chains and then moved on to granny squares. Everyone did really well and left with a little square and a smile! 

Then I was joined by Hannah and Freya, who is ten years old - she was an absolute natural, and was working on the second round of her granny square by the time she left. So proud! I'm hoping we have some new crochet addicts in the making!

Sunday was Wonderful Wool Day,  where there were stalls, things to learn and try out, lots and lots of tea and cake, and a Back-to-Back, where a fleece went through all of the various processes and stages to make it in to yarn, which was then knitted into a hat and a child's cardigan. It was amazing to see a row of spinning wheels all lined up and and everyone working away! 

I had a little stall selling a some of my jewellery and handmade bits and bobs, as well as kits, hooks and needles and supplies for people to take away. I think it went pretty well, I met so many lovely people, all so excited to be there and enjoying bonding over mutual interests. 

I even managed to find a moment to have a little look at the Orphan Lamb table, where I found some mermaid coloured Shetland wool, and also some cream Aran weight wool, a 15mm crochet hook (I met the man who made them - he finds bits of branches in the woods to make them from) and some vintage metal sock needles. A Wonderful Wool Day indeed.

My Week

Wowee, this week has passed in a blur! I've had lots of work things on - teaching crochet, visiting the Loudwater Studio in Ludlow, Make on Monday in a lovely cafe with fabulous cake, a day in my studio making everything pretty, and my usual days in my little stall. This time of year is always so busy, but I managed to have a little bit of time off too - we had a night out in Manchester, at an Anti-Austerity gig and saw Public Service Broadcasting, who were ace. Their new song "Go!" is just amazing. The highlight of the week was that we had a little visitor, a little hedgehog, he was so cute. 

Crochet

One of my favourite things about knowing how to crochet is helping other people learn. I love seeing people go from the first tentative swoop-through-the-loop, the first saggy-looking chain, the first treble, to the first finished round, the next round, the quiet concentration as they slowly start doing it all by themselves, the moment where this odd jumble of knots begins to look like SOMETHING. I always begin with Granny Squares - my all-time favourite thing to make and, in my humble opinion, the best place to start. They are perfect for beginners for lots of reasons - they have the basic stitches, which you repeat over and over again so it stays put in the grey matter, and they grow ever so quickly so there is a tangible *thing* to take away at the end of the session. It's a proud moment when there is an exclamation of "it looks like a square" or "I did it!" or "I'm going to the wool shop RIGHT NOW to get more colours". I love the 'ping' on my phone when an email full of photos arrives, so much pride and hard work. It is a joy. This was a square from a session yesterday - when I left it was only three rounds, so it was pure happiness to see the forth!

I have so enjoyed starting people on their crochet adventure - this is my lovely friend with her very first bit of crochet... 

which looked like this less than a week later...

 So proud!
This is Gemma with her first square...

And lots of lovely folks with their squares at the Wonderful Wool day last November...

And lovely Louise at her first lesson.

I really hope that at least some of the people that I have taught will continue, and will remember me fondly as the person that got them started. I so worry that these amazing skills will be lost, and I hope my enthusiasm will be contagious and help in some small way to encourage people to give it a go! 

My Month in Makes - August

I seem to have re-located my making-inspiration this month, and have been ever-so busy with lots of different things. I've made a few new pieces of jewellery, as well as working on a couple of designs that aren't quite ready to go out into the world just yet. I also acquired a new toy that I had been coveting for some time - a badge maker. I am utterly smitten and have been making lots of tiny badges. 

My crochet blankets are coming along well - I am working on my fifth large square for my cosy big-square blanket, and I'm up to row fifteen of my 2015 blanket, although I'm falling behind a smidge with my joining. 

I've been making teeny three-round granny squares and pompoms which are for something new - I will be getting the keys to my very own studio soon! So it will need prettifying with yarny goodness. It's a little bit scary (terrifying) but very exciting too. I'm going to be painting the place soon, looking forward to moving in. 

My Month in Makes - July

Unusually I have had a fairly quite making-month, and I haven't knitted a stitch of either pair of socks. I've made a whole bunch of little hats for the Big Knit, and about one-hundred and forty pompoms to finish off hats. The rest of my time has been taken up by crochet, I've added two rows to my 2015 blanket, and joined up my nine big squares to make a cosy blanket, I'm just working on the edges now. 

I've started my forth big granny square for my newest blanket, and I love the squares so far. I'm using a 4mm hook and using white for every other row. It's been a handy stash buster, and I'm so pleased with it so far. 

My Week...

What a lovely week it has been! The sun has been shining and the long days have been glorious, we even made ice cream to help with overheating! We had a date-night at the movies, and I had a very jolly trip to Liverpool. 

I was a little bit under the weather on Sunday so I started making granny squares - I've made blankets with small squares, and large squares that just keep going, but never a whole blanket made of big squares, so that's my plan - I've done eleven rounds on each square now so I'm a happy camper. 

My Month in Makes...June

I must confess that it's been a somewhat disjointed month of making - I've finished a pair of socks, and for my stall some rosebud brooches and button earrings, but otherwise I have either started new projects - Frankensocks and large granny squares - or plodded along with projects that were already in the making - my 2015 blanket and my grey and pink socks. 

I have been working on some more squares for the "Square Enough" course that I'm running with my knitty friend, it's less than a week away now and I'm a healthy mixture of excited and very nervous! 

Make on Monday

Today was something shiny and new - Make on Monday. It was the first ever, and I'm pleased to report that it went rather well. My friend and I have been plotting this for some time, joining forces to offer our crafty skills in a lovely local cafe. Becca is one of my go-to friends for knitting advice, and she has a great business called Alterknitive. 

So we packed up our bits and bobs and set up in the Baby Bird Cafe with lots of books and hooks and needles and yarny-goodness. 

We had a visitor each, Becca helped with increasing and cable knitting, and I gave a bit of advice on stitches, different UK and American abbreviations, and pattern reading - we made granny squares, following the pattern as we went along. I felt pretty proud. 

We have the next Make on Monday dates all booked in already, I have such high-hopes for our joint adventure.

Hip to be Square...

I've been plotting and scheming with a dear friend of mine over the last month or so, and we're going to be running a little course called "Square Enough", which will be a little bit of dabbling in both crochet and knitting. I'm handling the crochet side, so I've been having a little go at some different types of squares...

I grabbed a book, my usual starting point, and tried some corner-up patterns - these two came from "200 Crochet Blocks", one of my all-time favourite crochet books. 

Then I consulted the internet, thank goodness for google, and found a pattern for mitred squares. I tried some different sizes, and some with stripes, and I think they're rather splendid. I might even be tempted to make a sock yarn blanket with my odds and ends, although I'm pretty sure I don't need any new projects! 

My Week

I do so enjoy a week that starts with a Bank Holiday, and on Sunday we used the time wisely to pop along to the Machynlleth Comedy Festival to see Rob Newman, and visited all of the lovely shops and a delightful cafe for Butterscotch and Walnut cake and tea - they had the most beautiful teapot and mismatched crockery, it was heaven! I spent the evening finishing a scarf I started a very long time ago, and I feel pleased to have completed my first ever lace pattern. I've also been working on Granny Squares and socks this week, made with my lovely WonderWool haul, I was too excited not to dive straight in! 

For Bank Holiday Monday we went on a city adventure to Liverpool, we went along to the Leonora Carrington and Cathy Wilkes exhibition at the Tate, which was really very interesting and I'm already planning a return visit. We had a lovely wander around the shops and had lots of tea. 

On Thursday we voted in the General Election, and although I don't want to mull on Politics here, I feel more than a little let down by the result. I had hoped that five years of aggressive targeting of the most vulnerable in our society would have been enough to change the way people voted, or that it would have been enough to convince people to take an interest and actually go out and vote. I worry for our NHS, for our elderly and vulnerable people, for the people who can't make ends meet no matter how hard they try. I worry that hateful propaganda has poisoned people who should know better, that we will go backwards instead of forwards in eradicating intolerance. It has taken me a day to be able to articulate these thoughts - yesterday was just too sad. 

My Week...

Another week has flown by, and it has been delightful. The Easter weekend was quiet and full of family time and knitting, gardening and tasty treats. We enjoyed celebrating the sixty-fifth birthday of a dear friend, did lots of thrifty shopping and tea drinking, and visited Ruthin Craft Centre for some inspiration, and Llangollen for beautiful views. 

We've made the most of every moment of sunshine over the last week, pottering in the garden, and walking in the fresh air. The winter blues have happily passed and the long summer ahead is full of promise. 

My Month in Makes... March

March has been a busy little month of making, here are my finished bits and bobs, as well as the "still in progress" things...

Row four and five of my 2015 blanket are finished and attached, my granny square blanket is at the edging stage, and I have two pairs of socks on the go, as well as a second sock that needs casting on... I finished the knitting bit of a Miss Marple bow scarf but it needs fancifying, and I knitted a Ravenclaw scarf for my special adventure to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I also had a go at the Mollie Makes cross stitch jewellery free-gift, although I adapted the patterns a bit and played with the colours. I also made myself a bunch of laser-cut brooches, ready for something special I have planned (I will share more about that soon!), so all in all I've been a busy bee. 

Have you made anything nice lately? Please share some links, I'd love to see!

My Month in Makes...February

It took me by surprise to find that suddenly it was time to turn the page of the calender and welcome in March. February's makes were seasonally appropriate - scarves, socks and blankets, lots of cosiness. 

In February I finished one pair of socks, and two bow scarves, and I'm still working on my granny square blanket and need to make a second sock to finish two pairs. My 2015 blanket has passed the sixty-square point now and it's ever so pretty. 

The pattern I used for the bow scarf is over here and my trusty sock pattern is here.

My Week

There was a turn in the weather at the start of the week, and I suddenly found myself back in full winter hibernation, and the only way for me to hibernate effectively is with tea and a increasingly large stack of granny squares. My blanket is growing, and I am trying to pull my socks up and make the most of these chilly days. 

Taking Stock - February

Playing along with lovely Pip at Meet Me At Mike's, and taking a moment to have a think about the passing month!

Making : blankets and socks, my most favourite things to make!
Cooking : I assisted with a fruit cake, and as always I'm handy at chopping veg
Drinking : tea
Reading: Finished Philip Pullman "Grimm Tales" yesterday
Wanting: to cosy up on the sofa with a kitty and read
Looking: at tiny crocuses peeping out in my garden
Playing: Allo Darlin', Pearl and the Beard and a little bit of Morrissey 
Deciding: if it's wise to pay a visit to the yarn shop when I close up my stall today
Wishing: the world was a little less complicated, or that people were a little kinder to each other
Enjoying: the feeling of spring approaching
Waiting: for the weather to be warm enough for picnics
Liking: my pretty Bow scarves - vintage patterns are the best
Wondering: if it would be acceptable to start a new pair of socks when I already have two pairs on the needles...
Loving: our little house and weird little animal family
Pondering: on colour combinations for squares for my blanket
Considering: my next tattoo
Buying: Books. So many books.
Watching: Just finished rewatching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in it's entirety, and started "Reaper" last night
Hoping: that my little car is finally fixed and enjoying the freedom of pootling about
Marvelling: at how fast blankets happen these days!
Cringing: at how mean people can be to each other
Needing: more cake
Questioning: if I will manage to get my book pile under control this year
Smelling: Daffodils
Wearing: lots of lovely frocks and woollens 
Following: my own path and taking a bit more care of myself
Noticing: that driving seems a little less scary as I practise a bit more
Knowing: that I always try my best
Thinking: that I really want to learn to bake
Admiring: the strength of people that I know, who get up and get on every day when life can be so very cruel
Sorting: out priorities, trying to make improvements
Getting: tickets for bands that I loved as a teenager, because they all seem to be touring again
Bookmarking: Dock and Nettle
Coveting: pretty vintage brooches and lovely dresses
Disliking: second-sock-syndrome, which afflicts me every so often
Opening: books before I've closed the one before
Giggling: at being called "knitting mad" in the local paper
Feeling: like we're coming to the end of a very long winter
Snacking: on homemade crumpets (my husband is ever so clever)
Comforting: lots of people at the moment, there must be something in the water
Helping: to plan lots of exciting things

My Week...

Last week was a thoroughly crafty week. My mum is making splendid progress with her first ever hand-knitted sock and I'm enjoying helping her, and working on socks of my own at the same time. My granny square blanket is growing, and rather cosy, and I had a bit of time to try out a vintage bow-scarf pattern, I love it so much that I'm planning to make more in other colours. 

I am also very pleased to see that my succulent plant is still growing away happily, and that I haven't managed to kill it yet. It's a huge achievement for me and my "underwatering-then-overwatering-to-compensate" ways. It's progress.

My Week...

Last week was one filled to the brim with adventures and crafty making! I visited Liverpool for the Tate and shopping, went to the theatre for date night, bought a vintage embroidered cushion from a lovely trader in the market, had cake with a dear friend, and got very excited at the arrival of Harry Potter tour tickets. I've been working hard on my granny square blanket, and finished the second full row of my year-long blanket, and tried to make progress with the three (!) pairs of socks that are on the needles. 

My Week...

Last week was quiet and full of yarn and craftiness. 

The postie delivered a wool winder to me, and it's been the perfect little device for neatening my stash.