Week 39 CAL Blocks #157 #161 #165

Posted on May 31, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

#157 Boxed Square

Here it is in all its wibbly mid-joins ‘glory’! I did seriously consider redoing this but decided it’s going to be the ‘eccentric looking’ block in whatever it becomes. It can stand as a testament to an afternoon of good conversation, and no crochet stitch counting (!), with a friend.

#161 Daisy Chain

R5: There seems to be a ch3 instruction missing

R8: I trebled into the chain spaces as I prefer the way it looks, and let’s face it – it’s far less fiddly! It looks fine to me.

#165 Coffee and Cream

R4: Ignore the instruction to treble into 2 stitches, I’m sure this is another typo and should be dcs as for the rest of the round.

All three are 5 1/2″ square.

Are you a bit fed up with these CAL posts? I’m over it really, or feel so this week, BUT I’ve only got ten more blocks to crochet and that’s it….HuRraY!

JOINING MATTERS…….I was wondering if it’s better to continue on after the last CAL post and set about joining blocks, or shall we have a bit of a CAL holiday and save the joining for the autumn evenings? We could aim for a September start (ie a year after the CAL began…..!!!!!) Let me know what you reckon here or on the Ravelry CAL group thread.

Here’s Lynne’s Knits giveaway prize which arrived when I was here in the Little Room waffling at the end of last week’s CAL post.

I was delighted to win this book because it’s by THE Debbie Bliss, but also because I won it from Lynne. It was her patterns I found I kept gravitating to in Let’s Get Crafting Knitting & Crochet magazines as a newbie crocheter in 2011.

Come and say hi on my Facebook page!

Have a great weekend all :-D

Buttercups & Bunting

Posted on May 27, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

Sunshine, blue clouds and lush green fields of buttercups, fringed with cow parsley. Rural England is beautiful in the Spring.

This was a very steep walk back up the hill from the river but taking a few photos always gives the perfect excuse for a quick rest.

Home to eat some delicious local produce from the farm shop and continue with the Yarndale bunting. As you see it’s really fast to crochet. I forgot to ask if any of you are planning to go? I’m thinking of going on the Sunday.

Bunting for Yarndale

Posted on May 26, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

When Lucy asked for Granny bunting for Yarndale I was delighted because I’d already offered to contribute something towards the yarn walk that is planned for the route from Skipton station to the venue. It’s a great way to use up a stash of yarn and I had crinkly bags full of Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine stuff. It squeaks as you use it. Yeuch. BUT it’s very pretty colours and is perfect for bunting since you won’t be wearing it, and wouldn’t never know how plastic it feels to the touch.

I wanted a large pretty pottery bowl to hold my wool, or a wicker basket lined with beautiful material but sadly I own no such thing. Someone winces and pulls me away when I head towards wicker, or Tupperware or stationery. I’ve foiled him with the latter two, but not the wicker so much. Then I remembered my herb bucket (bought last May bank holiday – I see) It’s been serving as a waste paper basket in The Little Room for ages.

The colours are perfect, don’t you think?

I hate waste so have bags of unused, half used balls and tiny scraps of yarn. I crocheted tons of middles with the teeny scraps while we watched Forest Gump the other night. I’d forgotten about the film’s great music, so really enjoyed watching it again. It’s sunny HURRAY! So there’s going to be some outdoor crochet happening too.

I see my granny bunting has Lucy’s seal of approval as she’s left a lovely comment on my BrANd NEw The Little Room of Rachell Facebook page.

Thank you to Hannah of Not Your Average Crochet for my new media buttons! She’s such a whizz and now I’m all linked up.

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Yesterday we went to Cotswold Needlecraft at Evesham Country Park as I’d seen on the Mollie Makes blog that they were having a warehouse sale. It’s on till 2nd June and if you want to buy a pack of discounted yarn I’d recommend you go there sharpish. There’s a nice walk down to the river, a farm shop selling gorgeous produce and all sorts of lovely places to shop and browse.

I couldn’t resist buying some more embroidery thread. I’ve never used metallic before.

Please come and ‘like’ my Facebook Page and say hi :-) I’m hoping it will be a good place to chat and share links about craft events or anything inspiring.

Week 38: CAL Blocks #145 #149 #153

Posted on May 22, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

#145 Chocolate Box

5 1/2″ sq.

As I find for some of my middles this is a bit skew-whiff (as I type this it occurs to me that it’s probably one of our very eccentric English expressions?!), but the blocking should adjust this issue.

#149 Solid Square

5 1/2″ sq.

Fast to make though I’m not keen on the mid-round joins as usual – they show in the book’s block too.

#153 Candy Stripe Bobbles

More bobbles! I think for many of us bobbles have turned out to be the star stitch of the CAL. They’re so cute and give a nice texture to the crocheted fabric.

As you might have guessed this is the last of the batch of blocks I made ahead and photographed when England still knew what the word sun meant, when we weren’t velcroed into our raincoats, clutching mugs of hot chocolate.

I’d also already made #157 Boxed Square, part of next week’s batch of three, but might redo it as the mid-round joins are so wobbly. We’ll blame my very chatty friend for the wobbliness, honestly she gives me a run for money, which is saying something. Then I’m back to crocheting the blocks as I go, week by week.

It’s been about a week and a half since I last crocheted anything. After I’d made the two striped backs for the Union Jack cushion (which needs buttons, I’ll buy some at a craft sale I’m going to tomorrow) I moved onto a bit of a sewing jag with the Puffy Dog bag as I can’t help calling it. Now I’m doing a bit of X stitch, but after seeing that Lucy off Attic 24 and the planned autumn craft event Yarndale are requesting Granny Square bunting and feeling that I should get on and make some mice for the Mile of Mice KAL/CAL I’m getting itchy fingers to take out my hook again over the bank holiday weekend.

I’ve won this Jane Mean’s ribbon from a giveaway hosted by the shop All the Fun of the Fair. Isn’t it preeetty?

I’ve gone from never winning anything, ever, to a few things in the last year. This week I won another giveaway! According to Jill of Nice Piece of Work I am a “lucky flipping fish.” Well, ok then. I hope it carries on! And, I think my latest win just landed on the doormat, along with the new Simply Crochet magazine. Ooooooooh! I’ll show you next time I pop into The Little Room.

Are you planning on crocheting, sewing or …. this weekend? Whatever you do have a relaxing one.

Doggy paddle

Posted on May 22, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

189

I’ve just embroidered this bag for my cousin’s birthday. She loves scotty dogs. I wasn’t too sure about the Hello design initially. It’s silly but I wondered if it looked like the dog had puffed the hello out of his bottom, like one of those sky-writing aeroplanes. The thing is I probably shouldn’t have said because now you’re either wincing at the bad taste, or thinking ‘OMG it does actually!”

I used some Sublime Stitching embroidery transfers from one of my books for inspiration, though actually traced them onto the bag with a fabric pen because it was one I wanted to test. Here you see the finished bag soaking in a basin to remove traces of the pen. I was going to call this post ‘Doggy style’ but Someone thought it might be inappropriate. Surely I can’t be held accountable for the state of others’ minds, can I?

Week 37: CAL Blocks #133 #137 #141

Posted on May 16, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

This turned out to be the week of some very dodgy colour combinations….

#133 Sunshine Stripes

5 – 5 1/2″ but easy enough to stretch out I think (hope.)

It’s beginning to dawn on me that I’ve referred to future block-blocking so many times that now I have 37+ weeks of it ahead of me. How about we have a BAL next? 3 blocks a week and we post about how successful we are finding it, plus share any tips and techniques? No? Ok.

#137 Criss Cross

5 1/2″ sq.

#141 Quartet

5 1/2″ W, 5 1/4″ H. Can be stretched out pretty easily as there’s lot of give.

I took these photos a few weeks ago, but actually the sun is shining today and all feels well with the world. It is funny how so many bloggers refer to the weather; I suppose it’s inevitable because of how it affects our activities and moods. I’ve been longingly looking at Aussie and Kiwi bloggers’ pics all winter: sunshine, beach picnics and cooling drinks. But now it’s all hot chocolate and hot water bottle covers! Speaking of which, have you seen Kate’s HWBC of Greedy for Colour? And this one.

I’ve been checking out the other block maker’s blogs this week, after getting a bit behind on my reading (BlogLovin said I had 95 unread posts the other day!) There are a band of us still plodding onwards. I can’t believe we’ve been going since September. Well done everyone!

Yesterday a bloggy good friend sent me a link to crochet workshops at Loop, London. Looking at the skills they teach I realised how much I’ve learnt and practiced things like changing colours, following patterns, trying new stitches and just gaining confidence with crochet through doing the CAL with you guys. If little and often is a good way to learn and hone something new then a CAL is definitely a good, sociable, way to do so. If you’re newish to crochet then I’d consider starting a CAL (or joining an existing one on the Ravelry website.) You could always buy the Jan Eaton 200 Crochet Blocks book and start another round of this CAL.

Talking of sociable I crocheted #157 Boxed Square with a friend last Friday afternoon. She knitted a sock while I hooked away. It was a really nice time but when I’d darned in the ends, still chatting merrily away, I looked at my mid-block joins and honestly, they are like a wave. Lack of counting, lots of chatting!!!!! I should probably redo it, but it’s one of those dc dc dc dc dc dc blocks. Argh!

What have you learnt doing the CAL? If you’re not CALing with us, has it inspired you in any way?

Hip Hurray!

Posted on May 14, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

I’ve been working on a cushion front from the Hip Crochet book I won in a giveaway last week. It’s been quite funny because it was impossible to keep the balls of yarn organised. It all begins well, then of course you turn the piece at the end of rows and the balls are on the wrong side and you’re gradually wrapped up like a fly in a spider’s web. I’ve missed a couple of ‘phone calls over the last week trying to untangle myself!

This is a jacquard pattern, unlike intarsia where you have separate bobbins or small balls of colours for each section, you strand the yarn across. I like this method. You have to be careful with your tension, leave too little yarn stranded across and you’d have a very scrunched flag.

This needs to be blocked, there’s plenty of give in the strands so I’m not worried. I haven’t blocked a thing yet, to be honest it’s going to be more like ‘stretch gently as I crochet the front and back together.’ Acrylic doesn’t wet block well I’ve read as the fibres just go back to the way they were before. Maybe steam and tugging would be the way to go, if I was going to….?

The colour chart pattern is easy enough to follow though the technique of changing multiple colours (and not choking yourself in a ‘death by yarn wrapping’ manner) is probably middling to boffin level of crochet. I used a post it note stuck above the row I was currently working on to keep my place in the pattern. A Pony row counter ensured I was on track too. Like others, who’ve reviewed the book, I feel the omission of a skill indicator required for each project is a shame and would be a useful guide for newer crocheters.

Next I need to make the stripey back cover which is worked in two parts that button together. It’s a little disappointing that there’s two pages showing the front of the cushion, but no photo of the back. However you’ll have nothing to compare mine to, so it might be in my favour!

I like Natalie’s notes at the end of the pattern: ‘The Union Jack is not a symmetrical pattern, the bottom corners are the reverse of the top opposite corners. Purists will point out that this flag is upside down. Popular culture in the 1960s saw the motif used as clothing and even on the mini car.’ No purists here.

Have you tried the intarsia or jacquard technique?

Inspirational

Posted on May 11, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

On bank holiday Monday, last week, we visited Winchester. “You mustn’t visit Winchester without going to the cathedral” we were told.

It’s a truly magnificent building. I can’t even begin to describe its size and features, it’s immense. The Cathedral website is really informative if you want to take a look.

Many people will have visited the Cathedral simply to pay a visit to the last resting place of Jane Austin.

Interestingly it wasn’t until many years after she was buried that the number of people visiting her grave were noted, as her work gained popularity.

These lilies were heavenly scented, I love them.

I really like the Antony Gormley sculpture ‘Sound II’ in the Cathedral crypt.

However it was the tapestry work that really, really, caught my eye, as you shall see. I used to enjoy tapestry, but when my elbow was very painful I gave it up. Plus it was far from cool to be making tapestry cushions. Now I wish I had just taken extra painkillers, had a treble G&T and stuck my fingers up to cool. I bought most of my materials from Liberty of London, they used to have a wide selection of wool, canvas, kits and materials. They really have scaled back the selection but you can still find some nice choices. There was a postal ordering service I used to buy from also, which will now have a website but I just need to remember the company’s name…

What follows are many, many (I seem to be in a repeating the-same-word-twice-mode today, sorry. I can control this mode and hit the delete button, but choose not to, just in case you’re wondering if there’s a compulsive issue going on here) photos of tapestry work. Some are faded from use, sunlight and age, others are newer. I find all beautiful and inspirational.

Inspirational colours, designs and because of the amount of hours that they took to create.

Fuzzy, but I don’t want to delete the above. Partly close your eyes and squint to focus?

A windmill and what I think is a plough, surrounded by the fruit of the land?

I would also have stitched my initials & the year on the back too!

When we bought our entry tickets we were told they are also season tickets, so we’re planning to go back to take a tour and find out more about the history, carvings, art, sculpture etc etc of this incredible building. I have a feeling that all photographing devices will be taken from me prior to the tour; I was a long time sighing over and photographing these beauties!

I’ve always been a huge fan of Kaffe Fassett, particularly when I was first interested in tapestry. I’m going to A Life in Colour, an exhibition celebrating Kaffe’s work, with Natasja of the CrocheTime blog. I can’t wait!

Week 36: CAL Blocks #121 #125 #129

Posted on May 10, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

#121 Coral Seas

5 1/4″ -5 1/2″ but should even to 5 1/2″ with a good blocking.

I crocheted the first 3 rows then started again with 4 ch as couldn’t see the point of the 2 extra ch hanging down. Is this a pattern error or did I miss a point?

My notebook bluntly says ‘Dislike. Floppy. Should try with a 3,5mm hook.’ !

#125 Triple Stripes

5 1/4″ sq but am sure can be eased to 5 1/2″ under steam or water torture!

Another one of those ‘bit of a swizz to increase the block count’ stripey dc one IMHO.

#129 Anemone

5 1/2″ square

Pretty isn’t it? But a bit scrunched up at the moment, so to complete the triple – will be improved with blocking!

They all look a bit unruly this week, don’t they?!

If you’re in the UK you’ll realise that this photo was not taken in the last few days. After all the sunshine of the past weekend (Britons were in full force wearing their sandals and freshly ironed t-shirts) we now have news of ferries not running due to windy conditions and trampolines blowing away! I admit that I am actually quite a few weeks ahead with the CAL and this is one of a batch of photos of blocks. I decided to forge ahead and then concentrate on other things for a while.

This week I’ve started a project from the Hip Crochet book I won. I’ve also been doing some embroidery. I’m now very dubious about the design, or placement of what I’ve chosen, but I’m assured that it’s fine. Ho hum. I’ll complete and then show you.

Hello to all my new followers by the way! I’ve noticed a steady increase lately. It’s a nice way to check out new-to-me blogs and look around. There are so many of us sending photos into the void and chatting away, it’s amazing what jewels you can find.

Anyway, it’s your turn to talk. How are you? Are you busy with craft or have other aspects of life taken over at the moment?

Cabled bag – finished!

Posted on May 7, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

Fully lined, machine and hand sewed.

The pattern is in Let’s Get Crafting Magazine, issue 48 and is designed by Wendy Mould. The yarn was from a stash of fairly old King Cole Denim acrylic DK I was given a few years ago.

Now I have newly refreshed confidence to line something I’m imagining all sorts of little knitted and crochet bags, just because I can.

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside

Posted on May 6, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

We’ve had such a lovely bank holiday weekend.

All the photos here are from Saturday when we went to Bournemouth. We had a really good walk along the seafront, a pub lunch, then watched the kite surfers.

On Sunday we visited Southampton, walking around old sections of the city wall, watching vintage yachts, gawping at the sheer size of the cruise ship docked in the harbour and looking for a few geocaches. (Yes, I do a bit of geocaching and rather a lot of bookcrossing. I am a bit of nerd and not ashamed of it.) Today we visited Winchester and I have inspirational craft orientated photos to share another time.

Some of the kite surfer guys were really jumping up out of the water, apparently it’s called ‘getting big air.’ They looked like they went up more than 10 feet at times. I was the one going Oooooh, ahhhhhh and woah!

Aren’t these beach huts painted gorgeous colours? I LOVE them.

The yellow flowers you see behind the huts are gorse bushes which like sandy conditions so you see lots of them at the seaside. I’ve just looked it up and there are all sorts of facts about gorse which we didn’t know.

When we arrived home I found the book I’d won from the recent giveaway hosted by Alice of Knitnrun4sanity blog.

It’s lovely to have some new patterns to play with, plus it’s signed by the author which is always a nice touch. The book was featured in Simply Crochet (Issue 4) magazine’s list of Inspiring Books, which was exciting to see when I knew I would soon own my own copy. Thank you very much Alice!

The apple blossom has come out over the weekend, so hopefully we might have some Bramley apples this autumn. Apparently everything is a month behind with the late start to Spring, but better late than never!

I hope you’ve had a fun weekend too. What have you been up to, wherever you are in the world?

Week 35: CAL Blocks #109 #113 #117

Posted on May 3, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

#109 Four Square

It’s big one – 6″ sq.

There is something about the different way that this pattern is written which makes me wonder if it’s by Jan Eaton. All in all it’s tedious to crochet and I don’t like the feel of the fabric; it’s too dense. My mid block joins are a bit messy. I prefer them on the corners generally.

On a more positive note I like my colour combination!

#113 Wisteria

5 1/2″ sq.

Pretty, I like the cross effect that the chain spaces create.

#117 Granny in the Middle

5 1/2″ sq.

This week I’ve used a sewing machine for the first time in at least ten years, maybe fifteen. I went slowly. So slowly I think my cousin might have wondered if the repair shop had put a speed limiter on the machine! I sewed into thin air and rucked up the fabric, unpicked and tried again more successfully, forgot to go around a corner and plodded in a straight line, unpicked and resewed. In the end I did it; I sewed a simple lining for my knitted first-time-I’ve-cabled bag. I’ve got to hand-sew the handles around two lengths of piping cord, and finish slip stitching the lining to the cabled panels of my bag then I’ll show you. Proudly, with a bit (lots) of the 5 year old “Look! Look at what I’ve made!”

Have a great bank holiday weekend all in the UK, and enjoy your ~~measily~~ two days the rest of you! :-D

Still sunny

Posted on May 1, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

And I’ve just bought these cute little red shoes

They remind me of my friend’s blog post which I adore. And this Great British Sewing Bee inspired post which has stuck in my mind. Now I need the fabric, skirt pattern and skills to match my plimsolls!