A Promise of Spring and the challenge is complete!

The Last four! I can't believe I have actually done it 100 motifs all done and just in the nick of time.
I chose pastel Spring shades for these remaining motifs inspired by motif #123  which to me is the ultimate sunshine motif, it cheered me up because I have quite forgotten what the sun looks like.

As you can see the sunshine is gleaming through the clouds :)

Motif #123

Motif #121

Motif #107

Motif #63

I love all of these motifs especially motif #121 but the prettiest I think is motif #107 and it's lovely to make, it would be easy to just keep on going and make it as large as you like.

So in conclusion I have enjoyed making these motifs and I would urge anyone to give them a try.  The ones I liked the best are the hexagons and the triangles the least.
I bet you are wondering what I'm going to do with them all, I will probably use a lot of them for embellishments.  I intend making wall displays with some, coasters of course and going right back to the first motif I made I have a work in progress using that very 

motif, it's very pretty but to be honest I'm not sure yet what it will turn out to be, blanket, shawl or throw that depends on how far the yarn will stretch :)

 and so one last picture just so they can take a bow ta da..........

Progress 100 out of 100 :)

Wishing everyone a happy, peaceful, prosperous and above all healthy new year. xxxxx

The Last Three Circles

The last three circles I'm making for the Challenge

Motif #24

Motif #23

Motif #4

All made at different times hence the big variation in colour.  These motifs have been made with Dk yarn giving a bulkier texture, I think the top one looks like an iced cake. :)

Progress 96 out of 100

A Great Giveaway a Motif and a bit of a panic!

If the Beyond The square challenge has inspired any of you to try some of these motifs or in fact to challenge yourself in 2013 you must pop over and visit Amanda at Crafty in the Med because she is giving this book away! along with some lovely yarn if you have the book already.

and this is my motif for today and yes I know I still have seven more to go... I have finished them but.... it's raining and dark outside, such dreary weather! and getting a good photo is practically impossible, just 3 more days to go will I do it ??????

Motif # 43

A pretty motif and very quick and easy to make it's fun to use different yarns just to see the difference it makes in size and texture.

Progress 93 out of 100

One of Each

Good morning all you lovely people, I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas day full of fun, laughter, good food and lots of lovely pressies.   
Not much longer to go till the end of the year and the end of the challenge so I had better get a move on.  For this small collection I have chosen one motif from each of the five categories.

Circles 

Motif 11

Hexagons

Motif #50

Triangles

Motif #67

Squares

Motif #105

Unusual Shapes

Motif #137

Progress 92 out of 100 

Have a lovely boxing day! :)

Christmas doily

I have had my eye on this motif for a while and because I liked it so much I wanted to make something with it and came up with this.

I know it looks a bit wonky but I didn't really have time to block it because I wanted to use it right away and to be honest I don't mind a bit of wonkyness 

Here it is blending in nicely with my Poinsettia.

  It's a lovely motif and quite it's easy to make it as big as you like.  I left the last round out because I think it looks so much nicer with it's fancy edging.

Motif #119

Progress 87 out of 100

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The very last motif in the book.

Motif #144

Another pretty decoration for my tree.  My son thinks it looks like a star fish but I have never seen a silver and white star fish have you? :)

You see Santa can't keep his eye's off it.  :)

I suppose it would make a good star fish too.. in another colour of course.

Progress 86 out of 100

Still on the subject of snowflakes

I know what you are going to say...this is not a snowflake, well you are right and wrong because actually this is a falling star that has been caught up in a snowflake and then coated with frost as it plunged to earth.

 and guess where it has landed

yes right there on my Christmas tree :)

Motif #52

Progress 86 out of 100

A Shower of Snowflakes

Well you have to have snowflakes at Christmas don't you and there lots of beautiful snowflake patterns about in blogland just now but I do like this one.

Motif #46
A lovely hexagon that makes beautiful snowflakes don't you think.

They look pretty on my tree too.

Progress 85 of 100

Cover in Shell Pink

I know it doesn't look much like the motif in the book but it is, can you guess which one ? Once again using one of my odd balls of yarn I started this motif and just kept going until I had used it all up and the result.

This pretty cover just the right size for the top of my bedroom drawers.

This is all I had left.

Motif #142

Progress 84 of 100

Enjoy your weekend everyone and if you have to go Christmas shopping take care and don't get trampled in the crowds!  :)

Hexagon scarf

Good morning everyone from a very cold and frosty morning here in the North of England.  I'm going to venture out in a while to post my Christmas cards and I'm hoping that the sun will have melted some of the ice from the roads and pavements my car went into a skid the other day and it was very scary.  It's very tempting to stay indoors on a day like this but I always feel so much better for getting out into the fresh air.
I am still working away at my motifs and for the last ones I thought I would experiment with different textures. I have lots of odd balls in my stash which have been donated form various places  most of them have no labels and are probably obsolete now but it's a shame not to use them.

Motif #37

I only had one ball for this and was afraid there wouldn't be enough to make the scarf long enough but I am pleased with the result.

The yarn was like fine ribbon and surprisingly lovely to work with, I used a 6mm hook and it was finished in no time.

I think it gives a nice finishing touch to a plain top.  The colours as usual are poor because of the lighting but there is a purple sheen to this scarf which goes well with the purple top.

Progress 83 of 100

Just before you go I have been neglecting my scrap jar! (TUSAL) at least I haven't really been neglecting it just failing to show it for the past few months, because I have had to cut down my crocheting to rest my hands, so today being the last New moon of the year this is a combination of the last three months.

Gathering jar

I know pretty pathetic compared to the others.

and here is my display jar as you can see it's nearly full but...I want the contents quite compact because yes I do have a plan not telling yet haha.  It will take a while so I will be continuing into next year, and when it is full and I have put my plan into action I will show you (if it works)  :)

Right I'm off to brave the ice and try and catch the mid-day post, have a great day !!

Collection of small Motives

The end of the year is almost upon us and I still have to complete  the Beyond the Square Challenge so please bear with me because the rest of this month will be mostly devoted to this along with a few Christmassy things dotted between.  

For the next group of motifs I have picked out some of the smaller one's in the book.

Motif #27

Motif #43

Motif #44

Motif #48

Motif #69 

Motif #92 

Motif #104 

Motif #139 

My favourite out of this group is motif #44, it's supposed to be a hexagon,  it hasn't turned out quite that shape but I love it just the same. :)

Progress 82 out of 100

Christmas Tree Cushion

Tunisian crochet is ideal for cushions and I thought how nice it would be to make a Christmas cushion and this is what I have come up with.

I have made this for myself but I think this little cushion would be lovely as a gift too.   It was very easy and quick to make so there is still plenty of time to make one if you wanted to.  

This is how I made it.

Dc = double crochet UK or Sc US

Using  a 4.5mm hook and Dk yarn chain 16 and work 12 rows in Tunisian crochet as shown here for each colour.
As you can see, I alternated green and red and made three strips.  I then used Dc. to join them together with white yarn. (that's supposed to be the snow you see)

I then made five little Christmas tree's to decorate the front, you could use any  
Christmas applique really but the tree's were easily made just by using triangles.

Tree make 5 
Beginning with 10 ch, work one row Dc  and decreased at each end of next and every alternate row until there is one stitch left, fastened off then Dc in white around the tree.

Trunk
Beginning with a 4 ch, work 2 rows of Dc, sew to bottom of tree.  You could crochet them directly onto the tree but I found that making them separately and sewing them on gave a neater finish.

For the back I just made a simple granny square.
I then joined the two sides together  with a row of Dc in red and finished off with a white picot border (more snow) and you can find that here 
(Remember to leave a gap at the top to insert the cushion)

Three little buttons for the top and that's your cushion all done.  
My cushion measure's twelve inches square but you could make it any size you like.