A Beautiful Blanket.

Well I think so even if I do say so myself and I have really enjoyed making it too.  This blanket has so much going for it...

1. It's interesting because it's made up of lots of different elements.
2. Each element doesn't take too long to complete. 
3. You finish it quickly because you can't wait to get started on the next bit.
4. Each stitch is easy.
5. The pattern is easy to follow.
6. You can use any type of yarn and any weight.
7. It's easy to adapt to the size you want.
8. You can go mad with colour and let your creativity flow.
9. It's a great stash-buster you can use up all your little bits of leftover yarn.
10. Because it's made in sections you weave in the ends as you go so at the end there are only the last few to deal with.
11. You join as you go so there is only the last section and the border to finish at the end.
12. As it's made in sections it's a portable project too.
13. The completed blanket looks amazing.

Have I convinced you? 😉

Be prepared for visual overload, sunglasses may come in handy.....

This is Zooty Owls Wade's Blanket which was originally a CAL you can find the links to all parts of the blanket here

Stats...

I made mine larger by increasing the number of rows on the side panels, I also substituted  the traditional granny square with the flower in a square motif which I used in my Violet Meadow blanket the reason being I had some of the little cog wheel centres left over from that blanket, you see everything comes in handy at some point. 

I used stash Dk acrylc yarn and a 4.50 mm crochet hook.

The blanket measures 4 ft by 6 ft.

It took 1100 grams of yarn a very satisfying stashbust.

This blanket will be going to Operation Orphan.

Thank you to Zooty Owl for such a lovely pattern, she currently has another CAL in progress Rainbows After the Rain blanket and Poncho, the third part has just been published this week. I will be making that one too just as soon as I've finished my present wips all involving some of those cones I mentioned here. To be honest it's a great excuse to use my new wool winder it's so much fun.😊

Have a great weekend.

A Welcome Reprieve

After days of persistent rain we took advantage of the one decent day in the week to visit Crook Hall Gardens in Durham....

This was the first trip organised by the new Garden Group which has just been set up by the Seaham U3A. We will be visiting more lovely gardens  this Summer and I can't wait, what can be more pleasurable than strolling through beautiful gardens with the promise of a lovely lunch at the end. 😊

If you have never heard of the U3A you can read all about it here, chances are there will be one near you. You can join if are over 50, retired or semi retired and I can highly recommend it. Make sure you have a big diary because you will soon be swept up into a flurry of activity, joining new groups and making new friends you will wonder how you ever had the time to go to work.

Have a great weekend. 

A Huge Donation and Lots of Inspiration.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a lady who wanted to donate some yarn to our Loving Hands group.  She had found it while clearing out her parents home, one of the members collected it and passed it on to me last week, I wish I had taken a photo of it when it was stashed into my car, it filled the boot and the passenger seat, here is just some of it placed on my window sill...

I gave up counting after I got to 100 hundred cones. There is a mix of 1 ply and 4 ply in cotton, acrylic, wool and wool mix.  A few members of  the NELH group met at my home on Tuesday and took some and I'm sure more will shared when the rest of the group can get to see it.

Of course working with such fine yarn is a pain for me, as you all know I like quick and easy which means I will have to use several strands at once when I'm working with it and to do that a lot of winding action will need to take place.  The obvious conclusion was of course I needed to buy a wool winder ...

I'm having so much fun using this I love the lovely neat little yarn cakes it makes.....

As you can imagine coming into so much yarny goodness is like winning the yarn lottery for a stashaholic like me and idea's of how to use it spin around my head like crazy, I can picture a lot of lovely blankets, hats, scarves and other yummy makes spinning off my hook in the future and now everything I'm seeing online is a distinct possibility.  This is what has inspired me today...

A lovely Lapghan made by Olga from Lacy Crochet the new pattern is now available for purchase.

Pom Pom hat a free pattern from  Yarnspirations

Crossing Paths scarf a free pattern from the crochet crowd

I'm thinking that anything is possible with this yarn all I need to do is use as many strands I need to get the correct tension, it will be a bit hit and miss but the beauty of making things for charity is whatever the size, there will be a home for it somewhere. 

Before I move onto something new I must finish what I'm working on now it's a blanket and I'm using these colours...

It's a riot of colour, sunglasses will definitely be needed at the big reveal.

You can see the all great projects the NELH group have made here

Have a great weekend. 😊