This week I got a parcel of shiny new crochet goodies I had ordered from PurpleLinda Crafts  (highly recomended for huge stock, quick shipping and only £1.99 postage for the whole order). 

As I only had a couple of  crochet hooks (including a broken one!) I bought a set of Prym soft handle hooks, 2mm-6mm, along with a couple of larger plastic hooks, 8mm and 10mm.

I also got a few balls of Patons 4ply 100% cotton.  I hope to crochet some string shopping bags and delicate bracelets and pendants and thought this would not be too fine or difficult for a relative beginner to work with.

As usual I picked my usual favourite types of colours, in strong earth tones.  With my new selection of hooks, lovely coloured yarn and lots of ideas, I’m certainly not losing my new passion for crochet any time soon!

I’ve been putting my new-found crochet skills to good use and completed my first project.  My Curly Wurly Scarf is a variation of lots of twisted crochet items I’ve seen and developed to form this pink and grey scrummy scarf just for me!

So here’s how it came about:

Materials:

Pink Double knitting: not very much, enough for foundation chain and one double crochet row

Grey Double knitting: not very much, enough for 2 double crochet rows

Pink/Cream/Grey: I needed just over one ball but would probably make scarf a little shorter next time and use just one ball.  I used Sirdar Crofter DK Fair Isle

Make foundation chain, to length you want scarf, in pink (mine was 72inches but would probably go a bit shorter next time)

Row 1: 1 turning chain, then start dc in 2nd chain and dc in each chain of foundation chain, turn

Row 2: Join grey. 1 turning chain, then start dc in 2nd chain and dc in each dc, turn

Row 3: Join Fair Isle. 3 turning chain (counts as 1tr), 2tr into same place, then 3tr into every dc, turn (I did try just 2tr into each dc but found in this yarn it didn’t create any twist)

Row 4:  4 turning chain (counts as 1dtr), 1 dtr into same place, then 2dtr into each tr, turn

Row 5: Join grey. 1 turning chain, then start dc in 2nd chain and dc in each dtr, fasten off.

That’s it!  A curly wurly scarf!!  I have lots of ideas on curly wurly colour combinations so there may well be more.  It was fairly quick to make, although row 4 took quite a while to complete.

I am delighted with the result of this and look forward to wearing it with lovely grey woolies this winter!

There’s no easy way to say this.  It’s over! Another has won my heart.  I know it’s only been 2 weeks but it’s the real deal with crochet.  Over the years you’ve tied me in knots and I never truly understood how you worked.  I’ve tried and I’ve given it a good shot, and many times I managed, but crochet makes sense to me, its logical and and I always know where I stand.

You are so demanding; long needles, a big bag to carry you in, patterns where I need to constantly write down where I’m up to.  It’s all just too much.  I need more freedom and crochet gives me it with one little needle it even fits in my pocket and is so flexible and forgiving.

There may be times when you tempt me back, but it will only be a fling.  Don’t beg or plead or try to win me back.  I may come willingly, I may even let you and crochet get together, wouldn’t that be fun.

Don’t be too sad, move on.  It was fun while it lasted.

How long is it since you saw teabags that are square and still stuck together when you open the box?  I always wondered what they did with the corners when they cut the circles out for round ones!!  These Yorkshire tea bags are a lovely and nostalgic touch of common sense!

It’s only been one week since I learned to crochet but I’ve not stopped since!!

I finished the first granny square and then made another 3, and even took yarn and a hook with me when I was on holiday this week!  Although the colours and yarn combinations below aren’t necessarily the best, I am rather pleased with the results. 

As I liked the granny squares so much, and think they could be very versatile, I bought a great book called ‘200 Crochet Blocks for blankets, throws and afghans’.  It is full of great combinations of stitches, colours and patterns with ideas on combinations of squares that work well together to create a full project.  Each pattern has a rating of difficulty which helps too, and all the blocks should come out the same size so can be easily combined.

I chose a fairly simple pattern to start with and got going and I’m really pleased with the results. I’ve got lots of things I want to make the squares into and plan to start scarves and cushion covers initially.  I also plan to try a more lacy pattern next.

Squares and blocks will be a great way to use up small scraps and balls of yarn left over from other projects so I’m looking forward to using up some of my stash, but I must tryvery hard to use colour comibinatons tastefully!

As if I hadn’t had enough yummy tea and cake this week we decided to go to the Sweet Tooth Cupcakery in Chorlton this afternoon.  Wow, what a selection of cupcakes!!  Most of the cakes have celeby names,  including Dita Von Teese, Kylie and Quentin Crisp.  The shop has a cute and quirky 1950’s interior including Formica tables!

As the shop was quite busy we chose a few cakes to take home, in a box tied up with ribbon, where Caveman produced the most beautiful tea set and we had tea in the garden!!!   We had (clockwise from top left below) a Kylie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Mint Royale and a Barbara Windsor, which was my personal favourite as I just love lemon.

The cake was light and fluffy and tasty with rich, sweet icing.  Kylie and Priscilla had raspberries through the sponge which was really yummy! 

And just 10 minutes later it was almost like they’d never been there…