For anyone who, like me, needs a smile put on their face today… amigurumi bear and bunny singing The Beatles ‘Twist and Shout’ while playing ukuleles! I dare you to try not to smile!!

Source:  KerokerokingDX (I first saw them on Craftzine)

I can’t hide the fact that I became a little obsessed with the Circles Scarf from Inside Crochet Magazine, issue 11, designed by Linda Permann – I’ve raved on and on about it often enough on here!  In a bid to share the love I have posted before about how that actual pattern can be found, but there are some other versions of the same technique that can be used to give similar or alternative effects too.  So read on if you don’t mind that you too may become hooked!

The design and pattern for the Circles Scarf are by Linda Permann and she has written a post about it on her own blog found here!  Linda has said that in a few months she will be able to offer the pattern for sale as a pdf file, but in the meantime it is available in a digital copy of Inside Crochet magazine on Yudu.  It will cost £4.99 on Yudu, which is the same price as the paper copy of the magazine when it was published, so no loss buying it that way.

Following my last post about the pattern I was contacted by Sunshine to tell me that this technique is called yo-yo crochet!  Not only is it shown on her website, Sunshine’s Creations, she’s written a book about it called Learn to do Yo Yo Crochet! 

I found that details of how to use this technique aren’t widely available online, but I did find this free pattern, on free-crochet, that uses it in a square form which can be adapted into other shapes or rows fairly easily.  You need to register to download this pattern, but it’s worth it if you want to know how.

And there’s more… a flickr group too!  The group contains many different styles using this technique, some of which aren’t in my taste [sorry], or my types of colours, but they show off the technique very well.

I’ve also found it called a ‘medallion’ too, but both medallion and yo-yo crochet have many different variations so it’s not as easy as googling it to find instructions on how to create it.

I found a basic description of the technique on Patchwork Crochet, if you scroll waaaaaaay down to the bottom of this page.  It also shows you how to add a border around the circles to give a different type of finish.

And finally, the lovely Heather has been trying really hard to track down the issue of Inside Crochet with the circles scarf pattern in it and eventually got a copy on Ebay! 

So, I hope this info gets you up and running with the technique.  If you grow to love it as much as I do leave a comment or send a link to your site.

I was so excited a couple of months ago to get a message from Inside Crochet magazine to see if they could use my picture of the Circles Scarf I have raved on and on about in their Readers Gallery!  ‘Of course’ I said!!!

Well today I bought a copy of Inside Crochet magazine, Issue 14, and turned first to the Readers Gallery.  There it was, my scarf picture taken on a fence post in Yorkshire on our hols last autumn!

The text said:

‘Above: We’re big fans of Louise Bromley’s beautiful circles scarf (Issue 11)’

Louise Bromley?  That’s not me!  But it’s my picture! 

Ah well, these things happen.  I can still say my scarf was in the magazine!

Want to know a secret?  I’m very naughty!  I have never, ever made a tension square before.  When I knitted I didn’t.  Since I have been crocheting I haven’t.  Until now!

Thankfully I’ve never had a problem with stitch tension.  In fact I am rather proud, if I say so myself, at having what could be classed as a very standard and even tension and projects have always come out as intended.

So why start now?  The Crochet Club project I am just about to start isn’t critical on size in terms of fit, but I have been soooooo impatient to get started it was a way to get started.  It also let me try out the yarn (Rowan Cotton Glace) which I really like!  It’s quite a dense cotton that has really crisp stitch definition and isn’t very ‘splitty’ compared to some other cottons.

So how did I measure up?  The advised tension for this project is 21.5 stitches x 24 rows over 10cm square using a 3mm hook in double crochet.  I got 21 stitches x 25 rows.  I think that’s close enough for jazz!

I was woken from my beauty sleep very early today!  7.50am!!  It was still dark!  A very jolly post man arrived on my doorstep with this box for me:

While I was very excited, it was very early for me and I was barely awake.  I was very good and put it down and went back to bed.  But when I got up again I had a real treat!

This box contains all the yarn for the Jane Crowfoot Crochet Club 2011 (from now on called the Crochet Club or CC as its too much to type every time!).  Want to see what’s inside?  Look away now if you’re in the Club, so to speak, and don’t want to spoil the surprise if you haven’t received your box yet…

How gorgeous is all that yummy, scrummy yarn?  What gorgeous colours?  How much crochet?  What have I taken on? 

I’ll post more pictures of the yarn as things go along, but was just so excited about opening the box and sharing the contents!

In the mail today there was nothing scary and no bills! Just two envelopes, one large and one small and both with lovely contents!

The large one contained two things I ordered from Pavi Yarns earlier this week.  I am very jealous that fellow crocehteers across the pond seem to have so many more crochet magazines and yarns available to them, many of which aren’t available in the UK (I haven’t looked at shipping to the UK as I know that could be a slippery slope!).  However, I really liked the look of the Interweave Crochet Accessories magazine, published last autumn and found it was stocked by Pavi Yarns in the UK. 

I have made this collage below of my favourite projects from the magazine, which are all shots taken from the pages, showing just a few of the really lovely patterns it contains:

How much do I love all of these projects?   LOTS!!  And I have to say these are only a few of man interesting and lovely ones included.  There is a great selection of winter accessories, including a few crochet socks which I have never tried.  I don’t know which project I will chose first!!  Which ones do you like?  The only problem I foresee is matching UK available yarns with the patterns, but for most accessories this doesn’t matter too much as size isn’t critical.

Stashed in the envelope with the magazine were some tiny stitch markers that I have needed for a long time.  Until now I have used plastic split rings which really just didn’t do the job adequately, so as a result I avoided using them and often relied on guess work!  Not recommended!  These little lockable ones by Clover look much more sensible!

What was in the little envelope?  A homemade Christmas card with a beautiful crochet snowflake from my lovely blog friend Anca, at Happy Hang Around!  Thanks Anca xx