Spinning Yarn Holder Review

I got this yarn holder for Christmas and thought I’d do a review so you could see how it works.

It’s magnetic which allows the yarn to feed out smoothly and I’ve found it to be an excellent choice compared to yarn bowls or the spindle type holders.

I’ve also tried pulling the yarn from the centre of the ball but that can soon become a tangle but it’s better than balls rolling around and falling on the floor. 

See the review by clicking the link to YouTube below: 

 https://youtu.be/hbVXfO-RiAA?si=ezb2roy6I5ZSwKdd

Happy crocheting!

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Cosmic Cal Blanket by Helen Shrimpton

I wanted to make a blanket to match the decor of one of our rooms in yellows and greens.Having made a Helen Shrimpton design before I thought the Cosmic Cal looked perfect.

I made it in the Harmony colourway using Stylecraft Special Double knit in lemon, pistachio, parchment, walnut and mustard.

Really well written pattern, lots of photo help and written descriptions, I particularly like the stitch count given at the end of each row or round so you know exactly what you should have and can easily correct errors before going on too far. 

You can find this pattern and many others for FREE! On Helen’s website: 

http://www.crystalsandcrochet.com/

 I’d been using the U.K. terms without photos  (so I could print the instructions only) however there wasn’t one for section 3 so had to use the US terms, not a problem, just needed to remember that they are different.

On round 52 and 53 I changed the stitch to UK half treble on the long side and left short side as UK treble as I want the blanket to be more rectangular that it I was looking.

Round 67 proved tricky for me, I struggled to get into the back loop of the picot stitches, kept breaking my thumb nail so opted to do it my way which proved a bit tricky getting the correct stitch count.

By now I wasn’t enjoying making it and it was big enough for my needs so I did a few rows of my own design and finished off.

This is no reflection on a fabulous well written pattern, just my personal experience.

Really happy with my finished blanket. Thank you Helen for sharing your beautiful patterns.

Happy crocheting!

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Kumihimo Braiding

Can’t believe how long it’s been since I last posted! Been too busy crafting 🙂

I tried my hand at Kumihimo braiding last year which I found really easy to do. It’s something you can easily carry around and do anywhere.

There are lots of free online tutorials my favourite was https://www.pacificpatina.com/braid-structures

I bought the disk as a kit on Amazon, it came with a good selection of cords in different colours.

Link to Amazon kit

Made a black and white one for grandson in his team colours - he loved it.

Experimenting with different colours and ways to tie, this green and yellow one is tied with a sliding knot so you can adjust to fit.

I used a fishing weight from hubby’s fishing kit, this really helped keep the tension right.

A raised spiral in purple and yellow was an interesting combination 

A tip to keep threads from tangling is to wind them on to ice lolly sticks, there was no shortage of those during the hot weather!

The one below is one of my favourite makes, I did it from a book called A Beginner’s Guide to Kuminhimo by Donna McKean-Smith (Buy it here on Amazon)  and I used end caps with lobster claw fasteners which I bought on eBay for a few pounds and 2mm cord in pink and purple also from eBay. 

I feel it looks really professional, there are 12 patterns in the book, some using beads with easy step by step photo tutorials. 

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying links

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Crochet Flower Blanket or Playmat Pattern Review

 Spoke Flower Blanket by The Crochet Fix.

This pattern was something I’d wanted to do for a long time so was really happy when I got time to get started.

It did start off a bit of a nightmare, nothing to do with the pattern which is extremely well written by the way, no it was me not reading it properly!

I got through the first full pattern repeat and all looked fine, it was nice and flat and looked really nice in the colours I’d chosen.

So I continued on but it started to pucker at one side of the spoke of each petal and twist around, like this ......

So I checked the pattern, felt sure I was right but undid it back to the dark purple where it had been fine.

Off I went again but the same thing happened, I thought maybe it would improve when blocked so carried on, but sadly it got worse and the puckering looked awful, no way was this going to come out with blocking.......

Sadly it was time to undo again! 😥

I nearly gave up, it was so much work to undo but decided to really sit and read the pattern again, I must be missing something and indeed I was, where the pattern called for UK treble/US dc down the side of each petal and UK half treble/US hdc hdc at the spoke, I was doing all half treble from the increase at the petal point! 

Studying the numbered round chart I had a eureka moment realising how I’d misunderstood. What a relief, it meant I could get back on track and actually finish it.

My advice is read, read, read, study, study,study. Look at the charts which give all the stitch counts for each round and you won’t go wrong. 

Here’s my finished blanket or it can be a baby playmat. It measures 36” across from point to point, worked in double knit on a 4mm hook.

I’ve also used the same pattern to make some placemats and coasters, doing just the first few rounds. For the small coasters I did just one colour each round, for the larger mat I did two rounds per colour.

An absolutely brilliant pattern and offered for free which is so kind bearing in mind the amount of work that must have gone into it. Thank you The Crochet Fix. 

Find the pattern on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spoke-flower-blanket




Happy crocheting!

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Rudolf Christmas Crochet Amigurumi and Soft Toy

Who doesn't love Rudolf!

Using the Reindeer Ralf rattle pattern which is free on Ravelry from Stip and Haak https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rammelaar-rendiertje-ralf

The pattern is really easy to follow and has photo instructions as well as written ones.

I made a Christmas tree decoration by using the basic pattern for the head but not attaching it to the rattle part. I made a tree hanger by making  a loop between the antlers. Using 4ply cotton yarn (Drops Safran) and a 3.5mm hook they came out a good size for a tree decoration.

I then made a large reindeer doll the same way but using a larger hook and DK yarn and  used my knowledge from making other soft toys to make a body and arms/legs to go with it.

I later found that Stip and Haak have a full pattern available for the same idea! So if you don't know how to do a body you can buy the pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rendier-ralf

They make lovely Christmas decorations and it's a shame they have to be put away in the loft for the majority of the year because they are so lovely!

Happy crocheting!

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Short Story by C.J. Brady crochet cowl pattern review

 I think this is one of my favourite C.J. Brady patterns, so quick and easy it can be made in a couple of evenings.

It is a cowl/infinity scarf which can be made larger around the neck if necessary, instructions in the pattern although I just did the basic pattern instructions and it fits me fine.

It has a panel in the centre with patterned edge which comes down to a point at the centre front.

I did make a mistake on my first one, on row 41 it gives the row instructions then says repeat twice, I thought this meant you do the instruction then repeat two more times, making three in total but it actually means do it twice only. If you study the diagram you can see how it looks. The mistake didn't spoil the cowl, unless you studied it and knew about the mistake you wouldn't know it was wrong so I didn't bother undoing it.

The pattern is well written with a diagram and stitch count chart. 

The first one I did in Cygnet Watercolour yarn, it is a double knit and made a warm cosy cowl. It took about 60g of DK so you can't quite get two from one 100g ball which is a shame.

I then made a second one which I called Short Story - The Sequel!

This one I did in a hand dyed merino and nylon 4ply sock yarn. It used about 40g. The colours looked lovely and really defined the pattern.

 The pattern can be bought on Ravelry or on CJ Brady's Etsy shop.

I've done quite a few of her patterns which you can find on the blog by searching the tag C.J.Brady

Happy crocheting!

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Crochet Lamb pattern review

Pookie_Doodle

I  made this little lamb from the free pattern I found via Ravelry.

The pattern is very easy to follow and well set out with clear instructions. I made it in a couple of evenings.

I couldn’t get the recommended yarn but did have a ball of Drops Boucle which I thought would be good for the fleece effect.

I found the Boucle impossible to crochet with though. I just couldn’t see the stitches and kept missing them and getting holes and mis counted rounds.

So I tried holding the yarn along with some cream 4ply I had and it made the stitch definition much better and actually gave the fleece a two tone look.

The face, ears and hooves were done in brown double knit.

I recommend following the instructions for defining the eyes, it really made a big difference to the face and also the yarn wrapping to make the split hooves, it really finished off the look.

Very pleased with the finished lamb.

Free pattern here:

 https://hobbii.co.uk/teddy-basserne

Happy crocheting!

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