Two Finished Projects!

Hello! I am back this week with two finished projects to share with you! Firstly, my Skimming Stones Shawl and secondly, with the yarn leftover, my Malvern Cowl. As well as using the same yarn, both patterns were written by the same designer, Joanne Scrace!

finished Skimming Stones Scarf

finished Malvern Cowl

Kat Goldin and Joanne Scrace together form The Crochet Project and back in June they hosted a Mystery Crochet Along (MCAL) with the Skimming Stones pattern. Each week for 5 weeks a small part of the pattern was released without a single photo of what the finished shawl would look like! Hundreds of people joined in and there was a lovely community feel in their private Facebook Group and on Instagram.

detail of Skimming Stones Shawl

The recommended yarn for the MCAL was Carlisle Fingering by Eden Cottage Yarns and there were special kits available online. There was an alternative yarn suggestion, Milburn 4ply (85% blue faced leicister/ 15% silk), and I decided to go with this because I preferred the more solid looking colours. I bought the kit with 6 balls (2x main colour, 1x each of the 4 contrast colours) and also an extra ball of pale pink because I felt like mixing things up a little! This yarn was a joy to work with - it felt so soft and luxurious against my hands. I had a lot of fun following along with this project and enjoyed watching the unusual shape develop. I was a bit of a rebel and chose to ignore the set pattern of colours and introduced each colour in a random yet pleasing order.

edge detail

When I had finished my shawl I looked at how much yarn I had left, and together with the ball that came in the kit but didn't use, I reckoned I had enough to crochet a Malvern Cowl. I had had my eye on this pattern for a while and felt it would be a fantastic way to use up all of my yarn. The spike stitches give this pattern a real edgy look which I love and the stripes quickly built up to form the cowl. One change I made to the pattern was to twist the tube shape before sewing together to help to give it drape (I wasn't using the recommended yarn here and it was feeling slightly too rigid).

detail of Malvern Cowl

So, there you have it; two cosy items for winter crocheted out of 7 balls of yarn with next to nothing left over and I am really pleased with them both!

Marta xx

Back to blogging ...

Hello! I have been a bit quiet on here over the summer due to wonderful weather, school holidays, days out, running a holiday club at church, family visiting from London and all the little day to day things that pop up in the summer months! So, here I am, schools are back, the weather is just beginning to turn and I am refocussing on my blog and my business! In this blog post I would like to share some of the projects that I have completed over the summer and a few of my current WIPs.

3 little cakes

I made these little cakes from a DMC Natura amigurumi kit and they were such fun to crochet!

toddler size socks

These toddler size socks for my niece were super quick to crochet up! I used Paint Box Yarns sock wool and mostly followed a Kat Goldin pattern with a change of heel design to add in a gusset.

Skimming Stones Shawl

 I couldn't resist joining in with The Crochet Project's MCAL, it was amazing to feel part of a big group of like minded people via Instagram and the Facebook group. I used Milbury 4ply (85% BFL, 15% silk) from Eden Cottage Yarns

unicorn!

Another one for my niece - a unicorn that I designed as I went along using up cotton from my stash.

Malvern Cowl

After the MCAL I had some yarn left over so I crochet a Malvern Cowl following Joanne Scrace's pattern, one I have had my eye on for a while!

Mitred Square Blanket

Since early summer I have been working on this Mitred Square Blanket using up scraps from my 4ply stash.  I knit 1 or 2 squares every day and it is slowly growing - hoping to be finished to gift this at Christmas time!

Hoooked project

This jute Hoooked yarn is a recent WIP - it's a bowl/ basket type thing, creating as the feel of the project takes me so I am not sure how it will end up yet.

more socks!

We have taken quite a few train trips this summer and I have always taken my crochet or knitting with me! I have begun another pair of Fallen Leaves socks by Vicki Brown using Cascade Yarns Heritage Prints.

on the train

Here I am on the train to Aberdeen with my knitting (I was knitting a square for my Mitred Square Blanket).

outside Wool For Ewe

Once in Aberdeen we walked out to Rosemount to visit Wool For Ewe - one of my favourite yarn shops! Here is my hubby just before popped in to squish all the yarn!

current project

Well, that take me up to my current project, an aran weight granny square blanket! This one is a stash buster, using up lots of random balls of aran I had accumulated (and perhaps buying a few more along the way!).

Now that I am re-establishing my term time routine I will be back with more regular updates so stay tuned,

Marta xx

What have I been up to this April?

April has been a busy month for me! I have mostly been crocheting, gardening, school holiday day tripping, pattern writing, enjoying family birthdays, taking photos, celebrating Easter, cooking, baking and a bit of DIYing (if that's a word!). I haven't had time to sit down and blog properly so here is a quick, mostly visual, summary of what I've been up to.

I crocheted 2 baby cardigans!

This is the Callander Cardigan by Joanne Scrace 

The weather has been fab so we have been outdoors most days.

This would be an excellent photo shoot location.

2nd crocheted cardigan, Wolf by Kat Goldin

(only my version is a monkey!)

Easter Sunday was also my birthday!

I made this Easter cake with swiss meringue buttercream icing!

Our homemade Easter tree

... and Easter Monday was my youngest son's birthday!

We planted out this old sink with flower seeds.

I celebrated 1 year with my crochet companion Jazz!

Cake and coffee with my boys at the Two Sister's Cafe, 

Carnoustie

A mystery collaboration I am currently working on.

More details coming very soon!

I have fresh ideas for future blog posts and I will be back soon with more updates, but until then, happy crafting!

Marta xx

2015VAL

One of my Instagram friends, @craftyrie, had launched a challenge called #2015VAL, encouraging people to start making something for themselves this Valentine's Day and a new hat just for me seemed an ideal choice for joining in the fun! The wind has been icy cold here for the last 4 or 5 days so I decided that a new hat was just what I needed to keep myself warm when I am out and about.

 chosen colours next to Kat Goldin's book,

 'Hook, Stitch and Give'

I had followed Kat Goldin's Slouch and Bobble hat pattern a few times (in fact I wrote a blog post about it in September 2014) and then given away the finished beanies as presents. I looked forward to making and then wearing my own hat in this style.

the start of the new hat

I quickly remembered just how fast this beanie hat works up and before I knew it I was half way to finishing! I looked to see how much yarn I had left and realised there was not going to be enough to make the hat as slouchy as I wanted so I ripped it all back to the start. When I began again I used the contrast colour for the ribbed headband, changing for the darker purple for the main body of the hat. I could quickly estimate that this would work out and surprised myself by finding this combination even better than the first!

contrast rib

I used Erika Knight vintage wool, an aran thickness pure wool, made in the UK which I had used for several projects in the past and I chose here for warmth without being itchy! I used 2x 50g hanks of "mulberry" and 1x 50g hank of "pretty". 

purple progress

finished beanie hat

I really enjoyed spending a little bit of time making something to keep for myself and it was lovely to see the projects other people chose to make for themselves too.