My latest project

I have been very busy over the last few days because I have started a new project. It's another big one which will keep me busy over the next few months. I have always admired the crocheted african flower motif  with it's striking flower centre, surrounded by rounds of trebles finishing in a pentagonal or hexagonal shape. A few months ago I made a one off coaster in the design and knew that it was a motif I would want to go back to.

On Saturday morning I made my first hexagonal african flower motif and so began the start of my latest project! By the end of the weekend I had crocheted 7 motifs and using the join-as-you-go method joined them together to form a larger hexagon.

the first 7 motifs

I have continued making more motifs over the last few days and I am pleased with how it is coming together. Because each hexagon is joined onto the rest immediately after completion and the ends are being woven in at the time I have begun to use the blanket over my knees already. This way I can look at the colours and make decisions about which colours to use next as I am going along.

the first 13 motifs

I am not buying any new yarn for this project, instead I am using up my stash of pure wool. I keep it in a roomy canvas bag so I can see them tumble together, forming exciting new colour possibilities.

the first 17 motifs

I will write another blog post on this before the project is completed and in the meantime I will continue to post photos on my Instagram page - come and find me @mrsdaftspaniel 

Dundee Yarn Crawl

A few weeks ago my friend Jo posted a link on my Facebook page asking if I had been to 'Fluph', a yarn shop in Dundee. A week or so later I posted a link on her page, asking if she had been to 'The Knitting Pin', another Dundee wool shop. Several comments later we agreed we would do a yarn crawl of the 4 main Dundee wool shops!

After a little more organising, I caught the no. 73 bus into Dundee with Jo and her daughter, who loves to knit. I had my youngest and eldest sons with me too because they are just getting into knitting and crocheting. Our first stop was 'The Knitting Pin' up Albert Street (here is a link to their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Knitting-Pin/249792755194830?rf=263565830472270  ). We timed it well because my friend Liz, who had a greed to meet us there, had arrived moments before us. We spent a happy 20 minutes looking high and low at all the different wools. This shop is jam packed, bursting at the seams with hundreds of different types of yarn! There is something for everyone, and if you can't find what you are looking for the super friendly staff will help you. It was the owner's husband who was in charge today and he kindly gave the children lollipops too! I bought a ball of Sirdar Eco wool, DK which I have been using lately to dye with natural dyes.

inside The Knitting Pin

Next we strolled down the hill to the town centre (about a 15 minute walk). It was a sunny day and we all chatted away as we walked. We soon reached 'Wool Craft' which is a hidden gem in The Keilor Shopping Centre. The shop was very busy as usual, both with customers and stocks of wool everywhere! A large and unusual variety of knitting and crochet books were displayed for sale. There were special offers and bargain buckets too. I bought 4 little Anchor tapestry wools in different colours to fit into my latest granny square project. I can't find a website for the shop, but here is a link with a little more info and a map  https://plus.google.com/111923526296304615649/about?gl=uk&hl=en .

Wool shop no. 3 was only a 5 minute walk and we headed straight through the city centre towards it. Wool&co. is the newest of the Dundee wool shops and immediately we noticed how different it was to the others! The shop had a simple, uncluttered layout set against clear white walls. All the wool was set out beautifully on the shelves. There were some gorgeous knitting books and patterns on display too. We noticed that this shop also caters for machine knitters with lots of cones of wool. The yarn was high quality luxury brands, such as a large selection of Erika Knight wool (one of my favourite brands!), Blue Sky Alpaca and several types of Rowan wool, including their popular Big Wool. My youngest son spent his pocket money on a ball of Erika Knight's british blue wool and some bamboo needles to knit it with. This is a link to the shop's website  http://www.woolandco.co.uk/index.php .

me and my eldest, outside Wool&co.

From here we had another 15 minute walk (up hill this time) to 'Fluph' (here's a link to shop's Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/fluphshop ). I think our tiredness left us immediately as we entered the beautiful shop. We were full of wonder as we looked around at the beautiful wool and quirky handmade decorations. The wool was a mix of skeins and balls of pure wool, alpaca and silk. The owner Leona and her super cute cocker spaniel made us feel very welcome, inviting us to rest our weary legs on the comfy sofas and work on our current projects too.

concentrating in Fluph

While the others caught their breath I nipped across the road and attached a yarnbomb to the lampost. It was my first yarnbomb of the year and it felt good to put it up as everyone walked past or sped past on bikes and in cars. When I went back to the shop I bought 3 balls of Drops alpaca, 1 ball of Drops karisma and my sons bought a ball of Drops eskimo each.

yarnbomb on Blackness Rd, opposite Fluph

We left Fluph with our purses lighter and our bags bulging with wool agreeing it had been a fantastic morning, full of discovery!

Free crochet pattern - Shell Pattern Cowl

I am pleased to be able to share my first crochet pattern on my blog with you. This pattern has been thoroughly tested and I am happy to share it with you for your personal use. Please respect my original design and do not reproduce this pattern or the cowl made from it for your own financial gain. Happy hooking!

Shell Pattern Cowl by Marta Mitchell

the finished cowl

This lacy cowl is made with alpaca wool which feels luxuriously soft and warm against the skin. The frequent use of chain stitches makes the pattern quick to make up, and gives the cowl a light and airy feel.

Materials

3 x 50g balls King Cole Baby Alpaca, DK (approx 110yds/100m per ball) I used 501 “Fawn”

4.5 mm crochet hook

Tension

15 stitches, 6 rows in  a 10 x 10 cm square. The tension should be loose, move up a hook size if you crochet tightly.

Abbreviations (UK terms)

ch chain

chsp chain space

ss slip stitch

dc double crochet

tr treble

dtr double treble

dtrCl double treble cluster (see notes)

tr2tog treble 2 stitches together (see notes)

yrh yarn round hook

prev previous

Notes

dtrCl is produced by working 3dtr into the same space; hold back the last loop of each dtr on hook, yrh, pull through all loops on hook

tr2tog spans across the dtrCl of the previous round. Begin the tr2tog in final dtr of prev. round, holding on to last loop of tr on hook, skip dtrCl, tr in next tr, yrh, pull through all loops on hook. This creates an inverted “V” across the dtrCl.

detail of cowl

Pattern

Using 4.5 mm hook, ch 120, ss into first ch to form large ring (making sure it is not twisted)

Round 1  Ch3 (counts as 1tr), 2tr into same ch sp used to complete ring, *3ch, miss 4chs, dc into next ch, 3ch, miss 4chs, 5tr into next ch* repeat to end of round, finishing with 2tr in same ch sp as 1st 3tr of round, ss into 3rd ch of ch3 (completing the shell)  

Round 2 Ch6 (counts as 1dtr, 2ch), dtr into next tr, ch2, dtr into next tr, ch2, *dtrCl into dc, ch2, (dtr into next tr, ch2) 5 times* repeat to end of round, finishing with dtr into next tr, ch2, dtr into next tr, ch2, ss into 4th ch of ch6

Round 3 Ch5 (counts as 1tr, 2ch), tr into next dtr, ch2, *tr2tog over next 2 dtr spanning across dtrCl, ch2, (tr into next dtr, ch2) 3 times* repeat to end of row finishing with tr into next dtr, ss into 3rd ch of ch5

Round 4 Ch3 (counts as 1tr),2tr into same ch sp, *3ch, miss tr, dc into next tr, 3ch, miss tr, 5tr into next tr* repeat to end of round, finishing with 2tr in same ch sp as 1st 3tr of round, ss into 3rd ch of ch3 (completing the shell)

Continue with rounds 2 - 4 until work measures approx 30 cm, 6 repeats of the pattern, finishing with round 4. Fasten off.

Finishing off

Secure ends and weave in on reverse side. The cowl will benefit from blocking.

I hope you have enjoyed following this pattern. If you have any queries, please contact me at mrsdaftspaniel@gmail.com

Look out for more free patterns at mrsdaftspaniel.blogspot.co.uk

Follow me on Instagram @mrsdaftspaniel

Tag your work with #mrsdaftspaniel

Finishing Projects

I have written on here before about my tendency to have many different creative projects on the go. I have since found that it's common for crafters to do this, moving from project to project as their mood takes them. However, things have reached the point where I want to finish as many of my ongoing projects as I can before launching into the many fresh ideas I have!

Detail of completed blanket

The large granny square blanket I started in October was completed at the start of this week. The weather is still cold enough to snuggle under it in the evenings so I am happy to have finished it. I have very nearly crocheted a pixie hood, following an aran crochet pattern from Mollie Makes magazine. Also, I have almost completed a crochet pattern for a headband using Jenny Watson merino; there are a few changes required, but the design is almost there.

Another ongoing project is another large blanket I am making for my youngest sister and her husband. I am using up ends of wool to make granny square motifs so I can only work on it from time to time as I gather enough odds and ends together. My deadline is Christmas 2014 and I am confident it will be finished by then. On top of all these I am knitting my first pair of socks! Knitting doesn't come as naturally to me as crochet, so work on these is going to be slow. As long as they are finished by the autumn I will be happy, and so will my dad because I am making them for him!.

Work in progress, the blanket for my sister

I have good news on the Lemonadeyarns pattern competition I entered; I was chosen as one of the two winners! My wave pattern beanie hat crocheted using Erika Knight maxi wool was my winning entry. You can read all about it on the Lemonadeyarns blog ( http://www.lemonadeyarns.co.uk/blog/ ). This is an exciting opportunity for me because my pattern will be listed in the Free Patterns section of Lemonadeyarns' shop ( http://www.lemonadeyarns.co.uk/ ). I would like to thank everyone who has tested patterns for me, I really appreciate it!

Design, design, design

It's been all about designing this last week or so! Now that I have learnt how to write up my patterns in the traditional format I'm able to work faster from idea through to finished pattern. It seems that no sooner have I sent a pattern off to be tested that I start on the next one. I'm sure the sunny weather and the pretty spring flowers which are beginning to open up all around are helping with my creativity too.

Yesterday I emailed 3 lovely testers with my latest pattern. It was an amigurumi design which I had made a few times 4 or 5 years ago but I didn't know how to write it up at the time. I looked at how my original amigurumi was put together, counted the rounds and thought about the colours.

 My new amigurumi in the centre with the original designs either side

I decided to use my current favourite yarn; MilliaMia ( http://www.millamia.com/home.php there are a few free patterns on the website, worth a look!). I buy most of my yarn from UK based Lemonade Yarns ( http://www.yarnandcraftshop.co.uk/  free patterns on this website too!). There is a pattern competition running at the moment which might have something to do with my increase in designing too! The details are on the Lemonade Yarns facebook page if you are interested in finding out more  https://www.facebook.com/lemonadeyarns?fref=ts

Cover photo for my new design

This morning I received a free sample of wool from Emma at Lemonade Yarns. It was a ball of Jenny Watson, pure merino DK, a new line of yarn for her shop and I was keen to try it and see what it was like. The wool felt lovely and soft and not at all scratchy so I thought it would be perfect for a cosy headband. I began working on a cable sample straight away and I'm happy with it, ready to move things on to a bigger scale. 

Work in progress

I am extremely grateful for all the work my pattern testers do. There is always something obvious missing from one of my patterns and I appreciate these little mistakes being pointed out, making the final pattern just right for someone to pick up. For every pattern tested the tester's name will be added to a prize draw to receive a surprise parcel of homemade goodies from me. I will do this every six months. If you are interested in pattern testing for me please get in touch, I'd love to hear from you!

Half Term Crochet Project

I have been enjoying some personal crochet time recently which I have thoroughly enjoyed. The boys were off school for their half-term long weekend so we were out and about swimming, going to the cinema and spending pocket money! On the Monday morning I managed to catch up with my friend Gwen and her 2 children. Gwen brought her current crochet project with her, the cowl she is busy pattern testing for me. It was good to see the pattern taking shape and watch Gwen working on it. My eldest son sat with us and began a new crochet project (using my lovely 70% wool / 30% alpaca mix wool no less!), I took a sneaky photo of them working away.

Concentrating on crochet

My husband surprised me with a copy of Mollie Makes magazine for Valentine's Day (a very thoughtful gift!) and I loved the pixie hood pattern in it so much that I started straight away, using wool from my stash.

All ready to begin!

This pattern uses front and back post stitches to create a cabled effect which looks fantastic. The first few rows required extreme concentration but then it began to make sense and became much easier to follow. The pattern is available in Mollie Makes, issue 37 or directly from the book, Aran Nordic Fair Isle (ISBN 978-4021905278).

More pattern writing

I've been pattern writing again! This time for a 4 colour, pinwheel granny square. I'm using this pattern on a blanket I am making for my sister and brother in law. It's a multi coloured blanket, crocheted using odd balls of wool, mixed with some new fresher colours too. I thought it was time I wrote it down because I'm taking a short break from this project while I wait for more yarn to accumulate. I have an Instagram friend in Australia, called Lynda, who is working on a crochet mood blanket, crocheting 1 different square a day for a year. Her blanket is looking beautiful so far with so many different patterns and textures.  I asked if she would test out my pattern and she has kindly agreed. I really hope it works out, it would be lovely to see one of my designs on Lynda's blanket.

 Finished pinwheel granny square

I have also been working on my felt bunnies for Easter time. I'm having fun playing with different colours and patterns, these bunnies are fun to make!

Work in progress

The fabric for the ears and tummies is either vintage fabric which my mum has given me or modern scraps from my own stash. The fabric in this picture is Liberty scraps, leftover from a dress my mum made me when I was 5. I am so glad she hung on to all these little pieces!

I currently have a promotion on in my Folksy shop; as a special Valentine's offer, all orders will receive a FREE felt brooch! Offer ends Friday 14th Feb 2014 at midnight.

Promotional brooches

If you'd like to see any of my items for sale,  www.folksy.com/shops/martasecocrafts  is the link.