A Granny blanket for Granny

 Last year several friends in my Patchwork Group decided to make “Covid blankets”, either knitted or crocheted, using up yarn we had stashed away.

I love making crocheted Granny squares and started to use yarn I had tucked away, not a huge amount, which soon ran out. I made each square using two colours, alternating them to make squares 4 rounds big. 

I got so carried away, having to order extra brightly coloured yarn online from the Wool Warehouse.  I never counted the squares, just pushing them into a couple of large shopping bags. Then I ordered a pale cream coloured yarn to make a final crochet round for each Granny square and for joining them into a blanket. When I started to pull all the squares out of the shopping bags I was astonished at how many I had......FAR too many for one blanket! I made one lot of squares into a cuddly blanket which I gifted to our 10 years old granddaughter for Christmas. She really loves it, permanently on the sofa for when she snuggles under it to watch television.

The other squares were then turned into a blanket for me...  Granny blanket for Granny. I finished it a few days ago and it’s already had lots of use. We had some snow and very cold weather a few days ago and I’ve loved putting it over me in the evenings when we were watching television.

And here it is! Just counted the squares, a total of 143 squares. I think Annalise’s blanket  had an extra row, so that used 156. 

And here it is, all rolled up ready for use!

Hooked on crochet

I haven't done any crocheting for a long while but when I read Jan's post about making Granny Squares to sew into blankets for Papua New Guinea I decided to make some.  I have so enjoyed myself, I have literally been crocheting every minute I can. My daughter says I reminded her of Madame Defarge knitting at the foot of the guillotine.  Lovely!

No ends sewn in yet, I'll leave that until I either run out of yarn or energy and enthusiasm!

Jolly Santa decoration

A couple of years ago I received a Jolly Santa Christmas tree decoration from my bloggy friend Jo in Australia.

The other day she posted about some more Jolly Santas she had shown her Quilting Group how to make.  I had just decorated our tree with our GD so the crochet Santa was fresh in mind.
I left a comment on her post saying I would have to try to figure out how to make some myself.
Next day Jo kindly emailed me the pattern! What a lovely friend.

So yesterday I made one.  And here he is:

I'm really pleased with my first attempt. Jo and her group used Googly eyes and a little pompom nose but I just used what I had to hand - including a little bell which I had kept from a Lindt chocolate Easter Rabbit.  I'm going to give this to GD for their tree and make a few more for friends and family.

A few days ago, when I was hand quilting my current project, my Twinkler quilt, the end of the needle went straight through the top of my thimble!  I have had it for many, many years so I can't complain.  Yesterday  a few of my Patchwork Group visited a Quilt shop so I was able to buy a new thimble.  They didn't have the same design but did have one with the ridge around the top that I like, but the part that fits on my finger is rubber.  I tried it out last night and it's great.  The rubber really holds it well on my finger and it fits beautifully.

Old and new, side by side, ready for action this evening.

Crochet baby blanket finished

In an attempt to keep scraps down to a minimum by using them up I decided to make a striped crochet baby blanket.  I had almost a whole ball of grey left over from the striped baby cardigan I knitted recently and a friend gave me leftover balls of navy, red and white yarn. As I was about to pop them in the cupboard I had a change of plan:  why not crochet a baby blanket?

All made up as I went along.  I think I made a 100 chain before starting the double row of dc, using the four colours in turn and repeating the pattern of navy, grey, red, white.
The white ran out first but I managed to find an excellent match in my bag of yarn leftovers so then continued until the red came to an end. By this time the blanket was almost a square of a useful size and I had enough navy to crochet a border all the way round the blanket.

It finished at 29.5" x 31.5".  Not a perfect square but near enough to 'look' square until I measured it.

Another part of my gift for Amy's baby who was born a little early on Thursday. A baby girl, called India Reyna, such a pretty name. Can't wait to hand over all my gifts whenever that might be.

A close up:

 

The colours aren't completely true to their real colour.  The navy isn't as black as in the photo and the red is proper pillar box red not the rather orange shade of red it appears here.

 

I'm pleased with the blanket, soft and colourful, and drapes beautifully.  Just right to tuck around a baby in the pushchair or car seat. Hope Amy agrees.

Sorting and Sewing

I have been sorting out a few fabrics: 2 pieces I can use for backing my Happy Cats quilt and one for the pink Happy Blocks quilt top I put together some weeks ago.

I have trimmed all the little cat motifs ready to use in a future Happy Cats quilt, and created a Project Pack with the remaining cat fabrics and other fabrics I used in the one I am currently sewing together.
I also added chunks of leftover fabrics I used for framing the cat motifs.

 

Instead of putting the leftover scraps and chunks into different places in my stash they are being stored altogether which should make it easier and quicker to make another quilt.

I also added a note with the sizes I had cut the framing fabrics and popped that into the pack.

 

 

When I sorted through my cat fabrics looking for suitable ones for Happy Cats I found this strip of black and white whimsical cats.  It's been in my stash for many years as I never knew how I would use them.

 

 

Oops, this has been turned on end!

 

I ran out of time to do any more cutting but I will trim these into separate blocks and put together another Project Pack with bright solid fabrics for frames . 

I think this might make a Siblings Together quilt.

 

I have begun sewing together the rows for my Happy Cats quilt.  Hope to complete this later today.

 

In order to cut down on the amount for scraps and leftovers I have, I have decided to try to finish up more bits as I go along or make Project Packs.

When I finished the baby cardigans I was left with an almost full ball of grey and part of a ball of navy.  A friend recently gave me a full ball of navy (which looks the same colour as mine) and an almost full ball of red and white.  Instead of putting these away in my yarn stash I have started to crochet a striped baby blanket which can be used in the car or pushchair.

I started with a chain of 100 and am using a double row of dc to make each stripe.
Here's how it's looking so far:

 

The colours are brighter than the photo shows.  A real pillar box red and navy not as black as it looks in the photo.

 

 

Baby gifts ready to go

Well, baby Etta has arrived!  Born on 10th January, another granddaughter for my husband's cousin and his wife.

I was sure Mum Helen was having a boy and had a quilt set aside that I made quite recently.  However, I knew I had a couple of baby girl quilts in my cupboard so I didn't make another.

Surprise, surprise, along came baby Etta and out of my cupboard came this quilt:

When it was made, way back in March 2012 (I checked my Flickr quilts photos to check the date!)
I called it Emerging Butterflies.  However, I decided to re-name it now it has an owner, and it's now called "Patches in Pink". 

I made a really scrappy backing for this quilt which I was very pleased with at the time and I still love it now:

 

I am adding a crocheted stripey blanket that I recently made so that's going in the parcel with the quilt.

 

Helen is a great crafter herself so she will enjoy this gift, I am sure, and will appreciate the love and care that went into the making.

Can't wait to see them all and perhaps have a cuddle with a new baby!

 

Another Crochet baby blanket finished

I have now finished a second crocheted baby blanket, this time using stronger "boy" colours.

I'm pleased with it. This one is a little larger than the first one I made as I think I had more links in the chain - 81 this time. I couldn't remember how many I had in the first one.  It's s nice size, measuring 25" x 31", and I like the colours I used.  A few of them are the same as I had in the first blanket but I didn't use the mauve and the pinks, adding a burgundy, a cream and a bright lime green to make it more suitable for a boy.

Here it is:

 

 

And a Close up of the stitches and stripe colours:

 

 

 

This blanket is waiting with the girly version to see which will be needed for the new baby expected any day now.

Granny Stripe crochet baby blanket

I haven't done any crochet for almost five years but I avidly follow Attic24's blog. I love Lucy's vibrant use of colour in everything she makes - it makes my mouth water.

One of my Patchwork friends Sarah is also an Attic24 follower and she took the plunge a while ago to make some stripey blankets, firstly based on Lucy's pattern and then on another idea she saw on the Little Woollie blog.  Sarah and I both love Lucy's Ripple Blanket and have desperately tried to follow the pattern, Sarah more successfully than me.  I was so disappointed - I really dislike things beating me!  Then Sarah suggested I tried the Granny Stripe pattern from Lucy's blog as she thought I would be able to manage that one.

So I have.  And I'm thrilled.  I decided to try a sensible size to start with and not throw myself in at the deep end with a full sized blanket.  I have had great pleasure in making a baby sized blanket.  With the edging it measures 22" x 27" which will be a nice size for a new baby.  One of our cousin's daughters is expecting a baby on New Year's Day so if Helen has a girl, this woolly blanket will be gifted as well as a quilt.

Ta dah!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

I  am so pleased with this blanket I have started another one in "boy colours" in case Helen has a little boy.  I have been confined to the house for the past few days because I have a horrid cold so in between spells of  resting in bed I have hooked away, enjoying watching the stripes grow.

 

Stay tuned for another finish.......................  eventually.  There is Christmas coming up after all.

 

In the meantime I am off to sew handles onto the two patchwork bags I have made.  These have to be handed over tomorrow as I am meeting up with my sister for a present swap.  The bags are for two of her grandchildren.