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Showing posts from 2018

Mustard Granny Square Blanket

Mustard Granny Square Blanket Amanda Hurrell Eight-by-Six© a pdf pattern can be purchased on my Etsy Ravelry and Loveknitting links via Instagram

Crochet cushion

I finished my crochet cushion cover last night and I'm so happy with the way its turned out. The Stylecraft Simply DK yarn is just perfect and having a bag of left over yarn from my two blankets makes it not only a quick satisfying project but a cost effective one too. I found the pretty glitter buttons in John Lewis at Blue Water last night, 2 packs is all it needed. Simple and scumptious and added to my Macmillan alternative coffee morning draw for next week. The cushion inner was purchased from Dunlem and the size I worked to was 37 cm square. Its the perfect size too for layering up your cushions on your sofa. I have three in various sizes with the granny square cushion in the front. Think chilly days curled up on the sofa, perfect. I'll be writing up the pattern release this weekend to upload to my Ravelry and Loveknitting shops next week. Its going to make a brilliant present, I'm planning on making these for friends for Christmas! my new granny square cush

Granny square blanket for my Macmillan coffee morning

And here it is having its final row on the border. I totally love this blanket and will definitely be making another one, probably next year as I've got one custom blanket order and my hat to knit! Too many projects and not enough time, sadly. But I do manage to get a lot done in a short space of time. Use your time wisely is the key. If you live in the UK there is still time to donate here and here it is waiting for the final picot edge to be added

Mustard blackberry stitch beanie

My latest blackberry stitch beanie is available to buy from my Etsy shop I've hand knitted this using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. Its beautifully soft, keeps you warm without itchy scratchy yarn! Pop over to my shop to see this and my other knitted autumn makes  My Etsy shop mustard makes

Pinwheel cushion

Wow I'm just loving this new pattern, isn't it fabulous? The first 9 rows set the pattern then its quite easy to follow without the need for a pattern. It looks so cool in mustard and I plan to make more. You can find the pattern on Etsy under Ivy and Mabel (Angie) And some of my mustard makes on my Instagram account Pinwheel cushion my mustard makes

Autumn is in the air

Don't be fooled by the warm sunshine during the day, Autumn is just around the corner and cosy nights in front of the tv. My colours are reflecting the changing seasons with warm hats on my needles and warm blankets on my hook. Some photos of my progress shorts

August 2018 a colourful month

Goodbye August a colourful and surprising productive month. I finished a crochet shawl, Amma granny square top and started s new one, started a new stripe knitted jumper, finished my cactus tea cosy pattern and started my Macmillan granny square coffee morning granny square blanket 🌸

My Macmillan coffee morning

I hatched an idea yesterday, like you do when you have an extra day off! And it involves yarn and crochet, my two most favourite things.  Normally I bake for Macmillan coffee morning, this year I am holding an alternative coffee morning via my Just Giving Page here  My blanket journey started 5 years ago when my dad was first diagnosed with cancer and I’d learnt to crochet. I started with a granny stripe blanket taking it along to my dads hospital appointments. I was amazed at how many people stopped to look at me crocheting all the bright colours, it wasn’t a gloomy visit, far from it. At the end of my dads treatment I gave him the blanket which he still uses today. I decided that rather than bake this year I’d crochet instead - one of my Orla Kiely 1970s inspired blankets, big and cosy for autumn nights in front of the tv.  Its so easy, I'm doing all the hard work, all you need to do is pledge £2 to be in the draw to win my blanket. And live in U.K. (due to high postage co

my crochet blanket stack

August, summer, mmm not so sure. After the heatwave we had that last for a month here in the UK, today's weather resembles Autumn! Definetely a blanket cosy on the sofa day if I wasn't working. Oh well just have to snuggle underneath one when I get home, I think it will be my Orla Kiely one, its my top favourite at the moment. Granny blanket stack Saying that I do have one blanket on the go, like it when the weather turns chilly and I can watch TV and snuggle under it keeping me warm whilst i add more rows. my new Orla Kiely inspired granny square blanket I think I will make another one of my rainbow blankets next, tempted to start one tonight. Optical illusion my favourite rainbow granny square blanket

Granny Square Day 2018

Granny Square Day is an international online celebration on Instagram, which began back in 2014 by Susan Regalia ( @suregal27   on Instagram). Susan had just learned to crochet and was enamoured with the cheerful little granny square, and the idea of having a Grannysquare Day was born. Making it should be a public holiday too, now wouldn't that be fabulous. I plan to crochet a few more traditional granny squares in my lunch break and tonight too. Preparation for Granny Square Day 2018 Anyone can get inbolved. The rules for Grannysquare Day are simple: on  Wednesday 15th August , take a photo of a granny square (a 4-round traditional granny works best but feel free to be as creative as you want) and crop it so that the single square fills the entire screen of your post. Be sure to include the hashtag  #grannysquareday2018  in your post, so that everyone can see all the different types of squares! my little stack of granny squares One of the best things about Gra

Cactus Tea Cosy

Yeah my new cactus tea cosy pattern is now live you can buy it here at  Love Knitting . I've knitted mine in Debbie Bliss yarn but you can use any DK weight held double. This weekend I'll be adding my Cactus giveaway over on my Instagram account. Happy Knitting. Amanda x

Buttermilk Herb Pots

handy herb pots Look at these fabulous new herb pots by Sophie Conran. Made from galvanised steel and finished in a beautiful buttermilk powder coating, they fit perfectly on my kitchen window sill. The herbs are so handy now on my kitchen window sill and perfect for summer cooking. I have herbs in containers in the garden and veg patch but having them in the kitchen is so convenient and they look great too.  If you'd like to grab a set you can buy them here  Buttermilk Herb Pots Set of three. Dimensions :  W 38cm, D 13.5cm, H 12.5cm

Summer Solstice longest day

How will you be spending your extra time? Me, well I'll be crocheting a new blanket in the garden tonight my Orla Kiely blanket pattern and sipping some of my special artisan gin I made at the end of 2017 my artisan gin Perfect!

My yarn cupboard

I've been searching forever for ceramic knobs for my vintage pine tall boy when I found these at  Mango Tree They are function, funky and colourful, don't you just love them (I know I do) Go grab yourself some basic tools, screwdriver (for removing the old handles) and maybe plyers and/or an electric drill. We needed to drill the holes a tiny bit wider to accommodate the new gorgeous ceramic knobs but you might not need to. All 12 ceramic knobs were on the cupboard doors in about the same time it takes to make a cup of tea! a lovely place to store my hand made blankets Now to save some time and a lot of elbow grease (after all you want to enjoy the transformation) I used this furniture polish that contains bees wax and looks like I've spent hours waxing the cupboard, when I didn't. I'm not endorsing the polish, just giving my honest opinion of a good value product. Its called Wood Silk and you can find it in Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys for £1.50, bargain!

If at first you don't succeed

Try try again. Not one to usually listen to my own advice (seriously) last night I decided to revisit an old UFO/WIP that I started last April (I think). OK so I was supposed to be pattern testing and I've apologised to the lovely design many many times but I just couldn't get past a 31 row zig zag lace panel decrease. I know what I was doing wrong but late night knitting was proving a stumbling block so it went back into its bag ready to re surface when I was ready. One night last week I was ready and it came out and guess what? Yes, I conquered my fear of the 31 row lace panel and managed to knit 20 rows, yeah! Not only am I in love with this pattern again Follow Your Dream Shawl but I'm also head over heels in love with the Scheepjes Whirl Yarn again that I bought from Lynn at Lusciously Loopy Here is my shawl in progress last week, just a few more evenings and it will be ready to block then wear. About to start the lace panel again lace panel completed

upclying and granny blanket pile

Over the weekend our son decided he no longer wanted his pine furniture in his bedroom, we bought it in 2003 when we moved to our current house. I remember it being delivered along with the removal men turning up, after we thought we'd lost them and the entire contents of our previous home! I needed another pine cabinet to put my t-shirts and jumpers in so was happy to have it moved into our bedroom. You don't get a lot of storage space with new builds these days (ours is 17 years old this year) A bonus came in the shape of his tripod table lamp complete with grey lamp shade. I've had my eye on this since he bought it in TK Max a few years ago. You've got to love a bit of up-cycling. Maybe some new handles would look better, I feel a trip to TX Max! new home for my granny blankets So my granny blankets now have a new home, and I wake up to this view every morning. Not a bad view and maybe room for one more!

daisy granny square cushion

I'm joining in with a Spring theme and almost finished the front of my daisy granny square cushion. The weather was so warm last week and the weekend, too hot to sit under my current crochet blanket project. The granny square pattern is from the lovely book by Susan Pinner called Granny Squares . I use it a lot, its lovely book to look at for inspiration and the projects are pretty and practical, I leave it on my sofa corner to pick up and read. I'm using up yarn stash scraps of my Debbie Bliss Rialto DK left over from the Cath Kidston blanket I'm working on. Now the temperature has dropped I can carry on adding rows this evening! daisy daisy daisy granny square cushion front Happy crochet and hope the sun is shining where you are today - Amanda x

Tankerton Slopes beach huts

On Saturday we decided to make the most of the weather and headed off to Tankerton Slopes near Whitstable on the Kent coast. It's well worth a visit for the views a the top sof the slopes, the beautiful old (and new) beach huts, local shops and cafes. It has a shingle beach with timber groynes and sand and at low tide it is possible to walk out to sea on a natural causeway known as 'The Street'. At this state of tide there is a fair bit of sand and a few rock pools to explore. It was quite misty when we arrived and the tide was on the turn but we managed to walk The Street  strip of sand and Moss had a dip in the sea with a new friend he met. beach hut Whitstable and Tankerton Slopes are only a short drive from our house, about 25 mins. The beach allows dog walking up until May 1st, after that they have to remain on the lead at all times. I'm not too keen going there in the height of the season unless its very early in the morning before the crowds arrive. I

Rectangle Granny Square

I decided I need a change, an oblong or rectangle granny square blanket! It grows so quickly. And I'm using up my Stylecraft Special DK, I have lots of it to use up. I'm now thinking about cushions in cotton yarn for the garden for when summer finally arrives! Here are some progress shots, more to follow as I add more colours and rows. the start of something new decided to add raspberry for a burst of colour mustard ooh how I love this colour

Orla Kiely Inspired Vintage tea cosy

Yeah for the long Easter weekend full of tea drinking, chocolate eating and lots of knitting and crochet. The weather is going to be awful but I don't mind as I'll be surrounded by colour and warmth and a big granny blanket. I've just released my second pattern this month for the tea cosy, there is no stopping me! It combines my love of knitting and crochet together with a retro look! The inspiration for my tea cosy came from growing up as a kid in the 1970’s, surrounded by a colour palette of browns, orange and mustard that I didn’t appreciate at the time. We always visited my gran on a Sunday for tea and home made cake. She always had a knitted tea cosy and taught me to knit at an early age. I wasn’t that taken with knitting and my skills didn’t further develop until my son was born in 1992, a few garments frogged along the way (ask my husband about the first green jumper I knitted!!). Since then I’ve knitted lots of accessories as gifts for family and friends and

Stashbuster Sweater

It's started and I'm in love with this pattern and yarn. As you can see from the picture the sun came out for my lunchtime knit. The Stashbuster Sweater is an over sized comfy sweater and can be knitted in a number of sizes, I've chosen the second size. gorgeous Debbie Bliss Yarn  its addictive! I love how quickly the front has grown, knitting quickly to reach the next colour change. The Debbie Bliss Rialto DK yarn is soft and gives good stitch definition. I was lucky to have most of the colours in my yarn stash and bought some in the sale. Most of the colours are now discontinued so this is the perfect project to put the colours together. I'm really happy with the way its working out. If you fancy raiding your yarn stash and started your own you can find the pattern by Rosee Woodland here on Ravelry Stashbuster Sweater

Another Hitchhiker shawl in ocean blue Batik Swirl

I finished my second Hitchhiker shawl on Saturday evening and I have to say I just love it in this Ocean Blue colour. I decided to add the eyelet row to row 8 of the pattern and I wasn't disappointed, just look at that drape! You can find my first Hitchhiker shawl in Batik Swirl  HERE Ocean Blue shawl If you are in need of a hug in a shawl then pop over to my Etsy account, its now listed and needs a new home. In the meantime I've started a new project for me, a Stashbuster jumper using the fabulous Debbie Bliss Rialto DK and Heathers range. Pure luxury just for me. This is the main colour Denim in the Debbie Bliss Rialto Heathers range, isn't it lovely?  (now discontinued but I managed to gran the last 7 skiens in C&H Canterbury) oh happy days.

Hitchhiker shawl in Stylecraft Batik Swirl

Have you ever bought yarn and not had a project in mind? Of course you all have. My yarn stash is growing rapidly. I bought the Batik Swirl in colourway stargazer ages ago from Lynn at Lusciouslyloopy  and its sat on my office desk waiting for me to dive into it. I don’t know why it took me so long, maybe its because I have so many UFO or WIPS or because the right pattern hadn’t found me. Last weekend when I was supposed to be finishing a new daisy cowl for my Etsy shop I decided to play around with the Hitchhiker shawl pattern, I was amazed at how well the yarn knitted up. So much so I’ve not really put it down and spent most of Sunday knitting, like you do when you get new yarn you love. Its grown to 27 teeth with another 120 rows left to knit. As the rows get longer the stripes get narrow, I love the way the shawl is evolving and the colours are just so lovely together. Last night I finished the green stripe and started the pink, the two colour combinations togethe