Eight-by-Six

A friends baby is due mid September so I thought it would be nice to send a hand crochet blanket. They are expecting a boy and luckily I had most of the Stylecraft Special DK colours in my stash. I planned out the blue colours, using 9 colours and then as I reached the colour repeat I felt it lacked something. The blues: Bluebell, Denim, Aster, Cloud Blue, Sherbet, Storm Blue, Cornish Blue, Turquoise, Duck Egg. the blue edit Before you know it I'm making a rainbow blanket! And I've added tall he pinks, next I'm working on the purple shades. The pinks: Powder Pink, Pale Rose, Candy Floss, Fondant I'll be adding more details soon, please check my Instragram account for daily/weekly updates. the pink edit Rainbow blanket in progress the purple shades started

Summer Spice Baby Granny Square Blanket Amanda Hurrell Eight-by-Six©     An easy to adapt granny square blanket, size given is for a baby blanket approx size 65cm x 65cm This is a free blog pattern but an add-free pdf can be purchsed from my LoveCrafts shop Sizes and Materials List Hook Size: UK 4mm (I use Clover brand) Stitch markers: (4) optional Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK (322 yds/295 metres per 100g ball) Tension: 22 stitches to 30 rows to 10cm on 4mm hook Pattern size of approx. 70 cm x 70 cm for baby/lap blanket or why not do a four colour pattern repeat for a larger blanket approximately 140cm x 140cm One each of the following 100g ball Wash care instructions: machine washable 40deg, cool tumble dry, cool iron, can be dry cleaned (I line dry mine) Colours (14 in total) Stylecraft Special DK and Cygnet DK Turquoise (1068) Aster (1003) Buttermilk (1835) Sherbet (10...

I've almost finished my crochet cowl by Rosina Northcott (aka zeensandroger on Instagram) that  I started last Saturday. I was waiting for more yarn to complete the last row, and its arrived today from Lusciously Loopy Yarn (yeah) just ran out of one row but didn't want to substitute the colour. When I saw the pattern in Mollie Makes issue 103  earlier this year I knew it was something I wanted to make but I couldn't decide on the yarn at the time. I couldn't find the magazine then searched on eBay and luckily I found a new copy, sealed. Then recently I bought some hand dye merino yarn from my lovely friend Fiona at Sewhappily Creativ e and I knew then the main yarn had to be Scheepjes Stonewashed and I have a huge stash of it (all be it not quite enough for the last row!). Fiona introduced me to the Stonewashed earlier this year and its one of my favourite yarns to crochet and knit with. I knitted my Gryer Shawl in May using six colours and I've an...

Isn't it  the best crochet therapy ever? I really do love the simple granny square, a timeless classic. I never get bored with making these and its very satisfying to sit back and look at a neat stack. A couple of weeks back it was full on granny square production line. Here are some of the photos I took. Currently have 36 joined and another 60+ to make. Its a great project for adding to as and when you feel like it. I like that kind of no pressure kind of project. classic granny squares I pick it up and instantly smile and the happy colours. I have a few baskets full of Debbie Bliss Rialto DK plus a whole box under my bed full of new yarn (oops!) Its going to be big, perfect for snuggling up on the sofa. Full of merino yarn which is so soft and machine washable (added bonus). Just need to decide on a nice wide border. I'll  be picking this up over the weekend and playing with colours. My preferred joining method is join-as-you-go because I love the vintage ...

I have lots of Debbie Bliss Rialto DK left over from previous projects and a whole box under my bed, shh don't tell hubby! A while back I decided to make a pile of granny squares out of some of the stash, on Friday/Saturday I decided to join together the 25 I had previously made, don't they look great. I love to join mine with join as you go method because I like the vintage look and you get to use up more stash. I learnt a few years ago using the Attic 24 method, lots of photos and easy to follow in the link. I'm going to make another stack soon and join these when I have another 25 squares. I plan to have 100 granny squares in total, all using the basic granny square design using all the colours I have. I'll edge it with a few colours and a picot edge to finish it. I like to keep it simple and let the colours do all the work. G&T Friday night crochet Its a great project to take out for the day if you are travelling and you get to make a blanket...

June must be a month for me making tees the knitted and crochet kind. I started my denim daisy tee about a week ago, a re-worked version of what was going to be another blanket when I had the brain wave to turn it into something to wear. The denim colour really does make the colours pop don't you think? the back of one jumper meets the front of another tea time in my garden on Sunday morning And I also started my Dill Tee from the lovely We Are Knitters, its my first purchase and won't be my last. I love how you can take the cardboard bag with you that doubles as yarn holder and I managed to find 15 mins to add a few rows whilst waiting for my manicurist on Saturday morning. The instructions and kit are just perfect for beginners and more advanced/experienced knitters, everything is in the bag ready for you to cast on. I'm now a #wakambassador so if you fancy a peek at their range (they have a sale on this week) you can use my link here just a...

In April 2018 I started this pretty blanket, it never got finished. Last night driving home I decided to turn it into a granny jumper all joined in denim blue. It’s looking great, pictures to follow on my Instragram account this weekend. I do love Sue's book, its packed with so many projects and ideas and the photos are beautiful. The daisy granny square pattern is quite addictive and you soon have a small pile of them in no time! I plan to crochet more tonight - my perfect chill out kind of Friday night. Pattern credit : @suepinner  book: Granny Squares published 2013 Daisy granny squares

It's April and the April showers (or down pours have hit us) I got drenched last night walking (running) back to my car after a quick supermarket shop. I couldn't wait to get home from work last and add some more rows (and dry off) I kept going until I was really sleepy and I slept so much better, probably dreaming about yarn and the next colours. Its really great working on another blanket not just for the colours but the warmth it provides whilst you work on it.  I've ordered some more colours I'm running out of and a new colour in the Stylecraft Special DK range called Cornish Blue. Can't wait to see it and start using it. I know I'm supposed to be using up my yarn but I saw the new Stylecraft Simply DK colour and just had to order it. With over 90 colours already in their colour chart its going to be a colourful month ahead. I buy my yarn from Lusciously Loopy  You can keep up with my progress over on my Instagram and FaceBook page. ...

I decided to work on my neglected oblong granny blanket. Its a great way to use up yarn, I have so much Stylecraft Special DK and I miss having a blanket to work on. So whilst I wait for my yarn delivery for my Gryer shawl to arrive this is what I will be working on. Its turned cold again and I miss having a blanket on my lap whilst watching tv, great way to keep warm and use up yarn! You can see my progress over on my Instagram account this month.

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

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! ...

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

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 granny blanket for #sixtymilliontrebles. Just couldn't get into the other one. This is going to be a rainbow granny stripe but its gone a little wobbly, I hate that. Tempted to start again, I probably will! I have over 30 colours plus parchment and I'm guessing it will be about 46 rows. So most of the colours will get used. It was a quiet weekend. Sunday I woke at 6am with a headache which lasted most of the day. Hay fever is bad at the moment and the windy conditions didnt help. But by 5pm I felt a little better and took Moss for a walk in the sunshine. Yes the sun came out after such a miserable day, typical. But I did get all my ironing done and a lot of crochet the start the yarn stash and more colours! Sunday evening crochet in bed