Eight-by-Six

I'm a huge fan of crochet shawls. They are so versatile especially with our British summers! You can take them out for the day, small lightweight and portable and handy for when the weather turns chilly. I like to crochet mine quite big, big enough to wrap around you like a traditional shawl or worn tied around the front (a little more trendy). I've taken a few of mine to Whitstable over the past few years, to sit on the beach and watch the sunset and the ombre shawl to Brick Lane London for bagels! The one shown below is the Ombre Shawl by Annaboos House (link to Etsy) Ombre shawl by Annaboos House (taken in Brick Lane London 2018) Here are a few of mine in progress and finished ones with links to the patterns, some are free and some are paid patterns. I'm using hand dye yarn and more affordable yarn cakes to give you an idea of what you can achieve on different budgets. Although I adore hand dye yarn, its not everyones taste or budget. I have some new yarn cake o...

Mustard Granny Cushion Amanda Hurrell Eight-by-Six©   Sizes and Materials List Hook Size UK 4mm Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK 322 yds/295 metres per 100g ball You can use any colour you want to for this pattern. Its great for using up your yarn stash or if you want to make as a present you can use the recipient’s favourite colours.   So many possibilities, its my favourite part choosing colours. 3 x 22mm buttons, I like the look of odd buttons with yarn colours taken from the cushion (I’ve also used four glitter buttons on my first cushion from John Lewis shown on page 8) Wash care instructions: machine washable 40deg, cool tumble dry, cool iron, can be dry cleaned (I line dry mine) Wooden buttons are not normally machine washable, a great tip is to remove them before washing and just sew back in place once the cushion cover is dry.   Colours   For t...

These little stars are so easy to crochet and very addictive. You can find the pattern over at Attic 24 with a brilliant easy to follow tutorial. My finished garland is for sale in my Etsy store. star garland star garland complete

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...

Indigo Blue : this happened last night, I finally dived into my Scheepjes Skies mini skien box (heavy) and I'm in love with this yarn! I was sitting watching a film when I had the sudden urge to crochet another Granny Tee by Sarah (aka annaboos house) The mini skeins are perfect and I've just ordered another box for the back plus a larger skein for the sleeves and joining. It has amazing drape and the colours are a subtle shift of indigo that is going to look fabulous over a white t shirt with jeans and flip flops. Perfect partnership. You can watch my progress over on my Instagram account. Indigo Blue I buy my yarn from Lusciously Loopy because the service is first class and I like to support independent businesses. Lynn stocks the Scheepjes Skies mini skein packs and the full size 100g skeins and shes super helpful when it comes to helping customers in the UK and Worldwide. Ball weight:28 gram, Length:47 meter, Gauge:18 stitches, 16 rows to 10 ...

More solid granny squares, yes its true I am addicted and I definitively have a yarn crush on the Scheepjes Stonewashed. Just look at those Cath Kidston style colours I'm working on right now. I am making 100 out of my mini box, so many colours and so much fun. Each one is being joined with a cream border (moon stone, I bought a few 50g balls to do this from Lusciously Loopy Yarn) and I plan to join them with a dc raised seam on the front for a vintage feel. I haven't decided on a border as yet, something wide, simple and with a vintage. This is my first project with the solid granny square pattern and I hope to make another as a wedding gift for later this year. You can follow my progress on my Instagram account. I'm using the brilliant easy to follow pattern by Lucy at Attic 24 and a 3.5mm crochet hook. Have you tried these yet, you really must. more solid granny squares

I was by my lovely insta buddy Fiona at (sewhappycreativ) to pattern test her lovely new pattern due to be released in March. I have so much fun with this and the yarn is Scheepjes Stonewashed. Its so soft, warm and cosy and I now plan to make myself a bigger one using the left over yearn. I'm thinking just random colours. Here are just a few photos I've been sharing on my Instagram account over the last couple of weeks. my colour block blanket in the background