CALs - Crochet-alongs 2015

As it is definitely the time to be making blankets/afghans, due to to the wintery weather, I thought I would give you a round up of  new CALs that I have found.  Those readers in the Southern Hemisphere, don't despair, you can start planning your Winter projects now and dream of cooler weather.

1st block on Moogly's CAL

First up we have the 2015 Moogly Afghan Crochet-Along hosted by Moogly's Tamara.  There is going to be a new 12" block pattern every 2 weeks, totalling 24 blocks.  There has also been a Ravelry group set up so you can see other people's blocks and colours used etc.  All the details are here.

Lookwhatimade 2015 CAL

The second one I want to alert you to is Lookwhatimade's 2015 CAL.  This one is a little different, in that it you end up with a continuous square blanket (so no joining squares required!).  Dedri gives you the option of 3 different gauges of yarn, so there are 3 different sizes of blanket at the end.  A new set of instructions are published every Sunday for 20 weeks.  All the details are here.

Beatriceryandesigns CAL

This is the first instalment from Beatrice Ryan Designs 2015 CAL.  Beatrice has designed a retro style afghan which will end up being 48" x 60".  There are weekly posts for each block and facebook and pinterest groups have been set up.  All the details are here.

Flowers Abound CAL

This CAL hasn't started yet, but it is about to.  It is from Shelley at Spincushions.com.  There will be instructions for various 'flower' blocks and you make some of each design and end up with a lap blanket.  There is a Ravelry group set up. All the details are here.

jessieathome CAL

This a picture of the complete afghan from Jessieathome CAL.  This is a crib blanket size.  Patterns are posted every week for 14 weeks. There has been facebook and ravelry groups set up.  Jessie will choose a winner out of the completed blanket photos and award a prize.  All the details are here.

I hope this has given you some ideas. After writing this post I am thoroughly confused about which one I will begin!

Cosy Stripe Blanket - ta dah!

I can't believe it is 21 January and that I have finished a blanket I started in December!  Let's hope this increase in progress keeps happening.

The first photo is the first 14 rows of the 14 colours I have used.  The second one is the finished blanket, which I love.  The third photo is a pretty bad one of the 4 row edging, which in reality looks very effective.

Pattern used :  Attic24 Cosy Stripe Blanket - here.
Yarn used: Stylecraft Special DK in khaki, raspberry, teal, denim, burgundy, meadow, camel, pale rose, graphite, plum, lime, copper, grape and claret.
Edging : burgundy, pale rose, meadow and claret. Pattern here.
Finished size :  130 x 120 cm - 4 lots of the 14 colours.

I am so glad I have finished this blanket as the weather is a bit cool at the moment.

Wednesday's Wishes - Crochet blanket patterns

As it is now well into Winter in the northern hemisphere and you may well feel like snuggling under a blanket.  If you want to create a new one, to brighten your mood, then today's theme might suit you - crochet blanket patterns.

Although there are many free patterns available, I think that creative people deserve a few Euros for putting a lot of effort into designing these patterns and putting together great instructions.  This enables all crocheters to make something pretty and useful to beautify their home.

This beautiful bright blanket pattern is from  FeltedButton on Etsy.  Susan has a huge amount of other blanket patterns available too.

This bright baby blanket pattern is available from  LittleDoolally on Etsy.  Amy has other blanket patterns available, together with those for cushions, scarves and toys.

This owly blanket pattern is available from ATERGcrochet on Etsy.  Greta has a huge range of patterns on her site, as well as finished items.

This super cute frog patterned blanket pattern is from TheHatandI on Etsy.  Marken has an enormous range of patterns for blankets, hats, scarves and purses.

This bright and beautiful rug pattern is from oneandtwocompany on Etsy.  This shop has a huge range of patterns for loveys, appliques, arigumuris, hats and pillows.

 

This pretty ripple blanket pattern is from pluinct on Etsy.  Patricia has a lot of other patterns for afghans, doilies and babywear.

I hope this has given you some inspiration to get your hooks out and clear out some of your stash.

I'll be back shortly with a list of Crochet A-Longs that are happening now and that you may want to participate in.

End of Year Projects Round-ups

Unfortunately I haven't got enough finished projects to make a very large end of year photo mosaic, but I thought I would try and do one all the same.  This is my first attempt at using the free software Picmonkey and I must say, I think you could have a lot of fun with it, once you have learned the basics.
Hopefully I will be able to do several mosaics, by the end of this New Year (with my New Year resolution regime in effect!)

However there are a lot of bloggers than have done a lot of projects during 2014 and have shared a summary of them in the past few days. 
Here are my favourites:
Little Woollie.blogspot.com.au
Attic24.typepad.com
Accordingtomatt.blogspot.com
Feltedbutton.com

Hope you enjoy perusing the work of other talented bloggers.

Happy New Year to Everyone

Well, who can hardly believe it is 2015 - where did 2014 go ? I don't normally do New Year Resolutions, but last year I did and I nearly achieved them all.  So I thought I should think of some for this year.

• Learn more crochet stitches and skills. I love the look of tapestry crochet (see below) and can think of many ways of using it.  I think it would be fun to make up your own designs.

From Littlewoollie.blogspot.com.au

The lovely Julie at Littlewoollie.blogspot.com.au has some instructions on her blog and there are more instructions available through google searches.

I also like the look of tunisian crochet, as it looks like it would make quite a thick piece of crocheted fabric that may be useful as a placemat or in constructing a bag and in allsorts of other things.

•  I think one thing that will be on my resolution list until I die is - get up earlier.  I find this one very hard to achieve, especially in Winter.  Using my available time more constructively goes along with this one.

• Read more.  I achieved this one quite well last year, but it didn't last until the end of the year.  I am a chick-lit book reading kind of girl (as well as newspapers and craft and magazines).  Since I have moved to Ireland, I have actively sought out Irish Authors and discovered there are a lot and most of them write the type of the books that I like to read.  My favourites so far are  Clodagh Murphy and Cecelia Ahern.  Poolbeg is a good site for finding all about Irish authors.

• Attempt paper-piecing.  I have never been very accurate with my sewing skills and hence have only attempting basic quilting.   

However I bought an issue of Quilt Now magazine, because it had details of these paper-pieced designs (as above).  They are from a Japanese book that has just been translated to English called 318 Patchwork Patterns.  I have been able to view a lot of the patterns in the book on the net and I like a lot of them.  Because they are quite small, I figure I would be able to complete them without being too overwhelmed and you wouldn't need a lot of fabric.  So I may have to purchase this book.

Hopefully I will achieve some of these and some more that I haven't divulged here or at least try my best! Hope your resolutions will be achieved too!