Tote Bag Barry is one of, at last count, five canvas tote bags I use to carrying and keep my various crochet projects in. Tote Bag Barry is a memento from a road trip through Germany’s Romantic Road. I bought him at a supermarket near the Neuschwanstein Castle for a few Euro’s – much cheaper than the tote bags in Hohenschwangau village at the foot of the castle.
Me: Hi Barry. Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today.
Barry: That’s all right. I wasn’t doing much anyway sitting here on the chair in your living room with Crochet Mood Blanket 2014.
Me: I know you don’t have a very exciting life at the moment, especially compared to your time in the REWE Supermarket in Schwangau with all the tourists admiring you. You have to remember that I was one of those admiring tourists and when I saw you I just knew you would be another perfect bag to carry my crochet around.
Barry: Yes but you could take me out of the house once in a while you know. The tree hugging “My Green Bag” cotton bag from the health shop goes to work with you every day!
Me: You’re right Barry, but I keep you at home because you are so much bigger than any of my other tote bags. You’re keeping Crochet Mood Blanket 2014 company and he’s growing every day. By the way, thank you so much for keeping him from unravelling the other day. I really wouldn’t have been able to keep him happy if you hadn’t told him about the diary. I need you around to keep CMB2014 in check. Just like the Neuschwanstein Castle printed on your front, you are a stable influence and impressive, I dare say noble, presence on that chair.
Barry: Well if you put it that way I guess I can overlook the disappointing lack of excursions.
Me: Thank you for understanding Barry. You are my German prince! As CMB2014 gets bigger you soon won’t have to keep him safe any more. I promise to then swap you for the health shop tote bag and you can go with me to work. Will that make you happy Barry?
I’m a 3/4 length sleeve, slash neck sweater. Dad is a silver-haired Garnstudio Drops Cotton Viscose, and Mom is Belle by Rowan. I am named after Mom. By just looking at me you would think I am a difficult person to live with, but if you look closely you’ll see I’m basically just 4 panels. Two of my panels are intricate lace, and my sides and sleeves are worked as one. I look difficult, but I’m really not. Saying that, you have to keep your wits about you because I can be a bit splitty – I get that from my Dad. On the plus side I also got my slight sparkle from Dad. I will only shine in the right light though, and only to those who care to look closely.
I like showing off with friends, especially at the craft mornings where my design is really appreciated. I don’t like sharp edges or rough surfaces – it brings out my splitty side. When I’m wet I become rigid and need a firm hand to get me to open up again. If you have a firm, yet gentle hand, I will reward you with a beautiful open lace pattern and be the perfect length to flatter your hips.
I sometimes think I need to duplicate myself because I’m just so fabulous. If there were two of me, I’ll improve on myself by changing my splitty nature and dyeing my silver hair blue so that I will look good with denim. I’m hoping somewhere in my gene pool there is more cotton and less viscose. I may not have the same sheen, but I’ll make up for it by being much softer and more relaxed.
If you’re looking for a classic companion with a lacy edge, want to get close enough so that you can appreciate my sheen, and are willing to stick around for the softer me, I’d love to hear from you.
10:13 She is meant to crochet my squares every evening, yet I can’t remember when last I saw a crochet hook. Will I have to sit through yet another Sunday watching her make amigurumi owls, knit (bah!), crochet placemats and do cross stitch in stead of working on my squares? By the way, what’s with the cross stitch and knitting? I thought she was all about crochet. Judas.
10:30 She and the hubby are eating breakfast. Enjoyed your lie-in did you? valuable time wasted when you could have been catching up with your mood squares. She committed to make a crochet square every day and look at me. Skinny as a rake while they’re doing that full english breakfast thing. So selfish.
11:10 She’s finally out of those hideous pajamas and in her spot on the couch. There’s a mug of tea too. Will she work on her mood blanket squares? No. She’s knitting! Stupid needles click, click, clicking away. If I was able to crochet myself a square, today would be a purple square ’cause I’m really irritated.
11:55 Ooo, she’s reaching in my direction. Tote Bag Barry tells me that she is writing down her moods in a diary. Maybe she’s reaching for the diary. At this stage any progress is better than nothing. Even if it is just to write down “okay” or “ditzy” or whatever crazy mood she’s in.
Nope, I’ve been ignored again. She was only putting her knitting away.
Why has she forsaken me? Why? I’m definitely having a grey square moment. So sad, so sad.
11:56 Off to the kitchen. Probably to make tea.
11:59 Here she comes. I smell peppermint. Called it. (How much tea can this woman drink?!)
12:01 She’s reaching in my direction again. I’m not getting my hopes up. The acrylic strands of my heart can’t take the rejection much longer. I mean really. It’s so quick to crochet a 4-round square. She doesn’t even have to join my squares – it’s join as you go for Pete’s sake. If Barry is right and she is writing down her moods every day, she is still thinking of me so why not put hook to yarn? Just one square a day is all I ask. Just one a day.
Oooh, the hand is coming closer.
I’m out of the bag! I’m out of the bag! I can see her (ugly) Crocs.
I’m on her lap! Whoo-hoo! This is it!
Barry was right. I can see the diary. It’s open at 4 April 2014. Geez, she is way behind! Not judging. Just saying.
Well hello Sirdar Hayfield Baby in White and 3.5 mm Knitpro crochet hook. Long time no see. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Come snuggle up next to the happy green square from 3 April 2014.
Suddenly my day has turned into a very good day. My stitches are practically a quiver with happiness.
13:10 She’s been crocheting squares for almost an hour now. She only took one tea break and I’ve grown by two rows – that’s more than 4 weeks worth of squares! I think she may even be up to date with the squares. I’ll have to ask Tote Bag Barry to check the diary, but things are looking good.
13:13 I’m back in the bag and she’s off to the kitchen. I presume this is the end of the marathon moodblanket catch-up session. Her hands are hopefully probably aching from trying to catch up on the backlog of squares. Serves her right for neglecting me for so long, but has she learned her lesson? I’m not betting my stitch markers on it. I will bet on something else though: she’s in the kitchen making tea.
Today I’m sharing a super easy crochet placemat pattern with you. You’re probably thinking that placemats are very boring right? Boring and practical. Who wants boring and practical? Not me! I want interesting and different, so I added a bit of cross stitch. Not just any cross stitch, no I added an exact replica (minus one tiny prongy detail) of the King Household’s knives and forks!
Check it out.
I love it! With these placemats your table is always set even if you eat with your hands. How very civilised.
So how did I do it? It’s dead easy.
To make the placemats you will need double knit cotton in three shades and a 4 mm crochet hook. I used Stylecraft Classique Cotton DK in Azure and Soft Lime and Rowan Handknit Cotton in Mist. Sadly Mist has now been discontinued but you can use white or any light grey yarn.
My placemats are 30 cm x 45 cm. The green one is worked in trebles and the blue placemat in half trebles. To achieve this size, I worked 33 rows of trebles and 43 rows of half trebles. The foundation chain for the green treble square was 54 chain stitches (51 plus 3 for the turning chain) and 53 chain stitches (51 plus 2 for the turning chain) for the turquoise half double crochet square. In both cases I did the big square first and then joined the other colour to the top and the bottom and worked 10 rows of double crochet. I don’t want to call it a pattern, because it really isn’t and you will make your placemat to fit your table / breakfast bar / lap tray. Use my rows and chains as a guide.
I may not have written up a proper pattern, but I would like to pass on some handy tips for you.
HANDY TIP 1: place a stitch marker in your first and last hdt or tr. That way you will know where to insert your hook for the next row and wont accidentally create extra stitches on the sides. In patterns where the turning chain counts as a stitch (for these placemats I didn’t count the turning chains) you will place the marker in the top chain of turning chain. So if you are working in hdt, place the stitch marker in the 2nd chain, and for a trb place it in the 3rd chain. Stitch markers are, I dare say, essential where turning chains are to be counted as stitches. I think apart from my crochet hook en scissors, stitch markers are probably my most valued crochet tool.
HANDY TIP 2: to save you from weaving away the tail end when you join the new colour for the double crochet side panels, flick the tail end of the new colour over your working yarn as you make the stitches. The tail end will magically grow shorter and eventually disappear, yet be safely encased within each stitch. It’s a very clever way of halving the tail ends you have to weave away! At the same time you can crochet over the tail of the old colour. This method saves you from having to weave away two tails. Score!
Here’s a video showing you how I do it.
Once the crocheting is done, you’ll want to get on to the cross stitch bit, but before you can cross stitch on crochet you have to block the piece – that’s the HANDY TIP 3. If you do it afterwards you run the risk of the cross stitch design going all skewy. The double crochet panels will naturally want to curve and it will be worked tighter than the rest of the placemat, so blocking really is essential here.
So how should I block you ask? It depends on what fibre your yarn is made of. If your fibre is artificial, like acrylic: 1) pin the piece in the shape you want it to be onto a couple of towels on top of your ironing board, wrong side facing up, 2) cover with a damp cloth and then 3) hover with your steam iron over the cloth. Do not let the iron touch the cloth. All you want is a bit of steam to set the shape. Also don’t hover very long – a few seconds will do. If it’s a natural fibre like cotton or linen: 1) dampen the crochet, 2) spread it out on a foam board or layers of towels right side facing up, 3) stretch and lightly tug the crochet until it’s perfectly round or square or whatever shape it should be. Then 4) pin it and 5) let it dry over night. I used cotton for my placemats so this is the method I used.
If you’re wondering about the red lines on my foam blocking mat, they were drawn on by me with a Sharpie on a wintry Sunday afternoon a couple of months ago. It took the whole afternoon and was a very boring job, but I’m really glad I took the time to do it. The point of blocking is to get the edges of your crochet straight, so to me it makes sense to have straight lines on the blocking board. (Although looking at the photo I didn’t really follow those lines very well did I…?)
Once blocked you are ready to embroider.
You will need a piece of double crochet to embroider on. Cross stitch onto crochet can only really happen on double crochet stitches. The dense texture and evenly spaced short stitches replicates Aida (the fabric used for cross stitch) perfectly. As an added bonus, when you make double crochet stitches in double knit yarn, your stitches will almost certainly be 5 mm squared, which makes it perfect for designing with quadrille paper. Which brings us to the next item you will need: quadrille paper (it’s like graph paper, but the squares are all 5mm squared). You’ll also need a pencil and of course your eating utensil of choice.
Using a pencil, trace the outline of your knife and fork onto the quadrille paper.
Now you fill in each square with a x. Your knife and fork shape will not follow the straight lines, but that’s where creative licence comes in: in conventional cross stitch you also use half stitches but for cross stitch onto crochet, that’s tricky to do, so whenever the line goes through less than half of a square, ignore that square. Here you can see the outline of my knife encase three squares (two full ones and a half), but I only created two cross stitches.
The overall effect is still a knife and that’s all that matters. Creative licence also turned my 4 prong fork into a 3 prong. I just had to forgo a prong in order for there to be unworked space between my prongs. It’s a small sacrifice to make.
Once you have filled in the squares with x’s, go over them with a pen so they are darker and you can see if you are happy with the shape created.
Cut out the shapes and place them on your placemat, moving them around and spacing them evenly. Use pins to indicate the top, bottom and any other points along the knife or fork that you want to be sure to get right. I placed pins where the prongs stopped and where the shape changed from xxx to xx. These are just guides to keep you on track.
Now you’re ready to start cross stitching. You’ll soon get the hang of it and will almost naturally feel where the stitches have to go. The key to neat cross stitches is to keep the bottom stitches all slanting in the same direction, and the top ones in the opposite, but same, direction.
When you’ve finished your embroidery, crochet a border of double crochet stitches in the main colour all around your placemat to visually pull it all together. Make three double crochets in the corners. Weave away the (very few) tails you have left – remember Handy Tip 2? – and maybe block it again just be sure that the placemats are perfectly straight on the sides and pointy in the corners. That’s all there is to it. Easy, right?
Doesn’t it look great?! Now that you know that one square on quadrille paper equals one double crochet square in double knit yarn, you can draw – and therefore cross stitch – anything on your crochet! How about cross stitching the words “breakfast” “lunch” or “dinner”? Or personalising the placemat with the name of each of your family members?
On a Monday I can still remember the fun I had over the weekend, Wednesday is the middle of the work week, on Thursday I start getting hopeful and on a Friday I can taste the weekend. But what about a Tuesday? It’s so…. just there. Weekend memories are too far away and the upcoming weekend might as well be a year away.
What we need is a bit of colourful inspiration to get us going on a Tuesday, don’t you think? A pretty picture, beautiful scenery or colourful imagery. Yup, that’ll liven up Tuesdays and turn it into a terrific day!
From now on I will go through my photos and Pinterest likes every Tuesday and find us a pretty picture to add colour and joy to the day.
This true vintage granny square blanket lives in Lisa, from the lala fauxbois blog’s home. I love everything about this photo. If my grandmother and I were to collaborate to decorate a bedroom, this is what it would look like. Gran had a bedding set of orange flowers with green leaves in soft flannel very similar to the ones in the photo. Whenever we had sleepovers at her house, the spare bed would be made up with that set of flowery sheets and pillow cases. To match her sheets, she would definitely have gone for the orange and brown print above the bed and I, of course, would have added a granny square afghan.
I’ve been thinking a lot about going on holiday lately. If I think “holiday” I also think “what should I take with me to crochet?” and that made me wonder if there are any crochet themed holidays and retreats out there. There are! Here is my list of crochet holidays, cruises, retreats and weekends. Some are expensive, some are very cheap. One is sold out, and others still have space. Whether you are able to go or not, it’s always nice to know that our crocheting and knitting needs can be catered for on a holiday – in fact there are people out there who make it their business to give us a crochet themed holiday! Take your pick and enjoy your holiday.
Knitting Holidays in France
Sue Culligan’s knitting and crochet holidays at her farmhouse La Verderie in Charente-Maritime, France offer an idyllic getaway where like-minded people can get together to crochet and knit, be wined and dined, explore French market towns and enjoy the surrounding vineyards and woodlands. The workshops only accommodate five people over the five nights so it’s lovely and intimate.
I’ve been following Sue’s blog for a while now and I’m always amazed at the great time she and her guests have. Sue picks up her guests at airports or trains stations, take them out on day trips and go to cafes for coffee & cake and cook them amazing dishes – that certainly sounds like the kind of thing you do for a friend or family member, not a fee paying guest. Sue seems proud to show off the French villages and markets to the visitors, blogging beautiful photos and giving us a glimpse into her world. Her most recent blog posts shows a guest knitting in the traditional Portuguese way with the yarn around her neck. It must have been fascinating to watch. Sue not only opens her home to knitters and crocheters, she will also teach workshops upon request and guests have access to her extensive library of books and patterns.
Next getaway: 21 – 26 September 2014 (plus one more in October 2014 and two in 2015)
If you think of cruises you will either think “glamorous/luxury/pampering” or “old-fashioned/nowhere to hide/all you do all day is eat”. To be honest, I fall somewhere in between these two extremes. Craft Cruise® want to change our misconceptions about cruising. They say “The most satisfied of all Craft Cruise® participants are the ones who resisted. The onboard classes, the pampering, the friendships, the overall feeling of togetherness, and the exclusive opportunities to meet other like-minded people in ports around the world have led to expectations being exceeded and the cruise experience being repeated over and over again.” Having a look at the long list of crafts, and various cruise itineraries for each craft, I can see how Craft Cruise® would be able to change your mind about cruising. The destinations, activities and teachers on board are brilliant.
The crafts offered include knitting, hand spinning, beading and needle point – they even have plans for brewing and cooking cruises. The last crochet cruise was in a 13-Day Canada & New England cruise in October 2013 with guest speakers Edie Eckman (I love Edie’s crochet!) and Chris Bylsma. Passengers traced the path of American independence, ate fresh New England lobster, watched dyeing demonstrations, visited an Angora goat farm in Saguenay where they saw raw wool processed from goat to sweater, and shopped for yarn. They set off from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale with visits to the ports Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Maine and South Carolina. All of this, whilst crocheting and being taught by the likes of Edie and Chris!
Unfortunately there will be no more crochet specific cruises. Craft Cruise® will be focusing on knitting cruises, but I don’t think that’s a huge issue. Crocheters and knitters both love yarn and we love mingling with like-minded yarn loving souls, so whether you spend your days on a cruise ship and at ports visiting yarn shops with a crochet hook or a knitting needle in hand, it doesn’t matter – you will enjoy yourself. Craft Cruise® have been hosting knitting themed cruises for over 15 years, so they certainly know their stuff and you’ll be in good hands.
I’m a crocheter, but even I would like love to go on one of the knitting cruises. Specifically the Ireland Knitting Cruise in August 2014. It’s a 14 day cruises starting and ending in Amsterdam. The highlights include:
A trunk show in Amsterdam with Stephen West
Sample traditional Indonesian cuisine with a Dutch twist at a rice table in Amsterdam
Shop for yarn at de Afstap and Penelope Craft in Amsterdam
Enjoy traditional Irish tea in the medieval section of town at The Constant Knitter yarn shop in Dublin
Visit the Skye Shilasdair dye-house and yarn shop in the scenic Highland area of Northwest Scotland
Shop for Norwegian yarn and Dale of Norway Sweaters while enjoying the sights in Bergen
Visit the Troll Wall which is the highest overhang in Europe overlooking the sea while in the beautiful port of Alesund
Shop for Waterford Crystal in Waterford Ireland
See what I mean? Whether you crochet or knit, this is our kind of cruise!
Next cruise: No crochet cruise planned, but the next knitting cruise is Musk Ox & Glaciers 25 May – 1 June 2014. There are six more knitting cruises planned for 2014 from July to December.
I found out about Ingrid Jansen (of Wood & Wool Stool) and Ank van der Pluijm’s Cool Crochet Workshop in Marrakech through Dottie Angel’s Instagram posts. Dottie’s Instagram photos really, really, really made me want to be there with her in Marrakech buying wool, watching the wool being dyed in the souk (I mean really! How cool is that?!) and crocheting in local cafes and in the open air with Moroccan women. Nevermind cool, Cool Crochet sounds like a crocheting adventure! I’ll be keeping a close eye on Dottie’s blog and of course the Wood & Wool Stool blog for more photos and writings on their six days in Marrakech.
Debbie Abrahams and Jane Crowfoot are hosting a knitting and crochet weekend from 7 – 9 November 2014 in Bournemouth. Unfortunately the workshop is fully booked, but I wanted to include it in my list because it just sounds So Marvellous. With the help of Debbie and Jane you will create a pocket style advent calendar using either knitting or crochet or combine the two crafts. The weekend is not only about crochet and knitting – included in the price is a one day health spa pass and admission to visit a museum & art gallery. A Rowan yarn kit and beads by Debbie are also included. I can see why this weekend has sold out!
If you can’t go on a cruise, fly to Marrakech or visit France, you can always hold a knitting and crochet retreat at your house like Kim Werker did. Get your crafting pals together, eat loads of cake & crisps, order a take-away, leave the dishes to the next morning, drink wine, oh, and do a bit of crochet. Do it all again the next morning, replacing Chinese take-away with a Hearty Breakfast. It’s like a weekly crochet session at the local pub, stretched over 24 hours within the comfort of your own home. Lovely!
Next getaway: Any weekend the husband and kids are away
On a Monday I can still remember the fun I had over the weekend, Wednesday is the middle of the work week, on Thursday I start getting hopeful and on a Friday I can taste the weekend. But what about a Tuesday? It’s so…. just there. Weekend memories are too far away and the upcoming weekend might as well be a year away.
What we need is a bit of colourful inspiration to get us going on a Tuesday, don’t you think? A pretty picture, beautiful scenery or colourful imagery. Yup, that’ll liven up Tuesdays and turn it into a terrific day!
From now on I will go through my photos and Pinterest likes every Tuesday and find us a pretty picture to add colour and joy to the day.
Crocheting something using the pineapple stitch has always been on my To Hook list, but it can so easily look old-fashioned (and not in a pretty vintage way). That was until I saw this Japanese pineapple stitch scarf using thin (probably 4-ply) lime green yarn. Love it.
On a Monday I can still remember the fun I had over the weekend, Wednesday is the middle of the work week, on Thursday I start getting hopeful and on a Friday I can taste the weekend. But what about a Tuesday? It’s so…. just there. Weekend memories are too far away and the upcoming weekend might as well be a year away.
What we need is a bit of colourful inspiration to get us going on a Tuesday, don’t you think? A pretty picture, beautiful scenery or colourful imagery. Yup, that’ll liven up Tuesdays and turn it into a terrific day!
From now on I will go through my photos and Pinterest likes every Tuesday and find us a pretty picture to add colour and joy to the day.
xxxxxx
I adore the tiny pink flowers of my Alpine “Saxifraga” ground cover.
So how did I do it? It’s dead easy.
crochetime 