Shirley Scarf Free Pattern

Happy New Years Eve everyone!

Hope you're all having a peaceful day and if you're celebrating tonight - ENJOY!

I've spent the last 48 hours counting up all of my WIPs and having a teensy meltdown!

I've sorted out my project bags and made an order list.... to be fair.... many of my projects are on the home stretch with not much more work needed. So I'm on a mission to get them finished and blocked.

(Just end weaving in is needed on 2 projects!!!)

Today I'm bring the pattern for my Shirley scarf.

It's easy peesy project that can be made of scraps.... perfect for those end of balls/skeins

I made mine from leftovers from my Dottie cushion. So whilst I'm giving you quantities needed, you can use up your odds and ends! (my stash mountain needs some serious reducing!)

 Ingredients

Yarn: Scheepjes Metropolis (75% Merino Extra Fine 25% Nylon, 50g/200m)

A - 078 Lyon x 1 ball

B - 069 Miami x 1 ball

C - 019 Marseille x 1 ball

D - 076 Sevilla x 1 ball

E - 018 Suwon x 1 ball 

F - 075 Mexico City x 1 ball

Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm (70% Mohair 30% Microfibre, 25g/200m)

690 Bop x 2 balls 

4.5mm needles (straight or circular would be fine)

Needle to weave in ends 

Scissors

Blocking materials

Gauge is not really important for this project! Working with 4.5mm needles will produce a fabric with a lovely drape once blocked.

Finished size when blocked - 25cm x 168cm (10" x 66") approx.

How To

Using a strand of Mohair Rhythm and yarn A held together cast on 57 stitches using your favourite cast on method

Row 1 (RS) k1, p1 to last stitch, k1

Row 2 (WS) k1, p1 to last stitch, k1

These 2 rows form a seed stitch pattern

Repeat these 2 rows twice more (6 rows worked). This is your scarf edge completed. 

Now for the main scarf pattern. This consists of a 2 row pattern that is repeated. 

For my scarf I designed a simple stripe design that I repeated throughout.  The details are below but feel free to play with colours and stripe variations. As I changed colour, I simply broke off the coloured yarn whilst keeping the Mohair yarn intact and joined in a new colour.

Row 1 (RS) [k1, p1] twice, knit to last 4 stitches, [p1, k1] twice

Row 2 (WS) [k1, p1] twice, purl to last 4 stitches [p1, k1] twice

Border - 6 rows in B

Main pattern: 8 rows in B

8 rows in A

14 rows in F

8 rows in C

4 rows in A

2 rows in B

4 rows in A

8 rows in D

14 rows in E

4 rows in A

2 rows in B

4 rows in A

I repeated this 6 times ending with colour E then worked 8 rows in A, 8 rows in B and finished with 6 rows of seed stitch. 

Cast off. Weave in ends and block.

Enjoy!

Shirley Scarf Reveal

Well hello lovely people! Apologies for the not planned absence.... so much has happened since my last post. A little trip to Holland for our annual Bloggers weekend, work, an emergency hospital stay (all good now!) and Christmas.  Oh my word.... how can New Years Eve be tomorrow??!!!!!
I've just got time to squeeze in a reveal and a free pattern before we say goodbye to 2019 and hello to 2020. 
So without further delay, let me reveal Shirley.... a snuggly knitted scarf that is totally beginner friendly!

Made with Scheepjes Metropolis and Mohair Rhythm held together she knits up quickly.

I had yarn left over from my Dottie cushion so I used that up (trying to make a dent in the stash mountain!). 

The Mohair Rhythm gives the finished fabric a lovely halo and it's also lovely and snuggly to wear. 

It's very warm!

It's a perfect small project for experimenting with colour combinations....

It has a nice moss stitch border which helps to prevent curling. All very simple.
So, if learning to knit is one of your New Years resolutions... check back tomorrow and the free pattern will be posted!
Til then x

It's Growing....!

And breathe.....!!!

Hello! Phew....I didn't think I was going to find to give you a little update on my latest project tonight. Time just isn't on my side at the moment. So much to do and soooo little time.

But....there's always time for a little making isn't there? 

So. Remember last time when I shared some stash yarn for a cheeky little winter make?

Some left over Scheepjes Metropolis and Mohair Rhythm.

I knew I wanted to make a scarf.... a knitted scarf....and I wanted to use these colours as I love the colour combination. And it also needed to be warm and snuggly as I really feel the cold and love being wrapped up nice and cosy! 

I love the effect of mohair held together with another yarn. It changes the whole feel of the fabric and gives a lovely muted finish to the colours. So I cast on and started knitting. 

Now I'm not a quick knitter. I'm left handed and have managed to develop a crazy style of knitting that works for me but I'll not win any awards on the speed front!

I decided on a nice repeating strip design with a little bit of moss stitch at the ends to help with the curling! 

It's been a fabulous TV project! Something simple and rhythmic to keep my hands busy. I was amazed at how quickly it grew! 

I love the marled effect the Mohair Rhythm gives the finished fabric...

I think this photo really highlights the lovely Mohair halo. 

I'm just keeping going until I've got a length that I'm happy with....no exact science. That's the beauty of this kind of project. 

Now the next question is.....to pom pom or not to pom pom!

Join me next time to find out what I decided 😉

Til then... x

More Metropolis!

Hello! 

It's a cold and windy autumn evening and just the right time to have a dig around in your stash to make something new...ready for those cold winter days that are just around the corner!

I love starting a new project.

Usually I have new yarn to share. But that means more yarn in the already overstocked stash!

So this time I'm going to use up yarn that I already have!

In all honesty, I have enough yarn to keep a small nation warm and toasty for at least 2 winters!!!!

Time to use some up!

So I decided to use some of the left over yarn from my Dotti Cushion and some Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm  that was also lurking in deep stash.

Metropolis and Mohair Rhythm work really well when held together. It gives the finished fabric a lovely halo and adds a lovely contrast. 

 Mohair Rhythm is 70% Mohair and 30% Microfibre blend. 25g gives you 200m of a laceweight yarn whilst Metropolis is 75% Extra fine merino and 25% Nylon. 50g/200m which is a lovely fingering weight. The pair combined give a double knit weight that can worked up quite quickly!

Check back next week to see what this lovely selection of yarn is going to be...

Til then x

Autumn Jewels Free Pattern

Hello and welcome!

As promised, tonight I'm going to share the free pattern for my Autumn Jewels blanket

The blanket was made using Scheepjes Our Tribe yarn and is beginner friendly. The only tricky bits are joining as you go but I've found a lovely You Tube tutorial that should guide you through! I haven't written a step by step tutorial for this pattern as time has sadly been on my side lately....where on earth do these hours go???!!!! 

Ok, ready to make a blanket????

Let's go!

Ingredients

Scheepjes Our Tribe (70% Merino Superwash, 30% Polyamide, 100g/420m)

Yarn A: 984 Old Bewick x 6 balls

Yarn B: 987 Excitement x 1 ball

Yarn C: 989 Optimism x 1 ball

Yarn D: 986 Energise x 1 ball

Size 3mm crochet hook

Scissors

Needle to weave in ends

Blocking materials

Gauge/Tension

Each square will measure 3" after blocking

Finished blanket size after blocking: 44" (112cm) x 56" (142cm)

There are no special stitches in the pattern and it is written in UK crochet terms.

Before we start I just want to say a few things about this yarn. Because it is a single ply construction it may have areas where the yarn is slightly irregular. It isn't a fault, just the nature of the yarn! So if you get some thinner or thicker bits just embrace it, smile, and carry on! This is also what I call "sticky" yarn!!! If you make a mistake and need to rip back a bit be gentle.... slow and careful easing apart is much more successful with this yarn than firmly pulling.

How To

With either Yarn B, C, or D ch4, join with ss to 4th ch from hook

Round 1 Ch4 (counts as tr and ch), into ring (tr, ch1) 11 times, join with ss to 3rd chef first st. [12sts, 12 ch-sps]

Round 2 Ch3 (counts as tr), tr in same st, ch1, (2tr in next st, ch1) rep 10 more times, join with ss to 3rd chain of first st. [24sts, 12 ch-sps]

Round 3 Ss into next st, ss into ch-sp. ch3 (counts as tr), 2tr into ch-sp, ch1, (3tr into next ch-sp, ch1) rep 10 more times, join with ss to 3rd ch of first st, fasten off yarn. [36sts, 12 ch-sps]

Round 4 With yarn A join in any ch-sp and dc, ch3, dc into next ch-sp, ch3, dc into next ch-sp, ch5 (corner), rep 3 more times, join with ss to first dc. [12 dc, 8 3-chs, 4 5-chs]

Round 5 Ss into ch-sp, ch2 (counts as htr), 3htr in same ch-sp, ch1, 4htr in next ch-sp, ch1, (3tr, ch3, 3tr) in corner 5ch-sp. Rep working 4htr in 3ch-sps and (3tr, ch3, 3tr) in corner ch-sps working a ch between each group of sts, join with ss to second chain on first st, fasten off. Weave in ends.

Block squares to 3". You will need to make 154 squares in total using Yarns B, C and D.

Just in case you were undecided whether to block or not...

Just look at the difference blocking makes to this yarn!!!

Joining

Lay your blocked squares out on the floor until you are happy with the placement - 11 squares wide and 14 squares long. I opted to go random! I just picked up squares and placed them. Then I took a photograph and changed it to greyscale so I could check that there was an even distribution of light and dark values....I actually only ended up swapping a couple of squares! 

Using a join as you go technique for granny squares, join the motifs together. Bella Coco has a fabulous You Tube tutorial on this technique HERE.

It looks way more tricky than it actually is and once you get the hang of it you'll be done in no time and ready for the border. 

*If you really don't want to join as you go, you can simply add another round of 3tr into ch-sps and (3tr, ch3, 3tr) into the corners to the squares and join with your favourite joining technique*

Border

Round 1 Using Yarn A, join in first st of any side, ch3 (counts as tr) and work a tr into every st. Corners are made by working (3tr, ch3, 3tr) into the corner ch-sps, join with a ss to 3rd ch of first st. 

Round 2 Ch4 (counts as tr and 1ch), sk st, *tr, ch1, sk st rep from * to corner. Work (tr, ch3, tr) in each corner (ensure you begin each side with a tr), join with ss to 3rd ch on first st.

Round 3 Ch3 (counts as tr), work tr in every st and ch-sp along sides and work (2tr, ch3, 2tr) into corners. Join with ss to 3rd ch of first st.

Round 4 Ch1, dc into same st, ch5, sk 2 sts, dc, ch 5, sk 2 sts. rep to corner aiming to work a dc on the last st of each edge and beginning of next edge so that you have a ch 5 over each corner. You may have to fudge this a little depending on your st count! Join with ss to first dc. 

Round 5 Ss into ch-sp, ch 3 (counts as tr) 2tr, ch2, 3tr.  Continue to work (3tr, ch2, 3tr) into each ch-sp around the blanket, join with ss to 3rd ch of first st. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Now block your blanket! This yarn really responds well to blocking and it gives great stitch definition and a beautiful drape!!!

I hope you enjoy making your version of Autumn Jewels! 

And as promised, here's the photo of the lichen clad stone on Old Bewick that inspired this colour way...

I'll leave with some more blanket pics.....

Til next time.... I have a new project in the making!!!! x

Introducing Autumn Jewels Blanket

Hello everyone!

I've got a blanket reveal to share with you...

It even has a name.

I prefer to see the finished article before naming a project

So if you remember from my last couple of blog posts (HERE and HERE), I decided on Scheepjes Our Tribe yarn to make my blanket. 

There were couple of reasons for this...it's stunning yarn and also I wanted to showcase the Old Bewick colour way as I chose the colours!!! I was inspired by lichen on a stone and was completely mesmerised by the array of yellows and lime greens. I'll share a photo of the stone next time as I want this post to be full of finished blanket wonderness!!!!

So here it is.....

Autumn Jewels.

I found some great locations to take the photos. This one is at Gs workshop. He's an artist blacksmith (and hedge layer!) and has his workshop in a converted steading on a country estate just outside Kelso. The peeling painted door was a perfect backdrop!

I love how the yellow pops against the paintwork... but not content with a couple of photos we ventured on in search of more locations....

As we were out and about the light kept changing.... and likewise so did the yellows!

Depending on the lighting this blanket changes from golden to more lime coloured, but the jewel like centres stay true. 

I love the colours against the changing autumn leaves and the stone. 

Gotta love some blowing in the wind....

action shots....

it was VERY windy!

We found a delightful Church in Stitchill to take the final shots....

How's this for a perfectly positioned gate? Just blanket hanging ready!!!

I'll leave you with this close up of the simple but effect border.... this blanket is very much a beginner friendly project. Next week I'll share the FREE PATTERN! 

I hope you all like my Autumn Jewels blanket. I think it's one of my favourites!

Til next time x

Making Progress...

Hello again!

I'm making progress on my latest blanket so thought I'd quickly pop in and share some WIP photos!

If you remember from THIS POST I had chosen some lovely yarn to start a blanket. I chose Scheepjes Our Tribe in new colours, one of which I chose the colour scheme for 😊

I started by making a simple circle motif in the contrasting coloured yarns...

I always set up a bit of a production line and make lots and lots of circular motifs whilst watching TV. 

I tended to make 15 circles from each of the three yarns before adding in a border.

Next I added a pretty yellow frame to the circle!

I know I always bang on about blocking your squares, but just look at the difference between the two!!!! No need to ask which one hasn't been blocked is there?!

Now I've got lots and lots of squares just waiting to be assembled into a blanket

I love how the colours play together. That's the beauty of variegated yarn...you just drift from colour to colour. It's really quite addictive... waiting to see what the next one is going to look like! 

I'm using a join as you go technique again....I think its the year of JAYG in this house!!!

Hopefully I'll have a finished blanket to share with you next week and then a FREE pattern to share the following week. I can't wait to see this all joined together!

Til next time x

It's Making a New Blanket Season!!!!

Well hello! Brrr....isn't it starting to get chilly? The leaves are changing colour, the nights are drawing in and there's a definite chill in the air! Autumn, I think, is upon us.... and that means it's time to get hooking up something warm and cosy to snuggle up under. Any excuse to get some new yarn... hehe!
I thought I'd make something else with Our Tribe by Scheepjes 
1. Because it's gorgeous yarn 2. There are some new colours (I chose one of them) 3. The yardage is great making it quite economical and 4.... erm....because why not?!!!

Scheepjes launched 6 new colours earlier in the year. There's now a beautiful range of 38 colours including variegated and solids. 

I chose this colour way and it was inspired by lichen on a stone. The shades of yellow were breathtaking. Nature is truly miraculous! 

It's called Old Bewick as that's the hill (it felt like a mountain when climbing up it!) where the stone I saw was called. It's in Northumberland....you should check it out if you're in the region some day. The view from up there is lovely!
Ok onto the yarn. Our Tribe is a blend of 70% Superwash Merino and 30% Polyamide which makes it machine washable at 40 degrees. 100g gives you 420m. It's described as a sport weight but I think it's more a fingering weight. Recommended hook/needle size is 2.5 - 3mm.
I had fun choosing colours to accompany the Old Bewick colour.

I finally settled on this combination - Energise, Excitement and Optimism!

Aren't they great names?

Join me next week to catch up on my progress!

Til then...

Dotti Cushion - FREE Pattern and Tutorial!

Good evening! Let's make a cushion!!!

Dotti is a cushion made from motif that's a circle within a square. It's all joined together using a join as you go technique. It looks complicated and tricky...but it's not. I've put together some step by step photos for you to follow. There are no complicated stitches used....just basic ones. I think an adventurous beginner could quite easily manage to make Dotti.  The yarn I've used is Scheepjes Metropolis. It's a fingering weight yarn that comes in a lovely array of colours so you can have fun choosing a colour palette to suit. The yarn is a super snuggly 75% extra fine merino with 25% nylon to give some added strength. It's machine washable at 40°c. On each 50g ball you get 200m of yarny goodness! This yarn is seriously scrumptious!!!! I love that it smells like wool too..... I'm a yarn sniffer!  Ok let's get on with it! Ingredients You will need: Yarn A Scheepjes Metropolis 078 Lyon x 2 balls Yarn B Scheepjes Metropolis 069 Miami x 2 balls Yarn C Scheepjes Metropolis 019 Marseille x 1 ball  Yarn D Scheepjes Metropolis 076 Sevilla x 1 ball Yarn E Scheepjes Metropolis 018 Suwon x 1 ball 18" Cushion Pad 3mm Crochet Hook Scissors Needle for weaving in ends Blocking materials How to: The pattern is written in UK English terms.

Using Yarn B chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a ring Round 1. Chain 3 (counts as first treble crochet) and then work 11 more treble crochets into the ring. Join with a slip stitch in the 3rd chain. (12 treble crochets) Round 2. Chain 3 (counts as first treble) and work a treble crochet into the first stitch. Work 2 treble crochets into the next stitch and repeat a further 10 times. Join with a slip stitch in the 3rd chain and fasten off. (24 treble crochets) Now make a heap of 2 round circles!!! You will need 162 in total. Don't faint! They're very quick to make and great for doing whilst watching telly 😊 In my version of Dotti I made 134 in Yarn B, 9 in Yarn C, 10 in yarn D and 9 in yarn E. I added them randomly when joining. If you prefer, you could lay them all out and take a snap to refer back to. 

Join in Yarn A in any stitch of the circle.

Round 3. Chain 1 and work a double crochet into the same stitch. Double crochet in the next stitch. Half treble crochet and treble crochet in the next stitch. Chain 2 (to form the corner) and treble crochet and half treble crochet into the next stitch, double crochet into the next 2 stitches and chain 1. Repeat 3 more times around the circle and join with a slip in the first stitch. Fasten off and weave in ends. 

YOU WILL ONLY WORK A FULL 3RD ROUND FOR THIS FIRST SQUARE. 

This is where we will start to join as we go!

With Yarn A join in any stitch and work as before, making a chain and a double crochet in the first stitch. Work a double crochet in the next stitch and then a chain. Work a half treble and a treble into the next stitch then chain 2 to make the corner. Work a treble and a half treble into the next stitch and then a double into the next 2 stitches. Make a chain (this is where we are going to make the first join!) and with the 2 motifs side by side slide your hook under the side chain space of the finished square, wrap the yarn around your hook and pull through both loops on your hook to join the squares. Work 2 doubles in the next 2 stitches then a half treble and a treble in the next one. Chain 1, slip your hook into the corner chains of the finished square and join as before, work another chain. Continue around the square in pattern and join with a slip stitch. Fasten off and weave in ends. 

As you can see from the photo we are leaving the bottom corners free. This is so we can join diagonally to make neat joins where all of the 4 corners meet!

Continue to join all of your squares in the first row as before. You will need to join 9 squares.

When we come to start a new row, we work as before, but now we are going starting making some diagonal joins as the picture shows. NB Ignore the line at the top....that's there in error as we've already made that join! Also, I'm left handed. You might be working in a different joining direction! It's all good 😉

This next step is where you need to start concentrating on your joining points. It's easy to miss one out! You will also see that we are joining where we have previously made a corner join. This time we are joining the corners that aren't already joined. It's made in exactly the same way only this time we sliding our hook under the previous join and catching in the corners we need to join now. It's a bit fiddly to start with but you will soon get the hang of it! 

When all 4 corners are joined you get a nice neat finish!

Continue joining your squares in this manner. Each row has 9 squares and you will need to work 9 rows.  I really advise weaving in your ends after you've joined each square. It doesn't take a minute and will save you the despair of having a gazillion ends to weave in before you block your pieces!!!

You need to make 2 pieces like this!

Now give them a block. 

NB! This is a superwashed yarn, and as such, it will grow when wet. It actually grows a fair bit! I gave mine a nice soak in some Eucalan, gently squeezed out the excess water and then placed the squares in towels which I rolled up to get rid of as much moisture as possible. I then placed them on my blocking mats and measured 18" square and shaped them to that size. This yarn really changes texture when blocked. It becomes even more soft if that's possible!

To join your squares place the 2 cushion pieces together with wrong sides touching and using Yarn B join together by working a double crochet into each stitch. At the corners I worked 3 double crochets into the corner chain spaces. 

Now I'm a bit of a lazy mare and can't be bothered (most of the time) to add buttons etc to make openings. I just joined 3 sides, popped the cushion pad in and crocheted the final side together! 

It would be very easy to add in a neat opening. Just work the double crochet along one side, not joining, and on the other side join in either yarn A or B and work a few rows of double crochet so you have enough to sew your buttons on... line them up with motif joins to give you ready made button holes!

Ok I hope that was useful for you all 😁

If you get stuck just drop me an email....I try to answer them as quick as I can!

I'll leave you with some more Dotti photos.

I look forward to seeing your Dotti creations! Til next time x