Issue 56 of Crochet Now magazine is out now and nestled amongst lots of lovely designs is a new pattern from me which is quite possibly one of my favourite shawl designs I’ve ever made! Allow me to introduce the Pelagia Shawl!
My inspiration for the shawl pattern was a bloom of jellyfish moving through shimmering water. Last year our family went on holiday to Anglesey and there was a beach there where the sea was just filled with jellyfish – I’ve never seen so many!
It was a design that, in my opinion, truly came to life when taken from the page and was crocheted up in the gorgeous Scheepjes Stardust yarn.
I’m already a fan of Scheepjes Stardust yarn, you may remember I used it for the Shining Light Wedding Wrap (get the free pattern here). It’s a soft and gentle blended yarn of mohair, wool, acrylic and polyester metallic thread. The yarn does have a halo around it, but it’s not super fluffy, and it feels nice and luxurious without it being too costly.
You can’t really see it on the photos but the yarn contains fine sparkling fibers that add an elegant shimmer when they catch the light – my inner magpie is in love with them. Aside from the sparkle and the light airy feel of the yarn I love the fact that it’s also soft without being scratchy like some sparkle yarns can be. I don’t think it will be the last time I use Scheepjes Stardust yarn!
It’s classed as a DK weight (Light Worsted / Sport Weight) and I’d say it’s definitely on the finer side of that spectrum, but I’ve found a 3.5mm (US size E/4) hook works perfectly to create the stitches and drape I was looking for.
For this design I chose Virgo (Shade 664), which is a gradient yarn with ranges from darkish almost maroon colour, through to white, with all blended pink shades in between. I wouldn’t normally class myself as a ‘pink’ person but this is a really pretty colourway and was just spot on for what I had envisaged.
Everytime I look at this shawl I just fall in love with it again! I hope you all will like it too. It’s such a light and airy shawl, with that lovely subtle hint of sparkle, which I think would integrate perfectly with any modern wardrobe.
If you hook up the Pelagia Shawl I hope you’ll share your photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Issue 55 of Crochet Now magazine is out now and I’ve got a brand new pattern inside that I’m quite in love with! Allow me to introduce the Pomtastic Tassel Basket! It’s a fabulously large basket, complete with pompoms and tassels for a fun finish, that’s perfect for storing lots of yarn in!
One of my favourite things to make is a basket; as a person who just seems to accumulate a lot of ‘stuff’ I just find it so satisfactory to be able to make storage solutions! I wanted this design to be a nice large basket so it’s got a circumference of 107cm and a height of 29cm – which means there’s more than enough room to hold all of your yarn for a big project.
I used Stylecraft Classique Cotton DK in four different colours (Wheat, Shrimp, Apricot and Fuchsia) combined with Ecru Stylecraft Craft Cotton (DK) worked doubled with a 5.5mm hook. It may seem that a 5.5mm hook is quite small for working two lots of double knit, but I was aiming for a nice tight fabric.
It was my first time working with Stylecraft Classique Cotton DK but I really like it, I think there’s about 30 odd different shades, so lots of choices to come up with some fun and modern colour combinations.
The large pom poms and tassels on the sides worked really well in the cotton too – I think it was my first time making either tassels or pom poms in cotton rather than acrylic!
With this design I also tried to overcome the challenge of having the basket become too floppy – which can happen when you are trying to make a larger basket. The key to a good basket, I’ve found, is having a sturdy base. This foundation is then and it’s supported by working in double stranded cotton with a nice tight stitch pattern which helps the sides stand up on their own.
Crochet Now is available in supermarkets and online from CraftStash and you can also read Crochet Now digitally at www.pocketmags.com and it comes with a pom pom and tassel maker – perfect for if you want to get making the basket!
If you are reading this in real time then if you’ve received a parcel recently then you’ve probably had to put it in quarantine due to Covid-19. It’s a very strange (but needed) thing to do, and it actually led to exciting ‘opening’ anticipation – because I signed up for my very first fibre swap experience.
I’ve never tried a yarn swap before so thought I’d try one as an experiment; the one I chose to go with for my first time is called WoolSwap. I’d heard about WoolSwap through Dear Ewe (as we’d signed up to give a discount for woolswappers) and thought it looked really fun.
Swapping
If you are unfamiliar with yarn-swapping programmes in a nutshell you pay a fee to be part of a swap, you are paired with someone, and then you swap your yarn. The fee part is there to help cover anyone that doesn’t end up getting a present for whatever reason, so I didn’t mind paying that, plus it’s all organised for you. Through the swap you get the opportunity to meet someone new, and get a fun yarny present in return.
As it was a trial run for me I signed up to the small package deal which was $8.00 / £6.45 with a minimum of 100g yarn to swap. Then you wait for your match with the person you are sending to being the person you will also receive from.
My Match
My match could have been anyone in the UK (though I chose to keep just to the UK this time rather than worldwide) and I had to laugh as I was paired with the lovely Jane who lives about 13 miles away from me.
I got a little bio about her from the Woolswap team, with her details, which gave me some details of the sorts of things she liked. She said that she was a crocheter (which was good for me!), that she liked greens and purples and she’d love some heavier weight yarns as she had a lot of sock yarns already in her stash.
Although the minimum was to send 100g you could decide on an amount to send each other, and we chatted a bit over Instagram before we made the initial swap. That was the only thing I found tricky, not the talking to Jane (who seems lovely), but I would have loved for things to have been a bit more specific, only because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, and I was a bit unsure how things were supposed to be with it being my first swap.
What I sent
I totally forgot to take a photo of what I sent Jane, as I wanted to get things sent off, but I decided to go with ‘green’ as my theme (as I do so love a theme). I sent 500g in total in all DK and Aran weights including: 2 x West Yorkshire Spinners Aran – Aire Valley in Mojito and one of the same brand in a corresponding solid green called Emerald. I thought 300g would be enough to make a good shawl or small lap blanket.
Mojito, Emerald and Forest Heather
I also sent a 100g skein of Cascade 220 Superwash DK called Heather’s just because it’s called ‘Heathers’! I chose a gorgeous green called Forest Heather (and I may have treated myself to some Heather yarn for myself too -ooopss!) and a 100g skein of hand dyed DK yarn by the fabulous indie dyer Siobhan Crafts which I want to say was called OOAK mermaid (but I could be wrong).
And as little gifts I sent her some Dear Ewe goodies including a WIP project bag, as I thought it would be a handy place to put her new yarn, some WIP project cards, for all her new projects with her new yarn, and some of the yarn lovers prop cards, for photo opportunities once she has made some lovely things from her new yarn.
What I received
When my box came out of quarantine I was super excited to finally open it, I even did an unboxing on IGTV filmed by my lovely 9 year old. Yarnwise I received 2 x 50g of Hobbycraft ‘Catch a Wave’ yarn which I’ve never tried before, I got 2 x little 10g yarn and colors mini’s to try (green & purple), which again I’ve never used before and a 25g ball of White Ricorumi which I use a lot so that will come in handy.
I was also gifted 2 hand dyed mini skeins which I think were both from Mothy and the Squid; one is a 20g which is variegated reds with black flecks called ‘Red Octopus’ and the other looks to be 10g mini that is orange with black flecks (this one I couldn’t see a label, though I might have thrown it away by accident in my opening frenzy). I’ve always wanted to make an amigurumi in hand dyed yarn and these might be fun to use for that with them just being little amounts – maybe I should take inspiration from the yarn name and make an octopus!
Then the pièce de résistance in terms of yarn was an absolutely gorgeous 100g skein of RiverKnits hand-dyed yarn called ‘Mermaid’ which is a Superwashed Blue Faced Leicester yarn. I recently purchased from Provence Crafts the Positivity Spiral Cowl as part of #OperationSJW and because it’s gorgeous. It uses 100g so I think I’ll use that to make the cowl, and it seems highly appropriate as if you’ve ever watched Faye’s Crochet Circle Podcast you will know she’s a big fan of RiverKnits yarn.
The rest of the parcel was filled with fun little knick knacks including; a little crochet cactus amigurumi, Clipper organic sleep easy tea bags, a grey faux fur pom, some Easter Caramel Shortcake bits, a little cactus print mini project bag, some mini Little Box of Crochet pattern books and goodies, some stitch markers, some crochet hooks, mini notebooks and pen and a thriller book.
All the gifts were beautifully wrapped, with little handmade messages on, so it felt like Christmas! Jane also sent a gorgeous handmade felted scene card which was beautiful.
Final thoughts on Woolswap
I really enjoyed the whole WoolSwap experience. I had great fun putting together a parcel for my swap partner, and have a little more ideas of things I could include in future swaps. It’s been a great way to get to know new people as Jane and I chatted about other things other than the swap including kids in lockdown. And aside from the fun of just receiving a gift / parcel just for me, it’s been really fun to receive yarn that I’ve never tried before.
All in all it’s been a very positive experience and a fibre swap is something I will definitely consider doing again in the future. Have you done fibre swaps before? How was your experience? Would you recommend any particular one you’ve tried? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Hey folks, how you all doing out there? Today has felt like a looooonnnggg day! So in an aim to focus on more positive things, I’ve got a brand new pattern release for you today! Meet the Batternburg Bunny, she’s as sweet as marzipan and some’bunny’ you should really get to know better!
Do you like Battenburg cake? It’s one of my eldest girls favourites, but I think marzipan in a bit like marmite isn’t it, you either love it or loathe it!
This is one of those designs that I had around at least a year ago which popped up into my head again, and then I couldn’t shake it, I really wanted to try and combine some tapestry crochet and amigurumi to make something new!
She’s a fun project to make, and really not too tricky once you get into the flow of things.
I was actually going to call this bunny the Patchwork bunny until one of my friends suggested it looked like a Battenburg cake and then it just had to be the name!
My bunny is made from Scheepjes Catona that I’d got in my stash (I have a lot of Catona in my stash! You may have noticed it’s one of my favourite yarns to use for amigurumi), but the pattern will work with other yarns.
The 6 page Battenburg Bunny pattern is now on sale over on Ravelry (available in UK and US terms).
In fact if you are looking for something to do I’ve put ALL my patterns on sale in my Ravelry store until 3 April 2020. Just enter code: LOCKDOWN for a discount off all patterns you add to your basket.
According to the Chinese Horoscope the year 2020 is the year of the Metal Rat! So I decided my first design for this year would be a little rat made in ‘metal’ grey yarn. Allow me to introduce Reginald the Royal Rat!
Reginald, as befitting someone born in the year of the rat, is an industrious, thrifty, diligent and positive wee fellow. He can accommodate himself to different circumstances quickly and get clear about his surroundings – which makes him perfect as an ornament to have on your shelf or desk at work.
Did you know that the Rat is the first of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. I personally thing Reginald is dressed fit for any occasion he might find himself in – what do you think?
Reginald is made from Scheepjes Catona that I’d got in my stash and some gold Scheepjes Lizzy thread for his crown – my inner magpie is still not ready to put away the sparkle yet after Christmas!
The Year of the Rat is going to bring us creative energy where everyone will show determination regarding their goals, aspirations, and hobbies! So why not harness your amigurumi making abilities to hook up this regal little project.
This would make a fun little gift for anyone born in the year of the rat, or for a rat or royalty lover! The 5 page PDF pattern is available in either UK or US terms and includes explanations of all stitches and abbreviations.
To celebrate the new release I’m offering 40% discount from today until 22 January 2020 on Ravelry. Just use coupon code: RAT40
I hope you’ll tag @kcaco.uk on Instagram or share your projects on my Facebook page as I love to see your finished work! Happy Crocheting!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Attention all crochet beginners! Have you perhaps stumbled upon this blog because you’d like to learn more about crochet? Do you live near Staffordshire? Well I’m pleased to say that I’ve been asked back to Abakhan in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, to do some more crochet demonstrations in 2020.
If you are in the neighbourhood then why not join us in store for a range of crochet demonstrations. You do not need any prior knowledge of crochet to come see what it’s all about just an interest. You could learn tips for a new hobby and find something to be inspired – and should you have any pressing crochet questions then I’ll be there to help anyone that needs it.
Learn to Crochet – Saturday 18 January: 1pm to 4pm
Always wanted to learn how to crochet? In this free in store demonstration I will be sharing tips on how to hold your hook and yarn, how to read a pattern, how to make a foundation chain and how to work your first stitches.
The other FREE crochet demonstrations that I’m facilitating in 2020 at Abakhan are listed below:
Granny Square Therapy – Saturday 7th March: 1pm to 4pm
Always wanted to know how to make a granny square? In today’s free demonstration I will be sharing how to make a granny square, changing colours and sewing granny squares together.
Learn to Crochet – Saturday 5 July: 1pm to 4pm
If you missed the learn to crochet session in January don’t worry as we are re-running the demonstration just before the summer holiday season begins!
I’m also going to be in Hanley for Yarn Shop Day 2020 which is always a fun yarny sort of day – so make sure you save the date of Saturday 2nd May 2020!
If you’ve not heard about Yarn Shop Day before you might like to take a look at a couple of my previous blog posts about they kind of thing that goes on for 2017, 2018 and 2019.
If you love a crafty workshop then Abakhan always have several classes and workshops available in their stores (in Stoke-on-Trent, Chester, Manchester, Liverpool, Altrincham and Shrewsbury) including dress making, sewing machinery, creative sewing, knitting and crochet and patchwork and quilting.
I hope to see some of you at one of the demonstrations soon!
Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
I think I’ve said before that one of my favourite things to crochet and make are Christmas decorations. I love that they become part of the fabric of your Christmas and bring back memories as they are brought out again year after year. So I decided to make another one this year that I’d like to share with you – it’s for a Little Christmas Bell ornament for your tree.
Now you can add the perfect finishing touch to your Christmas tree this festive season with a little handmade bell decoration that really rings! With easy simple steps this mini bell decoration is a fun and fast gift to make or to keep for your own tree.
Last year you may remember that I made some mini tapestry tree decorations (FREE pattern here) with some Creativa Fino yarn kindly gifted from Anchor Crafts. I really like Creativa Fino to work with, it’s a nice firm mercerised cotton which I think works particularly well for amigurumi and ornaments like this one.
The following Little Christmas Bell Tree Ornament pattern is free here on the blog but it’s also available in my Ravelry store where there is a nominal fee for a downloadable 3 page PDF pattern free of advertisements if you’d prefer.
The pattern is available in both UK and US crochet terminology on Ravelry though the pattern below is written with both terminology combined for ease.
Yarn: 9g / 25m of Anchor Creativa Fino Gold or Silver Coloured 4ply Cotton 0.85g / 2.5m of Anchor Gold or Silver Metallic Thread Small amounts of Anchor Creativa Fino Red and Green 4ply Cotton
Pattern will work in other hooks and yarns though finished size will be different.
Hook: 2.75mm (US size D/3)
You will also need:
1 x 10mm gold or silver jingle bell
Stitch Marker
Scissors
Yarn needle
Gauge: 6dc = 2.5cm / 1 inch
Obtaining the correct gauge is not critical to this project but if your gauge does not match then your finished item will be a different size.
Finished Size: 8cm / 3.14inches
ABBREVIATIONS:
st(s) stitch(es)
st sl slip stitch
ch(s) chain
dc/sc UK double crochet / US single crochet
rev.dc/sc Reverse UK double crochet / US single crochet
htr/hdc UK half treble / US half double crochet
tr/dc UK treble / US double crochet
STITCH GUIDANCE:
Slip Stitch (sl st): Insert hook in st indicated, yarn over and draw through all loops.
UK Double Crochet/US Single Crochet (dc/sc): Insert hook in st indicated and draw up a loop (two loops on hook), yarn over, draw through both loops on hook.
UK half treble / US half double crochet (htr/hdc): Yarn over, insert hook in indicated st and pull up a loop (three loops on hook), yarn over, pull through all three loops on hook.
UK treble / US double crochet (tr/dc): Yarn over, insert hook in indicated st and pull up a loop (three loops on hook), yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, pull through remaining two loops on hook.
PATTERN NOTES
Using a stitch marker: The bell is worked in the usual amigurumi style worked without joining in continuous rnds – place the stitch marker in the top of the first st to mark start of rnd.
Reverse Single Crochet (rev.dc/sc): A reverse single crochet stitch is worked the same as a regular single crochet — except in reverse. Instead of working from right to left, you work from left to right. Insert hook, from front to back, in the next st to the right and pull up a loop (two loops on hook), yarn over, pull through both loops on hook.
Pattern:
Bell:
Rnd 1: Make a magic ring, work 6dc/sc into ring. 6sts
Rnd 2: [2dc/sc] to end. 12 sts
Rnd 3: [1dc/sc, 2dc/sc] to end. 18 sts
Rnd 4: [1dc/sc in the next 2sts, 2dc/sc] to end. 24sts
Rnd 5: [1dc/sc in the next 3sts, 2dc/sc] to end. 30sts
Rnds 6-13: 1dc/sc in each st around
Rnd 14: [1dc/sc in the next 4sts, 2dc/sc] to end. 36sts
Rnd 15: 1dc/sc in each st around
Rnd 16: [1dc/sc in the next 5sts, 2dc/sc] to end. 42sts
Rnd 17: 1dc/sc in each st around. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Rnd 18: AttachMetallic Gold, rev.dc/sc in each st around. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Bell Handle:
Ch8, sl st to form a ring; sl st in each ch round until fasten off but leave a yarn tail for attaching to the centre top of the bell..
Bell Clanger:
Ch17, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in each st along until end. Use one yarn tail to attach the bell to the end of the strip just made, thread the other yarn tail through the centre of the strip and use it to attach to the inner bell centre.
Holly (make 2):
Ch7, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, * 1dc/sc in next st, 1tr/dc in the next, ch2, sl st to post of tr/dc * sl st in the next st, repeat from * to * once, sl st into first ch, ch2, sl st to first ch again, then working on other side of beginning ch; ch3, sl st to 2nd ch from hook, sl st to next st, 1dc/sc in next st, 1tr/dc in the next, fasten off but leave long yarn tail
Berries (make 2):
Ch6, 1dc/sc in 2nd ch from hook, htr/hdc in the next st, 1tr/dc in next, 1htr/hdc in the next, 1dc/sc in the next st, sl st to the first st to join, leave long yarn tail to attach.
To finish: Make a short hanging loop with metallic yarn around the bell handle.
And that’s it!
If you hook up a Little Christmas Bell Tree ornament I hope you’ll maybe give it a ‘love’ on Ravelry by saving to your favourites, tag @kcaco.uk on Instagram or share your projects in my Facebook group as I love to see your finished work!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Here’s the next Christmas pattern as promised! Allow me to introduce Gino the Gingerbread Baker!
I have a notebook where I jot and doodle down any ideas I might get for a pattern. Sometimes they sit there for awhile and then get made (my Nordic Twist gnome for instance I thought of last year) other times the idea just won’t leave me. I’ll keep thinking about it and I just have to get it made – that was the case with Gino the Gingerbread Baker; he really wanted to come to life!
“Stir a bowl of gingerbread, Smooth and spicy brown. Roll it with a rolling pin, Up and up and down. With a cookie cutter, Make some little men. Put them in the oven, Till half past ten.”
With a removable hat and apron Gino is a fun ornament for your christmas kitchen – or remove the holly from the hat and he’s a fun gift for anyone who loves baking at anytime of the year!
Did you know that gingerbread men date from around the 16th century and the first documented figure-shaped “gyngerbrede” biscuits were baked at the court of Elizabeth 1 of England.
Fascinatingly, in history, Gingerbread men were taken up by witches who used them like voodoo dolls. They would bake effigies of their enemies and eat them! I’m now a bit concerned about my 3 year old who finds it especially funny to the legs bite off gingerbread men and cry ‘help, help, my legs!!’ Joking aside people took the witchcraft voodoo gingerbread men so seriously that in 1607 the magistrates of Delft in the Netherlands made it illegal to either bake or eat the biscuits!
My gingerbread man is made from Scheepjes Catona that I’d got in my stash and the mini gingerbread men props were from the seasonal section of my local COOP and were delicious!
My two girls both love to eat gingerbread men and we often decorate gingerbread men together this time of year. This pattern would be a great reminder of a family cooking session or as a fun prop for the Gingerbread Man fairy tale.
24 hour coupon code: 🎉
As a little festive treat for the next 24 hours only (until midnight GMT on Tuesday 17 December) pick up your FREE copy of Gino with the code: GINGER when you apply it at the checkout on Ravelry.
And as there’s still a few days until Christmas and you are looking for more seasonal patterns to hook up then check out my Christmas Crochet bundle on Ravelry. It contains all my seasonal patterns available for purchase or for free.
I’ve just got just one more Christmas patterns left that I’m releasing this year then I promise I’m all Xmas patterned out so keep a look out for those coming to this blog real soon!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
So I promised another couple of Christmas patterns didn’t I and here is the next! Allow me to introduce the Nordic Twist Gnome!
I know that you will have seen these sort of Scandinavian Gnomes before, they are everywhere in the Christmas shops, and I LOVE them with their pulled down hats over their big noses. I love them so much that it just made me want to come up with my OWN version and so that’s what I’ve done!
The top of my gnomes hat is completely poseable for you to twist it or put it in all sorts of different shapes, all by the way of a carefully hidden pipe cleaner, that makes it a rather fun ornament to have on your shelf!
Did you know that these sorts of gnomes are a common Scandinavian Christmas decoration that have been adopted wholeheartedly by the rest of the world. The traditional word for gnomes in the Scandinavian culture is ‘Tomte’ which was apparently coined by Saint Birgitta of Sweden in the 1300s. These little guys are typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season and traditionally usually don a bright red conical knitted hat.
I wanted my gnome to be a little different so I made him in a modern colour pallet of turquoises and silver. He’s made from Scheepjes Catona that I’d got in my stash, some roving for his beard and some silver Scheepjes Lizzy thread just to add a bit of sparkle. And as Christmas to me is totally all about jingle bells I added some of those too!
My two girls love this little guy and I already know my gnome is going to come out every year for the holiday season with the rest of my Christmas makes. I love that my family will start to think of them as a part of their holidays.
I hope you enjoy making this little guy as much as I enjoyed designing him. And if you are looking for more seasonal patterns to hook up if you are in a festive kind of mood then check out my Christmas Crochet bundle on Ravelry which contains all my seasonal patterns available for purchase or for free.
I’ve just got two more Christmas patterns left that I’m releasing this year then I promise I’m all Xmas patterned out so keep a look out for those next week.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
When I was asked if I might like to do another workshop at The Crochet Sanctuary, and this time the Christmas one, I may have squealed a little bit in my head! Christmas is my MOSTEST favourite time of the year and I was delighted to be given the opportunity to come up with a fun festive design.
If you’ve not heard about The Crochet Sanctuary before it’s a crochet retreat set in the beautiful Cranage Hall in Crewe. The hosts of the sanctuary, Lisa and Lynda-Rose, always plan an amazing weekend for their guests and it’s usually extra special at Christmas – and this time it was no different!
On this occasion we were a nice cosy group of about 20 weekenders (to be joined by roughly 5 more day guests on the Saturday). The room we were in, as always, was arranged with a circle of comfy chairs covered in crochet blankets and cushions to make ourselves at home.
Excitingly this weekend myself, with myDear Ewe hat on, and fellow small business owner Mrs G Makes had a pop up shop in the room, and Amanda from Craftopia had a pop up shop in her van!
It was really nice for me to let people see the Dear Ewe products up close as I think it’s a totally different experience from seeing them just on your computer screen. And it gave me a chance to try out my new stall display format as Dear Ewe is hopefully going on the road in 2020 to some yarn shows near you….
We started off the afternoon with a really fun ice-breaker to get to know each other with us having to confess a time when we’d been naughty. Santa presided over us and checked his list to see if he agreed that we’d been naughty or nice! Apparently I was naughty – I’m sure that can’t be right!? And then we were all given a present…if you are Instagram you need to check out this video to see our reactions!
Inside the parcel was our very own Scheepjes Whirligig which was just unbelievable! I’ve been drooling (like so many others I’m sure) over these since they were released earlier this year. These decadent gigantic yarn cakes (1000m / 450g) are a super soft blend of alpaca and virgin wool and have gorgeous long repeats. Mine is the pink to plum version which is a pale pink that transitions to rich plums and deep purples. It was definitely love at first sight!
We were given two patterns to choose from, either the Scheepjes Valyria Shawl by Johanna Lindahl or the new Nolkag Wrap pattern designed especially for the weekend. I chose the Nolkag Wrap which is just a deliciously mindful pattern with a pretty cabled texture. I enjoyed working on the pattern, and with the yarn which just glides through your fingers, so much that I found it really hard to put it down the whole weekend!
But a gal’s got to eat so we hooked until 7pm then it was time for a three course meal in the restaurant (which was delicious) and then we went back up to the room for more crochet and chatting.
I was a bit more sensible this time and was in bed for 11pm (not the usual wee hours of the morning) and before I knew it it was time for a buffet style breakfast then back up to the room for our next project which was completely awesome! We were given everything we needed to make giant baubles! I still need to finish mine so I’ll have to share a photo when I’m finished.
Next it was Christmas dinner for lunch and with all of us feeling full and maybe a tad sleepy it was time for me to do my workshop! Lisa and Lynda had let me decide what I was going to do for my workshop, and when I’d suggested a stocking design they thought that was great – I think everyone was thinking it was going to be another amigurumi!
I came up with the Starlight Stocking designwhich I think would make a great addition to those handmade decorations you bring out year after year.
My chosen yarn for the stocking was the new Scheepjes Chunky Monkey yarn, which is becoming a fast new favourite of mine, so soft, combined with Scheepjes Catona and Scheepjes Lizzy (for a bit of bling). You can just see them hanging in situ below on one of the gorgeous Cranage Estate fireplaces!
As always it was great fun watching everyone get stuck into making the stockings (I don’t usually get to see that part!), we had a break for the evening meal until 7pm-ish (when the day people left us) for another scrumptious three course meal in the restaurant, then it was back up to the room again to continue with the stockings.
As always much belly laughter was had (you pinocchio nose people know who you are!)…then it was time for bed again, the weekend really does seem to just fly by so quickly!
Sunday until 3pm (when the Sanctuary finishes) is normally when we have time to finished off our projects but Lynda and Lisa had another fun project in store! We got to have a go at making our own custom shawl kilt pin and I got to use a glue gun for the first time. I now kind of want to glue aallll the things because I REALLY enjoyed using the gun. I chose some festive felt balls and bells to adorn my kilt pin to match my Nolkag Wrap.
After that it was wonderful to see that nearly everyone wanted to finish off their stockings…and some did get them finished or nearly finished over the weekend. Everyone did such an amazing job with them!
And some more stockings modelled with the gorgeously decorated fireplace!
I’m a bit addicted to attending The Crochet Sanctuary days / weekends they have throughout the year. It’s always such fun and I get to just talk crochet till I’m fit to burst which is especially refreshing because no one’s eyes start to glaze over – they are just as enthused as me!
It was a thoroughly wonderful weekend, which I knew it would be, that I was lucky enough to share with the most wonderful group of people! Just a lovely occasion to catch up with old friends and make some new ones!
If you are looking for a weekend of yarn, crochet, relaxation and just pure wonderfulness then the The Crochet Sanctuary is definitely the place for you. As testament the weekend dates for 2020 have already completely sold out – but you can still book the remaining few day dates that are left here.
I’m going back for a day visit again in February as a guest which I’m already looking forward to! How many more sleeps is that….
Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
