Natural Fibres | Keep Calm and Crochet On U.K

A few weeks ago I received a fabulous email from the owner of Medieval Colours to see if I’d like to have a play with some of their yarn (I know! I LOVE my crochet job!).

Medieval Colours are a unique sort of yarn shop inspired by heritage and history – especially Medieval history. Just imagine gloves in the same colour as a Viking tunic or maybe a scarf made from yarn dyed from a plant which was used by monks to make ink. As a bit of a history fan I was very excited and intrigued by the concept!

They dye 100% cheviot sheep wool from plants that have been traditionally used for dying for centuries. It’s an ecology friendly way of dying as yarn, with no added chemicals, as the only dyes that are used are from plants and minerals bought from gardeners or hand picked in the meadows and forests of the United Kingdom.

Do not adjust your filters!! The dyed colours of this yarn really pops! I got some of the gorgeous orangy red madder dyed yarn in Aran (Worsted Weight) to play with – but more about that in a moment…

This yarn is a strong durable yarn ideal for outerwear or for home accessories. If crocheted with small stitches it produces a nice firm fabric, almost like a woven cloth, which holds its shape really well. As the yarn is 100% wool it could also be used for felting (have you tried my free mini felted heart pattern yet?).

I got a lovely catalogue with my yarn which contained shade details. I couldn’t believe how vibrant all the colours were!

The beautiful range of natural colours available are:

Blue (Woad)
Bright Red (Madder)
Bright Yellow (Weld)
Dark Red (Madder)
Green (Woad and Weld)
Intense Red (Madder)
Light Brown (Oak Bark)
Olive (Weld)
Orange (Madder)
Pale Yellow (Weld)
Pinky Brown (Madder)
Yellow (Tansy)

You can see all the colours on the Medieval Colours website.

Medieval Colours yarn is available directly via order on the website and comes in 50g or 100g balls. As well as yarn for knitting and crocheting Medieval Colours also supply embroidery threads and offer a dyeing for order service.

So what did I make…do you want a sneak peep…

Make sure you check back next week for your copy of the FREE Renaissance Pouch Bag pattern!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

Disclaimer: I received a sample of yarn to write this review. I have not been financially compensated by the supplier to write this review. All opinions expressed are my own and based on my own experiences of using the yarn.

Awhile back I came across a blog post about crocheting with twine and I remember thinking what a cool idea so I pinned it to one of my Pinterest boards (to add to all the other things I want to try sometime) and thought no more about it until today that is when, whilst tidying up a cupboard, I came across a ball of jute twine…

And with it being Valentine’s day the only thing that I could possibly make is a heart right!

Twine is a bit spiky to work with and I would advise crocheting loosely so you don’t get rope burn on your fingers but I love how the heart turned out.

Here is my finished rustic shabby chic accessory; perfect to add a little romantic je ne sais quoi to any home. And it doesn’t take long to hook one up either – perfect for a quick valentine’s day present!

The pattern below has not been out to testers so if you find an error give me a shout so I can amend it!

To make your own twine heart decoration you will need:

Spare bit of Jute Twine
Bit of Ribbon
5mm Hook

Stitch abbreviations:

st(s) = stitches
ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
dc/sc = UK double crochet / US single crochet
htr/hdc = UK half treble / US half double crochet
tr/dc = UK treble / US double crochet

Pattern:

Rnd 1: ch 4, sl st to first ch to join. Ch 3 (counts as first tr/dc), 2 tr/dc into ring *ch 3, 3 tr/dc into ring * repeat from * to * three times, sl st to the top of your first ch 3 to join, turn (24 sts)

Rnd 2: Sl st into the 3 ch sp, Ch 3 (counts as first tr/dc), 2 tr/dc into same 3 ch sp, ch 1, 3 tr/dc same [3 ch sp, 3 tr/dc, ch 3, 3 tr/dc in the next ch sp] then [3 tr/dc, ch 1, 3 tr/dc into the next 3 ch sp], ch 5, sl st into the next 3 ch sp, ch 5 sl st to the top of the first ch 3 to join, turn (33 sts)

Rnd 3: 1 dc/sc into the 5 ch, 2 htr/hdc, 1 tr/dc, 2 htr/hdc, 1 dc/sc onto the same 5 ch, sl st into the same sp as the previous sl st (on previous row), [1 dc/sc, 2 htr/hdc, 1 tr/dc, 2 htr/hdc, 1 dc/sc} on the next 5 ch, 1 dc/sc into each of the next 10 sts (the ch 1 counts as a st). Then [1 dc/sc 1 tr/dc, 1 dc/sc] in the 3 ch sp, 1 dc/sc into the remaining 10 sts, sl st to the top of the first dc/sc to join (37 sts).

Add a loop of ribbon to the top of your heart to hang up in your home. Happy Valentine’s Day!