Tag: crochet

Crochet Project Ideas 2018

Crochet / 6 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’m pinning crochet project ideas constantly lately! With some lovely new yarns the Mr has found I’ve been on the hunt for crochet projects. Crochet and blogging have been helping me stay sane lately and I am busying myself with them. So much has been going on lately that it’s been great to have projects to busy myself with.

Crochet project ideas

I feel quite cut off lately with no phone, I can’t chat online as much. Thankfully my surface does follow me around the flat but it’s really not the same. My brother pops in once a fortnight but otherwise, I barely see anyone so keeping busy is good. The best part is there are no deadlines, I just do as much as I feel I can when I can.

End Of A Project

Crochet Project Ideas

I am almost finished with my huge granny square blanket and know I will need something lined up to make next. Excuse the mess in this photo, it’s hard to get a picture as it is so large! Plus, I have kids… no further explanation necessary! I’ve somehow managed to crochet 150cm/180cm squared, hopefully, it won’t take too much longer! I really enjoy having a simple project to do even though it is huge and taken quite a while! I fear I will miss this project though so lining up a few more projects!

Crochet Project Ideas

I have been looking and pinning so many crochet project ideas that half the time I genuinely have no clue what to start next! I started hunting for some ideas ready for when the blanket is finally finished and found a few I’m tempted to try.

Crochet Socks

Crochet Project Ideas

I have this gorgeous yarn cake in blue that I think will make up some lovely socks. I’ve never attempted crocheting socks before so I am a bit nervous. It could solve my cold feed issues though and Heather has pointed me in the direction of some great tutorials. Knowing I have the #HGDCMakersMoment chat on a Wednesday also gives me a boost to find projects. Chatting to other makers motivates me to finish and find new projects.

Cocoon Cardigan

Aran Yarn

With the Burgandy Aran yarn, I am hoping to start a granny square cocoon cardigan. There are some lovely patterns out there but this one from Spoons & Hooks looks fab. She recommends using 1000-1250 yards of yarn for this granny square cocoon cardigan. I currently have 850 yards of Burgandy Aran Yarn. I figured since I need a size 6-8 I will give it a go and see if I have enough yarn.  At worst I can make it for Eva instead although I may keep an eye out for Aldi too just to make sure though!

 

Crochet Wishlist On Amazon 2018

Crochet / 6 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

My Crochet wishlist on Amazon* is growing for 2018 even though I managed to grab a few goodies already this year! I managed to tick off a few tools like stitch markers, a range of hooks and stitch counters. My wool/yarn collection is growing even more too after the Mr bought me some Aran yarn & a yarn cake.

Crochet Wishlist On Amazon 2018

I mentioned last year in My Ever-Growing Yarn Wishlist several Carron Cakes I had my eye on and I have been keeping an eye out for sales with no luck. The Mr found a So Crafty Yarn cake in Aldi this week though and grabbed the last one knowing I love the different yarn cakes available.

As you can see the Mr also got me a few other goodies, helping me create an even more comfortable, calming, crochet corner!

Crochet Wishlist

This little haul made me really smile and now I look forward to resting when I need to instead of feeling guilty. Of course, this has also spurred me on to hunt for even more gorgeous crochet goodies to busy myself with when I need to rest. From crochet tools, yarns and more my wishlist right now is quite extensive!

Crochet Tools

Any crocheter will need a lovely pair of scissors to snip yarn at times, why not a lovely vintage pair?

Yarn/Wool

Yes, I know, I haven’t even bought the ones on my last wish list… yet! But here are a few more I am currently in love with anyway including this huge yarn cake that would be perfect for using on a project for Eva.

I also really love this yarn, it would be great for a scarf tying in my favourite colours.

 

This stunning collection has some fab shades including purple haze which is stunning, as is ocean but this one, in particular, keeps catching my eye. It would make a lovely cardigan!

This gorgeous sock yarn is also on my crochet wish list this year as I am determined to crochet a pair of socks!

Mugs & Coasters

Every crocheter needs a mug & coaster, even with my obsessive purple mug collecting I have yet to buy a related mug or coaster! Shocking! Amazon has some quite amusing mugs like this one below. It made me giggle as last year crocheting helped me travel without feeling overly anxious.

This mug is so true, crocheting helps me unwind and really is my happy place! Of course, if you get the mug you have too, especially being purple

That also makes this next mug on my crochet wishlist pretty true too. I have to admit it has helped me keep calm in situations where I normally struggle haha!

Clothing

Anyone that follows me on tweeter will regularly see me complain I am cold so of course a jumper or hoody had to be included. I am lacking after a clear out after all…


I love both of these hoodies, I just wish they came in purple!

Stationary

As someone with a slight stationary obsession, of course, I had to find a notebook to note down any stitches or perhaps if I ever learn to write a pattern. I love this one and is top of my stationary crochet wishlist.

 

Burnished Chaos

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New Crochet Bag & My Current WIP

Crochet / 6 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’m showing off my new crochet bag from Bonfire Cherry and my current WIP since it has been a little while. I started on a rather large granny square blanket in sparkly purple, blue and silver. The blanket will end up big enough to cover our super king size bed which will also cover all of our corner sofa for film days too!

Purple Granny Square Blanket

My Current WIP

I’ve only managed to squeeze in a row here and there over the last few months alongside a small toy hammock. (I need to make another 3 of those too!) I am pleased with my slow progress and love how warm it is whilst I work on it.

As always I have had a few incidents where the girls knock my WIP all over the floor which annoys me greatly! I finally decided it had been far too long since I spotted the Wool print bags from Bonfire Cherry and asked him about them. Unfortunately he stopped selling these but luckily for me he had one spare so I finally got my hands on a new crochet bag!

New Crochet Bag

New Crochet Bag – Wool Print Design

My new crochet bag arrived beautifully wrapped and fits my current WIP with plenty of growing room. Keeping my WIP & hook together in one place at all times is so much easier. I am relieved and in love with the gorgeous Wool Print design from Bonfire Cherry.

I have been joining in with the #HGDCMakersMoment the last 2 weeks, reminding me how much I enjoy crochet. Connecting with other crocheters and crafters is always so inspiring. Of course last week I joined in showing off my gorgeous new crochet bag which everyone loved. It made me smile even if I was dealing with a projectile vomiter repeatedly appearing in the hallway. I managed to join in the conversation a little at least.

After I finish my blanket and 3 more toy hammocks, I am determined to make myself a cardigan! Heather who runs #HGDCMakersMoment found me some gorgeous designs so I just need to find the perfect wool. My crochet confidence has definitely gone up over the last year. Now I can’t wait to learn more tips and tricks. I would love to make us all cosy socks and jumpers for cold winters!

What’s on your hook at the moment?

My Ever-growing Yarn Wish List

Crochet / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I have an ever-growing Yarn wish list right now. Whilst I do have 2 projects on the go right now, a granny square blanket for myself and one for my brothers cat Mia. I’m still using up all my sparkly yarn but I’ve been eyeing up some lovely new colours and brands I’ve discovered.

I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to crochet and I openly admit to being clueless when it comes to different yarns but some are just sooo lovely! I love self patterning yarns, anything purple, grey or super soft. The girls regularly point out yarns they like and want used on a project too but this list is just for me.

My Yarn Wish list

 

Caron Cakes

Anyone who loves to crochet or knit has no doubt heard of Caron cakes, self-patterning yarns that come in a glorious array of colours. These are fantastic for a range of projects and look especially lovely when used for shawls. Here are my favourite 4 Caron Cakes.

Yarn wish list- Bumbleberry caron cake

Bumbleberry

I love the gorgeous combination of purples in this Bumbleberry Self Striping Aran Yarn. I could use this on so many projects for myself!

lilac frosting caron cake

Lilac Frosting

The Lilac frosting would make a lovely scarf for winter with just a hint of lilac throughout. I usually avoid lighter colours but I do love the way this Caron cake turns out.

 

Mixed Berry Caron Cake

Mixed Berry

I’ve had my eye on this gorgeous Mixed Berry Caron cake since I first discovered them. I think this would be perfect for a project for Eva. Maybe a nice cardigan if I can work out how to crochet one!

Faerie cake caron cake

Faerie Cake

The last yarn on my Caron cake wishlist is this gorgeous Faerie Cake. I just love the colours in this, I’ve no idea what I would use it for but I definitely need it in my yarn stash asap.

 

purple fizz

Purple Fizz

Stylecraft Wondersoft DK Merry-go-Round in Purple Fizz is another self-patterning wool which I would love to make some cushions out of. I want to funk up my sofa soon and have a few different cushion cover ideas.

candy

Candy

King Cole Flash DK Knitting yarn in Candy is gorgeous. I would love to make some cushions for the girls room. Ok I know I said this list is for me but I couldn’t help but slip one in for the girls too!

What’s on your Yarn wish list right now? Which of the above yarns is your favourite?

Lace Shell Edged Shawl Crochet Project – Complete

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve been working on a Lace Shell Edged Shawl since my birthday after some good friends spoilt me with crochet supplies! I received a handy box full of purple sparkly wool, hooks, a magazine & beginners crochet guide. I was over the moon and still am!

A box of treats!

Crochet goodies

 

Anyone that knows me will know I absolutely love crochet! I taught myself slowly over the last few year after finding knitting difficult with 2 children running around. Crochet is much easier to pick up & put down when I have spare time. My confidence has grown loads and I’ve made some lovely items that I’m quite proud of. I’ve crocheted several items now including bags, a flower heart wreath, dolls clothes, blankets for Eva and Izzy, scarves and more! I really enjoy crochet, it helps with my anxiety & depression too so this was the perfect birthday present!

I love seeing the girls with their blankets I made for them 😍

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Lace Shell Edged Shawl

With plenty of purple wool, I sat and looked through the magazines to find myself a nice project. I found a pattern for a gorgeous lace edged shawl so I instantly got to work on a purple one for myself! The crochet beginners guide has a lovely pattern which I decided to adapt slightly using a different sized hook. I won’t deny I only changed the pattern so I could use my lovely new 3mm purple hook instead of a 5mm one!

Lace shell edged Shawl

Using the Crochet Beginners guide I finally got the hang of a magic ring which will be useful in so many projects. I’ve also recently taught myself how to do a standing crochet stitch, great for hiding any mistakes haha!

My lace shell edged shawl grew quite quickly considering the hook size difference. The shawl took longer than planned but I’m still pleased I managed it in a month! We’ve had a busy few weeks, a surprise trip to Southend pier, Izzy being poorly and Eva going back to school . Somehow I have still managed to sneak in a few rows here and there.

Finally finished!

The design itself is quite simple but it has a lace shell edging which is nice and a little different to the shell edging on Izzy’s crochet blanket I recently made her. I madea few mistakes so had to frog several rows throughout but I eventually got there!

My shawl is finally finished! Still need to wash and block it but YAY!

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One of the magazines came with a shawl pin to use too. Now I’ve learnt more stitches and tricks my ‘to make’ list is growing quickly! With 5 more balls of purple to use I’m on the hunt for another little project haha!

What do you think of the shawl? What would you make if you had plenty of wool to use?

 

First Granny Square Blanket Finished!

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

It’s true! My first granny square blanket is finished at last! Just over 2 months ago I shared the start of my first  granny square project . Since then it’s been growing at a fair pace considering all the interruptions I’ve had. When I ran out of wool I shared a quick update on how it was turning out and asked for suggestions for a border.

My First Granny Square blanket is finished

As suggested I went for a shell border & Izzy chose a gorgeous Robin Paintbox wool in Rumba for it. I like it but think perhaps a slightly bigger shell would have looked a little better. Izzy of course disagrees & I wasn’t allowed to change it! In all fairness I’m not good at deciding these things haha.

Shell border

144 squares hasn’t taken anywhere near as long as I expected. Whilst I had hoped to finish my first granny square blanket at least a week ago I am surprised how quickly it grew. I ran out of the blue and purple wool half way through. This meant I was stuck for a week or so. As soon as I picked up more I got back on it and somehow managed to work pretty fast though. Considering we’ve had a busy few weeks I am surprised!

My First Granny Square Blanket Is Finished!!

My first granny square blanket is finished

Whilst I can see where I need to make changes for future blankets I am quite pleased with my first attempt. I can see this being the first of many granny square blankets as I’ve really enjoyed working on this. It hasn’t taken as long as expected and Izzy loves how it’s turned out too. She’s spent the entire day snuggled up with her new blanket which is lovely to see!

I am definitely becoming more confident now and mistakes don’t stress me out as much as I know easy fixes now. Crochet has really helped me deal with pain and stress a lot better too. Having something to focus on is really calming and the finished product always gives me a sense of achievement. The only problem is..

Now I’m on the hunt for my next project.. any suggestions? 😂

Crochet Catch Up – Granny Square Project

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I figured it was time for a bit of a crochet catch up following my Granny Square Blanket post. Almost 2 months since I started but we all know I’m slow with projects! Most of the time it’s down to my indecisiveness, I hate making decisions and never know what colours or patterns to use. Luckily this time I used a fantastic pattern generator Mrs A from Hooks & Dragons (My crochet guru!) passed on to me. Using that plus some input from Izzy the granny square blanket I ended up with the pattern below.

Crochet catch up - granny square project

After finding myself motivated enough to keep on top of blogging, I shared a post of 10 blogging tips to stay motivated  of course that meant I then lost my motivation. Or rather I quickly found myself falling behind again as I became more motivated to crochet instead.
Granny square project in progress

 

I was ferociously crocheting granny squares for quite a while and the blanket began to grow quite quickly. I picked up a second hook in the same size to pop in my handbag with a small ball of wool for journeys. It really helps my anxiety & passes time quite quickly, the drive to the Rochester Dickens Festival went so fast whilst I crocheted another square.

Using the 4 colours has worked better than I expected though and even though I hate pink, I do love the way this blanket is working up! I have really enjoyed working on this blanket, Until I ran out of purple & blue wool! Now I’m at a bit of a standstill until I have bought more tomorrow.. One day I will learn to always pick up extra haha!

Working out the pattern means I know exactly how many squares of each colour scheme I need. Which also means it will be easier to continue once I have more wool. I am keeping track of the pattern so I can make another similar one for Eva too.

I’m currently around halfway through the blanket!

I still need to work out a border to finish it off, any suggestions? I’m not sure which colour or pattern to use for the border. I’m hoping to have the blanket finished by the end of summer. A nice slow easier project I can pick up & put down easily has been just what I needed. I will definitely be making more granny square projects!

So there you go a little crochet catch up for my readers. What have you been working on recently?  What do you think of the blanket? 

Granny Square Project

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Granny Square Project

I’ve started on a Granny square project after losing my motivation for a little while. I got the Mr to help me make a cheap & simple blocking board to help me keep them neat and got to work. The last few crochet projects I’ve done have been quite big and I struggled to stay motivated so I needed something simple and easy to put down. Izzy picked these 3 colours to begin with.

Granny Squares

Of course I haven’t done any of the important things, working out measurements, how many square I will need etc. For now I’m just going to enjoy getting lost in making lots of small squares. Working on a project in pieces like this is much more doable when you have children interrupting. I can make a square in around 15 minutes with interruptions! The small piles above quickly began to grow!

I like the fact  I can take a ball of wool & a hook out in my bag again and work on the go too, maybe now my phone will stop dying before I get somewhere? Maybe not.. especially if I’m taking pictures as I work too. Either way I’m enjoying doing something, even though it’s for the girls it gives me a nice sense of achievement with each completed square. I even treated myself to a new hook to pop in my bag for crocheting on the go!

I’m quite liking the colours Izzy has chosen light sparkly pink, dark sparkly pink, turquoise and this lovely light purple Izzy picked up in QD. I’ve been working on these granny squares for just over a week now. So far I have build up a stash of over 20 squares in my spare time! My squares are a bit neater than before, I’m definitely getting the hand of crocheting a little tighter.

Hopefully it doesn’t take too long for my stacks to grow so I can begin stitching them together and working out how big to make it & find a nice edging for it too.

What are you working on at the moment? What Granny Square projects have you made?

 

 

My Sunday Photo – A Lovely New Crocheted Unicorn Friend

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Izzy received her lovely new crocheted unicorn friend this week and I absolutely love how happy & smug she looks. After lots of arguing between the girls over Eva’s pink sparkly unicorn Izzy had to have her own!

She couldn’t be any happier with her stunning new friend Crocheted by the Lovely Mrs A/Tracey at Hooks & Dragons.

lovely new crocheted unicorn friend

I love this photo so much I had to share it as my Sunday photo even though I already shared it on Instagram! Both my girls now have their own unicorn in their favourite colours. Finally the arguing has stopped.. over unicorns at least…

 

Photalife

Relentless Accident & Eva’s New Scarf

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
A relentless accident calls for wool shopping!

I had a Relentless accident last week.

Knocking a full can of relentless all over my wool (new & used) and all over my latest WIP’s.

I felt devastated and angry, upset and annoyed with myself. I had ruined Eva’s scarf and all the wools Izzy had chosen for her blanket..

Some of you may have seen a little bit of my melt down on Twitter. I was having one of those moments when you turn into a child again screaming & crying and blaming myself for being so stupid for having a relentless accident, not only did I lose my WIP’s & wool but an entire can (minus one sip) too!

Luckily the lovely Tracey from Hooks & Dragon kept me chatting, giving me tips when I was thinking about washing and drying it all & helping me calm back down. I went from a screaming crying mess to just a sad one!

Eventually between my meltdowns and stomping around to try and find a way to fix it all the Mr suggested I just replace all the wool instead of trying to clean it. To anyone else they would have just said yes but me? I went off again about how I couldn’t do that because it costs MONEY! You know, the thing I seriously HATE spending. especially if it’s on stuff for me.

Eventually I gave in.. after all it’s technically for the girls not me since I’m making thing’s for them!

 

A few days later I finally managed to get out and buy a few new balls of wool.. I only picked up four colours as I figured I can pick up one or 2 more each week until I build my stash back up again.

A relentless accident means new wool

One of the balls was a replacement for Eva’s scarf. A pastel, mostly pink multicoloured wool from the QD Paintbox range. I love how it works up and can’t wait to get it finished!

Eva's Scarf

What do you think so far? I’m considering adding something on.. Maybe a flower? Any (easy) suggestions??