This started off with just a long weekend, I was off work Monday & Tuesday and was looking forward to some sewing. I started making another Jade by Moments Designs for my mum.
 |
| Sneak peak of Jade |
The weather, however was cold and dark and I find when I sit for long periods of time, my legs get really cold. I finished the exterior of the bag and prepped all of the smaller elements and then decided to snuggle under a quilt and do some crochet instead. I haven’t done any crochet for months, I find making blankets is hard work when the weather is mild, I overheat and the yarn sticks to my hands 😆
I picked up one of my WIPs (Work In Progress) which is a blanket I started back in May 🙈 I made a C2C (Corner to Corner) afghan before that, and I loved the pattern so much that I had to make another. I also decided at that point that I was going to treat myself to some Scheepjes yarn as I have read so much about it in other blogs and the colours are so beautiful, they have so many choices.
 |
| C2C using Scheepjes Stone Washed in Black Onyx |
My favourite place to buy yarn is from Wool Warehouse online (I always support local shops when I can, however I don’t have much choice in Newport/Cardiff 😥).
After spending far too much time browsing (procrastinating) and trying to decide, I settled for a gorgeous Stone Washed in Black Onyx (803). Since moving in with G in April, we have bit of a grey theme going on in the living room, not really a colour but I do love it all the same.
The Scheepjes Stone Washed is a 78% cotton and 22% acrylic blend giving it a beautifully soft feel, and is lovely to work with. I just love the effect of the grey and the black.
I wanted to do another C2C as it comes together so quickly ☺️ I changed the number of chains in the pattern to create a denser outcome and make it a bit less holey (is that a word lol). I absolutely love how it’s coming together and bought some more yarn recently so I could keep going with it.
My lovely boyfriend, G bought me a Scheepjes yarn bowl for Christmas which arrived yesterday, and oh…my…god I love it! The quality is just outstanding and I’m so happy as I’ve wanted one for ages now 😍 I know it’s not technically Christmas yet, we usually discuss what each of us would like in the weeks leading up to Christmas and then just gift the items as they arrive…not very traditional but it’s only the two of us so there’s no need for the fuss with wrapping and unwrapping etc, we still have the excitement of receiving something we love and that’s enough for us ☺️ my gift to him was a new bottle for his lava lamp as his old one had faded and it lost it’s colour, he loves the new one, which also arrived yesterday so we both got to unbox our presents 😁
 |
| My new Scheepjes yarn bowl |
 |
| Pretty bowl |
As I have so many WIPs, I then thought I’d go back to another blanket for a change of pace. I started this one in September last year! This one will probably only be a lap blanket and I only started it as I was teaching my mum how to do the pattern and we both started them together so I could better show her what to do, I believe in a hands-on teaching approach.
 |
| Everlasting Lap Blanket |
I bought this gorgeous book after it was in my Amazon recommendations, it is Crochet Therapy by Betsan Corkhill. It is such a beautiful book and is full of great projects and incorporates some techniques such as relaxation, mindfulness and visualisation. It encourages you to take time for yourself and to use crochet as a tool to encourage calm in your everyday life.
 |
| Crochet Therapy by Betsan Corkhill |
I’ve made a couple of things from the book and helped my mum with some of them, but the blanket I started is actually a nice easy pattern and works up pretty quickly, the plan was I would just keep going until I run out of the yarn I had. The pattern is the Everlasting Lap Blanket and in the book it is made using calming colours of white and two shades of blue. However, my favourite colour is purple and as I was visiting my mum at the time, all I had with me was Stylecraft Special DK in Emperor (1425) and Bright Pink (1435), I just love this yarn and these colours and the idea behind the projects is to make you happy and bring a sense of calm…NOTHING makes me happier than the colour purple, it makes me smile, it makes me feel happy and I love working with these colours. I do occasionally use other colours, I also love teal and similar shades so I use that quite a bit too. Mostly purple, though ☺️ or black. Can’t go wrong with black, it goes with everything 😁
I worked a little bit on this, maybe over a couple of evenings, but then I remembered I wanted to have a go at making myself a new hat. It was really cold here a couple weeks ago but it’s gone milder again. I don’t really need a hat right now but no doubt the temperature will drop again soon.
 |
| Stylecraft Special DK in Bright Pink |
I had been looking at hat patterns on The Crochet Crowd website a couple of weeks ago. I love this site, Mikey does the most incredible tutorials, it was actually one of his tutorials I followed to learn the C2C pattern, he makes everything so easy to follow and understand. I found out about him on Facebook and in the couple years I’ve been following him and using his website, the popularity has exploded! He now organises Crochet Cruises all through the year, his website has been improved and the number of tutorials he provides is phenomenal. I don’t know how he finds the time.
The pattern I liked the most was the Caron Cable Twist Hat by Yarnspirations, this is a free pattern and Mikey does a tutorial for the whole pattern. I didn’t have any Caron yarn and I didn’t want to buy any more at the moment when I have lots I could use to practice. I don’t like using anything itchy when making something I will wear, so I went with Patons Smoothie DK in Black (01033). I love the feel of this yarn, and it is 100% Acrylic but is really soft and not at all itchy. It was only a practice run and this yarn isn’t the same as Caron, the Caron uses a 5mm hook and the Patons is 4mm but it actually came out perfect for me and is a nice snug fit which is what I like, it’s more like a beanie really. I didn’t add the pompom, I’m not really a pompom kinda girl 🤣
 |
| Cable Twist Hat by Yarnspirations |
Following Mikey’s tutorial, I was able to whip this hat up in no time, I love a cable twist, it’s such a classic pattern and to think you can create this effect with crochet is just great! I thought it could only be achieved through knitting. There is also a ‘messy bun’ version of the hat too, so I’m thinking of doing another for the days I have my hair up ☺️ maybe something for over the holidays 😉
Wow this post was much longer than I expected, I felt like I’d had a lazy week with only working two out of 5 days! Well done if you made it to the end 😂 and thanks for reading.
💜🎄 Merry Christmas and a Crafty New Year one and all🎄💜
💜🎄 Merry Christmas and a Crafty New Year one and all🎄💜
Please note, I am not affiliated with any of the sites I’ve linked to, these are just some of the sites I use most often and wanted to share.
Helen Lightly Makes... 
Leave a comment