Eastern Jewels Blanket

Hello.......... I have a exciting post to share with you today, something very new for the summerhouse.

Yes I've actually ordered a colour pack and I'm going to follow a pattern and stick to it hopefully.  When I saw this little beauty by Janie Crow in the Eastern Jewels Colourway created by Lucia Dunn back in October I came down with a case of the wanties, yes I needed some Eastern Jewels in my life. 

So when some friends suggested we have a very slow crochet along I just couldn't resist ordering the kit.  The colours just make my heart sing.  I'm making the blanket with a group of friends with Chronic Illnesses, so I'm hoping I will be able to keep up, with one square a week, although I've found that difficult some weeks.

Now although I've fallen very much in love with the look of the finished blanket, some of the colours are proving a bit of a challenge for me, as they are quite different from the summerhouse's usual colour palette.  I've never made anything where I didn't pick my own colours before eek.

I felt quite happy with week one just the Tomato round gave me a bit of a wobble.

Week two was just perfect soft gentle colours.

In week three I had to confront my fear of Mustard, eek in fact I just couldn't face calling it mustard and spent the week calling it saffron ha ha whatever gets you through.

In the end I didn't mind it so much with the duck egg toning things down, so clever in a million years I would never have put these colours together.

Now as for week four, I just had to imagine I was in a Moroccan Spice market to get me through.

Week five was interesting too with Sage, Vintage Peach and Tomato in the mix.  I'm definitely broadening my colour horizons.

So at the end of the first month this is what I had, my exotic Persian Tiles

Week six had me on much happier ground, even with Saffron Mustard, the colours say Springtime to me and make my heart sing, my favourite weeks so far. Reminds me of one of my favouirte flower combo Yellow Roses and Purple Iris.

So there we have it, my colourful adventure for 2018.  A huge thank you to Janie Crow for the original Persian Tiles pattern and Lucia Dunn for this amazing colour way.  I can't wait to get onto the Mandalas.

Happy Crafting 

Clare xx

Floral Wreath

Hello.......... If there is still anyone out there in blogland that stops by the summerhouse, I'm sorry I was not about very much last year, but with a health crisis I kind of lost my crafting mojo a bit, for a long time I just wasn't well enough to crochet and craft.

This make kind of helped me find my mojo again, I made this wreath as a secret Santa present for a crafting group I'm a member of on facebook.  Now I  ummed and rrrrred about whether I was well enough to join in with the secret Santa but in the end I decided to go for it.

I wanted something quiet easy and low energy to make so decided on some crocheted flowers. Now this make didn't start out as a wreath at all, but a garland. the very pretty yarn came from a kit that came with Mollie Makes magazine.

I made the flowers up as per the patterns in the magazine, only to find that when I threaded them onto some bakers twine they would not hang straight., they just kept falling forwards.   This was probably because I couldn't resist decorating the flowers with pretty buttons and beads.

That's when panic set in as I was very poorly and didn't have the time or the energy to make something else. So it was time to put my thinking cap on.  Straight away I thought wreath but knew I wasn't well enough to make one of my full crocheted wreaths.

Then I spotted a large embroidery hoop in my craft basket and inspiration struck, using double sided tape at the top of the hoop, to hold the yarn in place, i started winding the yarn around and around to cover the wooden hoop.  

It took me a few days as this was quite a workout for my weak noodle arms. Once the hoop was covered I simply used another piece of double side tape to hold the yarn in place at the top of the hoop, before tying off the yarn around the metal clasp. 

I then simply used PVA glue to attach the flowers to the covered hoop, which seemed to hold in place really well.

Ta-Dah

My wreath was complete.  I really hope that the recipient likes it, sunny colours to cheer a winters day.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx