Crochet and Knit Cushion

I mentioned that I was having a go at crochet for a change, and was aiming to make next a blanket or throw. Two problems came up: first that I only had so much wool, and second I am not very quick. 

I see other crafters, who seem to be able to knock off a blanket in a few weeks, and am amazed by how they manage this. When I showed my husband the pile of granny squares I had made, his first suggestion was that we just have a large set of coasters! Can you imagine me rolling my eyes? My daughter wanted me to create a jacket, but there really weren't enough for that. A cushion seemed a good answer, and then I had to send off for a cushion pad. 

For the back I only had a small selection of colours left, so decided to knit a square on the diagonal. Really pleased with how this turned out. Julie from Sum of Their Stories told me that her nan used to combine knit and crochet in one project, using which ever worked best. Have you ever made something using knit and crochet? I would love to hear about it. Or perhaps you have combined two other crafts in an unusual way.

I also wanted to mention the wool I used. This wool came from my sister-in-law, and was a kit for a fair isle jumper that she did not want to make.  I have got so much pleasure from this wool, as it is all the same ply, and has been used in so many projects, so "thank you". Here are just a few.

 

Just a reminder that there is still time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for February. I would love to see what you have been working on.

 

Cushions and Country Shopping

One of my concerns about moving to the country was shopping. I'm not really a big shopper, but in town I was very lucky being within walking distance of a big shopping centre on the edge of London. But even there, sometimes it was hard to find what I needed, and I have recently been buying wool online. 

But I have found that the small town that we live near in the country, Launceston, has more than one really good wool shop. The Cosy Little Wool Shop, runs knit and natter coffee mornings, and I am going to try and be brave and go when they start again. There is also somewhere out of town called Cowslip Workshops, which runs craft classes and has a cafe, but is only open by appointment at the moment.  

One of the other shops in town, Threads Designs, not only has wool, but a whole range of fabrics for dressmaking and furnishing, and everything else that a sewer might need. Nice ladies who can advise and cut whatever you need.

I have made these cushions, with everything needed bought from Threads Designs. I am going to take them with me to the flat. Less than two weeks now, and me and my daughter will be heading back to town for school. Her final school year. Perhaps then I may get back to a bit more crafting, as there seem so many outdoor distractions here.

What is nice in the country is shops tend not to be chains.  I have not even mentioned Cornwall Smallholder Supplies, where you can look at the large range of brewing and jam-making equipment. Or Maunders, more geared to agriculture, so among the gardening supplies, you can also find tags for your livestock and other more mysterious equipment.

Just a reminder that there is still loads of time left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for August. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

"I Love You Blue Kangaroo"

Does anyone remember the book "I Love You Blue Kangaroo"? It was a book I read to my children when they were little, about a girl called Lilly who has a blue kangaroo. It was a book really about getting a new younger sibling. In the end Lilly gives all her other toys to the new baby, but not Blue Kangaroo.

I thought I would have a go at making a blue kangaroo from my new Kangaroo Family Pattern. I've decided to give everything that I make from this pattern to an Australian environmental charity. Something has happened recently that has made me think hard about why I write my rather obscure patterns. (I may write about this when it is resolved.) On one of my mornings off from my proper job I volunteer for an environmental charity, and fortunately can go on doing this from home. I am going to try and write more patterns for endangered animals, and donate any profits to charity. Last year I spent a really long time trying to knit a realistic pangolin. I couldn't quite get it right, but may return to my notes and have another go.

Watched a documentary about pangolin last Christmas.

They are such fascinating creatures - not reptiles but a mammal with scales. They are critically endangered because of the market for their scales.

So thinking about children's books, I would love it if you would like to leave a comment with your favourite children's book. Either that you read to your children or grandchildren, or perhaps from your own childhood. To get the ball rolling I am going to start off with any books by Shirley Hughes, especially the Alfie and Annie Rose stories.

Meanwhile my progress on knitting a cushion with the wool I showed you is going well. I love the way the colours look together, and will show you the finished cushion soon. I have also ordered some wool online, so now have supplies to knit socks for husband and a sweater for my daughter, so I have quite a lot to work on during this confinement.

Just a reminder that there is still plenty of time left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for April. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

2CV Cushion

My last new pattern was for a 2CV cushion. I got the idea for this project from Jo, who saw my Henrietta 2CV pattern, and sent me a message on Etsy to see if I had a pattern for a cushion. I didn't, but I thought it was such a good idea, I set to work make one. And when it was done I sent her a copy. She has sent me some photos of the cushion that she made, and I have been holding them back so as not to spoil the Christmas surprise for someone.

She had done a fantastic job, and very quickly. I really like her method for the back of the cushion. Much more practical than mine, which may have to be unpicked at some point, when it needs washing.

I have really had very little interest in the pattern, but actually suspect it may be one of those slowburners. But my own 2CV cushion has sold, and is now in  France! Very happy about that, and am thinking of making another one.  

Also I have just thought that I would mention that I have rethought my pricing of knitting items on Etsy. I have removed all the postage fees, and adjusted the pricing. It was almost impossible to keep the postage accurate, as it seems to go up so often, and the rules about weight and size of packages seem quite hard to follow. I also find it a bit annoying to put something in your basket and then find that the postage puts it beyond what you are happy to pay. So I will see what happens ....

Just a reminder that there is still a little bit of time left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for January. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

2CV Cushion

I've been working away for so long on this pattern, but am really happy with the final result. Not at all my usual style, but I keep just looking at it and smiling. I nearly published the pattern a few weeks ago, with just the front view, which I had intended to sew onto a fabric back. But once I had had the idea for the back view, I just had to do it. 

So this pattern contains the charts for the back and front, and a smaller chart for the chevron corners. Then there is an explanation of how I used them to make this cushion. But you could use them for other projects. I do really fancy the idea of a jersey for my husband with a car on the front and back. Probably not enough time to do this for Christmas. Other ideas are possibly to make a car rug incorporating it, or perhaps a scarf for those breezy ride in your 2CV with the roof open.  Would love to hear if you make a cushion, or use it in another way.

I have called this pattern hard, which might be a reflection of the fact that I have not done a lot of work like this. If you are used to intarsia knitting from charts you might find it fairly easy. The wool is only carried across the back behind the wheels and on the striped roof. You can end up with a few colours on the go at once. I found the best way was to try not to worry about this, but then every so often just turn the work over, and do a bit of untangling.

The pattern for this cushion will be available in all my shops, ravelry, Etsy and Loveknitting. I've also decided to put this cushion in my Etsy shop. Pricing is going to be tricky, as it has taken me weeks of work. Don't tell anyone, but I might be quite happy if it doesn't sell, and I can keep it! 

Just a reminder that there are still a few days left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for October. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Tie Dye Cushions and a New Bedroom

I've been writing a little about our house move, and thought you might be interested in seeing my daughter's new room. Actually despite the hard work of moving, it does seem refreshing to have less possessions. Twenty odd years of accumulated stuff had to be moved out, and as well as getting rid of some (to charity shops and the dump), quite a lot of is in store. It feels quite freeing to have less things around us.

So this move seemed a really good opportunity for my daughter to have a slightly more grown up bedroom. We have tried this before, to get rid of some of the toys, and have an overall colour scheme or look. But previously there was always too much stuff to fit in, and we always seemed to go off plan with the colours

She decided she would like a very minimal look, with a palette of grey, white, black, and some green plants to tie in with the blinds that were already there. Before we moved we had a go at tie dying an old sheet, and I have made new covers for some cushions that we already had, and some velvety grey fabric (bought in Fabricland). 

As usual the pets all seemed to want to get in on the photos.

I was a little unsure about the new plain grey duvet cover (from Ikea), but it does work.

This shows most of the room. Not a great photo, but I hope it shows the look, and how nice and green it is outside. We have been restrained with the pictures on the walls, which are two paintings on silk that my husband bought in Thailand. You can just see the piano, which we had thought we might be able to have in the living room. But it seemed to fit better in here, and goes with the black/white/grey theme. You can also see "Brie" - the cheese plant, who has now been joined by "Fred" the fern.

The only new piece of furniture is this dressing table and stool (from the Futon company). It give a bit of extra storage, and we both liked the way it looks leaned against the wall.

Yes, and all our pets fit in the colour scheme.

 

Just a reminder that there is still plenty of time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for September. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Puppy Dream Cushions

  
I can't believe that it was back in 2014 that I wrote a post about some cushions I made with fabric from sample books that a shop near me was discarding. I showed pictures of some of the other fabrics, with my plans for more projects. But just typical, I didn't get round to any of my great plans.

But recently I noticed my knitted cushion covers have got very tatty, so I have finally used my free fabric to sew some new cushion covers. 

This material is so velvety, and what I like is I would have never thought to combine the colours and patterns in this way, if I had not got these sample pieces. I did have to buy some zips (thank you Fabricland), and some backing material.

So although I know this is not the way to keep your new cushions in good order, they are clearly soft enough to let a puppy have sweet dreams.

Aran Leaf Cushion Pattern

You might think that because I like making things my house is beautifully furnished. It is not, because I imagine, like other people, life gets busy and things just get in the way. But I did decide this year to get to grips with sorting out a few of the more shabby areas.

So with that in mind I have made another cushion cover from my Aran Leaf Design. I picked this lovely blue, called denim, as I have plans to reupholster one of my armchairs, and I think this will look gorgeous on it. Quite a daunting project, but I am going to give it a go.

So you can find this Aran Leaf Cushion Pattern in ravelry. It is really quite an easy and quick knit. The wool is thick Aran, and it is knitted on 6mm needles. It may look a bit like cable, but is a combination of increasing and decreasing to make the leaves.

Here is the original cream version of the Leaf Cushion

I also had a lot of positive comments on my Tree Cushion and I am still working on making a chart for the pattern for this. And I have an idea for another cushion, though that is still just in my head.