crochetmoodblanket2014

dear diary,

The other week I very briefly talked about taking part in a crochet along organised by a friend of mine on Instagram. Even though I am not involved in the organising of this crochet along, I still wanted to give something back to this amazing group event, and after some deliberation I decided to start an on-line record of my mood blanket, consisting of photos and story for each week’s square and patterns that I have used.

I have created a dedicated menu button, with drop down’s for photos and patterns, at the top menu bar of this blog. This is where you can find my mood blanket story and also some of the patterns I will be using to make my squares. I will add to it on a weekly basis, so please feel free to visit and use this as re-source for your own squares if you wish.

Made with Loop’s Give Away!

To celebrate the start of a new creative year I have decided to throw a give away party this week!

To take part, all you have to do is subscribe to this blog via e-mail and leave a comment on this post telling me why you would like to win (don’t forget to include your e-mail address). The winner will be picked by a random number generator on Friday 17 January.

The prize: Anna Bag from Lola Loop’s 2013 book. A bright and cheerful bag knitted using Rowan Handknit Cotton. Nautical stripes in classic colours, set off by a sharp green top and gorgeous red leather handles, the bag is lined with cotton fabric and padded for stability, making it the perfect companion to carry all your essentials right through summer.To continue the summer nautical mood, you will also receive three brass and enamel bangles as shown in the top photo.

…and as if this isn’t exciting enough… as a surprise I’ll throw in a beautiful hank of yarn!!

So what are you waiting for…

I look forward to reading your replies! x

dear diary,

Out with the old and in with the new…a new year heralds a new beginning, and I am looking forward to lots more creatively colourful adventures in 2014. I hope you will join me!

Having been away over Christmas, there was a lot of catching up to do when I got home. You know…the boring stuff like washing and housework etc. On top of that my back has been playing up a little and this hampered the sprint to the finishing line for my ‘homely blanket’. I have not been able to crochet it all together, and the great ‘ta-dah’ moment will have to wait a little while longer…keep watching this space.

I managed to lay it all out roughly the way I think it will look when finished…

…as you can see I will have to crochet some ‘fillers’ to make it even all around and I have still not decided on the border. I am however really happy with the way it is looking so far and in no particular rush to get it finished as ‘my girl’ is not leaving home for a while yet 🙂

So, that’s the old…how about the new!!!

Sometime in December one of my friends on Instagram had a great idea for a new crochet along. As my diary is already full with commissions, translations, workshop preparation, travel to venues, pattern creation and much more, I thought it would be lovely to join someone else’s idea for a change. The crochet along can be found on IG by #crochetmoodblanket2014, and so far there are some 470 people from about 25 plus countries taking part, there is even a FB page dedicated to it.

As I kept looking at everyone’s colour vis. mood selection photo’s popping up, I thought I’d better get myself organised. I made rough notes on colours and the moods they meant to me and here is the result…

Image from Google Images

I want my blanket to be 120cm x 200cm when finished, so I have decided to make 20cm x 20cm squares = 60 squares in total, roughly one square a week and some extra during the holidays. The centre of each square is one of the designs from my ‘homely blanket’ which I extend with extra rounds. My aim is to crochet together as I go, but I haven’t yet decided which colour I will use for this. My new year’s resolution is not to buy any yarn, unless it is for workshops or specific designs. This means I am using a mixture of yarns for this blanket, but mostly it will be Stylecraft Dk, as my stash of this is pretty large.

Today I made my first square…

…grey/aqua/jade – calm and serene!

Why not join in with this crochet along…such fun and not too ambitious even for the most novice of crocheter’s 🙂

Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2014, full of inspiration and colour! x

crochet mood blanket 2014 and a give away

happy creative new year