Half Year Round Up of Crafting Projects

So far this year, I have made:

Two large gift bags

Five crocheted dishcloths

Two twiddle muffs and a fidget mitt

Two knitted facecloths

Two crocheted sun hats

A crocheted bag

A crocheted cardigan

A pair of knitted socks

That's 17 projects.

Rhododendron Cardi (Second Attempt)

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft Crush DK

Composition: 100% Cotton
Pattern: my own design 
Hook: 4.5mm
Colour: Rhododendron

Amount used:  

Started: 29th June 2023

Finished:  

Yes!  Crochet is the way to go with this project.

Make a magic loop.  The squares start off with a standard Granny Square construction, four sets of three trebles separated by a couple of chains.

In the second, third and fourth rounds, the corners are two trebles, two chains, two trebles, and for the rest, work a treble into the space between the trebles of the previous rounds.

Four rounds in total for each square. These will later be joined using violet yarn.

Another Crocheted Hat

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft 

Composition: 100% Cotton

Colour: French Navy

Pattern: Crocheted Sun Hat

Hook: 4.5mm

Amount used: 100g

My new hat is complete. The depth of the crown in a little bit smaller, but that's what I was able to achieve using just the one ball of yarn. I might need to use a hat pin. But we'll see.

The sun hat was finished yesterday, whilst the sky was grey and the heavens were crying!  Hopefully there will be clear days ahead when a sun hat will be able to be used.

And that's another project finished for my Me-Made 100 Days.

Crocheted Sun Hat

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft Baby Crush

Composition: 100% Cotton

Colour: Aquas

Pattern: my own design 

Hook: 4.5mm

Amount used:  100g

Started: 31st May 2023

Finished: 3rd June 2023

In the past, I've tried making crocheted hats, and they've always been too, too big. But this time, I've nailed it. I'm so impressed with my new hat.

It started out with a magic loop, with 12 half treble crochets into it. Then in each round the number of stitches was increased by 6. This grows the circles,in a bowl shape.

I measured my head, and then put the circumference of the crocheted disc. When the crochet was about 2cm smaller than my head I stopped increasing. This formed the sides of the hat.  When it reached the tops of my ears, increases started again. This time it was eight per round.

The increases stopped when the brim was wide enough. Then I crocheted 2 round without any increases. Narrow plastic boning was placed on the edge. It was sandwiched between the last two rounds, and sewn into place. 

A 15cm overlap was given to help the with the shape of the brim. This hold out the brim most beautifully. 

Crocheted Bag

I was on a high after the crocheted jacket and hat. I assumed I knew what I was doing, and could make anything my heart desired. And this has not happened. At 98% complete, I realised I did not like the bag at all, as in I hated it.

So, instead of completing this bag - just 6 more rounds of crochet, the plug has been pulled, and also the yarn. It's time to unravel and redesign. It's time to make the bag I actually want, that I will use. 

And Done!

The CottonSoft Baby Crush cardigan is done!

Oooh, it feels good to have finished another project, and a huge project for me!

Done, done, done, done, done! And in only two and a half weeks!

CottonSoft Crocheted Cardigan

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft Baby Crush

Composition: 100% Cotton

Colour: Aquas

Pattern: my own design based on the Campfire Cardigan

Hook: 4.5mm

Amount used: 

Started: 12th May 2023

Finished: 29th May 2023

Notes

The cardigan is made by making two Granny hexagons, and then going wild with customisation.

Start the Granny blocks in the usual way. The one difference is Granny Squares start with four clusters of three trebles (or half trebles), and the Granny Hexagons begin with six clusters of three trebles (or half trebles).

I decided to work 20 rounds before adding in any shaping.

Round 21: Continue as before, but make the central 5 clusters on the arm side  to contain 2 half trebles rather than 3.

Round 22: The central 11 clusters should have 2 half trebles, not 3.

Round 23: Cerntal 17 clusters have 2 half trebles.

Round 24: All clusters on the arm side to have 2 half trebles.

Proposed Cardigan

 

I've been seeing the hexagon cardigan around quit e a lot recently. I've decided to give it a go. 

Essentially it's two non-Euclidian hexagons, joined, seamed, and then an extra rectangle crocheted on to the bottom.

This will be a fantastic addition in my me-made 100 Days.

Twiddle Muffs

Our local hospital has asked for Twiddle Muffs. These are used for patients with dementia. There's lots of tactile little things, inside and out, and it keeps restless hands busy. 

This is my first Twiddle Muff, although I have made two Fidget Mitts before. The muff is two layers of chunky yarn, knitted on my Addi Express knitting machine. The knitting took about 30 minutes, the grafting 5, and too much time to add the buttons etc.

In this project, I've learned how to make a crocheted twisted fringe, and how to crochet onto knitted fabric.  Another muff is waiting to be decorated, and it's definitely going to have far more crochet on it. Buttons take so much time!

Crafty Days

A selection of the dishcloths I have made recently. They are 100% cotton, and 20cm squares of dish washing fury. Well, perhaps not fury, but they are pretty good in the sink and in the general vicinity.

Some have been made for my house, and some for Cat's. Unfortunately, one of Cat's cat has decided to claim the ones in the picture. They are rather lovely for sitting on.

Whilst using a non-Cat/cat version, I realised they are great for washing dishes, mopping up spills etc, they are not so good for scrubbing kitchen cupboards. This is very handy as I was getting bored making the dishcloths, and I now have a totally new design in mind. My mental image is of a cotton scrubbie the general size of a kitchen sponge. It's also stuffed with the netting used to contain onions, oranges and lemons. I'm toying with the idea that on one side there will be bits of netting crocheted into the cotton.

----

Today's walk was in the clouds (that's what fog is, ground-level clouds). The moisture was condensing on to our clothing, hair, glasses, everything.

Today's walk: 680m

Accumulated total: 4.12km

"Leftovers" Blanket

 

Way, way back in the mists of time, I was making loads of hats from chunky yarn, I decided to crochet a blanket to use up the ends of balls. It sounded such a great idea, and an excellent way to force myself into random. But the problem is, I don't actually like random. I like pseudo-random.

I was crocheting away, using the hook I had on hand. Some questionable yarns were included in the blanket, and well, I wasn't liking it. I decided to restrict it to cream-white through to dark grey, greens and purples. This was way better. However, there was a problem with my tension, caused by using the wrong hook.

Boring story cut short, I'm frogging the blanket and re-working on a better hook, and eliminating a few yarns that crept in.  It's looking so much better!

Temperature Blanket May

Woo hoo! I'm back to the Temperature blanket, and I've started work on May. The little octopus created a bit of a diversion, but I'm back on track.  Although, I have no idea whether May and June will be finished by the end of June.

It's getting too hot to work on it as it grows larger. I'm ready to take the summer months off, and come back to it in the autumn.

Steam Mop Pad

Yarn: King Cole Cottonsoft Baby Crush

Composition: 100% Cotton

Colour: Aquas

Needles: 4mm

This mop pad was made using the twin triangle method I commonly use for shawls. The outside edge has a row of eyelets, and through this a cord has been woven. This keeps the pad firmly in place whilst the mop is being used.

After use, I soak the pad in warm, soapy water, and then toss it into the washing machine with a pile of clothes. This cleans it beautifully.

My Little Octopus

A little while back I forgot to take my Temperature Blanket in to work, and needed a lunch time crafting distraction. The week before, a customer had brought in Women's Weekly; this had patterns for an octopus, knitted and crocheted. I saved the pattern for a colleague, and took a fancy to making an octopus myself. But the tentacles looked wrong. So, as per usual, I redesigned the whole thing.

Yarn: King Cole Giza Sorbet 4ply
Composition: 100% Cotton
Colour: Magical (white and lilac)
Size: baby
Hook: 2.5mm
Amount used: 50g
Started: 8th June 2020
Finished: 18th June 2020

Temperture Blanket Chart May 2020

Gone are the lilacs of previous months, and only two days of aubergine! Look at the 31st, it's burnt orange! It's warming up, and I'm catching up.

Monogamy in Crafting

In the past, I have been a person with multiple projects on the go. This often resulted in multiple (many multiples) of UFOs waiting to be completed. But, this have appeared to change regarding the Temperature Blanket. Since starting on the 17th of April, I have put it aside once to finish a hat. Just the once, and only because I had set myself a goal of finishing two hats this month. Which reminds me, I have second hat waiting to be finished. I shall do that today, and get it out of the way, leaving tomorrow totally free.

It does feel odd being so monogamous though. I can't think of a time when I have been so focused on one project. There will be a concious uncoupling soon though. As soon as I've finished the rows for April I will put the blanket aside. It will be a third done, and even a third of a blanket is a bit much to be sitting under at this time of year. The blanket shall be set aside for colder days.

Temperature Blanket Charts

Chart for April

I've just realised it would be a huge deal easier to have an on-line pictorial guide for each month rather than a text list on one device.

I've no idea why I'm posting the previous charts as I don't actually need them, but they are here for completeness.

Chart for March

Chart for February

Chart for January

Temperature Blanket January To March 2020

At last! I am a quarter of the way through the Temperature Blanket. Two sections have been ripped back as my ability to make straight edges was rather wobbly. However, I'm a quarter done.

Temperature Blanket 2020 - Jan & Feb

January and February have been completed.

Lavender is used for the days when the high temperature has been 6-8°C, aubergine for 9-11°C, and lapis for 12-14°C.

March will have seven lavender rows, 21 aubergine, and three lapis.

Temperature Blanket 2020

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: Ruby (70006)
Colour: Burnt Orange (70059)
Colour: Citrine (70042
Colour: Fir (70012)
Colour: Lapis (70016)
Colour: Aubergine (70010)
Colour: Lavender (70008)
Pattern: double crochet
Size: single bed sized (135x200cm)
Hook: 5mm
Amount used:
Started: 17th Apr 2020
Finished:

I've been meaning to start a Temperature Blanket for ages, and now seems just the right time.

Each stripe on the blanket will record the highest temperature for that day. Looking at last year's statistics, there was a range of 6-24°C. So far this year, things have been a little warmer. My plan is to have the following temperature intervals:

6-8°C (lavender)

9-11°C (aubergine)

12-14°C (lapis)

15-17°C (fir)

18-20°C (citrine)

21-23°C (burnt orange)

24°C+ (ruby)

I am anticipating making a border in ruby to finish it all off.

Crochet is still pretty new to me. I haven't yet managed to acquire the skill of making a chain, measuring it, and the subsequent item being the same size as the starting chain. To combat this I make a long, long chain in aubergine, and starting at the very beginning of the chain working a row of double crochets into the chain. The excess chain was ripped back. From there it has been as simple as working a row of double crochet in the corresponding colour for each day.

I did toy with the idea of always working with the right side facing me. This would have created 2 ends of yarn for every single row. Weaving in, or crocheting over more than 700 ends is now my scene. Instead, my rule has been to always start new colours on the right hand side (with right side facing me). When there are multiple rows of the same colour, I turn the blanket at the end of the row and crochet back. This results in an interesting texture.