Meet Victoria Frills!

Firstly, thank you all so very much for your lovely comments on my last post - you are all wonderful and I really mean that :)

I managed to put aside the Japanese Flowers for long enough to complete my new Victoria Frills Spring Scarf.  

It is a mid weight scarf, warm but not too heavy. 

The Pattern/Tutorial will follow in a few days and will not only be my first written down pattern after 25 years of crocheting but also the first in a series of 'crochet patterns for people that don't like patterns'  This aims to be a series where you don't have to be exact for most of the pattern so it doesn't matter if you aren't great at counting your stitches etc.

Now a progress update on my Japanese Flowers. I am still loving making these. 

I couldn't photograph them all this time as I now have about 80 flowers. 

I can't wait until I have 110 as I know then I should be half way through. I would have completed more but I ran out of yarn and have also had to put some work in on a baby ripple blanket that I am making for my brother and his other half as their baby is expected at the beginning of May and I don't want to get caught out :)

Also I had a go at making some crochet covered clothes hangers as I thought they would be a good thing to take along to the craft fair that I have signed myself up for in June this year (my first one!)

Wow - they were so quick and easy to make and look really really good when finished.  You can see my Cath Kidstonesque one here and I will have more to show you soon once I have made a few flowers to add to ones I've done already.

Quincy - one of my kitties had to check my crochet work to see if it was up to standard.

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Lastly I have added a button for my blog (top right hand side or click here) and if you like it, please go ahead and add it to your blog :)

Monthly Make - February

A little late, I know but I made....

felt heart bunting with a crochet edge!

24 hearts all together so enough to make two sets of bunting. I'm really pleased with the results as it looks so bright and cheery strung up across the window. I haven't yet tied in some of the tails but I'll get to that in a day or two.

I'm thinking of making some more in the shape of birds and then also some circles with different pictures on them. Tell me what you think. Don't forget to visit Felt Fairy's Monthly Make Flickr group and Felt Fairy herself.

I have been toying with the idea of starting an etsy shop so maybe these bunting strips could go in there along with some of the pincushions?

On another subject I was visiting the lovely blog of Creative Carmelina where I saw a very pretty Royal Albert teacup she had found. I remembered that just a couple of weeks ago I found a piece of Royal Albert also but not a teacup...a sort of tray?  It's very pretty as you can see but I'm not sure what it's for or if it is just a tray :)

Carmelina also informed me that my followers gadget on my blog was not working so if you have tried to follow my blog in the last few days or weeks then I apologise but it is working now so go ahead and follow me!

I am also progressing slowly with the Spring Scarf Tutorial but I have to admit that I have been sidetracked by those Japanese Flowers.  Our new blog The Flower Bed has had a flying start and over 1/3 of the available contributor vacancies has already gone so if you want to be able to contribute to this wonderful flowery blog you'd better hurry up :)

The Flower Bed Japanese Style!

I can't tell you how much I have been enjoying crocheting those pretty flowers.  

They are so so quick to make up and the size with my aran yarn and just a 4.50mm hook is already 6 inches across.  you could easily use a 5mm or a 6mm hook if you wanted them bigger than that.

So many of us have been enthralled by the variations of these flowers that we have started our very own flower blanket crochet-a-long. We aim to crochet a blanket together - big or small in whichever flower motif you choose.

We would love as many of you as possible to contribute and if you would like to be able to post to the blog yourself you need to contact one of the admin (Suz, Hazel or myself) with your email address. Full instructions are on the site.

Here it is:

THE FLOWER BED

Everyone is welcome, beginners and advanced.  If you've never crocheted before, we would like to help :)

If you don't want to join the CAL please feel free to follow the blog to see our progress as the project takes off.  I'll be posting how many flowers I have done, the variation of flower that I am using and any other details on the site shortly. Feel free to post on your blog to let anyone that might like to join know we exist.

Hope to see you there.

Rachael Xx

Japanese Flowers

I'm sure you already know about these lovely Japanese flowers and have probably seen loads of gorgeous blog posts of these pretty things but I'm showing you mine anyway.

After reading Lucy's (attic24) post over over on ravelry and seeing Suz wonderful version I really wanted to have a go. A day or so later, the  lovely Hazel from quietly stitching got me more intrigued about this flowery motif as their bigger size is quite appealing to me at the moment. I made mine with a more solid centre as I liked the look of it more.

They are completed so quickly and look so pretty. The only thing with mine is that the colours in this yarn are quite limited so not that many brights are available to me.  I have ordered some turquoise though as nothing looks right to me without a bit of turquoise or aqua :) The turquoise motif below is made in cotton yarn ( I had to make one in this colour, I couldn't resist) the rest are in pure wool.

I've made several more since taking these pictures earlier today and hope that I can make enough to make a kingsize (uk) bed throw for when my bedroom is decorated later this year.  The only problem is that once you start making these flowers, you become addicted. Just one more I keep telling myself.  I'm supposed to be completing my flowery spring scarf tutorial, making squares for Sarah London's appeal ( I have  done a few but want to make at least 20) and still finishing off more cushions and other wips.

Right well I'd better go as I really want to show you that scarf tutorial so I'll just do one more flower........

Winners!

It has been some time since I began my very first give away and now today is the day!

Remember these...

Just to recap, we have - one Pip Studio plate, Homes and Gardens Magazine, A Cath Kidston Keyring, a Plump Pincushion and a cute bag to put it all in.

Well we have a winner!

Congratulations to..... Hazel from Quietly Stitching you have won the main prize as featured above (the bag isn't showing but you get that too)   :)

Now I had so many comments from so many lovely people that I decided that just one runner up wasn't enough so we went back to the random number generator and selected another 8!

Well done to all of you listed below, you have won one of the plump pincushions each - yay!

Kandi from http://kandipandi.blogspot.com
Millie from http://milliemeadowsweet.blogspot.com
Annie from http://thefeltfairyuk.blogspot.com
Maaike from http://crejjtion.blogspot.com
Marg from http://sunshineparadiseplease.blogspot.com
Twyla and Lindsey from http://twocrazycrafters.blogspot.com
Solstitches from http://asamplerofstitches.blogspot.com
Loo from http://jumblesandpompoms.blogspot.com

In order to get your prize, please email your postal address to me (email button is on the top right hand corner of this blog) together with your choice of pin cushion colours. I'll post everything out to you as soon as possible (depends on the colours chosen and if I have the right ones currently available although I am not adverse to ordering more hehe!)

For those of you that did not win this time, do not despair because I will be having another give away very soon indeed.  Perhaps some Cath Kidston this time?  If you have a preference, let me know.

I'll be back in a few days with my new Flowery Spring Scarf + Tutorial. Rachael Xx