Frida's Flowers Cushion for Linda

Have a friend who loves Frida Khalo and made a going away present for her (sniff 😢). You can find this lovely design by Jane Crowfoot on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fridas-flowers-blanket. I used my current favourite yarn Patons 8 ply cotton blend and size 4 hook.  Also turned my hand at tassel making (coz Linda LOVES tassels!).

Turned out very colourful...

Silver round bag

I found a gorgeous free pattern called Passion for Purple by Hobby Lobby at Passion for Purple bag pattern. Even though it calls for a vibrant colour I wanted to make it in silver and used my all time favourite cotton yarn Patons Regal 4 ply.

The pattern is quite easy to follow and builds fairly quickly. I do need to add a lining before I can use it. I omitted the last set of rows which double up the frilly collar as I thought it was full enough. 

Elise's daisy chain jacket

 Continuing on in the baby theme...I recently finished a jacket and hat for my boss' new baby daughter. This pattern was another free one from Patons called Daisy Chain Cardigan and hat available at http://www.yarnspirations.com/patterns/daisy-chain-cardigan-hat.html. 

The wool I used is slightly thinner than the pattern called for and I used a size 3.75mm hook to get the right gauge with Patons Dreamtime Merino 4 ply. The colour ways were 0333 (pink) and 2959 (silver).

I found the pattern quite difficult to follow around the neckline and wondered if it had an errata but I couldn't find any on Ravelry. Must have been just me with the issues! I ended up having to adapt the pattern around the neck and sleeves so it would sit right. A few frogs along the way with this one but I was happy in the end and the yarn is lovely and soft for wool. 

Bec's baby blanket

When my favourite administration officer went on maternity leave I wanted to make her something special. I had wanted to make a blanket by Felted Button for some time and settled on http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spring-into-summer-blanket which is available as a free pattern. 

I used 3 skeins of the yarn called for in the pattern which is Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in the gorgeous colour way Candied. It is a very fluffy acrylic which is hard to unravel when you frog it.  

Connor's granny square blanket

I found this gorgeous pattern at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/daisy-cottage-designs. The colours are not quite the same but I am happy with it and it is perfect for a boy. 

I used a yarn I found at Spotlight called Passioknit Vintage Breeze Kiki which is quite bulky but easy to work with. It is 100% cotton (my favourite fibre!) and the colours were called Wasabi, Almond Milk and I can't quite remember the name of the sky blue colour. Crocheted with a 5.5m hook mainly when watching the Shanara Chronicles (I'm a fantasy freak). 

Katya Spring Shrug

I loved this pattern! It is easy to do, works up quickly and wears great! It takes a bit to get used to how short it is (I am used to shrugs that cover your boobs).

It's a pattern I saw while roaming and just had to buy - here is the link:-

Katya Spring Shrug

I used Bella Baby Alpaca Blend which is lovely and warm to wear.

Comfy cardigan

This is a pattern from one of my favourite books:-

I have used the yarn that is called for in the pattern and I still had to go down from a 4.25 hook in the pattern to a 3.25 hook to get the right gauge ? I had no idea I was such a loose hooker :) I started with size 38 but ended up doing 35 as it was clear from the first row it was going to hook up way bigger even with the smaller hook. it turns out the pattern does actually pull in a fair bit when you have done multiple rows but and size 35 was still ok especially considering the size of the arms.

Ever noticed how when you read a pattern at night when you are tired it makes no sense then you look at it fresh in the morning after a cup of coffee and it makes perfect sense?? Thought I was going to have to unravel the whole centre arm section but all good.

I adapted the pattern a bit to make the breast panels one pattern repeat wider so it fits over my boobs. Other than that looks like the size is ok.

Can I suggest when you are doing the ribbing that you constantly check the number of stitches because somehow they just disappear. I went from 17 to 13 and I had to unravel a bit to get back to 15 - not unravelling the whole lot that’s for sure takes too long to crochet ribbing again.

The yarn is Blue Sky Blue Alpaca Silk in Amethyst which is lovely to work with. It was slightly scratchy when I tried it on but after blocking came out ok.