April crochet…

Well the rain and the snow finally stopped for a little while and the sunshine made a cameo appearance last week. 

april sunshine

It seems more rain and freezing temperatures are on there way again!  But, the sunshine certainly influenced my hooking last  week and I took my hook alfresco whenever I could.  crochet al frescoI have also enjoyed getting back outdoors and walking the dogs now my foot has finally healed.

sunny shadows

Of course there were pit stops along the way!

sandwich timeI have also been keeping up to date with the seaside stashbusting CAL…this photo was taken at the trampoline park.

seaside stashbusting cal

Not much has occurred on the knitting front, in fact it would be fairer to say nothing has happened.  I am enjoying my hooking far too much to be slowed down by needles and I have a couple of commissions that I really must finish.  One of which I can now show you…

crochet baby clothesAren’t they just the sweetest?

I loved making these little baby shorts. 

The pattern is by Mon Petit Violon Designs and I will definitely be hooking some more.  I used Rico baby cotton soft yarn in a dk weight and a denim blue and finished them off with some little wooden buttons. Rico was a lovely yarn to hook with and has given a beautiful stitch definition to the garment.  Of course it is soft enough for babies skin also and machine washable. 

Finally, I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone who has given me such encouraging feedback across my social media about the Sunshine Jelly Baby Blanket…

crochet baby blanket

It has really made me smile. 

Have a good week what ever you get up to

xxxxx

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The Charming Harbour Blanket…

After a slow start I am finally making steady progress on my Charming Harbour blanket. 

crochet blanket, charming harbour blanket
In the beginning…

I have found myself flitting from one project to the next lately, but I am getting at least a couple of rows hooked each evening now; which is reassuringly comforting as the pattern is so familiar.

Charming Harbour Blanket, crochet blanket, mens blanket
Charming Harbour Blanket in the making

I am enjoying the simplicity of the colourway also. A trio of sober colours, which formally stand to attention and which make this blanket so wonderfully handsome and so beautifully striking. 

womens institute yarn

The yarn has also proven to be a joy to hook with.  The yarn is  from the Women’s Institute…you can read my review of it just here.  

I am totally thrilled with this blanket’s reversibility which was entirely serendipitous.  The right side is darker

Charming Harbour crochet blanket for him by ayarnyrobin
Charming Harbour blanket in progress…

and the back (I can’t call it the wrong side…because it is not wrong at all!) is lighter altogether.

I have not been disciplined in weaving in the ends as I go, so I must make more effort else I will have a mammoth task at the end!

lots of ends to sew…

Yes, this Charming Harbour blanket is just that…

charming!

xxxxx

Women’s Institute Yarn….A review so far

So, what can I tell you about this yarn? 

womens institute yarn

It’s perfectly plump!  

For a dk weight the yarn strand is divinely round, but all in a good way.  I’m hooking my Charming Harbour blanket in this yarn and let me tell you that it is hooking up into a seriously squishy comforter indeed. 

The yarn slides well over my  hook, it feels cozy and comfortable on my skin and has not split or frayed one little bit.

It’s 100%  premium acrylic so is affordable, washable and dryable  and very easy to care for.  The ball band tells me there  is 250m in yarn length for a 100g ball and is exclusive to Hobbycraft.

women's institute yarn

A minimum of 3p from each ball sold is donated to the National Federation of Women’s Institutes

The Women’s Institute is the largest women’s organisation in the UK  and champions all sorts of campaigns such as gender pay gap to midwifery shortages, climate change and food waste.  

On the down side the colour range is basic to say the least, which didn’t matter in the slightest for my Charming Harbour Blanket, which is looking very dapper in a trio tone.

Charming Harbour crochet blanket for him by ayarnyrobin
Charming Harbour blanket in progress…

 This  could be a limitation for my more usual hook ups which consistently involve numerous colours…however, all in all I’m smiling with this yarn.

xxxxx

THIS POST IS NOT AFILIATED.

Sunday Shawl Love…

 

This is my Mellow Sunday Shawl by Alia Bland.

I want to start by telling you how amazing this is to hook, how simple, yet stunningly beautiful. 

I want to tell you how deliciously soft scheepjes merino is and how it creates such a gorgeous stitch definition. 

I want to shout with joy at just how happy I am with these amazing mellow colours; but that will all become obvious when you see the pictures! 

I started with this serene grey

lowry 604 Scheepjes merino soft…

This was a therapeutic hook, the subtle tone of the yarn, and the ease of the pattern made for a quick hook up of the main body.  I really enjoyed that each stitch was made in between the stitches of the previous row and not in the top of the stitches as is usual. 

My heart was skipping towards the next colour though.  A teal; and one of my favourite colours of all time.

Ansingh 643

Next a perfect pink…

Degas 632

This yarn is a dream, it is a dk weight, but it has a satisfying plumpness to it, making it pleasantly squashy!  This pale pink was followed  by an equally gorgeous spring green.

Kandinsky 625

The quick colour changes make this pattern good for the soul…you know how I love colour.

Van Gough 641

This mustard colour makes me very, very happy, but then so does this sky blue…

Magritte 614

And so this enjoyable colour changing border continued…

Beautiful Stitches Abounded…
squee…it is such a happy hook!

Until my heart near burst as the pattern instructed me to hook scallops and I politely  introduced this even paler pink.

Titian 647

Just as I was getting a little too giddy with these colours, the pattern rescued me with a tad more grey; sobering me and gently grounding me. 

I had a dilemma deciding on which colour to finish this charming shawl with…

in the end it had to be the mellow mustard (Van Gough 641).  

I have a lot of love for this shawl and this yarn, so excuse my indulgence in a few more photo’s. 

Details of the pattern and yarn, which I highly recommend   can be found by clicking on the links at the top of this post, but just in case you can’t be bothered they are just here to. 

xxxxx

Just as a footnote: this review contains my genuine opinions on this pattern and this yarn, for which I am not being paid.

Scheepjes merino soft yarn in

Kandinsky            625    50g

           Degas             632    50g

Van Gough            641   50g

          Titian              647   50g 

  MagrittE               614  50G

       Ansingh             643   50G

      Lowry                   604  250G

purchased from Woolwarehouse

Pattern:  The Sunday Shawl by Alia Bland.