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Chain Reaction Necklace Scarf…

Published on March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobinLeave a comment

Here is a quick pattern for a necklace scarf.

A simple but stunning item that you can make if you are new to crochet, or have an odd 50g ball of chunky yarn that your not sure what to do with, or if you need to hand make a present emergency style!

Yep, this beauty takes about an hour to make at most and the pattern (if you can call it that!) is just below.

You will need 50g of chunky yarn and a large hook. I used

and a 6mm hook.

So you have probably guessed it….begin making chains and don’t stop until you have about 50cms of yarn left.

Randomly tie the first part of a bow to form a loose knot in your chains at random sections down its length.

Now join with a slip stitch into the very first chain to make an enormous loop.

It may be a good idea to secure the stitch with a stitch marker or safety pin so that your chains do not unravel during the next part.

Now find something to put your enormous loop of chains around… I used the stair post at the bottom of the stairs.

Start to make the loop smaller by crossing over the chains and hooking back over the post…or whatever you are using. Repeat the process until you have a handful of loops; that when placed around your neck fall just at the top of your tummy.

Next, you need to secure your loops together. To do this

remove the stitch marker / safety pin and reinsert your hook.

Pull the loop onto your hook to make the yarn looser. Now complete a giant double crochet (single crochet – American terms)… to do this take your hook under the handful of looped chains, yarn round hook and pull through, yarn round hook and pull through 2 loops on hook. Repeat x 9 more times. Fasten off and weave in any loose ends.

Told you it hooked up quick!

xxxxx

Blocking…

Published on February 27, 2017February 25, 2017 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin3 Comments

Day 27 of

and we are almost at the end now.

The theme for today is ‘blocking’.

Not my favourite part of the process, but certainly worthwhile. These are my robin nest squares in the blocking phase.

xxxxx

Library…

Published on February 21, 2017February 21, 2017 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin4 Comments

Day 21 of

and it’s still not too late join in.

The theme for today is ‘library!’.

This isn’t my library… but probably the world’s smallest library ever, in a phone box!

You can read all about my visit here.

I made these cute little flower bookmarks and left them as a present.

xxxxx

Handmade home…

Published on February 20, 2017February 17, 2017 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin5 Comments

Day 20 of

and it’s still not too late join in.

The theme for today is ‘handmade home’.

Hot love waterbottle cover — Hot love water bottle cover

I love this hot water bottle cover and it’s an easy hook too…

a warm yarny cuddle guaranteed!

xxxxx

Stripes

Published on February 7, 2017February 4, 2017 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin1 Comment

Day 7 of

it’s not too late join in.

Theme for today is….

Stripes.

This is my Granny Mabel Tea Cosy, click the link for the free pattern.

I’ve chosen this tea cosy for stripes day, as these slim, pretty stripes sit amongst delicate lace, topped by an array of buttons.

This tea cosy makes me happy everyday.

xxxxx

A yarny little heart…free pattern.

Published on November 3, 2016January 25, 2022 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin8 Comments

My hands have been yearning to hook in the evenings lately; but the projects I have on the go at the moment (which have to remain secret at least until after Christmas) are rather more intricate than I dare attempt at such an hour where I am prone to the odd gin and tonic or two as well as a little snooze.

So whilst creating numerous chains the other evening…see here . I found myself hooking up a yarny little heart with not a care of the process noted down at all.

Fast forward a couple of evenings later when the nest was still and quiet, I found myself unable to sleep, thinking of creative yarny possibilities and my yarny little heart began to trouble me.

So, I found myself unpicking my heart and writing down the pattern and my world was well again.

So here is my pattern for a ‘yarny little heart’.

This little heart is a great stash busting hook up as it only requires scraps.

You will need:

scraps of yarn, I used baby / sport weight…but you can use what you have. The thicker the yarn the bigger the hearts.

3.5mm hook, (or hook size to suit your yarn choice)

darning needle to weave in the ends.

Abbreviations used UK terminology (American terminology in brackets)

Ch – chain,

slst – slip stitch,

dc – double crochet (single crochet)

htr – half treble (half double crochet)

tr – treble (double crochet)

dtr – double treble crochet ( treble )

Begin with ch2

Round 1: 10dc into 2nd ch from hook (10dc).

Turn circle over and give the tail end a firm tug…this should pull the centre of the circle into a more closed position.

Turn back over.

Round 2:

Ch 1, 2dc in each st around (20dc)

Round 3:

Ch4 (counts as a dtr), 1dtr in the next 3 sts,

1tr in next 4sts,

1htr in next st, dc in next st,

ch3, slst into same space (this creates a picot),

dc in next st, 1htr in next st,

1tr in next 4 sts,

1dtr in next 4 sts, slst in to ch1 of beginning ch4.

Round 4: ch4 (counts as a dtr),

3dtr into next 3sts (these are actually the chains from previous round)

1tr in next 3 sts, 1htr into the next st, 1dc in next 4sts,

Slst in picot space

ch3, slst in to same space (picot made)

1dc in next 4 sts,1htr in next st, 1tr in next 3 sts, 1dtr in next 4sts,

slst in to the cleft of the heart

Fasten off and leave a long tail if you are going to sew it onto another project as a decoration, or weave in the ends.

Repeat until your hearts content.

My Galentines cup cosy pattern uses this heart and the cosy pattern can be found for free just here.

xxxxx

A yarny little heart ©2016 designed by Nicola Florence @ayarnyrobin

The Grandma Mary Tea Cosy

Published on October 2, 2016November 14, 2017 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin7 Comments

Introducing the ‘Grandma Mary’ tea cosy…the first in the Grandma Collection

Dedicated to my Grandma Mary who was a truly inspirational woman. Born in October 1916 and christened Vera Mary, she grew up in England in the West Midlands and trained as a primary school teacher. I was privileged to have had her in my life for 34 years before she left this world at the grand old age of 94. Granny Mary played a huge part in nurturing my creativity as a little girl, teaching me how to make pompoms and to French knit using a wooden cotton reel and some nails that my Grandad would have made. She was a gentle and patient woman, who always had a smile and a piece of chocolate. I once asked her what the best invention of her life time had been and without hesitation she quipped…’washing up liquid!’

Granny Mary worked hard, but always took time to make things pretty… whether that was pansies in the garden, geraniums in the porch, sugar on a peeled apple, a pretty apron whilst doing the housework or a tea cosy for the teapot.

Prettiness was important because it was the way she cared for people and her care was a true blessing.

So this cosy had to be pretty, in colours that evoke memories of her and of course had to be covered in flowers.

The beads at the bottom of the cosy actually belonged to her. I have a bag of broken plastic beads that she gave me – she never threw anything away!

I am honoured to put them to good use…I think she would be really very pleased with their new use.

So that is the Grandma Mary tea cosy in all of its glory, here is the pattern linky thing.

xxxxx

A Yarny Giveaway…

Published on July 31, 2016 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin31 Comments

Yes, that’s right I’m having a little yarny giveaway here at the Nest. The purpose for such frivolity I hear you ask?

Well, it is a belated celebration of my 2 year blogging anniversary; which was actually back in June. Whilst I was aware this occasion had come and gone, life was a little too hectic to mark the occasion. So, I parked the celebration temporarily and am now ready with a little yarny give-a-way.

This year has been frantic and I want to thank all of my regular readers for being patient with me along this journey and for all of your cheering on! It has really helped me and if you’re relatively new around here consider it a welcome.

So before I get to the give-a-way, I thought I would just highlight some of my favourite posts from the last 12 months.

The 100 patch granny blanket…

blog post here

I love a little look back, don’t you?

So Give-a-way time…cue the party poppers!!! It’s easy to enter and is open to all. The prize to covet is this…

A gorgeous hank of beautifully soft baby alpaca wool in Lichen by Louisa Harding; which has an added touch of sparkle with a fine gold metallic thread.

This yarn is gorgeous, I hooked with it a while ago…remember?

lightweight glamour... — lightweight glamour…

So the entry rules are simple.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is leave a comment below. If you are reading this on facebook then like the page and leave a comment also. Simples! Closing date for entries is 22nd August 2016.

xxxxx

Give-a-way…

Published on July 30, 2016 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin3 Comments

Yes a Give-a-way…coming soon, just to give you a heads up. A small yarny gesture of celebration will be launched here tomorrow!

Watch this space…

xxxxx

Top 5 things to crochet when it's hot and number 1 is ironic!

Little Leaf pattern

Published on February 17, 2016September 30, 2023 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin19 Comments

wp_20160217_21_40_10_pro — ‘A yarny little leaf’ designed by Nicola Florence @ayarnyrobin.wordpress.com….February 2016

On a very wet afternoon, just the other day, I began to hook up some little leaves. Simple I thought, no pattern required.

After a couple of tweaks here and there, this is what my trusty hook had produced. I think they are rather sweet, so I thought I would share this little leaf pattern with you.

Little Leaf Pattern.

I used drops cotton dk and a 3.5mm hook. All instructions are using English terminology.

Slst – slip stitch

st – stitch

ch – chain

dc – double crochet

htr – half treble

tr – treble

dtr – double treble

blo – back loop only

Central Vein

Ch8, slst into 2nd ch from hook, then slst into each remaining 6ch and fasten off.

Leaf Body

Join chosen colour thread to 1st st at bottom of leaf vein. Ch1, dc in next st, htr in next st, tr in next st, 2dtr in next st, tr in next st, htr in next st, dc in same st, ch3(you should now be at the top of the vein).

You now need to reverse the pattern down the other side of the leaf. This time working in the back loops only.

So, dc in next st, htr in same st.

tr in next st, 2dtr in next st, tr in next st, htr in next st, dc in next st, slst in next st. Fasten off to finish and weave in ends.

Happy little leaf hooking

xxxxx

‘A yarny little leaf’ designed by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin.wordpress.com….February 2016.

Here is a quick pattern for a necklace scarf.

A simple but stunning item that you can make if you are new to crochet, or have an odd 50g ball of chunky yarn that your not sure what to do with, or if you need to hand make a present emergency style!

Yep, this beauty takes about an hour to make at most and the pattern (if you can call it that!) is just below.

You will need 50g of chunky yarn and a large hook. I used

and a 6mm hook.

So you have probably guessed it….begin making chains and don’t stop until you have about 50cms of yarn left.

Randomly tie the first part of a bow to form a loose knot in your chains at random sections down its length.

Now join with a slip stitch into the very first chain to make an enormous loop.

It may be a good idea to secure the stitch with a stitch marker or safety pin so that your chains do not unravel during the next part.

Now find something to put your enormous loop of chains around… I used the stair post at the bottom of the stairs.

Start to make the loop smaller by crossing over the chains and hooking back over the post…or whatever you are using. Repeat the process until you have a handful of loops; that when placed around your neck fall just at the top of your tummy.

Next, you need to secure your loops together. To do this

remove the stitch marker / safety pin and reinsert your hook.

Told you it hooked up quick!

xxxxx

Share this:

Day 27 of

and we are almost at the end now.

The theme for today is ‘blocking’.

Not my favourite part of the process, but certainly worthwhile. These are my robin nest squares in the blocking phase.

xxxxx

Share this:

Day 21 of

and it’s still not too late join in.

The theme for today is ‘library!’.

This isn’t my library… but probably the world’s smallest library ever, in a phone box!

You can read all about my visit here.

I made these cute little flower bookmarks and left them as a present.

xxxxx

Share this:

Day 20 of

and it’s still not too late join in.

The theme for today is ‘handmade home’.

I love this hot water bottle cover and it’s an easy hook too…

a warm yarny cuddle guaranteed!

xxxxx

Share this:

Day 7 of

it’s not too late join in.

Theme for today is….

Stripes.

This is my Granny Mabel Tea Cosy, click the link for the free pattern.

I’ve chosen this tea cosy for stripes day, as these slim, pretty stripes sit amongst delicate lace, topped by an array of buttons.

This tea cosy makes me happy everyday.

xxxxx

Share this:

xxxxx

A yarny little heart ©2016 designed by Nicola Florence @ayarnyrobin

Share this:

Introducing the ‘Grandma Mary’ tea cosy…the first in the Grandma Collection

Granny Mary worked hard, but always took time to make things pretty… whether that was pansies in the garden, geraniums in the porch, sugar on a peeled apple, a pretty apron whilst doing the housework or a tea cosy for the teapot.

Prettiness was important because it was the way she cared for people and her care was a true blessing.

So this cosy had to be pretty, in colours that evoke memories of her and of course had to be covered in flowers.

The beads at the bottom of the cosy actually belonged to her. I have a bag of broken plastic beads that she gave me – she never threw anything away!

I am honoured to put them to good use…I think she would be really very pleased with their new use.

So that is the Grandma Mary tea cosy in all of its glory, here is the pattern linky thing.

xxxxx

Share this:

Yes, that’s right I’m having a little yarny giveaway here at the Nest. The purpose for such frivolity I hear you ask?

Well, it is a belated celebration of my 2 year blogging anniversary; which was actually back in June. Whilst I was aware this occasion had come and gone, life was a little too hectic to mark the occasion. So, I parked the celebration temporarily and am now ready with a little yarny give-a-way.

This year has been frantic and I want to thank all of my regular readers for being patient with me along this journey and for all of your cheering on! It has really helped me and if you’re relatively new around here consider it a welcome.

So before I get to the give-a-way, I thought I would just highlight some of my favourite posts from the last 12 months.

The 100 patch granny blanket…

blog post here

joining tutorial here

I love a little look back, don’t you?

So Give-a-way time…cue the party poppers!!! It’s easy to enter and is open to all. The prize to covet is this…

A gorgeous hank of beautifully soft baby alpaca wool in Lichen by Louisa Harding; which has an added touch of sparkle with a fine gold metallic thread.

This yarn is gorgeous, I hooked with it a while ago…remember?

So the entry rules are simple.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is leave a comment below. If you are reading this on facebook then like the page and leave a comment also. Simples! Closing date for entries is 22nd August 2016.

xxxxx

Share this:

Yes a Give-a-way…coming soon, just to give you a heads up. A small yarny gesture of celebration will be launched here tomorrow!

Watch this space…

xxxxx

Share this:

On a very wet afternoon, just the other day, I began to hook up some little leaves. Simple I thought, no pattern required.

After a couple of tweaks here and there, this is what my trusty hook had produced. I think they are rather sweet, so I thought I would share this little leaf pattern with you.

Little Leaf Pattern.