Inside crochet issue 81 ,Granny square shopper

Hello dear friends.

I hope you are all well. Did you have a good summer? I did but my goodness summer has whizzed by and autumn  my favourite season ,is upon us. I truly love the colder seasons I guess that's the reason I love yarn. Nothing makes me happier then putting away the light cottons ,linens of spring and summer and delving into my beautiful wintery yarns. 

 

We have had a very busy time my youngest daughter graduated in politics. I am a very proud mother of two graduates. My work here is done. (I am doing a mini dance.) I am so proud of them both. My parents really stressed that to survive in this world you should either have a trade/skill or you get  a educated, so your earning potential is much better and the opportunities abroad would be better for you. My parents were right, my giddy aunt , you know you are getting old when you start to  think all your parents advice was right.

 

 

 

 This month's Inside Crochet Magazine is out. Once again I am thrilled that my design is one of the many fabulous designs featured.  even after all this time I still have to pinch myself when I see the  magazine everywhere in supermarkets , newsagents. I don't think I will ever get used to it. I think that the time I get blasé about it ,it might be time to give up. I love what do.

My granny square shopper uses double knit cotton . I get great pleasure taking the old craft of crochet  and adding my own  modern contemporary touch. The bright yellow faux handles are not only beautiful but they are practical .The bag is lined making the bag very sturdy. However, if I am honest I really  struggled with the lining I am not the best at sewing . The amount of times I have said I ought to enrol on a sewing course but I never seem to find the time.

Goodness me , I do love the styling .It always gives my designs a life, does that make sense ? I know a bag is inanimate object but when its features in different surroundings it becomes animate, I promise I am not drinking wine, hehe, Its just how I feel about the right kind of styling.

For instance, I designed the bag because I got fed up with being charged for a carrier bag, I designed a pretty practical bag that I would not forget. If this bag was styled at the supermarket till It wouldn't be as pretty as the styling above, see what I mean ?

All images are the property  @mavricphotography , 

Crochet lamp

I'm sure I have mentioned we have been decorating our lounge. It is full of beige, cream, chrome and white. Its cool and very relaxing. I made this lampshade myself .I love dollies not in the way my mum did.Growing up mum had dollies everywhere. I vowed I would never have any around my home. I think I'm turning in to my mum. I made this dollie years ago put it away with the intention of giving it to mum. We all the cleaning ,reclycling I found it again and decided to add it to my lamp from Habitat. I think it looks special and it has made this lamp into something special.I love winter, I adore putting layers of wool around me. As I wear mainly black Ive decided to make a mad skirt in noro worn with black polo neck. I will post as it progress.

Modified Babette

One of my favourite patterns is the very colourful babette ,Isn't it simply divine.

The pattern calls for 22 balls of Koigu in 17 colours.It is based on the same pattern motif, they only vary by the amount of rounds It's made of 126 squares .

I have about 10 skeins of koigu and would need to buy at least 12 more skeins .I have to say that as babette needs so many different coloursways it can look fab if done with the right combination ,but if colours choices clash it can look very ugly. I love colour but I'm not sure I'm good enough to chose the right ones on such a grand scale . So, koigu is out.

Whenever I think of great colourists Kaffe Fassett springs to mind He is a colour guru and he has created a beautiful palette for Regia. I happen to have quite alot of this stuff in various colours. so, it was a matter using balls that are similarly toned. Picture number 2 uses two of the same colourways but striped in different ways. It works magically..Pic 2, is all going to be made in the one colourway ,whilst the colour changes arent as pronounced as using 17 different colours I love the effect it's much more subtle.

Being a contrary girl I also decided that I did not want to use the pattern stitch used in the babette .I wanted it made in a traditional granny square pattern. I love it. I'm sure you've noticed I have three babette's on the go, that's a whopping 378 squares. 3rd picture is made in 4ply random dyed cotton and I am making it with 17 colourways, not sure how it will turn out but I threw caution to the wind and I'm trying my best to just use colours I'd never normally put together. surprisingly, it seemss to be working but I'm not sure that the round of blue works in picture, what do you think?

For more inspiration I love looking at Flickr's babette blanket gallery.

Im off now to make 300 odd more squares wish me luck.