A tale of 2 blankets

Having got my crafty mojo back I feel as if ten minutes don't go past without me being hook in hand, I've been trying to be good and finish off past projects or adding to them. These are now sat awaiting a light day in which I may photograph them to add to my shop, although I feel the darkness of Winter may never leave.

Instead to bring some colour into the grey I start 2 blankets, the first is for myself. After years of using my spare time to make item items for others, I thought I'd be a little greedy and use some time to make something for me. I ready don't have enough of my own stuff in my home, and this year that will change. 

This is my Little Squares blanket, made up from what be be hundreds of little squares, I'm using Sidar Supersoft Arran in a colour combination of Mid Green; Plummy;Tangerine; White; Oaty; Bright Pink & Sidar Country style Arran in Honeyconb. A couple of squares look blue but that's just the pesty light.

This yarn is so soft and wonderful to work with, the Supersoft is 100% acrylic which I know some people are against but I love, the colours are vibrant and the yarn feels as good as a high quality wool. The Country style is a blend of  wool, acrylic and nylon, which is equally lovely to work with.

 I've been very good with the project so far and have weaved the ends in as I go, just the outside squares to do, and I've using a technique of attaching the squares as you go. This is wonderful if planning on a large blanket as the finishing isn't such a daughting task, and you can see how far you done more clearly.

Or in my case how much further you have to go, so far I really like this colour combination, and am trying really hard to keep my colour choices random; which is harder than you think.

I may add different colours as I've got lots of oddments to use up, but these colours match my living room plan perfectly and I may have to invest in some more yarn to continue the theme.

My next blanket is going to be a large lap blanket which will go on sale in my shop, I've called it Circle in a Square because within each square is a little circle.

I'm using the same Sidar Arran yarn in the colour ways of white; plummy; Bight Pink & Moss and the Countrystyle Arran in Honeycomb.

As you can see I've not been a good girl with this blanket and having a lot of weaving to do, a job for a Monday evening if there ever was one. My plan is to join these squares up in this grouping now and then have a different colour way of Circles in Squares going around them, we'll see how it goes. I have the squares arranged on my bed at the minute and keep rearranging their placement but I'll have to make a decision before bedtime or I'll be sleeping on the sofa.

What crafting have you started 2013 with, feel free to leave a link in the comments section, I'd love a nosey.

Happy Monday

For the love of Granny

Some time away as I lost my camera charger but now I'm now back.

 And with some WIP to show, these are 4 of the Granny Square Blankets I'm working on, and they're growing well.  When I first started to crochet as a child my Nana had blankets like these, she'd start you crocheting round and after a while she'd start on the next colour and chase your loops as you went.

 

 As I crochet these and feel the yarn through my fingers I'm reminded of my Nana, her smell (Lavender perfume and Parma violets) and watching her hands wrinkled and soft working their way round behind me.

 I've used arcylic yarn to make these, which some people will barf at I know, there's a few reasons behind this decision. 

First is I'm not made of money or sponsored by a yarn company, to get the huge array of colours I like I need a reasonable priced yarn. 

Second is I'd been approached by vegans about things I make, and was told there was not alot of vegan friendly items made from lovely colourful materials.

Third is washability, I hopeing that people will buy these to be used not just for decoration, so it helps to have an easily washable yarn. 

 I love the colours of the top 3 blankets, but I'm not sure of this one, I wanted it to be bolder than usual blankets but I think I like the effect of single lines of colour.

Which colour do you like best?

Have a lovely Friday,

Amanda.x.