By Helen

let it snow: crochet style…

Let’s face it the weather isn’t exactly Christmassy at the moment, is it?  In York, there isn’t even a hint of snow or that we might get a white Christmas.  It does sometimes snow, in York, is then it looks even more beautiful than usual.  I love snow, I love everything about it (well may be not the slushy stuff): what else can completely change the look, feel and sound of a place?  I thought, I’d share with you a pattern for a snowflake, and then you can have your own snow garlands, for Christmas, no matter what the weather.  You will need to white yarn, cotton is best, a suitable crochet hook, some water, rust-proof pins, pva glue, glitter and a board to block on.  Ready?  Good…

Start with 5ch, slst to join…

** 2dc, 3ch, 2dc ** six times, slst to join…

You should have six chsp...

Slst into 1^st chsp.  ** 2dc, 3ch, 2dc, slst into chsp **.,,

Repeat ** - ** in each chsp.  Slst to join…

If you want to crochet a small snowflake, fasten off and weave in the ends.   To crochet the larger snowflake…

** slst into 1^st chsp.   1dc, 3ch, 1dc, 5ch, 1dc, 3ch, 1dc into chsp, 2ch **...

Repeat ** - **  into each chsp. slst to join…

Fasten off and weave in the ends.  Your snowflake will probably need blocking. 

Mix together pva glue and water (adding glitter for extra sparkle) and soak your snowflake for at least ten minutes.  Squeeze out the excess liquid and block out on a board, covered with cling-film, using rust-proof pins...

You can use the snowflakes on your Christmas card, as tree decorations, as garlands, or how every you choose. 

Happy crocheting…

xxx

crochet mistletoe…

Today is the most perfect day, for crochet.  Here is York; it is cold, wet and very, veRY, VERY windy.  The perfect day for lighting a fire, making tea and crocheting.  How about crocheting from thing for Christmas?  Are you beginning to feel Christmasy?  I am, it is slowly brewing up: I can feel it coming.  I thought I’d share my pattern for mistletoe.  Hopefully you’ll find it easy to follow: quick to make and after a happy afternoon you’ll have a bunch of mistletoe to hang and smooch under ;)

You’ll need some green and white yarn and a crochet hook that suits the yarn.  I used bamboo cotton and a 4mm hook: but it is really up to you.

Using green ** 13ch…

In 5^th ch from hook trtr in next 2 ch…

1dtr in next 2ch, 1tr in next 2 ch, 1htr in next ch, 1 dc in next ch**…

Don’t fasten off.

Repeat ** - **.  Join the two leaves together with a slss...

Don’t fasten off.

9ch...

slss in 2^nd ch from hook then slss in each ch…

Slss to join leaves to the stem…

Fasten off!

To crochet the berries

Using white 2ch, in 2^nd ch from hook 1dc and 1tr, fasten off…

Crochet two and sew them on the leaves.  Block if needed. And ta-dah…

Make lots: hang and find someone wonderful to smooch!

fabric flower Christmas wreath…

I know, I know, I know: it is only October!  But I have been making a Christmas wreath:  that I just had to share with you.  It is made from fabric flowers: using the loveliest Christmas fabric, from amazing fabric shop and workshop, The Silver Thimble…

Cut into lots and lots and lots of circles…

Which are wired onto a gorgeous, dark, wicker wreath…

I just love the results…

I really hope that this inspires you to start thinking about your Christmas making: it really isn’t that far away - only sixty-one days to go! 

Happy Crafting!

 

Ps – my Christmas cakes (all three of them) have been made and are ready for feeding! 

Pps – sorry about some of the photos, they are quite blurry: I think that my camera battery must have been getting low and I hadn’t noticed.  Oh and the flowers which look black are actually green!

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a celebration of 2012….

As 2012 comes to an end, I thought that I would share with you, and celebrate,  some of my highlights form 2012, what a busy year it has been…

In January I started my New Year’s resolution, to crochet a different flower each month – something I hope to continue in 2013.  

In February the weather turned cold: and it snowed and snowed and snowed.  I love snow; nothing else can change the appearance, sound, smell and feel of your surroundings quite so well as snow.

With March came the promise of Spring, with golden Daffodils cheering-up much of York.  I just had to crochet a Daffodil…

In April I celebrated my first Blogversary.  A whole year of sharing all of my crocheting and crafting with you.  Thank-you for sticking with me!

May was a busy crochet month.  Crocheting May blossom and festival hats for my little friend I.

June saw crochet to the rescue with a quick fix for my hair…

I was sooooo very proud of July’s crochet flower of the month; I had to share it with you again.  It still makes me smile of dull rainy days!  The crochet pattern for it is here!

In August I was in for a real treat, making beautiful faabric flowers.  I hope to make bunches of these next year…

September saw Si and I start to get the house ready for re-modelling.  It also saw me fall in love with the most perfect yarn for crocheting flower brooches.  And I introduced you all to my favourite yarn shop. 

Crochet in October was given over to going out, to let the builders get on with finishing our home.  I did manage to sneak in a bit of Halloween hooky time…

Christmas started really early, in November, as I crocheted lots and lots of samples for my Crochet for Christmas course.

In December I found the cutest Christmas trees to crochet, and hung them proudly in by nearly finished home…

Yep, it has been quite a year, all good!  See you in the New Year for lots more crocheting and crafting! 

merry Christmas, yuletide greetings and seasons greetings…

Merry Christmas, yuletide greetings and seasons greetings…

Joyeux Noël

Gelukkig kerstfeest

مواسم تحيات

Buon Natale

मौसम अभिवादन

Frohe Weihnachten

ברכות עונות

sezone čestitke

Karácsonyi üdvözlet

musim salam

სეზონის ულოცავენ

Wesołych Świąt

节日的祝贺

Καλά Χριστούγεννα

季節挨拶

veselé Vánoce a šťastný Nový Rok

mevsim selam

ทักทายฤดูกาล

Feliz Natal

Nadolig Llawen

сезона поздрав

сезоны приветствия

sezoane salutări

فصول سلام

Glædelig jul

God jul

계절 인사

temporadas, saludos

メリークリスマス

I really hope that I haven’t spelt your languages wrong, I have had to rely on Google Translate for this posting.  Or if I have missed you language – sorry.  I hope that you get the sentiment and have a wonderful time what-ever you do this holiday period…

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crochet for Christmas, part one…

I know it is only November, and it is early to be blogging about crochet for Christmas.  But, I am excited.  Very very excited.  Do you remember me telling you about Grace and Jacob?  Well I am going to be running a course there!  That’s right: I will be passing on my love of crochet and teaching people how to crochet Christmas decorations.  The course is on the 25^th November, and if any of you would like to come-along, you can book HERE.  For the last few weeks I have been busy crocheting samples and writing patterns for the hand-out.  I thought I’d share with you, some of the things that people will be crocheting on the day.  We will be crocheting, Christmas puddings, Starflakes (these can either be starts or snowflakes, hence they are Starflakes), mistletoe and Christmas robins….

I really, really, really, hope that people book on the course and that I can blog about crochet for Christmas, part two and share with you all the wonderful things we crochet on the day….

crochet for Yorkshire Day...

In honour of yesterday been Yorkshire Day, I thought that I crochet a Yorkshire Rose to wear proudly on my dress…

…and celebrate all things Yorkshire, of course!

I crocheted the rose by adapting a pattern from my go-to flower book. My Yorkshire Rose is loosely based on Lesley's pattern for a wild rose: but I wanted to give it a more Yorkshirery feel.  I had to spend a happy few hours re-learning how to do a French knot without them disappearing.  I persevered and I was really please with how they worked for the yellowery centre of the rose.

 Here’s to all things Yorkshire! 

quick crochet...

I managed to squeeze in a few moments of hooky time, over the festive period.  Here is what I made...

It is crocheted using Debbie Bliss Paloma yarn, that I picked up at the knitting and stitching show in Harrogate.  I used a range of different hooks, and followed the same patterns for each layer...

Each layer was then stacked and stiched together to form the Christmas tree.  The tree was then decorated with a long beaded chain crochet.

Just a short posting: back to the festivities...

Christmas time...

York is sooooooo very beautiful, especially this time of year.  I thought that I would share some of that loveliness with you...

Hopefully there will be some hooky time over the festive period, otherwise here it to next year. 

All that is really left too say is THANK YOU for looking at, and supporting, my blog and crochet projects it really means a lot to me.

Merry Christmas....

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ta-dah moment...

The ta-dah moment are coming thick and fast at the moment as more and more Christmas presents are finished.  Most of the ta-dah moments will have to wait until after Christmas: it is only fair! 

Though here is one that I don't mind sharing with you...

Remember my last post on blocking?  Well these are the results: starflakes which I have turned into my beloved Christmas cards...

I am really pleased with how they have turned out and I am sure that the people who get them will be just as chuffed..?

Yuletide Greeting, for the Soltice...

xxxx