long weekend afghan

This is another project I've been working on.  My middle son loves neon orange and is still at an age where he likes me to make things for him and has been waiting patiently for a blanket.  I have no patience for huge time consuming projects (I have been working on a blanket for my eldest for over a year now!) I have gone for cheap and cheerful acrylic yarn and a big hook!  This blanket could be worked over a long weekend (jubilee, anyone?!) and would be fine as a throw, or a picnic blanket, or a camping blanket...
This is a recipe more than a pattern (partly because it's not quite finished yet!) tha can be adjusted in size easily by changing the length of the starting chain (which must be an even number for the stitch pattern to work) and number of rows worked.
I'm a lazy so and so and put off or avoid sewing in ends wherever I can so I've written this pattern for minimal end sewing ;-)

Finished size will be approx 44" x 54", yarn used is stylecraft special double knit in graphite grey, neon orange and green.  200g orange, 200g green, 1700g (?) grey.  Four strands worked together throughout.
10mm hook.

1. Ch92, sc in 2nd ch from hook and across, turn.
2-9: ch1, sc in first, *ch1 sk1, sc in next st* across, turn
10: ch1, sc in first, *ch1 sk1, sc in next st* across, in last sc change colour to orange but do not break grey yarn!
11: ch1, holding orange yarn tail along top of stitches and working over the top to secure it in place, work a sc in each sc and ch1 space across, turn.
12: ch1, sc across, in last stitch pick up grey again, turn.  Cut orange leaving 6" tail
13: ch1, holding orange yarn tail along top of stitches and working over the top to secure it in place, sc across, turn
14-21: ch1, sc in first, *ch1 sk1, sc in next st* across, turn
22:  ch1, sc in first, *ch1 sk1, sc in next st* across, in last sc change colour to green but do not break grey yarn!
23: ch1, holding green yarn tail along top of stitches and working over the top to secure it in place, work a sc in each sc and ch1 space across, turn.
24: 12: ch1, sc across, in last stitch pick up grey again, turn. Cut green leaving 6" tail
25:  ch1, holding green yarn tail along top of stitches and working over the top to secure it in place, sc across, turn
Repeat rows 14-21
Repeat rows 10 -25
So that the coloured stripes alternate.  For my blanket I worked 5 orange and 4 green stripes.  After the last orange stripe work another grey section but make the last row all sc. 
Ch1, turn, sc across, work 3sc in first corner.  Turn and work down the long edge of the blanket working a sc in each row end and working over the grey yarn where it was carried over.  Work 3 sc in corner, and then sc across bottom of blanket.  Work 3sc in corner and sc in each row end up the long side.  Work 3sc in corner and join with sl st and fasten off.  Weave in ends.

Yoga socks #2

So I finally got around to putting the basic idea in my head into woolly reality!

While working on these I also came up with a few ideas for a proper sock pattern using a similar flo/blo construction...  more on that another day!

This sock is made with colinette jitterbug 'lagoon' and uses around 50g (and probably a lot less!  My scales are broken...) and 3.75mm hook.  Pattern is in US terms :)  The sizing is pretty flexible, my feet are  UK size 5 and these have good clearance for my heel and toe.  The foot and leg section are easily adjusted by changing the length of the starting chain (mine works out as 15 ch for leg section, 15 ch for foot section, plus 3 ch for the missing heel section plus 1 ch for turning ch)

(apologies for the poor quality pic, I have never tried photographing my own foot before and it hasn't really worked!!)

LDC - linked double crochet.  Instead of wrapping the yarn over before pushing through the stitch, the hook goes through the horizontal bar in the centre of the previous st, pull up a loop, hook through the top of the stitch in the row below, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops on hook twice.  (For the first st, work by going through the second chain from the hook, pull up a loop, then through the top of the stitch in the row below, pull up a loop and yarn over through 2 loops on hook twice.) 

* If you would like both seams to the inside of the foot, when sl st together make sure to do the sl st the opposite way (by folding in the other direction!) for the second sock.   Sl st can be worn to the inside or outside of the sock, whichever is more comfortable.

1. Ch34, sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across, turn (33)
2-16: ch1, sc in back loop only across all stitches, turn

Leg section
17:  ch1, sc in back loop only in first 15 stitches, turn (leave remaining unworked)
18-38: ch1, sc across in back loop only, turn (15 st)
*Sl st together working in bottom  bumps of chain and back loops.  Break yarn.

Foot section
1.Rejoin yarn by skipping 3 stitches on row 17, rejoin in back loop only and work sc (blo) across to end of row, turn (15)
2-5: ch1, sc in back loop only, turn
6-15: ch2, LDC in in front loop only in each st across, turn
16-20: ch1, sc in back loop only across, turn
*Sl st together working in bottom bumps of chain and back loops. Break yarn.

Weave in ends and wear :)

orange tip butterflies

We've had a few of these bouncing around the garden :) This one stopped off to feed on one of the red campion flowers on one of the rare days when the sun shone.
When I started this blog the idea was to keep a record of the goings-on at the allotment, mainly because I am hopeless at remembering where I planted things and what varieties I planted, how well they did and so on.  Needless to say, this has yet to happen!  I vaguely recall planting charlotte potatoes this year, and carouby de mausanne (may have spelt this incorrectly...) peas.  Everything else was just what was to hand and deeply disorganised!
On the plus side I am as committed as ever to organic gardening principles and having read several articles on the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on bees that have been published of late, I am determined to continue and ramp it up a notch by trying to find an alternative flea treament for the cat...
Anyway, my point is butterfly numbers, bee numbers, all kinds of animal numbers are falling at an alarming rate and it is a relief to see a small population of orange tips keeping a toehold in the neighbourhood.  I will be putting in some lady's smock in the garden to help them along a bit more!

We also have a new frog who has taken up residence in the old belfast sink we made into a dragonfly pond last year - just need to sort out the pondweed!

Stray skeins

...I might have a few.  And there's never quite enough for the project I have in mind, or they are not what I expected when I start to work them up.  This is what happened yesterday, after I went stash diving.  I found a skein of Artesano Hummingbird in dk, gorgeous soft yarn that just doesn't work well in crochet as the colour runs are too short and pool terribly.  I have 2 skeins but started with 'woodpecker', a mix of orange, lime green, a magenta-ey red and cream...  a challenge to say the least!

I started off trying hitchin a ride by Sharon Cheek which is a lovely simple (US) single crochet-based pattern that Did Not Work.  I will be revisiting the pattern with a slightly more sedate colour in due course!
I then moved onto string along scarf by Kathy North but the colours ended up too blocky again :(  Nevermind, I have a stray skein of Elvincraft's yarn that will look lovely in that pattern.

Then I had my lighbulb moment and dug out a 6.5mm tunisian hook and got on with it...  Success!! 
I started off with ch30 and stuck to tunisian simple stitch.  The colour runs are looking much more knitted  and I will post pictures when finished.
While in a tunisian mood I may also work up a sister cowl with a more openwork pattern, but more on that another time!

(As promised here is an in progress pic!)