Happy Flower Block Tutorial

Hello lovely readers, before I jump into today's post I really wanted to thank you all for the wonderful comments on my last post. My rules seemed to resonate with a lot of you, especially number 3.Thou shalt not feel guilty for having too many wips on the go at once.There's no shame, we're all the same! (sorry, been watching way too much embarrassing bodies it seems. Those of you outside the UK probably won't have a clue what I'm talking about and may think I've lost my mind completely, don't worry it's just my silly sense of humour) 

It's a common side effect though of being addicted to yarn. It's impossible to solely concentrate on one project at a time, so let us rejoice 'we shall no longer worry about all the ufo's we have languishing at the bottom of our baskets, or hidden away in a drawer or cupboard. We are now liberated! Fear not hooky friends, no more will we allow ourselves to be judged for buying more yarn than is necessary, and flitting between projects. Agreed?

Right, down to today's business. Over the weekend I was doing my usual browsing online, and came across two awe inspiring projects here and here. I was knocked sideways by the gorgeous palettes chosen by both these very talented crocheters. I couldn't find a pattern, but as it looked like a fairly simple concept and with the visuals to guide me, I decided to try my hand at  working up one for myself.

I grabbed some yarn, (yes you guessed it) my trusty Catania Cotton and a 3.5mm hook, found a comfy spot on the sofa and proceeded to make my first block. One turned into two, turned into three, four, five. I got quite carried away with it. I was so happy with the results I took the crazy notion that I might try and write up a pattern for it to share.

So without further ado, I hereby present my very first attempt at a Crochet Tutorial. I've decided to call my interpretation the Happy Flower Block. Please bear in mind I'm completely self taught and have limited ability in this area, therefore if there are any mistakes I can only apologise. I've tried to be as detailed as I can, combining written instructions along with a pictorial guide. Please let me know how you get on? It would please me no end to hear you've given it a go, and it worked *fingers crossed* x x x

Just click on the images for a larger, more detailed view.

Please Note: 

Rounds 6&7 do not start in a corner space.

I begin the round where the previous finishes.

Also, pictures are as a guide only and do 

not always correspond exactly to the 

written instructions beside/beneath.

Thank you.

Ok, here goes *deep breath* x 

Foundation Ring

Round One

Round Two

Round Three

Round Four

Round Five

Round Six

Round Seven

A join as you go method for joining 

these squares can be found here...

Colour Therapy

How to make a dull day brighter?

Rule No.1 - 

Cover the sofa in a pile of the most 

colourful crochet you can find

Rule No.2 - 

Marvel at the expanse of yummy yarny goodness

you've managed to create

Rule No.3 -

Never feel guilty for having too many wips

on the go at once

Rule No.4 -

Always have a jug full of 

fresh flowers on display

That should do the trick!

x x x 

Overindulgence

I think it's fair to say that over the past few months I've well and truly overindulged on the food front. How many of you are (like me) starting to panic about the impending spring/summer months? With rising temperatures comes the inevitable shedding of layers and exposing of skin, which will undoubtedly uncover the true cost of all those extra portions I've consumed over the winter period. Help..............?!!!! 

I could reconcile all the grazing I've been doing whilst the days were darker & shorter, and the weather miserable, but now the sun is more frequently peeping it's head out from behind the clouds, I'm reminded that there's little time to waste if I want to shed a few pounds.

Thanks to my lovely Mum introducing me to the delights of M&S Jam Bakes recently, I've managed to find a new addiction. I generally do all my own home baking of cakes & biscuits, but I happened to try one of these yummy little bites whilst visiting my parents and that was it, I was hooked. 

Unfortunately I'm not one of those people that can eat what they like and avoid putting on weight. Sadly, I just have to look at a cake and I put on half a stone. A slight exaggeration may be, but truth be told I only have two vices, yummy food & yummy yarn! I don't drink, nor smoke, so I think it only fair that I should be able to indulge in the odd cake or 2, or 3.......

"Everything in moderation Sharron", I hear you cry. You're right, and I shall endeavour to remember that next time I reach for the biscuit barrel. 

One last thought before I go, for those that watch 'One Born Every Minute', don't you just love that bit in the opening sequence when the lovely Linda Abbott, long serving midwife at the LGI say's in her broad Yorkshire accent "we keep calm and eat cake". That was my mantra, guess I'll have to find another one now............

x x x x

Stripy cushion ta-dah!

That quote I've taken from the latest edition of Ideal Home magazine 

really sums up how I feel about my latest cushion cover project. 

A happy coincidence that featured on page 85 there is a 2 page spread on how to mix tonal greys with pink. Strange how you can come up with your own idea for a project, pick a colour scheme, and then see it underscored in print in one of your favourite home magazines. Subliminal maybe?

I thoroughly enjoyed the ease of this project. I just striped away creating two panels of treble crochet. 49 rows in total, randomly selecting colours as I went. Making sure I counted 68 stitches to each row, so that it would be even all the way through. That's the only thing I hate about working in rows, I often lose track of how many stitches I've got and end up in a mess. Thankfully this time I made a conscious effort to count, so no mishaps. 

I wanted the reverse to be a more block colour, hence just using the dusky pink & light grey, with a couple of stripes in White. I think it works really well. I framed each panel in a row of half trebles to neaten everything up, before proceeding to crochet them together. Leaving one side open to finish off using a button edge. I made 16 button holes on the front panel, and stitched 16 cute white buttons to the reverse. Popped in my cushion pad and voila, one neat little project complete. Happy, much.....

Thank you for all the wonderful comments and messages recently 

x x 

Hope I've inspired you to hook up 

your own stripy number x x x x

Mad as a March Hare

Greetings lovely people, and the warmest of welcomes to all who are new to Annie's Place. March has arrived to my little corner of Bedfordshire in a blaze of sunshine, what a glorious start to the month it has been. 

I've been feeling as mad as a March hare lately, all giddy & excitable knowing the days are soon to get longer. More light means more quality crafting time. I really can't wait till I can take my hook & yarn down by the riverside, lay out a blanket and crochet away to my hearts content. I know the sun is not forecast to last much past today, but I don't care, at least we've had a little taster of what's (hopefully) to come!

On the crochet front I've been flitting again. Surprise surprise there's yet another project on the hook this week. An instantly gratifying, quickie project this time though. A little stripy number, that will be fashioned into a cushion cover. Just simple rows of treble (UK) crochet stitches, on a 3.5mm hook, using Stylecraft acrylic. I really like pinks and greys together, so this has been a joy to work up. 

It should be finished by the end of the week (famous last words) 

Back soon x x x