2013::A year of Crochet

Hello Lovelies,

There has been a bit less crochet here than there was in 2012, but looking back at it all gathered together for this post,  there is more than I had thought. I hope you enjoy this celebration of colourful crochet.

Back in December last year I made an owl for my sister in law. It's become a bit of a tradition to crochet a decoration for her Christmas tree and I was particularly pleased with how this one turned out.........

They were easy and fun to do and soon I had made quite a few. In January I got round to making a tutorial to share with you lovelies and I was amazed how popular it was . It makes me smile to think there are now many, many of these cute chaps right across the globe...made by you lovelies......Isn't blogland wonderful.........

The temperatures last January were much colder than we are experiencing right now and my next make was an attempt to prevent painfully cold hands. I used the circles from the centre of my owl pattern and sewed two  together with a little bag of baking beans inside...then warmed them on a hot radiator..........

In February I made a padded heart, again utilising the same circle, with a couple of shaping rounds added......

Heck, in March I was using that same circle again! this time to make mini Easter birds........

Then there was a bit of a crochet break, while  drawing gripped me.
It couldn't last and of course it was the lovely Lucy who inspired me to pick up my hook again.
Making bunting for Yarndale was great fun and I couldn't resist adding a cute bunny to one of my triangles.....

Once I had got back into the rhythm I wanted to make something else.

In May I started a blanket of seven round grannies......



I really loved playing with so much colour.........

This was the progress by June..........

Then suddenly the weather got really hot and playing with yarn didn't seem very appealing, so I made a skirt.....

Sorry, I know this isn't crochet, but I wanted to record it as a make for this year.

By August we were at the seaside and crochet is a great holiday project. In Cornwall I added a row or two to my Seaside patches blanket, which I had begun in 2012............

I also took it to Norfolk , but I ended up using the yarn to create "Sherri the Seagull" .......

At the end of August I felt inspired by the bees visiting my garden to make a crochet version.
I didn't get round to blogging about him at the time..........

But I was pretty pleased with how he turned out....sorry I didn't write down the pattern, but there are loads of free bee patterns out there if you fancy making something similar. How about THIS one, or THIS ?
I was particularly pleased with his heart shaped wings.......I used THIS pattern

but I do think he needed smaller eyes.

In September I made a Daffodil from THIS book to hopefully help me meet up with some of you lovelies at Yarndale.....and it worked :0)..........

I met so many lovely bloggers there , and sadly missed a few more I would have liked to have chatted with..... Hopefully next year lovelies.

I was thrilled when Lucy pointed out my Bunny triangle on display right below her gorgeous May Rose wreath...........

It was so busy on the Saturday when I visited that I was pleased to sit outside on the grass and do a bit of quiet crochet , like so many others were doing. The atmosphere was lovely.........

In October and November I made a concerted effort to get my Middle sons "seaside patches"  blanket finished ......

It worked and I was so happy to complete one large crochet project this year........

My seven round grannies gained a denim blue border and just need sewing together now........

But, in need of a portable project, I started a scarf made of teeny two round grannies, on a whim........

With Christmas fast approaching I decided to make a gift, and began crocheting rows of blues and turquoise stripes.........

This turned out to be quite a time consuming project , but thankfully I got this hot water bottle cover finished for the big day.....

I decided to make a vertical fastening at the back, a bit like a shirt . It's not a method I've seen before and I was rather pleased with how it turned out..........

And then the year had turned full circle and it was time to crochet that tree decoration again.
I did leave this to the last minute...staying up till after midnight on the 23rd to get it finished.

I heard my niece had made a gingerbread house and that inspired me to try and make one too...

It's a bit wonky but gingerbread houses often are, so I hope that adds to the charm :0)

So 2013 was mostly a year of small projects, but I did manage to finish one pretty large blanket and get most of the way through another.
I'm going into the new year with two WIP's which doesn't seem bad. And anyway, sometimes it about enjoying the process not just racing to the end.

Thank you, thank you for all your super kind comments on my drawings. They really made my day. A few of you asked about the possibility of a calender or notecards....well, I'd love to make this happen....I'll update you when and if I manage to figure out how best to go about it. 

I'm working on New Years Day so I'll take this opportunity to say HAPPY NEW YEAR to all you lovelies now. 

Jacquie x