Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Around Here

Hello Lovelies, just popping by to share a few moments from the past few days. 

Youngest has been quiet poorly with a high temperature and cough so we had a  quiet weekend, staying close to home and doing very little. 
On Sunday afternoon I borrowed eldest's tablet ( a treat he bought with his Christmas money) and took part in the RSPB big  garden birdwatch.


 I've never joined in before but it was so easy and such a pleasant way to spend an hour, sitting by the window, watching the activity in the garden.

The slow time this weekend also gave me chance to think about my next crochet project.

This rug, which has featured in the background of so many blog photos, sits in the middle of our lounge. It was a wedding present and I've always loved it's colours and patterns........


Back in the autumn, when I bought three of the new Stylecraft colours I realised that they were shades that featured in my rug....and maybe I could gather together other Stylecraft colours and make a blanket based on those colours......


And so at the weekend I carefully counted as I chained 213 and began the fiddly foundation row of my first ever full sized ripple blanket..........

 Following Lucy's wonderfully clear INSTRUCTIONS

I still find it easy to go wrong with a ripple....I wish I knew why. I'm ever hopeful that I will find them as easy and relaxing to make as granny squares one day.

 Any why am I starting a new blanket?

Well because my circle blanket is finished!....and youngest is snuggling under it right now........


He's a lot brighter, but still coughing a lot....so I'm keeping him home a little longer.

I'm writing up a proper ta-dah for my latest finished crochet project at the moment.....I do hope you will pop back tomorrow to see it's story.

Jacquie x

29 comments:

  1. Your circle blanket looks lovely and I'm looking forward to following the progress of your ripple blanket!

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  2. It's nice to know that someone else has a bit of trouble with ripples. I gave up years ago. But I so want to do one. I love how soft your circle blanket looks. Hope your kiddo feels better soon.
    Shan

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  3. I hope your youngest is feeling better soon. Good luck with the ripple blanket. That's next on my list.
    Anne xx

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  4. Well that circle blanket is exceptionally lovely Jacquie. It must be a joy to see that draped over the sofa everyday. Colour candy too!!! I still haven't made a ripple of anything yet and I do have projects in mind...the first one I think will be a ripple cushion for my grand-daughter's bedroom. Love that idea of bird watch such a great idea!
    keep well

    Amanda xx

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  5. Wish your kid all the best, hope he gets to feel better soon! Your blanket is lovely, and I'm sure it'll help him! ; ) I love to spot the birds around here too, nice way to spend an indoor afternoon indeed! xx

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  6. Hope he feels better soon, there is so much going round at the moment, my pickle had it before Christmas!, I have the same colours of Stylecraft yarns!, I am looking forward to seeing the blanket grow and I love the completed blanketxx

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  7. What a great app on your tablet! We did the garden bird count in Norway too, and I was pleased to count 13 different species, but I hadn't realised I was supposed to be totalling the actual number of birds too, so I ended up guesstimating that! Oh well, I don't really know how you can tell if it is two bluetits or one that has been and come back again, so I don't suppose it matters ;)

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  8. I hope your son is soon feeling better, there's a lot of it about, my hubby has just succumbed.

    Your three Stylecraft colours inspired me to make a blanket for our bed. I bought those three and seven more in leaf shades, browns, greens, golds and burgundy (for a bit of oomph here and there). Our bed is a super-king size so it's going to be a big 'un! I'm using 'Sunny Spread' pattern from Ravelry which is a circular centre made into a square and I need 304 squares. I started on Oct 31st and have made 103 so far, so a third of the way there. I'm weaving all ends in as I go and will join them with dark brown SC. Sorry to go on so much but I'm very excited, can you tell?

    Good luck with your ripple blanket and thank you for your lovely blog, I always look forward to reading it and your photos are fantastic. x

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  9. The circles blanket looks lovely! Wishing your youngest a speedy recovery! ( Always a bad time for mum too, when your babies are sick.) Good luck with the ripple, (I remember when I first saw a ripple blanket and wanted so much to make one, took me years to figure it out, before YouTube.) lol I look forward to seeing it's journey. I'm currently finishing off a diamond trellis basket, I can foresee many of these in my future. lol

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  10. Beautiful blanket and I ADORE YOUR RUG! I LOVE RUGS

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  11. I love your circle blanket and so does my youngest, he has put in a request for one of his own. I hope your boy gets well soon at least he is tucked up warm and cozy. Ripples are lovely too but scary, I think it is that long chain. Will be watching your progress with much interest! xx

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  12. I finished Lucy's coastal colours blanket in November. It took me 14 weeks to do. I love it! Her instructions are written so well. My first ripple blanket too. If you do go wrong you will spot it before your next "valley" or "hill ". Easy to pull crochet back as you only ever have one stitch to keep your eye on. I love your new finished blanket.
    too. Good luck with that foundation chain!

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  13. Hi Jacqui, hope your littlest one is better soon. It was quite weird looking at your blanket - although yours is circles and mine is squares, it has the look of my recent ' crochet mood blanket' which i made last year (a square a day to reflect my mood in whatever colours I chose, as part of the Internet group - it was great fun.
    i am making a ripple for my granddaughter - I think I have the hang of it now, but it took a while. It's keeping the edge straight that I find a challenge, as in any stripey blanket. Will watch your progress with interest! love your colours as always x

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  14. The garden bird watch... I thought it was a typically Dutch thing, but you do it as well! It's a great training in mindfulness :)

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  15. Love the blanket. Lots of scrummy colours. Will definitely help your youngest feel better. Lovely way to spend an hour spotting birds and from the comfort of your home too :)

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  16. I hope your youngest soon feels much better
    Your circle banket looks lovely and I shall watch the progress of your ripple blanket with interest.. I've tried to do a ripple but so far I can manage a small sample but as soon as I try a bigger one it all goes wrong
    Jackie x

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  17. I'm glad your littlest is on the mend! I bet that beautiful blanket made him feel a lot better! Yes, I will be back tomorrow to see more photos, but I'm already super impressed with it. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  18. I really wanted to take part in the RSPB bird watch this year, and totally missed it. I'm just so behind with everything at the moment. Your newly finished blanket is gorgeous and your new project looks like it's going to be a lovely make too. I really do love a ripple. I'm like you though and always found the first row to be completely out even though I counted right. I realised that when you make the trebles together to make the wave, the next chain space becomes tiny, to the point of being missed without actually noticing it. I realised that's why my first row NEVER added up. I kept missing chains because they were 'squashed' as the previous ones were packed with stitches. Perhaps the same happens with you too. It's annoying and you have to really concentrate to get the first couple of rows done, but the joy of the ripple! One of my favourites by far! I hope the rest of your week is a super one!

    Take care
    Vanessa x

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  19. Everyone needs a blanket on the go in January; it's just a necessity!

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  20. Good to see your circle blanket is being used already, but sorry to hear your son hasn't been well.
    I love ripples - and I hope after the first couple of rows you find it relaxing too. x

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  21. So sorry to hear your youngest has been poorly, I do hope he's all better soon. Nice to see your beautiful blanket being put to good use straight away. What a great idea to make one based on the colours in your rug. I shall look forward to seeing your progress. CJ xx

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  22. The blanket gorgeous, I can never get my head around the Ripple I just can't concentrate long enough. I hope everyones on the mend again soon. I too took part in the rspb bird watch, hunkered by the window with a cuppa, although I saw a lots less birds this year
    Clare xx

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  23. Congratulations on finishing that circle blanket. It's a crocheted beauty. Yes, getting ripple crochet (or knits) is a tricky bit, but once your counted stitches are what you thought and hoped that they would be, it's so much fun to just play with the colors.

    What you've written about realizing you'd chosen yarns in colors that feature in your beautiful rug rings so true with me. I often realize what silent suggestion of colors for a particular project might have gotten it cue from something I enjoy seeing often, or perhaps just noticed. Our minds have wonderful ways to play with color and memories.

    xo

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  24. Well done on finishing the circle blanket and good luck with the ripple. It is going to look gorgeous in those colours. Hope your youngest feels better very soon.

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  25. Your crochet is lovely
    We did the bird watch too - mostly pigeons and crows in my garden
    Julie xxxxx

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  26. How lovely that you have a gorgeous blanket for your poorly boy to snuggle under, at least he'll be cosy even if he does feel ill! It looks like you did well with the birdwatch, I had a fantastic morning compared to last year when my total was zero! This time I saw 3 different species including a very fat wood pigeon who arrived at the beginning of the hour and stayed, posing for the complete hour!!!! Can't wait to see your ripple, I have one it's huge and fabulous. x

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  27. Oh Jacquie! What a gorgeous gorgeous granny square blanket!! I am in a ripple blanket craze now too, having finished one huge one and now working on a more lap size one...so fun!! Ripple, ripple, ripple...the best.

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  28. We are bird lovers too.I am a big fan of style craft and am making a dog blanket with their chunky at the moment.Just finished one in their dk for another doggy lol.Hope your little one is soon better.x

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