Silver Table Runner

My latest design for an elegant table runner was lovely to make. I’ve become a bit addicted to DMC Petra, it’s soft with a sheen and gives a good definition to raised and textured stitches. This runner would make a lovely silver wedding gift. I used number 5 in Khaki and cream to make this one.
My inspiration for my latest crochet project came from an afghan throw I saw on Pinterest. It was made in strips of shades of brown and rust starting with a pale shade and ending with a dark brown. Very autumnal and very lovely!

Earlier this year I made a golden wedding runner and it brought in requests for another special crochet gift design. I thought it would be a good idea to design and make a silver wedding runner. I had sent for a selection of DMC petra in number 5 for the Russian style runner. I decided to buy the cream and khaki (looks more like grey to me) on impulse and they look beautiful together.

Looking at the autumn coloured afghan it inspired me to make a runner in long strips. I tried out the arrow stitch and it immediately looked really pretty, bearing in mind not all stitches look good in both thin and thicker cottons and yarn but this one worked very well. I added a few rows of dc’s to emphasise the arrow stitch and break up the two bands of colours.

Finally as the runner was designed as a special gift it needed something special so I added long silky tassels in the khaki cotton. It was very satisfying to make and while arrow stitch is a bit fiddly I loved the finished textured look.

Grab the pattern here.... suitable for intermediate crocheters

Ella Rae cosy double knit yarn review

Ella Rae was created in Australia and I think the colours of this yarn reflect the bright light of Australia. The brand has a reputation for creating simple and classic designs using a range of yarns. Ella Rae is soft, machine washable and excellent value for a 100gm ball. The content of this double knit (light worsted) is 75% acrylic and 25% wool and a 100gm ball is around 195 metres.

Ella Rae comes in many different colours including 9 bright blends that use the same dyes as the plain coloured yarns. All the colours are bright from pink, orange to turquoise and lime green. There is also a white to tone things down. I use a hook size 3.75 with Ella Rae cosy.

Ella Rae would be good to use for soft cozy scarfs and lovely for baby and child garments. I used it for a pretty brooch. Despite all of this I have to say this is not my favourite yarn, it has a tendency to split and I find the finished colours a bit brash. I tried it with other yarns of the same weight and it just didn’t look right. If you want bargain soft yarn with a wool content this could the one to go for.

Buy it from.....yarn.com or knittingwoolandyarn.co.uk

Table Runner Story

When I started out in crochet fine crochet was all I made. Since then I’ve used a variety of yarns and learned to love them all! Following my review and testing of Puppets Eldorado I decided to try something new with this finer cotton. Traditionally fine or thread crochet is intricate and ‘open’ to create a lace effect. With a new design I wanted to change this and I was sure a closer texture would create a modern look. Gone are the days when finer crochet cotton came in white, cream and ecru only! Puppets Eldorado comes in a whole range of colours and sizes 6, 10, 12, 16. The traditional colours still exist but for a more contemporary feel go for a darker colour.

Colours range from pale pinks and blues to darker like a deep red, dark brown, black and dark green.  Autumn colours for my new design were my inspiration. I wanted to show fine (thread) crochet can fit beautifully into contemporary surroundings.

I started out by working on a small motif design. Using gold and cream cotton kept the design looking modern and updated. By using a combination of the two colours in each motif and in the layout of the design by accident the design created a ‘wheel effect which I liked. The motifs I crocheted together using picots as the joining stitches as I went along which I always prefer! The finished runner didn’t need an edging which would have ‘spoilt’ the contemporary look.

The key is to keep the design simple, The finished runner would look good in grey or deep purple and light and dark peach.

Puppets Eldorado

Gone are the days when finer crochet cotton only came in white, cream and ecru! Puppets Eldorado cotton comes in a whole range of colours and sizes 6, 10, 12, 16. The traditional colours still exist but for a more contemporary look go for a darker colour. Colours range from pale pinks and blues to darker like a deep red, dark brown, black and dark green. I love the broze and gold yellow. Puppets Eldorado also has a range of lovely blends which I’ve used for my 3D flowers.

I used Puppets Eldorado number 10 for my gold table runner and number 20 for my pot pourri bags, it’s 100% cotton and lovely quality. Using a 1.75mm crochet hook the round motifs of my bronze/cream runner measure 2.5” (6.5cm). No 10 comes in 50g balls and has around 265 metres of cotton.

Use puppets Eldorado to make traditional doilies and table covers but also for delicate edgings and flower trims for summer straw hats.

I think an edging or trim using puppets Eldorado would make a lovely anniversary or wedding gift when crocheted to match bought towels.
You can buy puppets Eldorado from purpleinda crafts

Colour Block cushion - turquoise

My inspiration for the first colour block cushion came with a visit to Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire this summer. Built of stone in the 15th century with stone stairs, stone walls and floors the house could have been gloomy and dark but instead the rooms of this family home were bright and cosy.

I love colour and colour combinations wherever you see them in nature, in clothing, gardens or interior designs. Creamy curtains with a large print of bright colours in one room of the castle made me see how the combination of turquoise, taupe and white would make a bright fresh looking cushion. Once home I searched for a double knit wool in the right colours and hit on Sirdar Snuggly.

Choosing teal, taupe, white and orange when the wool arrived the combination of teal and white looked better without the taupe or orange and would keep the cushion looking fresh and modern.
I designed a very pretty round motif earlier this year which I’ve used in many different ways. In this cushion I’ve used it to make a square motif. I experimented with the two colours trying a white centre and a turquoise surround and then a turquoise centre with a white surround which was my choice. Either combination looks good and creates a very different look for the cushion.

I experimented with the panels. The small motifs looked too much on their own so I made a long thin strip of them and made a couple of textured panels to go alongside. From there the obvious solutions was another bank of the motifs and the design was complete. For the panels I chose a very simple textured stitch. I’ve become a bit addicted to textured crochet recently. It creates a lovely Arran style knitted finish and it’s very therapeutic to make.

As so often I finish a design before I think too much about how to finish it, if a fastening is needed and whether to add an edging. For this cushion design I had a mind to use the centre of the motif for buttons and a simple crochet loop to create a fastening. When this was done I was very happy with the finished look and decided an edging would spoil the simple fresh modern look.

How to adapt a crochet pattern

One of the things I love about crochet is its flexibility and the good news is you don’t have to be an experienced crocheter to change and adapt patterns. Although changing a pattern is not advisable for clothing. Adapt patterns to make your projects distinctive and to add a ‘wow’ to your crochet projects. Here are my favourite ways to do this:

• Change the yarn thickness of a cushion pattern to a bigger or smaller weight yarn. Change your hook size to create a bigger or smaller cushion. Using thicker yarns gives less definition than finer ones, but creates a lovely chunky feel.
• Add two yarns together to create your own blend of yarn to create a tweedy effect.
  
• It’s particularly easy to adapt patterns if the pattern uses motifs. For example change the actual motif of your pattern or mix and match motifs. This will work if the additional or changed motifs have the same finished size as the original pattern motif and you use the same yarn and hook.
• Add extra rows of dc’s (sc’s) ot tr’s (dc’s) to crochet cushions or throws to make a larger cushion.
• Add rows of flowers as you go along or on top of your work. This works well with bags, cushions and throws. Keep to the original size of the pattern and you will be OK.
  
• Change the colours of a pattern or add more colours. If a pattern has motifs use multiple colours or one colour for the centre of all your motifs for a completely different effect.
• Simply changing the main colour of your design from light to dark or subtle to bright will dramatically change your finished project
• Add picots to the edge of a cardigan or scarf. This won’t affect the pattern but will make it look special and finished.
• Add beads and buttons to the centre of crochet flowers if using a pattern with flowers.
  
• Replace standard buttons with hand crafted wooden buttons or crochet your own buttons
• Add a different edging to clothing, cushions and throws than the one in the pattern.
• Crochet on top even simple chains will highlight a specific area using a different colour.
• Instead on one big motif make 4 small ones that finished make the same size as the original pattern.
• Use shells or popcorns instead of groups of trebles (dc’s) adding chains or leaving spaces to get the balance of your pattern right.
• If using a motif pattern that stitches motifs together change this by crocheting motifs together using dc’s (sc’s) or slip stitches.
  
• If a pattern has groups of trebles (dc’s) and dc’s (sc’s) crochet into back loops only to create a pretty ridge effect this works on garments as well.
• If using motifs make the last row all the same colour to create a background look.

Louisa Harding Azalea

Crochet Brooch

A soft 100% cotton DK print yarn, Louisa Harding Azalea comes in a choice of subtle blended colours, including heather and rusty purple subtle blends with multiple colours per ball. Azalea has a an elegant drape effect which you can see in the cascade scarf I made. Used in combination with a Bergere de France Ideal wool based yarn the result was a lovely soft drape tweed scarf.

On its own I created this lovely flower brooch with Azalea in a heather blend. The brooch would work equally well on a headband. For the scarf I used 4mm hook and for the brooch a 3.25mm hook.

Azalea is perfect for beautiful warm weather knits and stunning shawls. As you would expect from a cotton yarn, it has fantastic stitch definition.  Azalea is machine washable.

Cascade Crochet Scarf

Louisa Harding Azalea is a DK Blend and 100% Cotton. The ball weight is 100g (3.5oz) and the yarn Length is 240m (262 yds). Tension: 22 stitches, 30 rows to 10cm/4" for knitting and 22sts 10 rows 7.5cm's/3"crochet.


Readily available in yarn retailers and on line from Wool Warehouse Louisa Harding Azalea is a lovely addition to the Louis Harding range.