The baby plays on a carpet of handmade (some unfinished!) quilts

Crochet Class 4: Granny Trebles

During this tute you'll learn how to form the iconic granny stitch, and you'll make a teeny, tiny granny stripe blanket!

I'd love to see pictures of your finished work, please leave comments either here or on You Tube, or the Facebook group (Mrs Bee's Emporium). As always, I'm happy to answer questions, give clarification or advice - just ask!

Happy hooking!

Claire x

 

Crochet Class 3: Hooks, Slipknots and Chains

Here is the third video tutorial in the series - in this episode you finally get your hands on the yarn! Learn how to hold the hook and yarn, how to make a slipknot and how to make chain or foundation stitch. Don't forget your homework!

 

 

Please let me know what you think in the comments below - I'm new to this and want to get it right! All suggestions appreciated. If you require further clarification I'd be only too happy to help too - and don't forget to share with me pictures of your work, so I can shower you with praise and appreciation! We're all in this together!

 

Claire x

This Moment

My daughter's gorgeous chubby, doughy baby legs. All too often they're covered up with tights and babygrows, but today they get to go free. She loves them exposed because it means she can chew her toes. I love them exposed because, quite honestly, I think they are the loveliest, velvetiest things I have ever touched.

 

Crochet Class 2: Watching

Here we go! The second class in the series. I know, I know you're desperate to pick up your hook and GET ON WITH IT! But hold your horses. At some point over the next few days, I can almost guarantee you, you will go throught The Long Dark Night of the Soul. With crochet, its kind of the law. Lots of people say "I tried crochet and I could get the chain stitch, but then I got stuck"

Well yes, the thing is with crochet that all the pain and misery is front loaded. That's why it's called the Long Dark Night of the Soul. You probably will feel like giving up, you'll swear, and chuck the blasted yarn across the room a number of times. But each time you feel like giving up, please watch this tutorial again. You can't watch someone crochet too many times. You are developing muscle memory, just like when you learned to walk or learned to drive. Eventually you will do this without thinking.

You WILL get there. 

Practice, practice, practice - it's the only thing that works!

(sorry to sound so smug, but it's true)

Claire x

 

Fancy Learning to Crochet?

Happy
new year! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are buzzing with enthusiasm
for 2013. All was lovely here - Florence's first Christmas was relaxed. We
spent a lot of time with family and we also lazed around and ate far too much,
but that was fab and just what the doctor ordered. Father Christmas bought Florence her first tooth, which
arrived, without fuss, on the 28th. All I can say is "ouch." I'm
still breastfeeding. Just.

Since
a lot of people like to take up new hobbies in the new year, I thought it'd be
a great time to put together a project for those who want to learn to crochet.
In 2012, I met several people who were keen to start but said that even the
most basic tutorials assumed that they knew all about yarn, etc. This is a real
beginner's guide. As the weeks pass, we'll make a granny square blanket,
or a cushion cover if that's your preference (you start in the same place and then decide which project to follow half way through.) All you need is 6 balls of DK
(double knit) yarn and a 4mm crochet hook. If that sounds like gobble-de-gook,
then watch the movie where I explain alll about it. You can just buy one
ball of yarn if you're not sure you'll like it, and see how you go.

I hope the
tutorials will be part information and part support - learning any new skill is
a challenge and I want to be there to assist, reassure and pass on experiences.
My own personal challenge right now is losing weight and I am a *total*
exercise novice (embarrassingly so), so I empathise with the new crocheters. If
you're an experienced crocheter and have any advice you'd like me to pass on,
then please email me. I'll give full credit to all contributers.

So, here we go.
All feedback appreciated:

medium from Claire Boynton on Vimeo.

If the embedded video player isn't working, there's a problem with Typepad. You can find the video by following this link: http://vimeo.com/57356957 

Online Yarn Recommendations:

For this project, I'll be using Debbie Bliss Rialto, as I
have it in my stash already. However, the following would also be good. I've given a brief guide to price according to which yarn you choose, too.

Lovely - http://hejhog-uk.com/debbie-bliss-rialto-dk-c-170_181_224.html
(cost approx £25 for finished blanket / cushion)

Gorgeous - http://hejhog-uk.com/artesano-dk-c-170_252_258.html
(£22)

Luxury - http://hejhog-uk.com/debbie-bliss-cashmerino-dk-c-170_181_231.html
(£25)

Bargainous luxury merino - http://hejhog-uk.com/wendy-merino-c-170_382_393.html
(£14.70)

Mid price Acrylic / merino blend - http://hejhog-uk.com/wendy-mode-dk-c-170_382_412.html
(£8.82)

Stylecraft Special DK is a nice acrylic
in several colours that comes highly recommended. I've not used this yarn or
this company, so can't recommend personally. Word on the web, though, is
they're good: http://www.countrycrafts.org.uk/special_dk.htm
(£8.94, but that's for double the amount of yarn, so you could make two
blankets!)

RICO Creative Cotton - have used this
yarn and this supplier. Would recommend both. The yarn is similar to string and
can be a bit splitty, so buyer beware, it could be tricky for a newbie. That
said, it's a good price for a natural material: http://www.first4yarns.co.uk/rico-creative-cotton-705-c.asp
(£11.40)

Hope that helps - as I say, that's just some suggestions for those who are feeling overwhelmed by their first yarn purchase, there are thousands of other options especially now it's sale
time. Just check its DK / double knit and can be machine washed (superwash).
I'm very happy to take a look at your potential yarn purchases, just PM me.

I really like www.hejhog-uk.com as their prices are
reasonable and their customer service second to none. They don't pay me for
recs though, lol, so feel free to shop elsewhere. A note of caution about Kemps
Woolshop - their prices are excellent and I've always received parcels quickly,
HOWEVER their search engine is a total PITA. I've just searched DK yarn and the
first few items are not DK weight. If you plan to order from Kemps, I'm happy
to double check that you have the right weight yarn.

Good luck!

 

With love

Claire x

 

This woman's work: Limoncello and amigurumi

Just a quick post tonight, as its late and I am exhausted. Its been a busy day at the cottage. The baby fed, quite literally, all night and I woke with a sore back from twisting around her slightly in bed. Thankfully I feed her lying down an night, so I managed the odd doze. I awoke late, so Charlie was late for school and, because I'd had to wake her abruptly (and she hadn't had enough sleep either,) the baby was grumpy. Just as I'd poured myself the first cup of tea of the day, Jonny appeared and said he'd missed the school bus. 15 minutes later I'm driving us all the 15 mile round trip to school.

I've tried to work today, honestly I have, but the darkness and the horrible, cold rain has conspired to prevent me from being too motivated. I cut up some paper, and finished my hand and footprint tiles, which I will share with you another day. I am pleased with them. Then, right on cue, Florence woke up and I spent most of the rest of the time baby wrangling. Or baby wrestling, as my friend calls it. Florrie's a big, heavy baby now who won't sit still. She's prone to suddenly arching her back and flinging herself around. Wrestling is an accurate description.

Still, the baby went into the sling and that gave me chance to work on the next stage of the Christmas alcohol - home made Limoncello and Blackberry vodka. I spent a relaxing couple of hours mixing up sugar solution, sterilising jars and pottering about.

 

The now sweetened lemon vodka will now retreat back into the fridge for a week to infuse some more, before I strain the lemon zest out and bottle it. 

Here's the recipe in case you fancy having a go. There's still time before Christmas

Limoncello

6 small unwaxed lemons

1 litre bottle vodka - cheap will do

750g caster sugar

750ml boiling water

 

1. Wash and sterilise a large Kilner jar by putting into a cool oven for 10 mins (gas mark 1/ 140 degrees C)

2. Wash the lemons, then grate the lemon zest finely, taking care not to take the pith (ha!)

3. Put lemon zest into sterile jar and pour over the vodka. Secure well and store in a cool, dark place for one week. Shake everyday - it looks like a snowstorm of yellow snow (nice)

4) After a week has passed, measure out the sugar into a large bowl. Add freshly boiling water and stir carefully until the sugar dissolves.  You can tell when the sugar has dissolved as it goes clear, and if you put a spoon into the mixture, you can't see or feel any granules on the back of the spoon. Stir the lemon infused vodka into the sugar syrup.

5) Wash the Kilner jar, along with another of the same size, and sterilise both. Pour the combined mixture of lemon vodka and sugar syrup into the jars. Store for another week, shaking every day. Strain the Limoncello through a clean muslin cloth and decant into pretty, sterilised bottles.

Store in the freezer and drink neat, use in cocktails or pour over ice cream.

 

 

The blackberry vodka is proving to be more of a challenge as we've gone a little off piste with this. We wanted to use the blackberries left over from the railway jelly, so we bundled them into a demijohn and added vodka. I've been keeping notes. I'll share them with you at a later date.

 

I also wanted to share this little dude with you. Well, dudette. It's Cactus Jacqui!

How I enjoyed making her! The pattern was free, enjoyable to crochet, and I made her up in a night! a perfect project. You can find the pattern here.

Cactus Jacqui is part of a gift I've made for a handmade Secret Santa. I need to post her tomorrow, hopefully the postman will deliver her safely to her new home on the other side of the country.

 

Well. That wasn't quick, was it?! Thanks for hanging out with me again, though, its always fun.

Claire x