It's a Whirlwind Obsession!

I have to admit that my current obsession right now is the absolutely gooooorrrrgeousssness that is the colour-changing loveliness of Scheepjes Whirl.

                          

It is a 4-ply Cotton mix that seems to go on and on for miles...all 1000m of it! The colour changes are so gradual which is what makes it so special. It is fabulous to crochet with and just as easy to frog too which is a real blessing when trying out new patterns.

I first treated myself to 2 cakes of the Green Tea Tipple which I saved for my recent adventure in India. I must admit to being chuffed to say that I've 'done it' on a train bound for the Taj Mahal!

'Doing it ' on The Gatiman Express bound for Agra

With high humidity and temperatures rising to over  45 degrees,  I didn't do as much as I'd hoped,  so I had to finish it when I returned to the cooler climes of the UK. I had chosen the EDLOTHIA shawl (a free pattern on Ravelry) and wasn't disappointed. It really is such a fabulous pattern with several different sections. The Whirl lends itself to a pattern like this, allowing the gradual colour changes to really shine through. Once finished I blocked it hard in the sun allowing it to grow considerably. Just 1 cake of this makes a fabulously generous shawl or scarf.

In fact, I loved the pattern so much I whipped up another one in some scrumptious 4-ply I had stashed from a yarnfest In Brighton I went to several years ago...

I then couldn't resist another shot with the Whirl (I said it was an obsession) so chose the Poncho version of the Virus Shawl...there's a tutorial on You Tube which you'll need for the starting chain then it's the same as the shawl  - you just add 2 corners  instead of 1. Love it!

Unblocked on left, blocked on right

It's the perfect cover-up for those chilly evenings after a BBQ too!

I added a simple Picot edging

I've now started another shawl with one of the new colours...watch this space!

AUTUMN/WINTER CAL 2017 - THE BARKHAM HOOKER'S WEATHER BLANKET Starts on SUNDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER

This CAL is designed to reflect the changing sky but can be easily adapted to reflect your mood, the season or a mixture of all. I have designed mine by looking at the colour of the sky each week but there is room for an awful lot of poetic licence.....basically you choose the colours you want each week whether they reflect the real weather or not!

You will need 13 x100g balls of STYLECRAFT SPECIAL DK. This will include 5 balls of your main colour (the weather front) and then 1 ball each of 8 more colours. There will be a small amount left at the end (or you could use just 7 more colours to avoid wastage).

I used the following:

5 x SILVER



1 x Aster


1 x Cream



1 x Midnight (I used a slightly different shade but this will work perfectly)



1 x Duck Egg



1 x Turquoise



1 x Denim


 1 x petrol




1 x grey


You will need a 4mm and a 4.4mm hook as well as the usual darning needle etc.

It will take 30 weeks for the blanket plus 1 week for the border. You will be completing 1 new 'weather front' each week and you can change the colours to suit your own view or mood. Grey sheets of rain could become yellow rays of sun; white puffs of cloud could become moody storm clouds or even snow. The blocks of stitches can represent the weather near you; plain rows of trebles can be lightening strikes (white) or sun rays (yellow) or even just sheets of rain (grey). You decide and you choose.

The finished blanket will fit a Single bed lengthways or stretch across a King Size bed widthways as a runner....or just use it to snuggle under on the sofa!

Stitchery Do in Wokingham will be making up kits with my colours and suggested other colours so feel free to contact them  or visit their gorgeous shop if you can. It is in the lovely market town of Wokingham in Berkshire with plenty of parking opposite the shop in the 2 main car parks.

Pondicherry Poncho

Having recently returned from an amazing trip to India I wanted to create something that reminded me of my travels. I  came up with The Pondicherry Poncho, named after the quaint  French Town nestled on the South Eastern Indian coast. 

I designed it using the new Colourwheel DK by Sirdar.

 It is a lovely blend of wool and acrylic and comes in a fabulous choice of colour-changing cakes.

 This colourway (Deep Blue Sea) fitted the bill exactly! 

The pattern is currently available in a Kit form with the Colourwheel shade of your choice and can be ordered by contacting Rebecca Dreelan at the  Stitchery Do shop in Wokingham, Berkshire.