Planet Yarn Granny Square Pattern and Diagram

There are many, many ways to hook up a granny square.  And this, I find, can be a bit of a problem!  How do you remember which particular variation of the granny square pattern were you using to make your ongoing pile of squares? 

I decided to solve my dilemma by creating a Planet Yarn version of the pattern so I would always know which pattern I'd been using!  I thought it would be useful for other granny squarers out there too, particularly if it had a diagram to go with it too!

I had a brief battle (I was victorious) with a cracking little piece of free software called Stich Works Software and came up with this pretty little picture:



created with Stitch Works Software

Here's the key:

And here's the written instructions:

 

Ch 4 and slst to make a ring

Round 1: ch3, all following double crochet  stitches into the 4ch ring: 2dc, ch3, 3dc, ch3, 3dc, ch3, 3dc, ch 3, stst into third ch of starting chain.

Round 2: ch3, *3dc into next ch space, ch3, 3dc into the same ch space*, repeat until last ch space, 3dc into last ch space, ch3 2dc into same space and slst into third ch of starting ch. 

Round 3: ch3, 3dc into next ch3 space, ch 3, *3dc into same ch space, 3dc into space in round 2, 3dc into ch space, ch3* repeat from * twice, then ch3, 3dc into 3ch space, 2dc into same ch space and slst into third ch of starting ch.

 

Here's a hooked up square using Stylecraft Special dk in Empire and a 5.5mm hook.

 

 

 

Now, if, like me, you have multiple projects on the go and can never remember which hook you were using, I'd like to introduce you to a fantastic little gadget:

 

photo from Lana Bou

 

 

It's a stitch marker with the hook size you're using on it!  Very clever indeed!  A fabulous Etsy shop called Lana Bou stocks these stitch markers. 

My markers have beads that match the handles of the knitpro crochet hooks that I love so much I sell them in my shop!

Give Kate, the shop owner, a message on the checking out part of her shop to let her know which numbers and colours you'd like, she is very friendly and will help you get exactly what you need.  She also made me my rather fabulous 'crocheter' necklace too.  Have a mooch, it's a lovely shop full of pretty yarny related shinies! 

And now a completely gratuitous shot of my very own 12 x 12 granny square blanket I'm hooking up, using my 'Empress' yarn pack from the Planet Yarn Shop.  Oh and look, a handy little stitch marker to remind me which hook I'm using...heh!  

 

 

Happy Hooking!

 

Baby Baseball Boots

Finally, I can post about these adorable little booties!  I was in the very privileged position of knowing that the baby the booties were being made for was going to be a girl, so sharing these fabulous pink booties would rather have given the game away!

I’ve made a few pairs of baby shoes, and I’ve learned: the first one I make is always too tight and to just frog it!  I concentrate so hard on the pattern my muscles must be super tense (I think I may forget to breathe at times too).  Once I’ve relaxed a little bit (by the time I get onto the second one) my tension is far more even!

I’ve tried (and failed) to make teeny baseball boots before so I scrutinised the patterns available on Ravelry to find one I might have success with.  I found this little gem!  Teri’s pattern is fantastically detailed with plenty of photos to reassure me I’m going along the right tracks.  I didn’t realise until after I’d finished but she’s also made a youtube video.  When you’re following a pattern that’s a bit tricky it’s really, really helpful to have so much support, it really helps me persevere.  For more of her wonderful crochet patterns go have a mooch around her fantastically named blog Knot Your Nana's Crochet. 

My only whinge (and it’s all to do with me being a lazy slattern) is that there are soooooo many ends that need sewing in.  But it’s because there are so many yarn changes, not a lot can be done to change that – it’s the nature of the finished item!

Hopefully these little boots will stay on (I always found my babies were very talented when it came to kicking off shoes and socks!) and look adorable on their gorgeous owner Imani.

As usual I used my go to yarn Stylecraft Special dk, because what is not to love about beautifully soft yarn in 82 colours that goes in the washing machine and tumble drier!  I used the colours fondant and white.

Stylecraft Special Aran Special Offer

Well, the temperature has certainly dropped over the last few days!  Bonfire night was a very nippy evening out indeed!  There was also a rather thick coating of ice on the car windscreen this morning.  Brrrrr!  If, like me, you are rather fond of yarn that's a little more chunky than DK because it knits and crochets up faster...then some lovely aran weight Stylecraft Special Yarn could be just what you're after.  There isn't quite the colour range of Stylecraft Special DK but there's still some very, very scrummy colours to be had and it's just as snuggly soft and durable.  And for the next week you can grab some for a little bit less than usual!  Up until Sunday you can have a 100g ball for only £2.00 (usually the still very reasonable price of £2.25) from the Planet Yarn online shop.  Remember you also get free postage on all orders over £25 too. 

Keep warm and keep stitching!  As my friend Maria's tattoo says: Knit fast, die warm!

Yarndale 2016

Planet Yarn very much enjoyed visiting Yarndale 2016.  This was the third Yarndale to be held in Skipton, North Yorkshire but it was the first one for us!  Mr S and myself managed to escape for a whole weekend in our caravan, without either kids or our lovely labrador!  The kids would have been bored to tears and although I'm certain Kira would have enjoyed it, dogs were strictly not allowed into the Auction Mart.

On Saturday morning we were up bright(ish) and not very early (having partaken of a few alcoholic beverages the night before) and wandered down to the venue, Skipton Auction Mart.  I'd deliberately chosen our caravan site because it was so close.  However my usual lack of sense of direction, even with the assistance of Google Maps, meant we ended up walking probably twice as far as we needed too.  Oops. 

As we got nearer I was rather confused by the steady trickle of people walking in the opposite direction to us.  It was only about 12, how had these people managed to 'do' Yarndale in two hours?  I was expecting a whole world of yarny goodness and we had two days to enjoy it!  Well I was going to enjoy it and Mr S was looking forward to pub grub and real ale, which Skipton was very able to provide.

We finally arrived and crumbs!  It was busy!  The entrance was beautifully yarn bombed with Lucy from Attic 24's mandalas swinging in the breeze above a yarny stream, pom pom lined pathways and the most beautiful yarn creations on the bollards, courtesy of 'The Thirsk Yarnbombers'.  There was what also appeared to be a woolly ice cream van...but it was actually a yarnbombed finger puppet van!  There were many people sitting around in the autumn sunshine eating their butties or inspecting their purchases.  I was delighted to see that pretty much every other person had something about their outfit that was hand made.  Gorgeous crochet bags and beautiful shawls were in abundance. 

Eventually we made it into the auction mart, and oh my goodness!  It'd looked busy outside but inside it was totally bonkers!  It was absolutely packed with people (mostly women I have to say) slowly making there way around all the stalls.  It was so busy it was actually hard to get into some of the stalls!  But the yarny goodness: it was everywhere!  The most striking thing at first was the sheer amount of stalls - so many people with businesses that revolved around knitting, crochet, spinning and everything else you can thing of to do with yarn.  Clearly I had found my people!  Mr S was a little taken aback.  He really didn't think so many people would be interested in yarn! 

If you can think of something to do with any aspect of knitting or crochet you would have been able to find it under the Skipton Mart roof that weekend.  Thousands of deliciously hand dyed natural fibre yarns, patterns by talented independent businesses, buttons, pins, hooks and needles.  From yarn bowls to spinning wheels, teeny needle and yarn earrings to large hand made blankets it was all there.  It was a little overwhelming.  I quickly realised that I was not going to 'bump into' my friend Petrina from Crochet For Health blog who was also there and I had better text here and find her!  She had, quite sensibly, taken refuge in one of the café areas.  We shared our mutual astonishment of how blinking busy it was, chatted about what we'd seen and what we wanted to see before we set off once more into the crowds of hookers and stitchers.  I have a photo of our momentous meeting at Yarndale but have yet to get her permission to use it here!  Hah! Ta dah!:

When we, eventually, made our way to the other side of the venue I noticed as people were coming in they were being given a small crochet heart.  I'd seen a lady standing with a box of them when we came in but didn't know why she was there.  The lady I talked to giving them out on this side told me they were a gift for every visitor, volunteers had made them.  She kindly let me take a photo of her box of hearts and I noticed some had little tags on, people had written little messages and some had instagram accounts.  She also let me pick on out for myself, I chose this one:

I managed to have a quick chat with Nicola on her Fleabubs with Lala stand which was incredibly popular.  She assured me she had enough gin to get through the weekend no matter how bonkers it might get.  By this point the crowds were rather overwhelming me, Mr S pointed out we could come back tomorrow and maybe we should go and get some lunch.  So of course I made him do the Yarn Walk with me, even though there were buses specially organised (and decorated with bunting and mandalas no less!). 

The yarn walk was lovely, lots of bunting and lamp post cosies :)  Mr S and I definitely enjoyed our pints of dark mild thanks to the fresh air.

Sunday was a much more relaxed atmosphere and I got to have a really good look at the stalls that had been too crowded the previous day.  The highlight of my day was being able to have a chat with Lucy of Attic24 in her knit and natter area.  I may have gushed a little...okay a lot, I was starstruck!  I'm pretty sure I managed to tell her she was fabulous in about twenty different ways...and she even posed for a photo with me!  I had the biggest grin on my face for days. 

I also got to have a good look at the exhibition hall, complete with the famous bunting made for the first Yarndale in 2014.  It really did look fantastic, it was good to see the Yarndale sheep too! 

There were other animals there, but these ones were the real deal, fluffy bunnies, cute alpacas and woolly sheep.  They looked quite at home in the mayhem of yarn addicts around them.

Hopefully next year Planet Yarn could be at Yarndale as a stall rather than as a visitor.  It all depends on getting through the application process.  I'm ridiculously excited at the prospect of actually being a part of Yarndale next year.  Fingers crossed.

Baby Basics Newborn Baby Hat Pattern

"Baby Basics is a volunteer-led project aiming to support

 new mothers who are struggling to meet the financial

and practical burden of looking after a new baby." 

This is how Baby Basics describe themselves on their website baby-basics.org.uk.  On a practical level this means: "volunteers lovingly collect, sort and package a ‘Moses Basket’ of clothing, toiletries and essential baby equipment as an attractive gift to new mothers." As explained on the Bolton Branch’s webpage they are a referral only service, ‘working with midwives, health visitors and other professional groups to provide support directly where it is most needed’.

What drew me to this charity is my own experience of having children. I was surrounded by a support network of family and friends, both me and my partner were in full time employment and it was still a very difficult and challenging time.  I can’t even begin to imagine how isolating and terrifying it must be to be bringing a baby into the world, unsure how you’re going to cope with even providing your baby with basic essentials.  Babies are really, really expensive, we spent hundreds of pounds on clothes, equipment, nappies and so on before our first was even born.  Although Baby Basics can’t hope to replace financial stability and a support network of family and friends what it does do is offer a little bit of practical help for the first few months: a safe sleeping place (moses basket), toiletries, nappies, bedding and clothes.  What is most important, I feel, is the knowledge these families will have that somebody cares and wants to help them.  Feeling alone and isolated can be crippling.  Baby Basics is a discreet, gentle helping hand, a message saying that there are people who care. 

Here are a few moses baskets that have already been sent out.  They remind me of the baby boxes Finnish parents are given.  As you can see a lot of love and care goes into each one.

The charity depends on donations and volunteers.  Without donations of moses baskets, baby clothes and other essentials they cannot offer help.  They gratefully accept donations of new and looked after second hand equipment and clothes, and they really appreciate handmade items too.  A hand knitted cardigan or a crocheted hat is a gift that is very tangible gesture of love and care.

Crafters, generally, love sharing the things they make.  It's also, believe it or not, helpful for your own mental health and well being to give to charity, here's one of the many articles that argue the case that giving makes you happier.  When I learned about the work Baby Basics was doing I wanted to help.  I'm sharing their story to hopefully encourage other crafters out there to support them too.

This is my newborn baby hat pattern, which I wrote specifically to make hats for Baby Basics.  There are also plenty of free patterns out there if you fancy making a knitted hat, or maybe a  blanket or cardigan to donate. This is a nice and simple pattern that won’t take too much time and is quite easy to customize with stripes, pompoms, teddy ears etc.  

Find out if you have a Baby Basics nearby by clicking here.

Baby Basics Newborn Crochet Hat Pattern

 

Using dk yarn (about 25g should be plenty) and a 4mm hook

Row 1 : Magic circle, ch 2 dc 12 into magic circle*, sl st into first dc (12)

Row 2 : ch 2, 2dc in each st, sl st into first dc (24)

Row 3: ch 2, *1dc in next st, 2dc into next st* rep until round completed and sl st into first dc (36)

Row 4: ch 2, *1dc into next two st, 2dc into next st* repeat until round completed then sl st into first dc (48)

Row 5 to 14: ch 2 and dc around, sl st into first dc (48)

Fasten off and sew in ends.

Notes: the ch 2 on every round is not to be used as a dc, it just brings the yarn up to the right height and if it’s missed out you’ll find a gap in your crochet running down the line of all your slip stitches.

*If you’ve never used a magic circle before I urge you to google and youtube it, it makes a lovely neat start to the top of the hat.  If you don’t fancy using one then ch 4, sl st to create a ring and then do your first row into the ring.

It goes without saying that one of these adorable hats also makes a very sweet gift for anyone you know who is welcoming a baby into this bonkers world.  I really enjoy making them.  I hope you do too.

Yarn Bombing: Westhoughton's Festival

Yarn bombing is hardly a new phenomenon these days.  Most people have heard about something public being covered in knitting or crochet even if they don't know what it's called.  Wikipedia also notes it's other names, including: guerrilla knitting, kniffiti, urban knitting or graffiti knitting which all lead a rather dangerous air to something that wraps parts of a town's landscape in snuggly, brightly coloured yarn creations.  Cosies for street furniture.  Blankets for bus stops.  All in all it's a rather attractive way to decorate the, often grey, town centre near you! 

Westhoughton has a whole weekend devoted to this rather entertaining craft/street art.  Yup.  A whole weekend!  Westhoughton is a rather small little town in the North of England, unremarkable perhaps to those that drive through it on their way to the bigger nearby towns of Wigan and Bolton.  But like most little towns, it has its pride.  It also has it's own bizarre story involving a farmer from long ago, his brand new gate and a silly cow.  Consequently the inhabitants are fondly knows as "Keawyeds" (cow heads).  It's a cracking yarn.  I'll tell it to you sometime, over a pint at my local, which is has many pieces of art to illustrate our local heritage.  Anyway, back to yarn. 

I love that my hometown has a yarny festival and this time I wanted to be a part of it.  It's only the second year of festivities, but I'm hoping it's the start of something that'll last for years.  So, Planet Yarn had a stall!  It was a lot of fun setting up and decorating my own little shop for the day.  Sadly day one was rather too windy for our little gazebo and we had to take it down in the very early afternoon.  However day two was splendid! 

With the help of my lovely husband and my yarn-obsessed (and also lovely) sister the gazebo got put up and all my yarny goodies were put on display.  It looked really pretty I thought...but then I'm biased! 

See that little table at the front?  Want a closer look? Go on then...

Ta daaaah!  The pom pom table!  Me and my sister Tania were inundated with small people who were quite eager to learn the dark arts of pom pom making.  We made cute little pom poms with forks and gave them googly eyes.  I had far more fun than a 41 year old maybe should have making pom poms.  Heh!

 

Here are a few of the younger pom pom experts, they made tremendously adorable little pom pom critters:

 Now here's some photos of the fantastic creations that adorned Market Street, there was too many to take photos of all of 'em but here's a few that caught my eye, aren't they fabulous?

I also got to meet Westhoughton's very own town crier,

 who also happens to be a bit of a poet, here's his specially written poem in honour of the occasion, (he performed it my the Yarn Planet gazebo!):

 

WHEN YARNBOMBING

WHEN YARNBOMBING YOU DO,

TO LET YOURSELF GO,

WHY LOOK FOR THE YOU THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW,

IT'S YARN & WEAVE THE THREAD & THE STYLE,

THE COLOUR THE KNIT &THICKNESS OF PILE,

PRESENT IT WITH PASSION,

SO HOPEFULLY,

IT WILL NEVER GO OUT OF FASHION.

 

by Johnny C, 2016

 

There was also entertainment from The George Formby Society and local amateur dramatics group, The Bethel Crowd, who were on a stage very close to Planet Yarn.  There was a kids tea party too, but it was on a different site to us, so I didn't get to see that.  The theme this year was Alice in Wonderland so I also saw a few familiar characters wandering around like the Mad Hatter and Tweedledee (not sure where Tweedledum was!). 

 

The Planet Yarn collective had a lovely sunny time and I'm very much looking forward to next year's festival.  Hopefully this year I'll be able to actually contribute to the yarn bombing instead of panic preparing for my stall!  Maybe I'll see you there!

 

 

 

Knitting and crochet for health: myth or reality?

Knitting and crochet as a tool for wellness doesn’t really come as a surprise to those of us who wield pointy sticks or a hook.  However, it’s easy to see why the non-knitters and crocheters are sceptical about it.  However Betsan Corkhill, formerly an occupational therapist and non-knitter, noticed how knitting in particularly helped her patients.  Fascinated by her own observations and anecdotal evidence she became inspired to find the science behind this phenomenon, believing the impact of knitting should not be taken lightly.

 

I first came across Betsan’s work through reading by Kathryn Vercillo’s book ‘Crochet Saved My Life’.  Personally I have my own battle with anxiety and depression, so it was through self interest I downloaded this interesting and deeply personal exploration of the relationship between needlecrafts and recovery from mental illness. 

Kathryn refers many times to Betsan’s research, particularly in relation to Betsan’s organisation Stitchlinks.  After a quick look through www.stitchlinks.org I became intrigued with the concept of crafting not just for specific health issues but for more general health and wellness.  When I found that Betsan was leading a ‘Theraputic Knitting’ course locally it made sense to sign up and find out more.

 

On the day of the course I was astonished by the science we were quickly presented with behind why knitting, or crochet, works as a tool for wellness.  My employment background is in education and I have some training in counselling so it really shouldn’t have come as such a surprise to me, perhaps especially with the current focus on mindfulness in mental health circles.  But it did.  Betsan presented satisfyingly detailed information about how our brains work, both biologically and chemically and how the chemistry of stress causes so much damage to our minds and bodies.  But here was the revelation to me: there are so very many aspects of knitting and crochet that complement our own inbuilt wellness systems.  And not just the physical process of knitting but also the accompanying processes of learning, being challenged and being part of a social group to name a few.  The revelation that people living with chronic illness and pain have successfully integrated knitting and crochet into the management of their conditions truly shocked me.  How could something as simple as stitching make such a massive impact to a person’s life?  We were introduced to research that agreed again and again it did.  The ‘Pitching for Stitching’ campaign by the Neuro Orthopaedic Institute, Australasia was particularly compelling.  I have observed, first-hand the benefits crochet has for my own mental health so this element wasn’t a surprise to me, but it was very interesting to find out how it works, why it helps me to cope.

I bought a copy of ‘Knit for Health & Wellness: How to knit a flexible mind and more...’ and Bethan kindly signed it for me.  It’s extremely useful for reminding me how much benefits I gain from knitting and crochet and provides practical advice on how to get the maximum benefits.  For example having a few different projects on the go is actually a good thing, it gives you a choice of activities for what you need most right at that moment, from a straightforward project requiring little focus on a pattern to allow more focus on the calming, rhythmic and meditative nature of the process, to a more challenging project which develops our skills, therefore building new neurological pathways in our brains, keeping us interested and involved in life.

 

If you already knit or crochet then Betsan’s work shows you how to get the best results for maintaining your own health and wellness.  For those who don’t then it’s an appealing argument for why you might want to take up the hobby.

Useful links:
www.crochetconcupiscence.com is Kathryn Vercillo's blog and an informative and fun place for all things to do with crochet and wellness.

www.stitchlinks.com is an ever evolving hub where newest research findings can be found, forums for support and encouragement and many other resources to both fuel your own wellness journey as well inspire other people’s.

Betsan’s personal blog: www.betsan.org/blog is another place to find encouragement and information.

 

Fork Pom Poms

Yes.  Really.  Teeny tiny pom poms can be made by using a fork.  Any fork.  Go and grab one from the cutlery drawer!

You need these four things: fork, scissors, small amount of yarn and small piece of embroidery thread.  The embroidery thread, that green stuff right there in that photo, is the secret ingredient for perfect teeny pom poms.  I'll explain why later.

Start off by wrapping your yarn (I'm using dk here, my usual go to yarn of Stylecraft Special) around the fork, not too tightly, you'll need to slide it off easily later on. It's a bit of trial and error to work out how much yarn you are going to need for a nice chunky little pom pom.  I used all the yarn in the photo above for this one.

Next thread the embroidery thread through the centre slot of the fork, right between those middle prongs. 

Then slide the thread through the middle centre at the top of your fork and tie it around your yarn like a little belt.

Now here's the trick to perfect fork pom poms.  You need to tie this thread very, very tightly around the yarn.  You need skinny but very strong thread for this.  The tighter you pull that knot, then another knot right over it (double knotting the thread) the better your pom pom will be.  If you use the yarn to do this bit your pom pom will separate where you tied the yarn.  I know this from experience.  It's not a very happy looking pom pom.

Now the magic starts to happen!  Carefully slide the fork out of the yarn and you create a little yarn wheel!

Can you see it's pom pom potential now?  It's very nearly there!  Now start snipping those little loops of yarn with the scissors. 

Keep going, all the way around.  Then when you've snipped every loop, roll the pom pom around in your hands to give it a bit of shape.

Now, you've got yourself a pom pom, but it's a little bit scruffy...give it a quick trim...

That's better!  You now have a perfect little pom pom!  Adorable right?  You can either use it's little thread tail to attach it, or chop it off, it really won't matter that it's a different colour because it's hidden inside the pom pom's fluffy strands.  The more securely you tied the knot in the middle the more secure your pom pom will be, however if you want to be super certain that your pom pom will stay in one piece you could add a dab of glue at the centre. 

So there you have it.  A pom pom made with a fork.  Cute eh? Maybe you should make it a friend, or twenty...  Do be careful this pom pomming can be addictive...  Have fun!