Year of the Stitches Week 48 – Honeycomb

Honeycomb Stitch

Well heeeeellllllooooo December!! How exciting!! Can’t quite believe we are here and the world seems to be going Christmas crazy already!!! There’s Christmas decorations popping up everyday near us!!! The shops seem to have had some kind of Christmas explosion of joy!!! Everywhere we look, there are twinkly lights and bright shining baubles!! Just wonderful!! My son seems to be walking around with his eyes on stalks!! Quite sweet really! Think he’s going to really get all the festivities this year and enjoy them. My only worry is our decorations!! He has a very enquiring mind like his Daddy!! So our decorations will have to be checked, prodded, probably Bob the Builder fixed and dropped before he has happy that they can stay! I don’t think the breakables had better come out! Let me give you an example of my little man. So this year, we have invested in some lovely wooden advent calendars, so we won’t have to buy the paper ones each year. My thoughts behind them are that they are much better for the environment and a lot more special. Something to keep. So my daughter’s is a beautiful fairy magical little chest of drawers and my son’s is a train, of course. Now he did carry it all the way home in his pram from town, so I’m guessing this would make him think it was a toy!! Well it went on the tall cabinet in the hall, already for Advent.

In about 2 hours of it being in the house, he had managed to reach it, pull it off, resulting in it coming crashing to the floor, shattering into pieces! Heyho. It is his, I suppose. Luckily my husband is a dab hand with the wood glue!! Well you would have to be good at fixing things with a little Scrumble Bod like mine running around!!

So you may have noticed a little carrot sitting on my blanket!! Well if you read my blog yesterday, you will know he is the wonderful Kevin the Carrot from the Aldi Christmas advert. He’s become a bit of legend and very sort after in the world of Aldi shoppers, so thought he needed a spot in the crocheting world too. Hope you like him. Pattern to be found in the pattern list under Kevin the Carrot, if you fancy making him.

So this week, we may have sneaked in a few Melbourne in Lichfield cuppas and of course there is always time for a yummy cruffin for the little man!!

We did create some excellent window art with the wonderful owner – Debs. Bless her, I think I should take some window cleaner next time!!!

So onto Christmassy jobs and this weeks job was the Christmas pudding!! I’m a couple of weeks late really, but it was still November so I’m happy with that. Christmas puddings are like Christmas cakes – they get better with age!! They like maturing. The puddings need about 6 weeks, so we’re a little shy of time, but sure it’ll be fine! The house smelt incredible when she was cooking away!! Love my pressure cooker – 2 3/4 hours versus a steamed one that takes 8 hours!!!

Can’t wait to try her! Now the only decision now, is what to serve with her….

Right then, we had better get onto the blanket and this weeks stitch. So the honeycomb stitch is quite a dense stitch with lots of texture. Because the clusters are worked into the stitch rather than a chain space, the stitches are more prominent. Hope you like this one. It’s an easy stitch to create and works up quite quickly.

Supplies

This week I have used a magnificent purple from the incredible Sublime range. Thought I would start the Christmas count down with a rich and deep colour and think it works really well with the turquoisey blue from last week. So as always you will need about 30g of double knit yarn, 4mm crochet hook, some scissors and a blunt ended tapestry needle.

Stitches

Chain (ch) – To make a chain, place the yarn over the hook then pull it through the loop on your hook.

Double Crochet (dc) – Insert the hook through the stitch, front to back, then yarn over hook and pull back through stitch. You will have two loops on your hook. Then yarn over your hook and pull through both loops.

5trtog – This is the same as a large cluster stitch. *So yarn over your hook and insert into the stitch, yarn over your hook and pull loop through, yarn over your hook and pull through 2 loops.* Repeat this ** 5 times. You will now have 6 loops. Then yarn over your hook and pull through the first 5 loops. Then yarn over your hook and pull through the last 2 loops on your hook.

Ok so here we go

1 – Ok so start off by attaching your yarn into the wrong side of your blanket. Chain 1 and work 1dc in the same stitch. Now work 1dc in each stitch across the row. (200)

2 – Now turn your work and chain 1. Then work 1dc in the same stitch and then next stitch. Now it’s time to work 5trtog in the next stitch. So to do this *yarn over your hook and insert into the stitch, yarn over your hook and pull loop through, yarn over your hook and pull through 2 loops.* Repeat this ** 5 times. You will now have 6 loops.

Then yarn over your hook and pull through the first 5 loops.

Then yarn over your hook and pull through the last 2 loops on your hook.

Now work 1dc in the next 2 stitches.

Ok so *now work 5trtog in the next stitch and then 1dc in the next 2 stitches.* Repeat this ** across the row. Finish with 1dc in the last stitch. (200)

3 – Right then so now turn your work and chain 1. Then work 1dc in the same stitch and then 1dc in each stitch across the row. (200)

And there we have the Honeycomb stitch. Hope you like it!! Thinking it would be a great stitch for a hat!!! Ooooo the possibilities!!

Now chaps, please don’t forget to share your blankets with us. This is one of my dear friend’s blankets. Isn’t it beautiful!! Love the range of colours!!! Can’t wait to see the finished blanket now!!

Happy hooking everyone!!

🌈Xx

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Year of the Stitches Week 47 – Marguerite Stitch

Marguerite Stitch 

Well hello my wonderful ones. How are we all? I hope you have all had good weeks!! It all seems to be getting a bit christmassy here. Just seen all the Christmas lights go on which was lovely!! It’s definitely getting colder though isn’t it!! Snuggles under blankets and hot chocolates are of the order of the day!! I am rather pleased with my growing yarny pile of blanket loveliness!! It’s a sight that makes you feel all warm inside!! Hoping to add to the collection next year!!

So Friday night was date night in our house this week and oh how good was it to be out!!! It’s strange how you jump on to some kind of treadmill with day to day activities at home. Especially when it’s cold and damp outside. I don’t know about anybody else, but these early dark nights have thrown me some what! It gives you that feeling of hunkering down, shutting all the curtains and getting those woolly slippers out!! Truth be told, I think we are becoming hobbits! Maybe everybody does! I don’t know, but we definitely are. So when we have a rare occasion of a babysitter, then off we go, out to wherever!! It doesn’t matter where we go or what we do, just feels so good to be out. It seems to start you off on the right track again! Definitely felt like it did on Friday!!

As most of you know, this week has been hat week in my house!! I seem to have had some kind of hat extravaganza!!! We’ve had the Simply Snuggly Hat.

The Unicorn hat.

The Weekend Hat.

The Monster hat.

And my pom pom hat.

Phew – that’s a lot of variations of hats!! Well, all can be found one way or another in the pattern list, either to the side of this or below if you are on a smart phone/tablet. Really hope you enjoy them. My husband’s ordered a hat for Christmas with stripes, so that’s gonna be fun. Better get cracking!!

So onto the blanket and this weeks stitch. It’s called the Marguerite Stitch. It’s quite a delicate stitch and also has quite a few variations. This one uses a 3 spike cluster method, where as another could use a 5 spike cluster method. Hope you like it. It’s a little fiddly, in the sense you have to get to grips with where each one goes. But once you’ve got going, you will be fine. I have tried to make the pics quite clear with numbers, so you know exactly what I mean. Have fun chaps!!

Stitches

Chain (ch) – To make a chain, place the yarn over the hook then pull it through the loop on your hook.

Double Crochet (dc) – Insert the hook through the stitch, front to back, then yarn over hook and pull back through stitch. You will have two loops on your hook. Then yarn over your hook and pull through both loops.

Treble (tr) – To make a treble crochet, firstly yarn over your hook, insert through space/stitch, yarn over your hook, pull back through space/stitch. There should now be 3 loops on your hook. Then yarn over hook and pull through the first two loops, yarn over hook and pull through the last two loops.

Marguerite Stitch (Mc3) – Yarn over your hook and insert into the closed stitch of the previous Mc3 stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. Then insert your hook into the base of the previous stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. And then miss a stitch and insert your hook into the next stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. This will give you 5 loops. Then yarn over your hook and pull through all 5 loops. Then chain 1 to finish then stitch.

Supplies

So this week I have used a stunningly deep turquoise blue from the King Cole Merino range.

As always you can use any kind of double knit yarn. You need about 30g/40g of wool. Don’t forget your 4mm crochet hook, blunt ended tapestry needle and some scissors.

Ok so here we go…

1 – Attach your new yarn on the wrong side of your blanket. Chain 1 and work 1dc in the same stitch.

Then 1dc in each stitch across the row, finishing with 1dc in the last stitch. (200)

2 – Ok so now turn your blanket and chain 3. Now you are going to work your first M3c Stitch. So to do this you are going to yarn over your hook and insert into the second chain (No1 in the photo) yarn over your hook and pull through.

So you should now have 3 loops on your hook.

Then insert your hook into the 3rd chain (No2) yarn over your hook and pull through. Then you will have 4 loops on your hook.

Ok so now miss the first dc stitch and insert your hook in the next stitch (No3) yarn over your hook and pull back through. Now you have 5 loops on your hook.

Then yarn over your hook again and pull through all 5 loops.

Ok so now chain 1 to finish the Mc3 stitch.

Right then so we are now ready to start the next Marguerite Stitch (Mc3.) So first things first we are going to *yarn over your hook and insert your hook in No1. This is the closed part of the previous Mc3 stitch.

Then yarn over your hook and pull back through. (3 loops on your hook.

Now insert your hook into No2, which is the bottom of the previous stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. This gives you 4 loops on your hook.

Finally miss a stitch and insert your hook into the next stitch. (No3) So yarn over your hook and pull back through. You should have 5 loops on your hook.

Now yarn over your hook and pull through all 5 loops. Finish the Mc3 stitch by chaining 1.*

Now repeat this ** across the row.

At the end of the row after the last chain 1, work 1tr in the last stitch. (201)

3 – Right then so turn your work and chain 3. Now you are going to work a Mc3 in the second chain, third chain and then miss the first and second stitch in the row. Then finish the Mc3 stitch in the third stitch in the row. This is the top of the first Mc3 stitch.

Ok so to work your a Mc3 stitch, firstly yarn over your hook and insert into the second chain from the hook. Then yarn over your hook and pull back through. Insert your hook into the third chain from the hook, yarn over and pull through and then miss the first and second stitch and insert into the third stitch, yarn over and pull through. Now yarn over your hook and pull through all 5 loops.

Finish off the stitch by chaining 1.

Right so now work your next Mc3 stitch. *So yarn over your hook and insert into the closed stitch of the previous Mc3 stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. Then insert your hook into the base of the previous stitch, yarn over and pull through. And then miss a stitch and insert your hook into the next stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. This will give you 5 loops. Then yarn over your hook and pull through all 5 loops. Then chain 1 to finish then stitch.*

Repeat this ** across the row.

At the end of the row, work the last Mc3 stitch and then instead of working 1 chain stitch, work 1treble in the last stitch, which is where the last Mc3 was worked in the previous row. (200)

And there we have the wonderful Marguerite Stitch.

Really hope you have enjoyed this weeks instalment of Year of the Stitches. Not long now chaps. Only 5 more balls of wool left!!!! Crikey!!!

Happy hooking everyone!!

🌈Xx

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