2018 CAL - Year of the Stitches Blanket

Year of the Stitches Week 49 – Fancy Picot

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Fancy Picot Stitch 

Well hello my lovely ones. How are we all? Anyone starting to panic somewhat about Christmas presents, whether they be making or buying?!?! Ekk!! I am starting to get a little panicky about finishing projects! I have 4 main projects to finish and 3 other smaller ones to do too, so definitely up against the clock some what. I’m sure I have spoken about this before, but every year I say I will start early and get things finished, but once again having to rush, rush, rush!! Not good! It doesn’t sit well with me as I always have some mega last minute idea moment and then I don’t get to finish them. Heyho. Next year – you never know!!! 

One thing I did want to show you, was this year’s Christmas cards!! Haha! So I’m on the hunt for the usual annual charity Christmas cards and I come across these beauties!!! I mean look at them – Yey!! Crocheted Snowman & penguin!!! Wow!! I just had to have them!! Now I could only see 2 packs, so I had to ask the lady to help, which was a little bit of a mistake as she thought I was bonkers!! Don’t judge, but I may have bought them out! So If you are one of the lucky ones who get a Christmas card from me – you maybe getting the same one next year!!! Sorry!!

So I made this little guy this week for one of my daughter’s dear friends. He’s made of 3 multi strand DK yarns, but you can easily make him in Aran or chunky yarn for a similar effect. Hope he’s behaving himself in his new home. Free patterns in the pattern section, if you’d like to make him. 

Right then, we had better get onto this weeks stitch. So seen as we are leading up to Christmas, thought we had better get a little fancy with this Fancy Picot Stitch. It’s a lovely delicate stitch and would give you a little bit of texture in clothing or even a mandala. I thought that the little delicate bumps of stitches look like rows of tiny baubles!! Haha, Christmas is everywhere!! 

Supplies – 

So this week I have used a beautiful baby pink colour from the magnificent Sublime range. It’s such a lovely colour and so peaceful and calming! Decided we all needed a little bit of soothing colours in our lives, as everyone seems to be rushing around like crazy dudes with all their Christmas shopping madness. As usual you will need about 30g of double knit yarn, a 4 mm crochet hook, some scissors and a blunt ended taperstry needle. 

Stitches – 

Slip stitch (ss) – This is where there is no height to the stitch. It’s usually used to join rounds. So insert the hook into the front of the stitch you are joining to. This is usually the first stitch you made in that round/row. So yarn over hook and pull through that first stitch then also through the loop on your hook.

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

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.

Picot Stitch – For this Stitch, you need to chain 3 then slip stitch back into the stitch that you have just worked.

Ok so let’s go …

1 – Start by attaching your yarn onto the right side of the blanket and chain 3. Then work 1tr in the same stitch. Now work 1tr in the next 2 stitches. Now work a Picot Stitch. So to do this chain 3.

Now join with a slip stitch by inserting your hook, front to back, into the top of the stitch that you have just made. Can you see where the arrow is pointing in the photo above – this shows where your hook needs to go. 

So the photo below, shows how the hook has been inserted into the top of the treble stitch.

So you just need to yarn over and pull through the stitch and then through the loop again to complete the slip stitch. 

*Now chain 1, miss 1 stitch and work 1tr in the next stitch and then work 1picot Stitch on top of that stitch.* (Remember a Picot Stitch is when you chain 3 and then slip stitch back into the tr stitch that you have just worked.)

Repeat this ** twice. Now chain 1, miss 1 stitch and work 1tr in the next 2 stitches. 

Ok so *Chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next 2 stitches. Now work 1picot Stitch on the top of the tr stitch you have just worked. Chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next stitch. Work 1picot Stitch then again chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next stitch and then work 1picot Stitch on top.  Now chain 1, miss 1 stitch and work 1tr in the next 2 stitches.* 

Repeat this ** across the row. 

At the end of the row for the last section of stitches, chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next 2 stitches. Now work 1picot Stitch. Chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next stitch. Work 1picot Stitch, chain 1, miss a stitch and work 1tr in the Stitch. Then work 1picot Stitch, chain 1, now don’t miss a stitch so work 1tr in the last 2 stitches. (200)

Now fasten off and sew in those ends. 

And there we have the wonderful Fancy picot Stitch. I hope you have enjoyed this one. You can have lots of variations of the Picot Stitch. One is where you can work a Picot Stitch in each stitch. You can also have a 5 chain Picot, which is obviously bigger. 

Well anyways. Hope you’ve enjoyed this weeks instalment of Year of the Stitches. Not long now till the end of our stitch journey. Wow. Ekk!! 3 more to go…

Happy hooking everyone.

🌈Xx 


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2018 CAL - Year of the Stitches Blanket

Year of the Stitches Week 48 – Honeycomb

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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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