Three Bears Yarn, Part 1

Hi Everyone!
You may have noticed that I've not been about on the blog recently. Well, not so long ago I moved house, so there was the packing, unpacking, tidying and sorting to be done. Finally all of that was complete! I even have my very own craft room now! Whoopee! But unfortunately we have had some problems being connected to the internet and after a month of living there I still have no connection! It's like living in the Dark Ages! (A little dramatic maybe?) So to share my makes and goings-on, on my social media sites, I have to pop to Mum's or spend a long time in a Cafe with free wi-fi. I'm writing this post whilst staying with my sister! So now you know what's been going on with me I can finally share this amazing review on some amazing new yarn, here goes....

So, Three Bear's Yarn.You may think, who are they? Well, they are a relatively new company producing some beautiful yarns up in their mill in Lancashire. If you'd like to know more about this great company then check out their website here.

I was very lucky to get my 'paws' on some of Three Bear's Yarn 'Affection' DK 100% cotton yarn.
My initial thoughts on the yarn were how soft and lightweight it was. Previous cotton yarns I have used have felt a lot heavier. Because of the weight of the yarn I think it would be perfect for a summer shawl or blanket.

The colours I chose to work with first were a group of pastels, they are called;

• Cuddles and Cream
• Purple Passion
• Baby Pink
• Baby Blue
• Gentle Green
• Mellow Yellow

As I had such a range of colours and wanted to try the yarn out quickly I decided upon a mandala. 

You can find the pattern that I have used here.

The pattern I followed used chain, double crochet and treble crochet stitches, so I was able to put the yarn through it's paces.

The colours of yarn worked beautifully together, even though I decided to put them in colour order I'm sure they would have worked together in any combination.

I used a metal hook and the yarn slid and moved easily and effortlessly on the hook.

Cotton is made up of several strands woven together and because of this it can sometimes be 'splitty' when used. This cotton yarn however was wonderfully behaved. No splitting throughout the entire project!

The finished mandala is quite large, roughly 20 inches in diameter, but weighs next to nothing and because each 50g ball has 169m (185 yards) there is still lots of yarn left for more projects.

I have LOVED working with this yarn and I'm really looking forward to using it again in future projects. As the title of this post suggests there is more to come. A lot of you know how much I love amigurumi, so I'm planning a follow up post about using this yarn to make a little critter of some kind. 

I would like to say a MAHOOSIVE Thank You to Three Bear's Yarn for introducing me to this wonderful new yarn and having the chance to review it.

If you are interested in purchasing some yarn to try yourself then check out My Favourite Stockists page.

And to everyone else, thanks for being patient, fingers crossed I'll be connected to my own internet soon and the blog will be busy once more!

You Can Folk It!

You may remember from my last post I briefly spoke about my new found love of the company Folk It! And the art of folk painting.

Well, Folk It! Are a British company that have devised many kits, using simple techniques, to create beautiful pieces of work.

Painting is often a hobby that people shy away from. I was the same, I thought it would be too difficult, that it couldn't be as easy as it looked, that I wasn't that great at drawing, so I wouldn't be able to do it. How wrong was I?

Each kit comes with an instruction booklet, with great, clear written instructions and pictures. But as well as the booklet, each kit has a DVD, and it's excellent.

I started with the Starter kit (a good place to start!) this kit uses dots to make different patterns. Before starting I had a good look through the box to see what goodies were inside. I set my laptop up on the craft table and watched the DVD. I watched it all the way through once first, so I had a bit of an understanding of what I was going to do and, hopefully, achieve. Next I got all the kit out of the box and collected the few other household items I needed. I was ready! 

I started the DVD again and followed along. 

Like I said this particular kit teaches you to use a dotting tool to create patterns. I used my practice paper to complete one of each design. I was pretty impressed with my results for a first time!

The DVD also teaches you how to prepare the project you are going to work on, in this case an MDF heart. Again I joined along with the DVD.

I was feeling confident after my practice pieces, so I started straight away. I decided upon the rose design for this little hanging heart decoration. This time I used the instruction booklet, just for reference, it's such a simple system I remembered it quite easily. Here is the finished decoration.

After this I chose a different design for the square of mount board that also comes in the kit. This time I chose the daisy design,

This little piece of art is now on display on a little wooden easel that I bought in one of the shops where everything costs a pound!

That was it, I had the bug, I was addicted! I started looking round the house for things that I could 'folk'. Then I spotted it. A little shelf unit of my mum's. It was looking a bit tired, already pretty vintage looking, ideal to be 'folked'.

Here it is before,

Now here it is after,

After this I decided to make some Christmas presents. Some little MDF drawer units.

In the new year I bought myself a new kit. This time the vintage daisy. This kit also had a DVD, so I did the same again. This time I was taugh the comma stroke, rather than the dots. Again I practiced several times. Don't be put off, this might be painting with an actual brush, but it's very simple.

This kit also comes with a hanging heart decoration. After my practices I once again felt confident enough to work straight onto my project.

I also used the daisy design to make my Mum's birthday card.

And I have plenty more ideas in mind! 

If you like the look of what I have achieved and would like to have a go, then check out the Folk It! Website by clicking here

Have fun xx

Goodbye January, Hello February!

Well can you believe it? The first month of 2016 had been and gone! It flew by didn't it?

So what have you all been up to? January has been a pretty busy one for me. Firstly I started this blogging adventure, so far I think it's been a success and I hope this will continue over the year too.
Not only has the blog been gaining interest so has my Instagram account. I've now reached over 1000 followers, which really does amaze me. I can't believe that that many people all over the world not only want to, but like to see what I get up to in my crafty life! Thanks so much!
I've also set up a Twitter account which is steadily gaining interest and my Facebook page continues to be supported! What a social butterfly I seem to be!
Remember if you want to follow any of my social media feeds you can find links to them all on the blog home page.

Well it's been a very crafty month!
 I've started a year long project with my Mood Hexagon Blanket. It's not a full months worth (because I started late!). I've made the motifs but still not quite decided on how to join them together?

What next? I crocheted my first piece of clothing, a Granny stripe jumper for my sister Cara's birthday. She was pretty pleased!

Oh, I discovered my Super Dooper Crochet Project Bible! It's keeping me super organised with all my crochet projects. Plus being a stationery geek I have so much fun using all my different pens and pencils to fill it in!

Then I received a very exciting delivery! My first Little Box of Crochet which introduced me to two new loves, Scheepjies Stone Wash yarn and the Bobble stitch.

There's also been plenty of amigurumi, including my beautiful mermaid,

three peas in a pod, the prize for my 1000 followers giveaway on Instagram,

and Sarah and Duck, well two ducks actually. These have to be a particular favourite of mine. I made these for my nephew Sebby, he LOVES Sarah and Duck! I also made an extra Duck after someone saw him on my Facebook page and commissioned one for her daughter.

I also had a little experiment at  my own amigurimi, this cute Kawaii pencil.

But it hasn't just been crochet, no, no, I've been enjoying some other crafts this month too.

Cara and I had our first attempt at needle felting, another of her birthday pressies. Not the most ambitious project, but not too bad for a first go (hopefully you'll agree?)

Adult Colouring books? You've heard of them right? If not, where have you been? I've been using the book Doodle Invasion, which I bought after seeing it all over Instagram.
I've been using Spectrum Noir pens and pencils to colour in a couple of pages.

Last off I've been developing my Folk It! painting skills. This month I have been learning the comma stroke and have been painting beautiful daisies.

If you like the look of these then keep an eye out. I'm hoping to write a post soon all about Folk It! in the meantime you can look them up here, http://www.folkit.co/

So, that was January, said it was a busy one didn't I? I hope your start to 2016 has been as much fun as mine.
Remember keep looking to find out what I'm up to next!

Thanks Everyone xx

1000 Instagram Followers!

Wow!!!!

I've just reached 1000 followers over at Instagram! Crazy! I'm so glad that everyone enjoys seeing what I'm up to and I really appreciate all the likes and followers!

To celebrate I'm running a little giveaway. 

I'm giving away these very cute peas in a pod. If you want to be involved head over to my Instagram account to see why you need to do!

Thanks again! X

Follow By Email

Hey everyone,
Just a quick message to let you know that you can now receive emails to tell you about updates to my blog. If you want to follow me then enter your email address in the box on the right.
Thanks x

Colour, Colour, Colour!

A lot of you fellow crocheters will be aware of the amazing idea of 'yarn pegs'. I first saw them on the Attic 24 blog. I see so many people using this system on Instagram and I love to see what colour combinations you all come up with.

My yarn pegs are made using Stylecraft Special DK, there are so many colours it's great to have a little bit of each colour to play around with.

I don't quite have a complete collection, but here are my yarn pegs. 

I know I won't be the only one, but there is something so satisfying about seeing all these colours lined up in order.

Sometimes you know exactly what sort of colours you want to use for a project and the yarn pegs are a great way of checking they all go and what order you want to use them in. But sometimes I just like to play around and make notes of combinations I like, ready for future projects. 

Here are a few I've come up with recently,

From left to right,

Parchment, Pistachio, Aspen, Plum and Pomegranate 

From left to right,

Cream, Wisteria, Sherbert, Turquiose and Candyfloss

Clockwise from the left,

Parchment, Mocha, Walnut, Denim, Cloud Blue and Duck Egg

From top to bottom, 

Citron, Sunshine, Cloud Blue, Turquoise, Lime and Meadow 

Vintage style rainbow, from left to right,

Claret, Tomato, Gold, Meadow, Storm Blue, Violet, Plum and Mocha

Bright rainbow, from top to bottom,

Lipstick, Spice, Sunshine, Kelly Green, Turquiose, Violet, Magenta and Cream

From top to bottom, 

Mustard, Gold, Fushia Purple, Plum, Empire, Petrol, Pistachio, Lime, Mocha and Walnut. 

I'd love to know what colour combinations you have come up with and what projects you have used them for.

If you want to know where you can buy Stylecraft yarn have a look on my Favourite Stockists page. 

Have fun!

Moody Hexies 2016

The Mood Blanket, it was pretty popular last year, so I realise I'm a little bit behind. Also it's supposed to be a year blanket and we're halfway through January! Whoops! I never was one for good time keeping!

Anyway, Donna, the owner at my local yarn store has started a mood blanket this year and is trying to get customers and friends involved with the project. There are no rules, any colours, any shapes, just keep it up through out the year and most importantly share with others.
You can have a look at their website here or follow Donna's progress over on her Facebook page, click here to see.

The shop is a stockist for Bergere de France yarns and they have a beautiful range of yarns and colours. I've decided to use Ideal. A DK weight yarn, 40% wool, 30% acrylic and 30% polymide. It's a super soft yarn and comes in loads of stunning colours.

These are the colours I have chosen,

From left to right,
Parot, Vitamine, Girolle, Citronnier, Emeraude, Calanque, Purple, Hortensia and Elephant.

So, how does the mood blanket work? Well, each colour is linked to a mood, emotion or feeling. Each day, or when you feel up to it, you make a motif that represents your mood, simple.

These are my colours and their represented mood.
Parot - annoyed/angry
Vitamine - worried
Girolle - excited/looking forward to...
Citronnier - happy
Emeraude - normal
Calanque - low
Purple - creative
Hortensia - Super Dooper!
Elephant - exhausted

So that's the colours chosen, the moods sorted, now just to choose a pattern.

I knew I wanted to try something new, not just your regular granny square. I wanted something a little more solid, but decorative and not too big.

I tried out four different styles,

Top left, a solid granny square, three rounds.
Top right, a granny hexagon, three rounds
Bottom left, a flower hexagon, three rounds and
Bottom right, a vintage flower granny square, four rounds.

I was pretty pleased with them all. The vintage flower granny square was a little too big for this project, but I thought several joined together would make a nice cushion. (I'll keep that in mind for the future.)
The solid granny square was good too, but not as decorative as I was looking for.
I loved the shape of the granny hexagon. This was the first time I'd made a hexagon and I was impressed, but was it too similar to a granny square?
Then there was the flower hexagon. Yep, this was the one. Interesting shape, decorative, easy to make and just the right size.

So all decisions made, Bergere de France Ideal yarn in chosen colours, moods picked and matched to a colour and pattern tried and tested, the flower hexagon. Now time to put it all in the Crochet Project Bible.

Right, all sorted, now time to start. How am I feeling today?

I'll keep you up to date each month with how this project is going. I would love to know if anyone else is doing a mood blanket this year or a different type of year long blanket.
Happy crocheting everyone
x