Books, Garden and Wool

Hurrah !!!

Not late this week, I have been busy today getting the bookkeeping up to date, I really like to get it sent in as soon as possible, unfortunately I don't like doing it.
I don't have a lot to do just sales and classes, but there is too much expenditure on wool, but you can never have enough can you.

I always seem to run out of the colour that is needed, I have had to place an order with Stylecraft this week because I sold the last of the black Classique cotton on Wednesday.

For those of you who don't know me, I stock all of Stylecraft Special Double knitting yarn and Classique cotton as well as a small supply of 4ply cotton from Patons.

If you ever you need some yarn, please email me at ali.crafts@ntlworld.com and I can send an invoice for you to pay.

The Special dk is £1.70 a ball with £2.80 postage for up to 9 balls or free postage for 10 balls or more.

Enough of the boring stuff....

Phil and I have been busy working on the garden for the last few weeks it was very overgrown so we have removed some shrubs and bushes, basically to start again.

 Sorry about the bad pictures but I think that it is raining so I took them through the window, guess what the window cleaner has just been this morning as well.


I am working on 2 shawls at the moment, both the same pattern with 2 different yarns, one is brightly coloured Stylecraft Special and the other pale pink 4 ply cotton

Oh my its nearly 2.00, I've not eaten any lunch yet, I think I better go and find something, I thought I was hungry.

See you again next week

Ali xxx

Late again

Hi everyone,

I am so sorry the blog is late again, Phil and I have been away again and the Wifi at the hotel would not publish my posts.

It was Phils birthday at the weekend and we wanted to take a few days holiday in England, there was a problem, everywhere we wanted to go was full and we even tried Majorca, we have a free day each from the hotel that we go to in the mountains and it was full as well.

You will never guess where we went for 4 nights.

This is a view from our bedroom window, still no idea.

We had a 7 hour flight and went to Dubai, we stayed on the Palm on the Crescent.

It was very hot the sea was like a bath and although the hotel was busy.....

This was the beach

I had a good length of time to crochet and worked on a 4ply cotton  shawl on the plane and a woollen one on the beach, pictures will follow later.

Today I would like to show you a video of how to work a Solomons knot stitch which makes a lovely lacy pattern.

I came across this stitch many years ago and have found it used on a snood in a book from 1973 which was reprinted in 1983.

The Complete book of Crochet, published by Octopus books and Treasure Press.

Solomon's Knot Stitch

If you follow my youtube channel the link is here, it is not too difficult, I hope that you enjoy having a go...

Happy days

Ali xxxx

Late, late, late for a very important date

Good morning,

I am so sorry I totally forgot that it was Tuesday yesterday, I have been confused for days about what day it was, I think its because we are getting a new bathroom soon.
I can't wait we have been in this house for 30 years and I did not get to choose the colour, it has not been bad but it is so dated now. This is the old blue sink...

I have chosen white and will be getting rid of the carpet and having the pipes all boxed in.....  

Well thats the idea, roll on the end of July.

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We have had a good weather day, so I got out all the new goodies that I showed you last week.

I set up a table outside put on the pans of water to boil

Added some dried marigold flower heads

Added the yarn and bubbled it up for hours

I got quite a pleasing yellow and lemon colour, they are a bit pale, I think that I was too eager to see what had happened.  I can't wait to try again and see if I can get some darker colours.

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Phil and I have been busy in the garden this week, when it wasn't miserable weather, we have had some bushes and trees cut down and needed to clear the area, so the roots needed digging out and we have started to replant the area. We have a small slope to the garden so it is difficult to decide what to do with it, I will let you see when we finish in a few weeks.  I am on a mission to get everywhere sorted and cleared, it won't all happen at once, I will get there eventually.

I guess I better get some work done now I have some patterns to type up and my worst nightmare do some ironing and housework.  Happy days.

Talk to you soon 

Ali xxx

Flowers, Hooks and Dyes

Good morning,

Lovely start to the weather this morning,.

Flowers

I have been working on Stylecrafts Fridas Flower CAL this week and I am really enjoying working the flowers.
Working in the Classique cotton is lovely, I have had this cotton in stock for a while but have not used it much.

Bags

I have also been crocheting some more bags to use up oddments of No.10  and 5 crochet cotton.

Hooks

I thought it might be a good time to show you some crochet hooks

These hooks are all supposed to be the same size, they are 3.50

As you can see they all vary a little and this can change your tension if what you are making needs a good tension. I always make a note of the hook size and the colour and make of a hook when heaven forbid I store something away for a while. 

I am afraid that this happens a lot when I have a designing head on and I need to get the idea down on paper unfortunately I can't draw out a plan I have to work on the idea to see if it works. 

Dyeing

Now I am going to show you may latest goodies, I can hear my husband groaning in the background, here goes another fad.......

I am nearly ready to start dyeing my yarns, here is the latest haul.

Cooker, yes, stock pots, yes, dyeing stuff?, yes, not quite sure what they all are yet, books of instructions, yes, yarn to dye, yes.  Hurrah,  just need a good day to set up outside to start my witches brews.

One of the books is to show me which flowers to grow in the garden to use for dyeing, I am not much of a gardener either, but next year I may give it a go as well..

Not this morning though,

I need to finish my bookkeeping and I have to get some sewing done on the machine, I hate shortening trousers and skirts, I wish I was taller...

Have a lovely day

Ali xxx

Free Crochet Flower for June

Free Flower for June

Hi I am sorry that I forgot to add the free flower pattern for June, I think my head must be in the clouds. I think I need to sun to shine, we have had a miserable week here in the North East of England. It has been dark and very cold..... Brrrr.......

I have added it to the free flower page on my website,

please click on the link below to go directly to the free pattern pages.


http://www.alicraftsdesigns.co.uk/free-patterns/


Happy crocheting
Alison xxx 

Part 4 Crochet Along

Good Morning

For those of you who were waiting for the blog yesterday I am sorry that I did not get one done, I had a pretty busy day.

Today is the day for part 4  of my crochet along  for June.
I think I have added rather a lot to this month because the finish month will now be January.

I promise that this is the last month of the little fiddly squares.

Here is the link to my website www.alicraftsdesigns.co.uk
If you prefer Ravelry Click Here

Good Luck with this one and I would love to hear how you are getting on.

I have created a Pinterest page of any pictures that I get for the CAL

https://uk.pinterest.com/alicrafts22/crochet-cal-alicraftsdesigns-2016/

There are some lovely colours, if you don't mind me using your pictures please send them to me so that I can add them as soon as I can, thank you..

I went to visit my Aunt who is in a care home in Knaresborough this week and found this crochet blanket on her bed, I don't know where it is from but I thought that the colours really brightened up her room.

I love the idea and might work on something like that later on in the year, if only to use up some of my oddments of yarn.

I have also been working on some gift and shopping bags this week 

The pattern will be available soon...    I hope !!!!  I've been very lax at writing up any new patterns and have had a month off designing crochet.

I have even managed to go back to designing some bead weaving I have not done any of that for ages. 

I must go now, I am doing an extra workshop for my ladies today, they will be here soon.

Happy crocheting 

Ali xxx