Baby Blanket

I've finished a project!

I have been working on a baby blanket for a customer for a few months now. The blanket was ordered months in advance so it allowed me to take my time on the project and make other things at the same time. 

I am so pleased with the final outcome. I have made this blanket before in a baby pink colour (see at end of blog post) but I think it is so pretty in this mint green shade. The blanket takes just over 4 balls of DK wool made with a size 4.00mm hook. I used my Pony Easy Grip crochet hook and was satisfied that the colour matched the project :)

I used the Bernat Baby Blanket Pattern (< click to be taken to pattern) for this blanket as it produces a large, versatile blanket suitable for cots, swaddling, as a comforter, and for warmth. The blanket is square so it can be folded into either a rectangle or triangle making it even more flexible. The pattern is so pretty and lacy. I consider this pattern to be a 'smart' baby blanket pattern due to the delicate pattern and shape. 

I have since started two new projects with one already in progress - that's three WIP (Work In Progress). Is it just me? Or do all craftsmen and women have so much ambition they have multiple projects going at the same time? I have an almost complete Seashell Scarf using a pattern from the book, 'Cute and easy Crochet' by Nicki Trench available from Amazon.co.uk at £9.09 in paperback and £5.03 as Kindle Edition. However I always recommend getting your pattern books in physical format rather than an e-book. It makes for better sharing and easier to read. This scarf is a present and I have chose a bright, aqua blue... a favourite colour of the recipient. 

Baby blanket with WIP - Seashell Scarf

I have also started a corner to corner baby blanket with a self-striping wool as a gift to a friend who is having a baby. I have left this one for a while, wanting to get on with the mint green one, but I can now crack on with it! 

My third WIP is a granny square blanket in pastel pinks and oranges. I haven't made granny squares over the last year - preferring more complex patterns after my degree show. However the time to crave a familiar 'work on while you watch TV' project has consumed me and before I knew what I was doing, I had 8 perfect pink squares sat on the arm of the sofa. I can't wait to put time to actually design this blanket and imagine the final outcome. 

It is probably best that this becomes the project I take to 'Chicks that Knit' as I am teaching a knitter how to crochet granny squares. 

Blanket in Baby Pink

If you want to order a blanket like this, check out my 'Orders' page on the right hand side and send an email to lovecharliecrochet@gmail.com - Please make sure you order at least a month in advance to give me time to make it! 

What are you crocheting? Let me know in the comments below.

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Love Charlie, Xx

New Venture

So, it's been a while. Since the summer when I installed a crocheted leg warmer onto a beam in the Boatyard Art Space in Middlewich, I have been very busy. 

I now go to a knitting and crochet club every week with my Gran. The club is in Northwich and is run by Joan of 'Crafty Stitches' and the club is called 'Chicks that Knit'. See her website at http://www.craftystitchesonline.co.uk/ or phone 01606 43187 to find out details. 

Whilst there, I have been very busy making hats for friends and family through the winter. This has been a nice little project for me and as soon as I finished one, it seemed as though there was always someone that wanted one for themselves. 

I have also done a few craft fairs, selling Christmas decorations, hats and flower hair clips. Finally, I have been commisioned for a few crocheted blankets. This is my favourite thing to do. Design or create something to someone's specific outline and see the final outcome develop over the weeks. In 2016, I would like to do this more. Please email me at lovecharliecrochet@gmail.com to order bespoke crochet gifts. 

However, as much as I would love to earn money from my crochet, it is inevitable that there is not always going to be business. I want to do something with my skills that benefits others. After doing some thinking and some research I have found a charity called Ray of Hope at Leighton Hospital that provides premature and tiny babies with handmade, knitted and crocheted baby hats, bonnets, clothes and blankets.  It is my aim over the next week to get in touch with this charity and see if I can help. Both myself and my sister were premature babies and it would be very warming to think that my handmade gifts could benefit new, tiny little lives. 

I will keep you posted. 

Love Charlie, Xx

Guess Who's Doing Some Bombing!

Guess Who's Doing Some Bombing!

Yes, I said bombing. Yarn-bombing! I am so excited to be involved in a project with the Boatyard Artspace on the canal side in Middlewich. You may have heard of yarn bombing before; or may be wondering what on earth it is. 

Yarn bombing is when a craft-artist or activist creates a knitted or crocheted piece of fabric that is custom made to be installed somewhere in the environment. Typically, bright, colourful stripes or patterened pieces are wrapped around trees and benches, bollards and statues. The purpose or this unique and quirky art practice is to reclaim urban, industrialised and corporate environments and bring in some creative energy and colour. Turning concrete and metal into a soft, familiar and comforting inhabitance. But it doesn't have to have purpose. This craft is a celebration of colour and the handmade. It can be a community project where several artists contribute or just an individual artist. Yarn bombs can be made from typical wool and acrylic blends or even recycled materials, raising issues of ecology. Yarn bombing can be a colourful and interesting way to draw attention to architecture and features of an environment. 

Over the next 3 weeks, I will be making various creations to decorate and celebrate a new and exciting community project and hopefully raise awareness of the incredible artistic talent we have harboured in Middlewich. The boatyard Artspace is developing swiftly into a creative hub of local talent. Ian Hill-Smith and other 'Middlewichian' artists have successfully turned an old boat keepers house into a tidy gallery, surfacing some of the hidden characterful architecture and traditional features of the cosy space. 

I have also been given the opportunity to display and sell some of my handmade gifts so please take a visit and have a look. The boatyard is also successfully running a tea shop so have a wonder down. The boatyard is on the section of canal opposite the British legion.

I am considering running some crochet workshops/lessons in the autumn/winter; where participants can learn to make a granny square and chunky hat. If you are interested please contact me through my Facebook page: Love Charlie Crochet, or email me at lovecharliecrochet@gmail.com

Check out the Artspace on Facebook at: Facebook/boatyardartspace

A Bright Future

The Liverpool John Moores' Art Degree show came to an end last week and I have received a 1st for my final exam. Although I don't know what my graduation grade is until the 29th, I am extremely happy that I have achieved this grade. The last three years have been hard, however I remained motivated and determined to remain a craftsman in the midst of contemporary artists. I am contemporary also, however, and I am pleased to have been able to celebrate craft through my work. The final year of my degree lead me to a turning point and I finally realized that I can achieve what I put my mind to. I believe I have found my niche in crochet and I feel that my ideas will blossom after engaging with my skills. Realizing that it's OK to do what you love and be who you are is enlightening and comforting. Feeling free and excited to create is something I want to embrace. I am enthusiastic at the prospect of opening an Etsy shop in the next few months and sharing my love of crochet with other lovers of craft and the handmade. I want to create beautiful, colourful home decorations and bespoke blankets. The next few months I will be making stock and experimenting with ideas. Here are some photos of my exhibition piece which measured 3.5 metres x 1.5 metres.