Lullaby Lodge

Meet Dumpling, she lives with Little T's dad and Little T absolutely adores her.  She was a rescue cat from Battersea Cats and Dogs home and not very much was known about her life before she was taken in.  She was found as a stray and taken care of by Battersea.  Little T's dad had previously had another cat "Marmite" who had died in a tragic accident and felt it was time to get another.  So we all went together to the cats home and it was decided that Dumpling would be the one to come home with us. At first she was afraid to go outside and was very wary of us, but she soon settled in and over time has started to go outside.  She doesn't stray far though, always staying close by.  She likes to play with Little T, he always insists on buying her toys every time we go to the pet shop and he likes to give her "Dreamies" for treats.  When she first came home she had a lovely hand knitted blanket that someone had made and donated to the shelter, it&#

My local Cat & Dog shelter is always looking for blankets for their rescue animals, so I thought a great way to use up some stash, that might not otherwise get used, would be to make some blankets for them.  We have a Battersea Cats and Dogs home in Windsor where I live and they generally prefer knitted blankets to crochet ones, especially for kittens as they can easily get their paws stuck in the holes that crochet blankets often have.  So I have hunted down some patterns that I think will be suitable for cats (or dogs).  The patterns I have chosen are not all specifically designed for cats but all have very little or no holes and can all be made with stash yarn (woohoo use up that stash!). Blankets for Rescue Cats This first blanket is actually designed as a baby blanket, but as it creates a close knit fabric, would make a great blanket for cats.  The pattern is by Sunset Knots. Woven Stitch Baby Cat Blanket This next blanket is made up with loads of lo

2019 Temperature Blanket & CAL Hello friends, we have come to the end of spring, so it is time to do a temperature blanket update.  It has been so lovely seeing all your progress over at the Facebook Group .  Your blankets are all looking amazing and all so different too.  If you are only just joining us you can find the free pattern here...   We have had a pretty cold spring here in Windsor.  My colours have been mostly blues and greens... ...with the addition of a few rows in yellows and peach.  It's so nice to see some warmer colours.   After a few weeks of warmer temperatures the weather has turned cold again. Looking forward to seeing some oranges and red, hopefully that summer weather is on its way. Thanks for checking in and I will see you all again soon. Catherine x Related posts... This post contains Amazon affiliate links...

The Spring Garden Baby Blanket has been a popular pattern of mine and now you can enjoy this pattern free, here on my blog.  The blanket was inspired by the gorgeous colours Cath Kidston uses and is aimed at an advanced beginner, available in 2 sizes.  The larger size is great for a cot or even a sofa throw.  The smaller size can be used for the car seat, buggy or crib. Spring Garden Baby Blanket As a Lovecrafts affiliate I may receive a small commission for qualifying purchases... Materials Cot [pram] blanket:  Stylecraft Special Aran 1 ball each in shades Lemon, Baby Pink, Fondant, Pomegranate, Pistachio (or Meadow) and 4 [2] balls Cloud and Cream.  You may substitute any other Aran (Worstead) yarn for this project. Darning needle Hook 5 mm (H) hook . Size Approximately 110 x 110 cm for the cot  and 65 x 65 cm for the pram blanket. Ability Advanced beginner Abbreviations / Terms Us terms are used throughout (UK terms) sc - single crochet (doub

Hello everyone.  How are you all getting on with your temperature blankets?  Mine is coming along nicely and as Winter is now over (hopefully) I thought I would post an update and a few pictures.  If this is your first time to my blog you can find the free pattern linked below and don't think it's too late to join in, you can start a temperature blanket at any time if year. 2019 Temperature Blanket Free Pattern My temperature blanket started off as just a concept and some yarn pegs to help me choose my pallet... The beginning of the year was cold but never reached the kind of temperatures we had last year so some of my colours have not been used. There is nothing better thank a cup of tea and a little crochet in the mornings, I try to do my row each morning when I wake up. Spring seems to have come early this year as temperatures have been unusually high.  Who would've thought we could have t-shirt weather in February. Looking

Over the Christmas holidays we always binge watch the Harry Potter Movies.  Whilst watching Prisoner of Azkaban I happened to notice a gorgeous, scrappy, hand knitted blanket on Ron Weasley's bed (Molly Weasley I do so love all your makes).  I instantly knew this would make an awesome stash busting project and I had to start straight away. A quick search found a brilliant guide by Jackie Wierzbick on her blog  Penguineer's Purls  and you can find the pattern page  here...   She has painstakingly collected lots of photos of the blanket and produced them into a layout grid and a guide for each knitted block.  The squares are all knitted in garter stitch (which I love especially for "TV" knitting).  There is also a crochet version which you can find  here... So off I went to rummage through my stash.  I have a great deal of those huge 400g balls of aran yarn I bought "cos it's cheap" that never got used (because it wasn't soft e

No sooner than we have taken down all our Christmas decorations, Valentine's Day is knocking at the door.  I have selected my 10 favourite free patterns.  There is plenty to choose from, gifts for family and friends and maybe something to treat yourself... What Valentines Day would be complete without a delicious box of chocolates and with the added bonus of zero calories.  Pattern by Michele Wilcox. Valentine Chocolates Learn a new stitch pattern to create a gorgeous heart blanket or just use the pattern to add a cute trim to other makes.  Designed by Mypicot. Heart Stitch Pattern Keep cosy in this lush cowl with adorable heart detail.   Pattern by Crafts by Amanda. Heart Infinity Scarf Decorate your home for the season with this cute wall hanging by Creative Jewish Mom. Crocheted Hearts Wall hanging Add a crochet edging to these paper hearts and turn them into a gorgeous garland.  Decorate your home or give them as a gift.  D