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LoveCrafts

Half Term Break - Pendine Sands

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Wow things have been so busy here over the last few weeks.  I have been inundated with custom orders for baby blankets, dolls blankets, hot water bottles, baby hats and bed spreads; so the half term has come as a welcome break.  Time to get away from it all for a few days. We travelled straight from school pick up on Friday and headed for South Wales.  I have many fond memories of childhood holidays in Wales and was very excited to be returning with Little T.  It took us around 3 hours to cross the Welsh border and the sun was setting just as we traversed the Seven Bridge, providing stunning views.  A little over an hour later we arrived at the Pendine Sands holiday park.  It was now pitch black and we would have to wait till morning to see the local scenery. It really was worth the wait.  The next day proved to be a blinder, with gorgeous sunshine and hardly a cloud in the sky.  Just look at the breathtaking Welsh coastline...  rugged cliffs... gorgeous

The Blanket Stitch - Crochet Tutorial

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The crochet blanket stitch is such a versatile pattern and can be used to create many items not just blankets.  You can use this stitch pattern to create hats, scarves, hot water bottle covers anything you can think of, just use the hook size recommended on your yarn ball band.   This is a stitch tutorial only, if you are looking for the Sweet Dreams Baby Blanket pattern you can find it  here... Video Tutorial The Blanket Stitch  US terms are used throughout Abbrieviations sc - single crochet dc - double crochet sl st - slip stitch ch - chain sp - space sk - skip st(s) - stitch(s) Foundation chain loosely make a ch as wide as you would like your project to be, a multiple of 3 +1 Row 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, *sk2, sc in next ch, 2dc in same ch* repeat from *to* until last 3 st's, sk2, sc in last ch.  Turn. Row 2 ch3, dc in 1st st, *sk2, sc in next st, 2dc in same st* repeat from *to* until last 2 st's, sc in sp between ch

Glamping at Long Acres

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We recently spent an idyllic couple of days at  Long Acres Camping & Glamping  site in Surrey.  Little T had been asking and asking if we could go camping and living in a small flat with no ample storage to keep all the gear we would need, had meant that the answer was always no.  So when I came across a deal on Wowcher for a 2 nights Glamping trip, I thought this would be the perfect compromise.  Little T could get his outdoor camping experience without us having to buy all the gear, plus we could have nice cosy beds to sleep in. I have never purchased a holiday with Wowcher before but the whole process was pleasantly simple.  Once receiving my voucher code all I needed to do was call Long Acres to make my booking.  The lady I spoke to on the phone was very friendly and helpful and we ended up paying a little extra for the luxury package and also the hire of a fire pit (this was well worth the extra money).  Now all we had to do was wait... The day finally arrived

Pattern Testing - Yarn Cakes Shetland Lace Scarf

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Hello everyone, now that Autumn is in the air it's time to get knitting all those winter woollies.  If you are looking to try something new why not join in with my latest pattern test.  It is for a lovely warm winter scarf, knitted in an old Shetland Lace pattern. If you would like to take part in the test please head over to  The Testing Pool  at Ravelry to join in the fun... You don't need to be an experienced tester or even knitter to take part. Happy knitting Catherine x

Pattern Testing - "Bubbles" Yarn Cakes Baby Blanket

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Hello lovely people, I have a new project ready for testing.  This one is suitable for beginners and is made using Caron Cakes yarn.  The pattern is super easy and testing will take place over on Ravelry at  The Testing Pool .  If you would like to take part prior testing experience is not necessary, just head on over to the testing page and sign up. Caron Cakes have so many scrumptious colours to choose from, making just one blanket is never an option for me... Look forward to hearing from you Catherine x

Pattern Testing - Mini Hot Water Bottle Cover

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Hello everyone.  I have a new pattern ready for testing.  This one is perfect if you want to get a head start on presents for Christmas.  It is for this very simple knitted hottie cover.  I have used Drops Eskimo yarn, which is a super soft, super chunky wool.  The cover knits up in just a couple of hours and features cute pom pom ties. If you would like to take part in testing this pattern please head on over to  The Testing Pool  over at Ravelry, where the test will take place.  You don't need to be an experienced tester and only need know the basic knitting stitches and be familiar working in the round.  Look forward to hearing from you and happy knitting Catherine x

Little T's Garden

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Hello friends.  I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time, but with one thing and another it has gotten pushed to the side and forgotten.  This heatwave that has been going on for what seems like forever, has finally broken and I am loving the freshness of the air and the sound of the raindrops outside my window.  This gives me the perfect opportunity to take some time to write on my blog. Everything is growing really well this year with all the hot weather.  It has taken some considerable efforts to keep everything watered though and little T has been very helpful on that front.  As you all know we do not have a garden at home and so our allotment garden has become our haven and we love to spend as much time there as possible.  Mostly little T likes to sit in a shady spot and read while I get on with the gardening.  He does love to help with planting new things though and has asked for his own  "bit of earth" .  So we decided to make a small bed for lit