Lullaby Lodge

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

Happy new year everyone.  I hope you have all enjoyed the festivities over Christmas and the new year.  So what will 2019 bring?  Well for Lullaby Lodge it means the beginning of my temperature blanket.  I am so excited to get started.  I will also be doing another feature on stash busting, something a little different from last year and I will of course be sharing loads of new patterns, tutorials and ideas.  Doesn't the beginning of a new year just fill you with hope, joy and expectation of what it might bring... So here we go, day 1 of my temperature blanket.  You can find my original post will all the pattern info  here... According to the BBC the highest temperature for today in Windsor will be 11°C. So my first colour is going to be Sherbet! I started off with 180 chains this should be big enough for a single bed with a slight overhang.  Such a long wiggly starting chain, this is always the most awkward bit.   I like to work into the bumps on

Inspired by all the amazing photos on Instagram and Pinterest, I had wanted to make a temperature blanket for some time.  So I thought I would share my blanket progress with you, including lots of tips and tricks.  If you would like to make one too, this is how you do it.   The idea is simple.  Every day, use the local weather stations highest temperature of that day, to choose your crochet colours.  This will result in a gorgeous blanket by the end of the year.  You just allocate which colours you will use for a range of temperatures and crochet 1 row each day corresponding to that days temperature.  I used Stylecraft Special DK for my blanket, but you can use any yarn you like.  Depending on where you live you may need to adjust how many colours and what temperatures you will need... For my blanket I chose 10 colours to represent the warmer days... ...and 10 colours to represent the cooler days. It is so exciting to watch your blanket develope.  M

Christmas is not Christmas without a trip to a village fair.  This year we went to Moss End Village to see what they had to offer.  The fair was situated on an old farm converted into shop suits, including a garden centre and lot's of craft shops.     The children were given a trail card and told to look out for 15 elves that were hiding around the site.  Our first stop was to write a letter to Santa and collect a stamp on the trail card.  The next stop on the trail was inside a glass blowing shop.  The children helped to decorate a glass Christmas tree and collected another stamp on their card. The next mission on the trail was to feed Santa's reindeer.  The children were given a sprig of lichen, which the deer gobbled up.  I guess they only eat carrots on Christmas Eve... As we walked around the trail there were lots of stalls, rides and games for the children to enjoy and the smell of roast chestnuts and freshly made donuts filled our nostrils, mak

What could be more festive than bedecking your halls with gorgeous handmade decorations.  I have scoured the web and found this selection of my favourite 10 free patterns. Everyone loves a granny bauble and this  Christmas Bauble by Carmen Heffernan is gorgeously bright and cheerful, perfect for any tree... ... and what tree would be complete without some pretty stars?  Why not try these  Crochet Stars  by One Dog Woof... Trim your tree with the super cute  Santa and Mrs Claus  designed by Yarnhild You can never have enough baubles on your tree and this  free pattern  from Hello Yellow Yarn is super cute! Crochet a  Christmas Gnome  for your home, with this pattern from Simply Crochet Magazine.   No Christmas is complete without pudding and this  Crochet Pudding Decoration  by Crafty Cruella is just the thing... Make these festive  Crochet Christmas Tree Ornaments , pattern by Salvabrani.

Need a last minute Christmas gift for someone?  Then this is the perfect project.  This knitted mini hot water bottle can be finished in just a few of hours...  Would also make a great birthday or Mothers day gift.   The pattern is suitable for beginners who know the basic stitches and are familiar with working in the round.  The hottie is worked in stocking stitch, with simple decreases and ribbing at the neck.  Cute pom pom ties may be added.  The cover is very stretchy and can be easily removed for washing with no need for any fastenings.  Please read the pattern in its entirety before beginning your project.  You will need the whole 50g ball, please consider this when substituting yarns… Mini Hottie You will need... 8mm dpn's or circular needles (using magic loop method). 7mm dpn's or circular needles 1, 50g ball Drops Eskimo or any other yarn with similar gauge (10 x 10 cm = 11sts x 15 rows in stocking stitch Darning needle Clover pom pom

For all my lovely crochet and knitting friends, I have created a Facebook group for us to share all fibre related projects and patterns.  It is a place to socialise and chat about our love of crochet and other fibre arts and to share and find new patterns and blogs etc.  I hope you will all pop over and join, I would love to see what projects you are working on and to share hints and tips etc. Lullaby Lodge Crochet & Fibre Arts Back soon... Catherine x