Seaside Winter Blanket: Southbroom Bonus Square 2

Hello lovely CAL-ers!   yesterday was my Birthday, so I thought I would surprise you with another bonus square, the "Southbroom Square"!

This square takes its name from the picturesque Kwa Zulu Natal coastal village of Southbroom.

The bonus squares are not part of the CAL layout and will therefore not follow the number sequence of the CAL squares, but will be numbered as Bonus Squares.  They can be used to grow your blanket or swap out with squares that you may not be "in love" with.

Varying tension can make a difference to the end measurement of your square, and I have therefore requested another crochet star to test my patterns.    Both ladies measure each square against their previous squares to make sure that I have not made a mistake with end measurement.  A big thank you goes out to Ritha Vishwanath of HOOKS, NEEDLES & MORE  and Nina Mayer (aka HAEKELNINA) for your expert testing of this pattern!

The Testers have assured me that the pattern is clear and easy to follow.  The photo tutorial should help guide you over the "trickier" rounds.

SOUTHBROOM SQUARE PATTERN

PATTERN TERMS:  US 

SPECIAL STITCHES:

3 Triple Crochet Cluster:   3trc cl = [yoh x 2, insert hook into "v", yoh (pull through 2 loops) x2] x3;  yoh, pull loop through 4 loops on hook to complete cluster.

Incomplete Front Post Double Crochet:  IFPdc = yoh and insert your hook from front to back between the posts of the 2nd hdc and the dtrc of the row below, and then from back to front again between the posts of the dtrc and the 3rd hdc, yoh pull through 2 loops, do not complete second part of the stitch, leaving the last loop on the hook.

Incomplete Dc:  Idc =  yoh, insert hook in work, yoh pull through 2 loops, do not complete second part of the stitch, leaving the last loop on the hook

Foundation:  4ch sl st to form ring or make a magic ring.

Round 1:  3 ch (counts as 1dc), 11dc into ring; sl st into 3rd of start ch to close  (12dc).   Break off yarn.

Round 2:  Join yarn in any dc.   3ch (counts as 1dc), 1dc into same sp as join;   (2dc into next dc) x11 (12 x "v" stitches of 2dc each).   Sl st into 3rd of start ch to close.   Break off yarn.

Round 3:  Join yarn between 2 dc posts of any "v".   3ch (counts as 1st incomplete trc post), 2trc tog (counts as 3trc cl), 3ch;  (3trc cl between 2 dc posts of next "v", 3ch) x11 (12 x 3trc c, 3ch groups).   Sl st into 3rd of start ch to close.   Break off yarn.

Round 4:  Join yarn in any 3ch sp;  2ch (counts as 1hdc), 1hdc;  1dtrc in sp between "v's" in Round 2,  2hdc in same 3ch sp, 3ch;  [2hdc; 1dtrc in sp between "v's" in Round 2, 2hdc in same 3ch sp, 3ch (petal)]  x 11 (12 petals).  Sl st into 2nd of start ch to close.  Break off yarn.

Round 5:  Join yarn in 1st st of any petal;  2ch (counts as 1Idc), IFPdc around dtrc; 1Idc into 5th st on same petal, yoh draw loop through 3 loops on hook, 4ch, 1sc into top of 3trc cl in Round 3, 4ch;   (1Idc into 1st st of next petal, IFPdc around dtrc; 1Idc into 5th st on same petal, yoh draw loop through 4 loops on hook, 4ch, 1sc into top of 3trc cl in Round 3, 4ch) x 11 (12 petals).   Sl st into top of 1st petal to close.   Break off yarn.

Round 6:  Working behind Round 5 into Round 4, join yarn in any 3ch sp,  4ch (counts as 1trc), (1trc; 3dtrc; 2trc into same 3ch sp),  (2dc into 2nd hdc on next petal, 3dc into next 3ch space)  x2;  2dc into 2nd hdc on next petal;   [2trc; 3dtrc; 2trc into next 3ch sp),  (2dc into 2nd hdc on next petal, 3dc into next 3ch space)  x2;  2dc into 2nd hdc on next petal] x3,   sl st into 4th of start ch to close.   Break off yarn.

 

Round 7:   Join yarn in 2nd dtrc on any corner;   3ch (counts as 1dc), 4dc into same dtrc;  1BPdc around each of next 3sts;  1dc into next dc, 1dc into next dc inserting hook from front to back through top of petal (Round 6);  [1dc into each of next 4dc, 1dc into next dc inserting hook from front to back through top of petal (Round 6)] x2;  1BPDc around each of next 3sts;  {5dc into next dtrc;  1BPdc around each of next 3sts;  1dc into next dc, 1dc into next dc inserting hook from front to back through top of petal (Round 6);  [1dc into each of next 4dc, 1dc into next dc inserting hook from front to back through top of petal (Round 6)] x2;  1BPDc around each of next 3sts] x3.   Sl st into 3rd of start ch to close.  Break off yarn.

Crochet BORDER ROUNDS 1 & 2 around square only if you are using it in your Seaside Winter Blanket.

Zooty Owl Cushion CAL (5)

This CAL ended November 2015.   The pattern is now available in my RAVELRY STORE
 
Hello and welcome Crochet-A-Long Friends.

It's hard to believe that October has come and gone and we have reached the final instalment of our Zooty Owl Cushion CAL.


The progress photos sent to me by some of the CAL ladies are quite fabulous:

Elizabeth Koegelenberg

Elizabeth's parliament of colourful owl's are quite an inspiration!

Nancy made these cuties to add to the back of her cushion!

Sharon has almost caught up!

Lynette is adding rows to make a blanket to donate to charity!

Zooty Owl Cushion CAL (4)

Hello and welcome to all my lovely Crochet-a-Long friends.

This CAL ended November 2015.   The pattern is available in my Ravelry Store.

Friday I was happily working away on the catch-up post, when my thought train was disrupted by a raucous coming from the bottom of our garden.    Hubby and I went to investigate and there was a crew of workmen up in the big trees on the property behind ours.      They were cutting down the trees with electric saws.  Nobody had asked us to switch our electric fencing off (mistake number 1), so hubby quickly switched it off.    Just as well!!!    He had hardly turned it off when one of the workmen lost his footing and fell from the top of the tree (easily 4 to 5 metres off the ground).   He fell backwards into our garden, taking down the electric fencing and a gutter from one of our storerooms, before landing on the paving.       He cut himself to smithereens on the way down too.     We thought for sure he would need medical attention!     Would you believe?    He got up, asked for a ladder and climbed back into the tree, bleeding as he went!

Hubby and I were in a bit of shock after seeing this, and I had completely lost my ability to formulate a paragraph!    On top of all this our entire back electric fencing was ripped down and we had to make arrangements to have it fixed urgently.

Anyway the fencing was fixed and I managed to finish and post my catch up post.     By then I was so worn out I had to get some sleep.     I planned to get up early yesterday morning to quickly finish the post for Part (4).    The universe was having none of that!!!!     I had barely started editing when suddenly we had no power (LOADSHEDDING I thought).    It was not loadshedding!    One of the electricity poles had completely toppled over pulling the electrical wires with it.   We were without power the entire day (until about 18h30 last night).    A new pole had been installed and the wires repaired!

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Keep sharing your photos on my Zooty Owl Facebook page so that I can include them in the Gallery!

Please join me again on Friday, for the joining and finishing of the cushion!   (Hopefully this will be a less "exciting" week). 

Zooty Owl Cushion CAL

This CAL ended November 2015.   Pattern is available in my RAVELRY STORE.

The past two weeks have been such crazy busy weeks for me, and on top of that my Internet connection has been so slow that my Blog was not loading properly.  The connection seems to have stablilized (holding thumbs) - so let's make hay while the sun is shining (or at least while there is a speedy connection)!

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Your cushions are all looking quite fabulous!!!

Elizabeth appears to be our most enthusiastic CAL friend!   She is making FOUR cushions at the same time!    WOW!

Lynette and Nancy have been very creative with their cushion backs!!

Robyn, Sharon, Rose and Svanhild have chosen gorgeous colours for their cushions!

Please keep on sharing your photos - it is wonderful to see how each and every cushion grows in such an individual way!

Zooty Owl Cushion CAL (2)

Happy Friday and Hello to all the lovely crocheters who are hooking along with me on this CAL!

This CAL ended November 2015.   The pattern is available in my Ravelry Store.
 
We are going to have some beauties by the time we are done, judging from the photos I have received!!

Elizabeth Koegelenberg is a very enthusiastic crochet-a-long(er) and is making no less than four cushions at the same time!  

 

A lot of people say they "hate" doing their cushion backs as they just want to finish their project once the front is done.   So I thought we would get most of the cushion back squared away before we started with the fun bits!

The back is made from two double crochet stripe sections.   

My stripe composition is 5 rows and 6 colours:

Section 1:  Beige;  Apricot;  Coral;  Dark Red;  Blue;  Light Blue.
Section 2:  Apricot;  Beige;  Light Blue.

Feel free to play around with the your stripe composition for the cushion back, or even use a solid colour!

Remember to post your progress shots on my Zooty Owl Facebook page so that I can include them in next week's post!

Have fun crocheting your cushion backs and please join me next week for Part 3:   Owl Features and Embellishments (the FUN part!!!!)

Zooty Owl Cushion CAL (1)

This CAL ended November 2015.   The pattern is now available in my RAVELRY STORE
 
Hello and welcome to Part 1 of the ZOOTY OWL CUSHION CAL!

I have chosen the following colours to make a pair of matching cushions:

The Introduction to this CAL can be found HERE

This week we will be starting with the Cushion Front - crocheting the Body of the Owl (which is a big circle) and then squaring that.

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PATTERN TERMS:   US

YARN & HOOKS:   
The pattern is suitable for either DK (8ply / light worsted) weight yarns and a 4.50mm hook OR 
Worsted Weight (10ply / Aran) and a 5.50mm hook.

Next Friday, 9 October 2014 we will be crocheting the Cushion Back.   

Please feel free to share your photos on my ZOOTY OWL FACEBOOK PAGE  

Photos shared during the week will be included in the Gallery for the next week's post!

I hope you have loads of fun making this cushion and look forward to getting together with you again next week!!!

Zooty Owl Cushion CAL: October 2015

This CAL ended November 2015 - the pattern is available in my RAVELRY STORE

Thank you all for the wonderful response to the idea of hosting an OWL CUSHION CROCHET-A-LONG!

It gives me great pleasure to announce my 4th CAL (crochet-a-long):   
THE ZOOTY OWL CUSHION CAL!!!!!

The CAL will be held during the month of October 2015 and I will post a pattern and a photo tutorial every Friday - starting this Friday!


I added a bit of oomph to the Jumbo Owl Cushion to make it more fun to crochet and to make the cushion more durable.

My patterns are all written in US TERMS

The pattern is suitable for DK (8ply / light worsted) weight yarns and a 4.50mm hook OR Worsted Weight (10ply / Aran) and a 5.50mm hook.      

You can use an assortment of scraps to make your cushion, or choose a special colour palette, the choice is yours!

I have used a small amount of "Eyelash" or "Feather" yarn to add a bit of detail to the wings and owl belly - this is entirely optional, but it does give the body a bit of dimension.

For my "showcase" cushion I have used a selection of 100% Acrylic DK Elle Yarns (made by our South African Saprotex Mills) in six main colours: Apricot, Coral, Pink, Light Blue, Blue, Deep Red and Beige (with small amounts of white and navy for the eyes)

My colours were picked randomly for an "autumn feel" with a bit of pep (since this cushion is made from 100% Acrylic).    

If you would like to make a cushion to add some warmth to your autumn decor, you may want to select your colours from the Pantone Autumn Palette for 2015:

For those in the Southern Hemisphere a cool cotton cushion made with colours selected from the Pantone Spring Palette for 2015 may be more practical:

You could even be bold and mix the two palettes up a bit, depending on what you have in your stash!

You will need a minimum of three colours to make the design work (as well as small bits of contrasting colours for the owl's beak and feet, white and navy or black for the eyes).    There is no limit to the maximum amount of colours used - go wild!!

I am looking so forward to having you join me for this CAL on Friday!!!!!!!

Jumbo Owl Cushion

I have been finishing up the very last little bits of yarn from my mom's stash by making preemie blankets to donate.    

Having used up all the "nice" yarn, a heap of scrap yarn in a really yucky selection of colours was left over.     A good deal of this yarn is what was known waaaaaay back as "HUNKY" - a 24ply yarn!!   (In today's terms it is known as JUMBO yarn). 

I added extra strands to the thinner yarn to make everything 24ply.    My original idea was to make a blanket with a mix of stripes and squares - I thought I would work an owl square surrounded by a few granny squares, but it turned out HUGE!!

I had already worked a fair amount of the stripes and was not in the mood to frog them!    I was undecided whether to proceed with the blanket or to just make two owl cushions.    Most people liked the cushion idea.  

This was such a "silly" project that turned out to be such FUN!      I added some "eyelash" yarn for the "feathers", and two over the top ruffle flowers and leaves to fill in the open space at the bottom of the cushion.

For the back of the cushion I overlapped two rectangular stripe pieces and then did a buttonhole row to fasten the cushion.

The back and front are joined by a round of single crochet and then finished off with a block stitch edging.

Only one of the cushions is complete, the other is about halfway.      For the second a different colour selection will have to be used.

I am actually thinking of hosting a little CAL, breaking it up into manageable portions over a period of weeks (say over the 5 Fridays in October??).      Is it too late in the year???    How many people would join in??

Please leave me a comment so that I can decide whether to proceed now - or leave it until the new year!

Another Owl Cushion

In the process of sorting and tidying out my EMPTY NEST I have been doing some major stashbusting. 

There were a  few bits and pieces of Raeesah Cotton Soft DK;  Strawberries & Cream (a recycled cotton / acrylic blend) and Coffee Cotton (a panfibre / cotton / coffee extract blend) in one of my baskets - not enough to make anything "big" but just enough to make a cushion!!!!

I had to plan out the colours carefully so that I would only use up the scraps!     

I mixed and matched the buttons for the back too so that I could start clearing out my odd button stash!

If you would like to make one of your own the pattern can be found on RAVELRY

For the next 10 days only you will receive a 30% discount on this pattern if you use the following code:

POC0001

Inspiration from Abroad

Inspired by this photo my schoolfriend, Vivienne, took in Berlin Germany:

I made the "Viv the Owl" Cushion:

Just tidying up the pattern (which I actually wrote as I went!!!). - to be posted on my blog soon!!

Popcorn Owl Cushion

Last year I was asked by a South African Group to do an "OWL" project for a crochet along.

I totally forgot about it was in a bit of a pickle when I realized I had a week to come up with a project worthy of a crochet along!

I merged a few ideas that I had been playing around with and came up with a Popcorn Owl Cushion:  The pattern is for sale on RAVELRY!!

I adapted the back from a cushion I had made some time back

A few very kind crochet buddies helped me test out the pattern with lightening speed!!!

Due to the time difference I have not received all the photos yet!    I will do a follow up post with more photos!

In the meantime!     Thank you so much Lezelda Barocci Faul for your exceptional work, late night chats and endless stitch counting!!!!!

Popcorn Stitch Cushion

I was having way too much fun with the popcorn stitch to stop after I finished my POPCORN STITCH SQUARES BAG

Had to make a bright and cheerful cushion popcorn stitch cushion

There was quite a lot of orange, yellow, lime and light grey left over from the bag, but the dark grey was finished - decided to add a bit of blue!

For the back - a colourful square.



Four daisy squares to close the cushion, some odd buttons and a fun bobble fringe!

Crochet Cushions: Circles in Squares and Daisy Granny Motif

The Circles in Squares and Daisy Granny Motif Crochet Cushions which I started ages ago are finally finished!!

Things have been pretty quiet around here - the young adults were away doing their own thing for a few days and Mr Owl and I were experiencing a bit of empty nest syndrome!    

We went lunching and brunching and breakfasting.     Wandered around the shops for a bit - treating ourselves to a bit of this and that.    Bought some "holiday" clothes - happy bright colours in cool cottons (orange, lime, hot pink, turquoise).    Found a lovely bag to match my turquoise sandals - quite chuffed about that - bought the sandals last season and have not been able to find a bag to match until now! 

Did a spot of gardening - totally in love with my garden - it just amazes me how everything just explodes with colour during October - and the fragrance is just too wonderful to describe - jasmine, lavender, yesterday-today-and-tomorrow, and of course the Roses!!     (We had a bit of rain yesterday - very welcome - but we could do with a few days of soaking showers).

Got my hair done and went for a pedi.   Spent a good amount of time lazing about in the bookstore.     And, of course......... started a few new projects



I used the same pastels / brights in both of these projects.      I love the surprising effect - a single row of pastel / bright double crochet against the dark grey and black really makes the colour pop

The young people are all home again - so the house is once again full and lively!!!   Really enjoying holding on to them for his last little stretch before they spread their wings and fly the nest.... (hopefully not too soon)!!

Off to make a last cuppa and then I am calling it a day!

Good night all!