Cherry Heart Blog

Lately...

2025-03-14T12:52:00.004+00:00

Just popping here with a little reminder that I'm now writing regularly on again on Substack! If you'd like to catch up with me there, that would be great, I'll look forward to seeing you there.

Here's a glimpse of what I've been up to recently...

(Click to read!)

You can also sign up below to receive future posts direct to your inbox:

Can't see this box? Visit my Substack page and sign up there.

~ ♥♥♥ ~

Using Substack

2025-02-11T19:37:00.008+00:00

How do I read these posts of yours then?

When I announced I was moving my blogging endeavours to Substack I got a few different reactions. Some of you were already using Substack and kindly expressed pleasure at seeing me here and welcomed me to the platform. Some of you came along to check it out and join up (bless you all) and some of you were understandably confused about what the heck this Substack thing even was.

Well if you are one of those in the dark, I’m going to attempt to shed a little light based on what I know, so far…

When I first stumbled across Substack it was described as ‘Wordpress meets Mail chimp’ and that’s what intrigued me. I wanted to get back into writing blog posts again, but Blogger was no longer sending out posts by email making it hard for anyone to receive my efforts. It’s also incredibly difficult to comment on Blogger these days, so I would have no real way of knowing if anyone was out there at all. I had effectively been cut off from those of you I had formed connections with and any real way of making new ones.

So Substack is a way for me to hopefully re-connect.

So how does it work?

Substack allows me to have a ‘publication’, basically a place on the web that people can visit, like a blog, where you can read my ‘newsletters’ (like blog posts). My ‘publication’ is also called Cherry Heart and I write these Cherry Heart newsletters using my ‘profile’ called Sandra Paul.

If you choose to ‘subscribe’, you will join my subscriber list and Substack will send my newsletters (posts) to you via email. Just like the hey day of Blogging.

If you would like to write a comment1, Substack will also ask you to create a ‘profile’ with a few basic details, just as we often created a profile in Blogger or Wordpress to streamline commenting on various blogs back then too. It means I get to recognise people who comment and builds those connections I want, plus it’s a crucial step in helping to avoid the avalanche of spam that is such a problem on Blogger.

Personally I love it because it’s the closest thing I’ve found to that old blogging community. A place where you can curate a lovely list of newsletters you enjoy reading, you can easily comment on their posts and share things you’ve enjoyed.

So that’s the basics. What else do you need to know?

Under the bonnet

This is all lovely, but of course Substack don’t do this purely out of the kindness of their heart, because that’s not how business works. There is more to it, of course.

Writers on Substack also have the choice to invite people to become paid subscribers. Then they can choose how much of their work is available for free and how much they would like to share just with the supporters who pay them. Substack then takes a percentage of this subscription fee.

Not everyone who has a publication on Substack chooses to use paid subscriptions, but some do. You don’t have to pay for subscriptions if you don’t want to. You can choose to only subscribe to free publications, or to free newsletters from publications that create a mix of free and paid content. Or you may find publications you want to pay for.

Again, this is great for me as I do not currently intend to charge for my writing, but I do not wish to pay to be able to do it either, as I would need to with many existing blogging platforms. This model allows Substack to let me do what I’m doing here and share it with you for free. (So far! 🤞)

There’s an app for that…

Of course, there is a Substack app.2 I don’t know if you ever had a blog reader, or RSS aggregator (like Feedly, Bloglovin’ etc) for reading blogs, but this is a similar way of accessing and reading all the newsletters ('posts' in the app) from Substack publications that you subscribe to. There is an ‘inbox’ where any new newsletters will collect up and you can easily comment on them from there too.

I’m not a big fan of cluttering up my phone with endless apps, but I do have this one. I don’t use email on my phone, so I generally prefer to use the app to read new posts. It’s nice to catch up on a Sunday morning over coffee.

The headlines so far…

I hope this has all made sense so far and has been a good starting point if you wanted to give reading on Substack a whirl. Here’s a summery of the options for reading my posts on Substack…

You can visit my publication and read my existing newsletters/posts there at any time without the need to sign up to anything, but you’ll need to check back periodically to see if there is anything new.
Or, you can choose to visit once to subscribe and then get all my new newsletters/posts delivered directly to your email address.
Or you could even, subscribe and download the app and read all my new newsletters/posts and comment directly from there.

If you want to know more about using the app, keep reading. Otherwise you might want to cut to ‘finding your people on Substack’…

More about the app…

From what I can glean from my time there, it seems that Substack has undergone quite a few changes in recent years and seems to be set to continue to do so. A big example of this seems to be the addition of Substack’s attempt at social media, which is found in the app.

It seems to consist of the ability to merely ‘follow’ someone (a profile), and something called ‘notes’.

These ‘notes’ are found on the ‘home’ tab and are much more like social media posts. They are usually shorter pieces of text, pictures or where people share quotes from newsletters/posts they have read, or share (re-stack) links to entire newsletters they have enjoyed. It can be a good way to find new newsletters to read and for people to spread word about your publication.

This ‘home’ tab is much more akin to a ‘discover’ style tab. There are sections along the top where you can refine what is shown to you. ‘home’ shows you notes that Substack thinks you might like, ‘following’ only notes from those people you choose to ‘follow’ (more on this in a moment) and there are also sections for ‘culture’ ‘sport’, ‘politics’ and so on. Like anything of this nature you can come across all sorts of things here, some that appeal, some that decidedly do not.

I found it useful in the beginning when I was looking for interesting things to read, but as you also inevitably end up seeing things you'd rather not see, and by this time I've curated a good list of subscriptions I enjoy, so I have less use for it. Sometimes I do still dip into the notes from people I follow, as I am more likely to find things of mutual interest there.

The good news is, this area is easy to avoid if it doesn't appeal to you. You can adjust the app settings so it will always open on the 'inbox' tab, and then just avoid the 'home/notes' tab.

Back to following…

As I mentioned, in the app you are given the option to ‘follow’ a profile. This is different from ‘subscribing’ to their publication.

When you subscribe to someone (or to a publication) you are agreeing to receive their newsletter/posts by email (or in the app). But you will also automatically become a follower, which means you will see their ‘notes’ in your ‘home/following’ tab as well.

When you follow someone you will only see their notes, but you don’t automatically become a subscriber so you won’t receive their newsletter/posts by email.3

I suppose following is intended to be a more casual ‘getting to know you’ type of relationship, if you later decide you like the cut of their jib, you can then commit to subscribing.

I’m sorry if I’m labouring this point, but I found it confused the heck out of me when I first was trying to get my head around the place, so thought maybe it was worth making clear!

Now, that's done, let’s find you something else to read...

Using the Substack app

My Sandra Paul 'profile' page and Cherry Heart 'publication' page - in the app

Finding the 'profile' page and 'home' tabs on a browser

Finding your people on Substack

One of the tricky things when you join one of these types of platforms can be finding things you are interested in, ‘your people’ as they say. Something I’ve enjoyed about Substack so far is how straight forward I found this to do. It’s also much easier from the app, but it’s not impossible without it. Here’s some things to try:

If you are on the app, venture into the ‘home’ tab and have a look around (It’s here if you are on a browser). It can be a bit hit & miss but use the search function to look for some key terms and you should find at least a couple of things to get you on the right track. I also browsed the ‘art’ & ‘culture’ tabs, which were about the closest categories to craft and creativity that I could find.
Have a look at the publications or ‘reads’ on other people’s profiles. Check out mine if you like. If you’ve found someone you have something in common with, they might read things you may be interested in too.
When you do decide to subscribe to a publication you will often be given a list of recommendations of other potential publications to subscribe to or people to follow. This is useful as the list created by whoever runs the publication, not by an algorithm. Have a look at the summaries for each one and see if any appeal to you. (Untick any that don’t.)
Once you have subscribed to a few publications, looked at their recommendations and ‘reads’ you could start checking out their notes in the home/following tab. People often re-stack (share) thing they have read and liked and you can often find at least an interesting read, and maybe a new subscription that way.
As you are highly likely to be looking for crafty type content of the sort I enjoy, I can also recommend visiting Kathryn Vercillo's publication and having a good root around in her Threadstack Directory. She's compiling a list of creative newsletters covering knit/crochet/sewing/embroidery/spinning and similar topics. Talk about the perfect starting point!

Well I do hope that has been useful! I’ll open the comments for this post for a little while, in case you do have any questions and I’ll answer below. Remember you’ll need to check back here to see my replies though.

S x

~ ♥♥♥ ~

Or when you subscribe.

You’ll need a profile to use this too.

Although to add to the confusion, they may decide to post a ‘note’ sharing their ‘newsletter’, which you could end up clicking on and reading anyway.

~ ♥♥♥ ~

Re-thinking my life... and some embroidery

2025-02-06T13:57:00.001+00:00

I am now writing on Substack!

If you wish to continue receiving my emails, please sign up below so you don't miss anything.

For now here's an excerpt from my latest post...

I’ve been trying to do a little less over the last week or so. Which might make more sense if you read my last post (linked below). I’m finding it quite nice but also slightly strange. It’s rather odd to be taking time to myself and especially at the moment, when I’m trying to discover what it is I really want to be doing.

The best laid plans...

If I was sure I wanted to continue on as I have been in the past, taking this break would be a lovely opportunity to give myself some space from the pressures of ‘creating content’ (vile expression), a break from social media and some time to dedicate to the joy of just making things. Progressing projects, starting something new...

~ Continue on Substack ~

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Can't see this box? Visit my Substack page and sign up there.

~ ♥♥♥ ~

First published on Substack - 5th February 2025

The best laid plans...

2025-01-29T12:28:00.002+00:00

I am now writing on Substack!

If you wish to continue receiving my emails, please sign up below so you don't miss anything.

For now here's an excerpt from my latest post...

So how has your year been so far? Mine got off to a lovely start. I’ve taken it slowly, gradually picking my way out of holiday mode and easing my way into the New Year. My birthday is early in the year so often allow myself a kind of ‘soft launch’ into the first month so I can enjoy the process and treat myself a little along the way.

I do usually get a little reflective toward the end of the year and I like to spend a little time thinking about what I’ve achieved (or not) in the year just gone by and my plans for the year ahead. Although I’ve never been one for resolutions, I do find goals and objectives quite motivating so in previous years I have often set out some things I would like to achieve or habits I want to instil.

This doesn’t always work of course, but as I enjoy this kind of thing, I find it often does work quite well for me. In recent years most of my ‘goals’ have become less targets to achieve and rather more 'vague directions of travel’ that I’d like to take, but nevertheless I find it can be useful to providing me with a little focus and something to aim for.

This year was no different and although I probably had my slowest and most gentle lead into it, once again I spent some time thinking about where I’d like to focus my efforts. The last couple of years I’ve been working on doing less rather taking on more, simplifying and attempting to reduce some of the more chaotic elements of my life.

~ Continue on Substack ~

Or, sign up below to receive future posts direct to your inbox:

Can't see this box? Visit my Substack page and sign up there.

~ ♥♥♥ ~

First published on Substack - 29th Jan 2025

A Rainbow of Magical Snowflakes

2025-01-15T12:03:00.001+00:00

I am now writing on Substack!

I will stop posting here soon, so if you wish to continue receiving my emails in your inbox,

please sign up to my Substack page so you don't miss anything.

For now here's an excerpt from my latest post...

One of the things I want to do here is keep a record of the things I make. That was always the ‘bread and butter’ of my posting content and since I stopped, I miss having that to look back upon. I also really miss the photos I used to take of the things I made. There are instagram posts of course, but it’s not the same and who’s to say when an IG account may get inexplicably shut down or hacked or otherwise meet some gloomy fate?

I chat about them on You Tube too, but as much as I try and index my podcasts, which does work quite well, a search for ‘Magical Snowflakes’ turns up a gratifying complete set of results. But watching through clips here and there across several videos to look up something specific isn’t easy, and is far more time consuming than just popping back to read a post.

No, it’s time to resume the practise of recording my makes and so we begin with my latest, my Magical Snowflakes Blanket, the rainbow version. I made this blanket (and the pattern) in 2023. The original featured a set of icy blue flakes (which you can see in the link above) and as much as I like that version, I also knew immediately that I wanted to make a rainbow version. I could just see the cascade of colours across the blanket and it’s the reason the blanket is called ‘magical’. A magical multicoloured range of snowflake shades.

I made this blanket in stages. The snowflakes were made around Christmas 2023 and then set aside. Partly due to our house move…

~ Continue reading on Substack ~

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Can't see this box? Visit my Substack page and sign up there.

~ ♥♥♥ ~

Starting Point

2025-01-06T11:50:00.001+00:00

I recently wrote a post (on my blog) about my missing blogging voice and how I think maybe it’s starting, tentatively, to return. At the same time, I’m not sure how I came to stumble upon it now, I found Substack. I admit I was confused to start, but after a little more exploration and probing, I started to wonder if this might be a place where I can revive my so long neglected blog voice. Or stacking voice, or whatever it might be thought of.

So that's what I'm going to do. I wrote my first post today and I thought I'd share it here too.

I hope you'll join me on Substack for future posts...

So what is my Substack about? I’m not 100% sure yet. So, why am I here? Because I’m interested and intrigued.

I initially thought that this would be a new place to continue my existing blog, Cherry Heart. I currently have a creaky old Blogger blog and although I loved it back in the blogging hey-day, things have changed a lot since then. I started a YouTube podcast and ended up saying a lot there instead. Social media took off and the audience fragmented. Leaving Blogger comments became harder, the community grew quieter. There was less to say and fewer people to say it to. My post writing voice and habits dwindled away.

But lately I’ve been feeling the urge to revive it. There is something about getting thoughts down on a page. Forcing them from their nebulous state floating around my head to coalesce into a defined structure of words and sentences on a screen is a process that I find incredibly useful. Well, that’s hardly a breakthrough realisation, but I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it, or felt satisfied by it and need it maybe?

I’ve also been thinking about moving my website to a different platform on and off for a long time now. But it always seems like such a gargantum task, especially for someone who doesn’t really have much knowledge of how the buts and bolts of websites work. Then I stumbled across Substack. Ah ha, I thought to myself, could this be an answer? Maybe I don’t move the whole website, but just the ‘blogging’ bit? A more modern place where connection might be easier again and a few mod-cons, like - actually telling people I’ve posted - would be possible. That seemed interesting.

While I mulled over the possibilities of Substack, I opened my blog and I wrote. Going back onto Blogger felt a little like going up into the attic. It’s old and dusty, it’s a bit rickety and precarious, I wasn’t really expecting to see anyone up there.

At first that made me a little sad. I could resume writing, but would anyone resume reading? Would anyone still be there? Would there be a point? Then something happened. Instead of feeling like it would be pointless to write if no-one was there to read any more, maybe that would be the reason to write now? Sounds strange I suppose. Is shouting into the void usually a motivator? But you see, I had been writing on the blog for a long time and I only wrote about certain things. I used to write about things that I talked about elsewhere now. So what was I writing for now? Well… because I wanted. And if potentially no-one was reading it, I was writing just for me. So… I could please myself? Bingo!

Maybe this was the chance to do something new. Something genuinely different. Something I think I’ve been craving for a while.

Which brings us here. I came here hoping to revive something I had lost, to pick up where I left off, but maybe I don’t want that. Maybe now I want to follow up on that chance and make a fresh start.

I also wanted to revive that connection to others. It’s part of what made it fun. I met some great people back then. So maybe this is a place where I can do that too.

I guess I’ll find out.

S x

♥

Happy 2025!

2025-01-02T15:07:00.004+00:00

Goodness, 2025!

I hope you are all well and enjoyed the festive season? Or, enjoyed a little rest or peace and quiet if you don't celebrate the festival itself? I had a lovely one in the end, despite a bit of a rocky road leading up to those slightly chaotic then deliciously chilled days.

I did vlogmas again this season but only managed five videos this time. Once my baby girl was back home from uni things got a little busier and Bertie boy (our dachshund) came down with some kind of bug (we think) and was in quite a bad way for a while which de-railed things a bit. Thankfully he started to rally by Christmas day so that was a relief. We also had some human sickness in the run up and I think we all had at least some sniffles over the season. But isn't it always the way?

Luckily though most of the trials and tribulations were more or less out of the way in time for the big day (which was just as well as we were catering this year) and it all seemed to go off very smoothly. Eerily so in fact, we kept wondering what we had forgotten! But in turns out everything was as it should be, we must have just been actually organised this year. Something of a first!

I often find myself looking forward to the post Christmas days more than the day itself these days. A symptom of having an older child now I guess. It's always nice to get to those quieter days of relaxation and coziness. Being as lazy as I can and eating left overs for dinner. I also generally feel myself getting a little reflective as the end of the year approaches and this one was no different. I start to look back at what has happened over the year. What has changed and what has been achieved, or not achieved.

Big Changes

This year we moved house, and as that happened at the very beginning of the year, I've been thinking about the fact our first year in this new place is nearly over. After living at our old place for so very long, it feels like a very big change and it's strange how quickly we've felt at home here. I think because we now have a little more space and we had craved that for so long, it now feels like we 'fit' here so well. It's less surprising how quickly the time has passed, as that always seems to race by these days. But it's good to know that we have already made some changes and started to make the place look the way we would like. A flurry of small changes early on to suit our immediate needs helped a lot, some visually inconsequential but necessary changes in the garden, then the renovation of Millie's bedroom and Gary's office makes it feel like we accomplished a good amount.

Going Places

As it was a 'big birthday' year for me, we had some fabulous holidays in 2024. Iceland in April was such a massive highlight. I've wanted to go there for a long time and we absolutely loved it. New England in summer was another trip on the wish list and that was special too. I never did get around to putting a video together for that one though. I also got to do some very exciting yarn related trips. Visiting Kelly and Nick at Lay Family Yarns and dyeing up my own yarn colour was just the best fun and I'm so grateful to them for letting me do that. Then there was my first yarn festival visit since pre-covid days! I went with my yarn bestie, Sam (Betsy Makes) to Unravel in Autumn and it was so nice to spend a day with her pouring over gorgeous yarns!

Keeping Track

Then there are the crafty endeavours. Maybe it's a little strange but I've always kept track of how many yards I've knitting or crocheted in a year and this year is no different. I managed a (for me) quite modest 19, 815 yards. My best year ever was apparently 2017 when I used a whopping 36,991 yards, I can only assume that must have been a big blanket making year! Apparently I also only managed a total of 10 yarny projects this year, which is lower than my usual, but it seems I did more sewing this year instead, which is good as sewing more was one of my aims for 2024!

The other thing I like to do is keep track of my yarn stash. I've always been one of those types that like to keep everything catalogued on ravelry and I also like to compare how much yarn I use up each year compared to how much I buy! This started many years ago now after my stash started growing too quickly and I feel like I've been redressing the balance ever since. My goal for the last ten years or more has been to use up more than I buy and despite succeeding to do just that for more years than not, I still have a serious stash surplus!

This year I did quite well until I went to the yarn show, where (predictably) I fell off the wagon somewhat. I still managed to come out ahead of the game though and despite increasing my stash by a substantial 4,195 grams, I managed to use up a whopping 6,636 grams! A good positive outcome in my book, but to be honest, I could do with whittling my reserves down quite a bit more so maybe I should be a little more ambitious in my goals for 2025 and plan on using up twice the amount I bring in? If I managed that a little more regularly then I might start to get somewhere!

Thinking Ahead

I've been doing a little bit of bullet journalling again and started making a few plans and goals, or vague notions of directions of travel at least, for 2025. I don't always do the things I set out too but I like having a few guiding principles in place for the year. More on that next time!

My best of 2024

(According to Instagram)

S x

♥

Making my heart happy

2024-11-28T16:53:00.007+00:00

I've been talking about this blanket on my podcast lately, (here and here if it's of interest) and how it's making my crochet heart happier than it's been in a long time. It doesn't have to be granny squares, although the rhythmic simplicity of them does really hit the spot with me, but something about creating stacks of crocheted squares and seeing them pile up on one side, a basket full of colourful yarn balls sitting the other. Oh how it just makes my little heart all warm and content.

As you'll know if you've seen the podcast, I'm calling this one the 'Sitting by the Fire' blanket. Because that's the image I had in my head as I was thinking of the colours I wanted to use. Warm colours that said 'curl up and snuggle right here, all cozy by this toasty fire and maybe with a little hot chocolate to drink too'. A literal and metaphorical warm hug of a blanket is what I'm aiming for.

As much as I do chatter way on the podcast and show my progress, it can be hard to cover everything without making an epic feature of the thing and I've been getting a few questions about the yarn, the process I'm using, how I am placing the colours and so on, which I thought it might be useful to cover here.

Let's get into the detail...

(Summary at the end if you want to cut to the chase!)

Yarn & Hook

It would be impossible to pin down exact details here as I have such a vast and wide ranging amount of different yarns in this blanket. Yarn from a multitude of different yarn dyers and vendors, collected up in whole skeins, minis and swaps from over many years.* In fact I have raided my stash in a very literal sense and have scoured through it all to find the most suitably warm and snuggly colours that I could contribute to the cause. I have a (possibly embarrassingly) large amount of 4ply/fingering weight yarn, more than I really have space for, so I am using that for the most part.

Because I've had my fill of 4ply blankets for the time being and I didn't want to be making this blanket for the rest of my life, I am holding the yarn double (ie: 2 strands together) when crocheting. Using it this way equates nicely to working with a DK weight and so I have also found a few balls of DK in the right colours and work and I have added those to the mix.

* Having said that, I am quite a conscientious Ravelry Stash user, so I've had a reasonable stab at noting many (but not all) that I am using here.

As using the yarn in this way is like using a DK weight yarn, I'm using the standard hook size for DK, 4mm, or a G hook if you are stateside.

Size & Yardage

I'm actually basing the idea of this blanket on one I made several years ago, which I still love, but wanted to re-make in warmer tones. So I'm sticking to the three round granny squares of the original, but I want it to be a little larger. My plan is for it to be 30 squares wide by 30 squares long and so I'm aiming for 900 squares. A bit of a daunting task but I'm trying not to focus on that part! My squares are coming out at about 7cm (2.5") so the final blanket should be somewhere in the region of 2m (82") square.

It's always hard to know how many yards you'll need to finish a huge blanket, especially when you don't know the final plan when you begin. As I'm not sure on the border yet, I'll just think about the squares for now and worry about the rest later. To begin, I made up about 60 squares, with all three rounds completed, and weighed those. From that I worked out how many grams I was using per square and therefore roughly how many grams I'll need for 900 squares. The answer is a lot!

Process

Now I've collected up all my colours I'm happily working on my crochet production line. I've divided the amount of yarn I need loosely into two halves. The first group of colours are the more saturated tones and they will make the first two rounds of my squares. The second group are the paler, more neutrals tones and those will be used for the third (joining) round.

First I'm making a one round granny out of each of my more saturated tones. I let them all pile up in a little basket until I've worked through every colour. Once that's done, I sit and weave in all the ends. The next step is to match all these little centres up with another saturated colour, this will be the second round colour. I tip all my yarn out on the floor and then allocate a centre to each one. I'm not being too precious about this, not thinking about the match up too much, just avoiding combos which I really don't like.

Once that's done, I collect them carefully all up and work on adding all the second rounds. This is where make all the lovely little towers of squares that please me greatly. Again, I leave the ends for now and just work them in when all the second rounds are added.

That's it for now. Apart from the first 60 or so squares that I made and joined together at the beginning, where I worked all three rounds, I'll make up all the other squares I need to the two round stage, using up all my saturated colours, until I have the amount I need. Then I'll work on the layout and joining.

Layout & Joining

The reason I'm working up just two round squares for now is so that I can distribute my colours in a way that I call 'organised random'. It'll probably be a term familiar to you if you've been here a while, but it's my favourite way to distribute colours in a natural looking way. I don't generally love following a specific system for a layout as it ends up in a more regimented scheme, or creates a distinct pattern, neither of which I would usually go for. But I also don't want to go completely random and have no thought to where colours end up at all. I wouldn't want similar colours too close to each other or to create eye jarring colour clashes. I like to achieve a layout where the colours and patterns are not ordered but are still evenly distributed and look natural and pleasing. Of course, it often takes quite a bit of time and effort to create this 'natural' look! ;)

With this vast number of colours though, I don't think it will be too difficult to create a fairly random look and I'm planning on being quite loose with how I place the squares. As I have do have a few stronger tone yarns I want to make sure their depth of colour is distributed nicely across the blanket though. I also have varying quantities of the different yarns and colours, so I want to make sure the yarns I have more of don't dominate and yarns I have less of are well spaced. This will be much easier if I wait to the end.

Once I have all my two round grannies complete, I can work on the third round with the neutral tomes, joining as I go. I have a mix of these paler colours too so I'll have to be careful to try and distribute these evenly as work on joining. I'll also be throwing in a few squares that have a slightly darker third round, to keep things interesting.

Summery

Yarn | A mix of hand dyed and commercial yarns in 4ply/fingering weight held double.

Hook | 4mm (G)

Quantity | 900 granny squares in a 30 x 30 square shape

Size | 2m (82") square

Pattern | Three round granny squares, here's how I make mine:

My granny square pattern | How I change colours

Joining | Using Join As you Go - Photo tutorial

Well I think that's everything, but if you do have any questions, please do just ask below!

S x

♥

Cherry Roll Needle Case, Definitely!

2024-11-17T12:26:00.018+00:00

This time I'm definitely talking about my Cherry Roll Needle Case!

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my last post! Such a pleasant surprise nice to know there are still people here and as kind as ever too. It was so nice to read your comments, thank you very much for taking the time to leave them! Well it seems that I have at least made it back again today, so on with my intended post from last time…

I've always liked to make cases for my knitting needles and especially my interchangeable sets. Yes, they usually do come in some sort of case to keep everything together but I so often find these to be ugly, cumbersome or awkward to use and sometimes all three! Also they tend to be pretty bulky and made from cheap or unpleasant materials. Not something that is particularly joyful to use or generally enhances the making experience in any way.

Hence my desire to change all that and make something that I do enjoy. Something much nicer to look at, easier to use and quite frankly and lot smaller and easier to pop in a project bag and have handy at all times.

Where my previous needle cases have fallen down is but not having adequate or effective space to store all the necessary accruements one needs for interchangeables. Yes I could tuck my needle ends in beautifully but where would the cables and those multitude of end circles go? And where, oh where did I put that blooming cable to needle tightening key thingymajig!?

I've made the odd case with a pocket, but of course the smaller bits and pieces can sneak out of those, so I was looking for something of an upgrade. Something that would solve all of these problems and make the perfect interchangeable needle case, and I think I've found it!

I made a couple of prototypes before the summer holidays, but I needed to hone the process before I could release the pattern. Well, I'm glad to say I've done that now and I have written up all the details so that I can share the pattern today. Yay!

So this new case that I've come up with has plenty of space for the needles (of course) but I've also added an extra pouch area where all the cable and end caps can live quite happily out of the way until you need them. They'll be safe too as the pouch has a nice little flap closure to keep everything in place. To fix my other bugbear regarding the little cable key, that has a space of it's own. A little ribbon nestles inside the case with the cable key attached. Right there when you need it without having to root about through pockets and crevices - so much better! Honestly, this is my favourite feature. I've been using these cases while knitting for a few months now and I'm still finding it a wonderful and pleasing novelty to have it to hand in an instant!

I've taken my time with the pattern, as usual, to make sure I add lots of clear information and plenty of diagrams to guide you through step by step. I'm also putting in a template to show how to divide the sections up to fit the different needle tip sizes to make things as easy as possible. I've also included a variation for the slightly smaller needle sets that only have 10 tips instead of 12. In that version you also get a little pocket space. I keep my needle gauge and scissors in mine, so that's very handy too.

Looking online it seems that those two template versions should cover most of the needle sets that are on the market at the moment, but as there are so very many variations this days, it won't cover them all. Depending on your particular needle sizes you might need to customise it slightly, but I added the measurements for the different sizes on the templates too. So if you do need to make changes you've got that information too - I like to keep you covered! ;)

Well that's enough rambling on. I'll pop the pattern link below in case you are interested in making your own. I think it makes such a good little knitting companion and would be a fab gift too!

Cherry Roll Needle Case

S x

♥

Cherry Roll Needle Case... or is it?

2024-11-15T12:25:00.005+00:00

Hello there! It's been a while hasn't it? Well, more than a while, almost a year in fact!

Something about writing a blog post has been calling to me lately. Nothing stays still, and since my more prolific blogging days my attention has been captured by first Instagram and then You Tube. My 'blogging' voice has turned into my 'podcast' voice. It's also where I now find that connection with other creatives that I once found here.

Instagram was always an 'also ran' for me. Never a replacement for blogging, but an accompaniment to go along side. Admittedly the app's design worked on me as intended and I did end up spending more and more time thinking about how to please it but it didn't change my thinking like podcasting did.

I started watching podcasts on YouTube so long ago now I can't remember, but it hit me the same way blogging did. I discovered it and soon after, I wondered if it was something I could do. So I tried it and people watched it and so I kept doing it.

I actually got quite into making videos. I started creating tutorials, because more and more people requested video over photo tutorials. I have never mastered 'vlogging', it's far too off the cuff for me, but I did discover 'vlogmas' which serious tempted me into trying my hand. I also found 'silent vlogs' which really hit a cord. A kind of curated vlog, this seemed more blogging. It gave time to consider and collate, much more comfortable for me. So I tried my own kind of vlogmas, a curated, considered version, at a slower tempo, which I could manage. From there grew 'quiet moments' my silent vlogs, my favourite kind of video to make. Time to enjoy some slow and relaxing crafting and share it in a soothing and peaceful way.

At the same time, whatever buzz or gratification I got from Instagram has been declining for a long time. When something is enjoyable you want to be a part of it, you want to share and connect. There is very little of that left on Instagram now. I've been saying for years that Facebook was ruining it, that they were turning Insta into FB, a place I never enjoyed. I could never understand why they wanted to create another FB when the reason they took over Insta is because FB was starting to fail. Young people don't use FB. If the trend continues, it will wither away. Why copy a failing model?

But despite all this, there was still obviously enough to keep me hooked. I got enough from it that I kept going back. But this year I've noticed a real change and I'm just not drawn to it as I was. It's falling off my radar as a place to share and where I had got into the habit of posting there regularly, I'm now beginning to forget to create anything for it. I still post quite often and I do still find things I actively want to share, but I notice the balance has shifted and it is becoming more something I am deliberately trying to keep up, rather than something I naturally want to do. It's becoming more obligation than enjoyment. I can't help feel that is the beginning of the end.

I've been pondering these two things lately. This evolution of creativity and sharing, the places I find connection and enjoyment. Also the fact that the part I enjoy most about video is the part that feels most like blogging. I guess that's what has brought me back here today. I've had a few attempts at trying to revive my blog and I think ultimately you can't go back and you can't re-capture something which has gone. Like many things in life, there are great parts but they don't last forever so the only thing to be done is to enjoy them while they last.

So I can't revive what I had here before, but I guess I've been wondering if I can find something new here? I seriously wonder if I will have any time to share anything at all here. After all, keeping up with videos, instagram and blogging has proved too much in the past. It's the main reason this blog has laid unused for a year and barely used before that. As much as my Instagram habits are experiencing a material shift, I do still use it and I don't think I'm ready to give it up just yet.

All this is of course before we even consider the fact I'm also trying to earn a living and how much all or any of these various activities do to contribute to that endeavour. I can think about what I want to be doing but I should also be thinking about where I need to be spending my time. But let's not get started on that complex minefield!

So why am I telling you all this? I don't know. Maybe because I don't think anyone is still here? Maybe there is no one to listen so it doesn't matter what I do. Maybe I just wanted to get it all out of my head.

This was supposed to be a post about my new interchangeable knitting needle case. That doesn't seem to have happened. Maybe next time?

S x

♥

A flurry of Magical Snowflakes

2023-11-28T10:59:00.004+00:00

As much as I love Christmas, it does feel like it's coming early this year. Some homes already had their lights up in mid November, the films came to TV weeks ago and Instagram has been awash with trees since the day after Hallowe'en. Maybe we are all just looking forward to it that bit more this year, maybe we just want this year over and done with, who knows?

Anyway, as the end of November is fast approaching, I feel like the time is right for some moves in the festive direction. I'll be saving all my Christmas fun for December, but it doesn't hurt to be a little prepared. I've started to think about what I'd like to be making during this season and one of the things I'd like to return to, is this blanket design that I started working on last year.

I've been wanting to make a Christmas blanket for a while now and after playing around with ideas, I came up with these snowflakes that I really loved and wondered if I could turn into a wintery blanket design. It took me a while to figure out the best way to turn them into motifs that I could join for a blanket, but my goodness, when it clicked, I was so happy with the results!

I have to say, this is one of my more complex designs, I'm certainly putting it down as an 'advanced' make as the instructions are quite intricate in places. As always I try to put as much help and extra detail as I can into my patterns, but even I like to stop short of turning it into a 300 page saga! So it's not one for the inexperienced, but I have added photos for special stitches, the trickier parts, and of course everything is charted too.

I really enjoyed choosing lots of my blue advent minis for a wintery frosted look for this blanket last year and that's the version you can see here. But this year I'm also really looking forward to working up a rainbow mix of colours for my snowflakes, something I think, that might be rather magical!

The pattern is out now on Ravelry and Love Crafts, you can find the links on the pattern page below. I do hope that you might like it too and do enjoy working up some magic this Christmas with it!

Magical Snowflakes Blanket

❅ ❄︎ ❆ ❄︎ ❅

Magical Snowflakes Blanket

❅ ❄︎ ❆ ❄︎ ❅

S x

♥

Rosie Posie Blankie

2023-10-31T11:11:00.002+00:00

I thought a finished blanket deserved a blog post and so here we are... This blanket actually had it's origins back in the Spring when I looked out of my kitchen window and saw the blossoms and leaves appearing and making a lovely blend of colours. It was a combo I knew I wanted to use, although I had no idea what for.

I found some yarn to match the fresh looking mix of colours I saw and decided that the four colours would work well in my Rosie Posie Squares, a little granny square style design I came up with a million or so years ago. (Linked below) I made a few motifs up with no particular idea of what to do with them and I liked how they looked. I remember sitting outside in the warm spring sunshine working on these and enjoyed it so much I just kind of kept going, changing the order of the colours each time and working up square after square.

In the end I decided to work out all the possible colour combinations I could get with these four colours and set about making them all. I figured that if I worked two squares in each of the versions I would probably have enough for a small, baby sized blanket and that would be a nice kind of size to work on.

So it became a 'just because' blanket. Not one I needed, but a thing to make for the fun of making. IT's soothing working off these layers of rounds and then turning then into squares. As usual while making a blanket, I pondered the matter of the border. Every blanket needs some kind of border I think and as I work on my blankets I ponder on ideas of what might work for this particular one. Which style will suit it best? Wide or narrow? Lacy or plain? One colour or many?

For this one I decided something a bit more playful would be good so I decided to try out a pom pom style border. I've seen quite a few of these style borders and wanted to try it out somewhere so this seemed like a good opportunity. I knew it should be the boldest pink that I used though. Sometimes these things just seem to speak to you as you work on them and this one was saying 'bright pink' please! So that's what I did.

I've been chatting away about this blanket on my podcasts lately and after thinking it would be good to update the Rosie Posie photo tutorial to a video version, the general consensus seemed to be that adding one for the border would be appreciated too. So I've made a video for that too.

I made this blanket on a whim really and just from yarn I mostly already had in stash, so I haven't really kept track of all the details of yardage and amounts and so on. But I have got all the colour information and I did also weigh the blanket and so I can give you a rough idea of how much I used to make mine here. Hopefully that'll give you a starting point but obviously it really depends on what yarn you use and how big you want to go! I'll put all the details I have below anyway.

Pattern | I reused my Rosie Posie Square tutorial for the squares and added a pom pom border to finish.

Tutorial Links | See my new Rosie Posie Page

Hook | 3.5mm

Yarn | Scheepjes Stone Washed

Colours | Lemon Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rose Quartz, Moonstone

Yardage (A rough guide)

Square - 18 yds

Blanket (6 x 8 squares) - 300g / 852 yds

Border - 98g / 278 yds

Whole Project - 398g / 1130 yds

All amounts are approximate!

Size

Squares - 9cm / 3.5"

Blanket before Border (6 x 8 squares) - 52 x 70cm / 20.5 x 27.5"

Blanket, border & pom poms - 63 x 80cm / 24.75" x 31.5"

S x

♥

Podcast 137 | Liberty Baubles

2023-10-16T11:32:00.002+01:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Show Notes

: : M A D E : :

Liberty Baubles

Pattern | My Rosie Posie Photo Tutorial & Pattern

Tutorials | Square - Rosie Posie Square Video | Border - Coming Soon!

Yarn | Scheepjes Stonewashed

Colours | Lemon Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rose Quartz, Moonstone

Yoga Mat Cover

Fabric | Alice Caroline - Blossoms Exclusives Liberty Collection

Pattern | None - just from my head!

: :

: : M A K I N G : :

Leaves and Lace Blanket

Pattern | Leaves and Lace by Haafner Linssen

Yarn | Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton

Colours | Magenta (3703), Orchid (3710), China Pink (3711), Primrose (3712), Yellow Rose (3743), Coral (3752), White Peach (3753), Zen Green (3757), Soft Sage (3758), Celery (3760), Juniper (3761), Sunshine (3764), Deep Coral (3767), Coca (3768), Paprika (3771), Colonial Blue (3794), Dark Sea Foam (3797)

Joining Colour | Buff (3719)

Hexie Flower Crochet Quilt

Pattern | Solid Hexagon Photo Tutorial (I'm making 2 rounds only)

Joining | Modular join (Based on the idea I came up with for my Battenberg Blanket - Tutorial here)

Yarn | A Mix of 4ply and fingering weight leftovers and minis

Snowflake Cardigan

Pattern | (Based on) Gilet Jaquard by Phildar from Tricot Creatif No837

Also using Enchant by Martin Story

Inspo Videos | Gertie - Get Ready with Me Christmas Edition

& Ami/Tailoress Studio Video - Vlogmas 2022, 2

Yarn | Cascade 220 Super Wash

Colours | Strawberry Pink & Aran

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

Sweetly Dreaming Blanket

(Re-creating a blanket from Country Living Magazine)

Pattern | In progress alongside blanket making!

Yarn | Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo and Cotton in Chalk

Rosie Posie Squares - Not shown this time

Pattern | My Rosie Posie Square Photo Tutorial & Pattern

Tutorials | Square - Rosie Posie Square Video | Border - Coming Soon!

Yarn | Scheepjes Stonewashed

Colours | Lemon Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rose Quartz, Moonstone

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

N/a

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G : :

N/a

: :

: : C R A F T R O O M T O U R : :

I've recorded a new craft room tour video, where I take you around my 'Little House' and show you all my crafting bits and bobs, how I organise my stash (or not) and answer your questions...

Craft Room Tour

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Podcast 136 | Rosie Posie Blanket

2023-09-08T09:25:00.002+01:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Show Notes

: : M A D E : :

Rosie Posie Squares

Pattern | My Rosie Posie Photo Tutorial & Pattern

Tutorial | Rosie Posie Square Video

Yarn | Scheepjes Stonewashed

Colours | Lemon Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rose Quartz, Moonstone

Bro-in Law's Italian T-Shirt

Pattern | None I'm afraid, I was just making it up as I went along!

Yarn | Drops Baby Merino in Olive and Cream

: :

: : M A K I N G : :

Leaves and Lace Blanket

Pattern | Leaves and Lace by Haafner Linssen

Yarn | Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton

Joining Colour | Buff (3719)

Hexie Flower Crochet Quilt - Not shown this time

Pattern | Solid Hexagon Photo Tutorial (I'm making 2 rounds only)

Yarn | A Mix of 4ply and fingering weight leftovers and minis

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

Sweetly Dreaming Blanket

(Re-creating a blanket from Country Living Magazine)

Pattern | In progress alongside blanket making!

Yarn | Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo and Cotton in Chalk

Grace Cardigan

New pattern and video - In progress!

Yarn | Grace by Stylecraft Yarns (I used 5 balls of the main colour)

Colours | Petal, Hibiscus, Hip and Oyster

Hook | 5mm Tulip Etimo

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

N/a

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G : :

Maybury Cardigan and Simplicity Skirt

See above

: :

: : C R A F T R O O M T O U R : :

I've recorded a new craft room tour video, where I take you around my 'Little House' and show you all my crafting bits and bobs, how I organise my stash (or not) and answer your questions...

Craft Room Tour

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Podcast 135 | Maybury Cardigan

2023-08-03T10:15:00.003+01:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Show Notes

: : M A D E : :

Maybury Test Knit

Pattern | Maybury Cardigan by Ami Lowden (Tailoress Studio)

Yarn | Elderflower Stitches in Pointe Shoes and Drops Kid Silk in Off White (01)

Gingham Skirt

Pattern | Simplicity S9180

Fabric | Gingham Linen from Merchant and Mills

Rosie Posie Squares

Pattern | My Rosie Posie Tutorial (video to follow!)

Yarn | Scheepjes Stonewashed

Colours | Lemon Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rose Quartz, Moonstone

Holly Fairy

Pattern | The Holly Fairy by Claire Cooper's A Year of Flower Fairies

(a supplement in Simple Crochet's issue 130)

Yarn | Rico Ricorumi & Cascade Pima Ultra Cotton

Colours | Ricorumi - Wood, Red, Ecru | Pima - Dark Zen Green, Deep Coral

: :

: : M A K I N G : :

Hexie Flower Crochet Quilt

Pattern | Solid Hexagon Photo Tutorial (I'm making 2 rounds only)

Yarn | A Mix of 4ply and fingering weight leftovers and minis

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

Sweetly Dreaming Blanket

(Re-creating a blanket from Country Living Magazine)

Pattern | In progress alongside blanket making!

Yarn | Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo and Cotton in White

Grace Cardigan

New pattern and video - In progress!

Yarn | Grace by Stylecraft Yarns (I used 5 balls of the main colour)

Colours | Petal, Hibiscus, Hip and Oyster

Hook | 5mm Tulip Etimo

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

N/a

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G : :

Maybury Cardigan and Simplicity Skirt

See above

: :

: : C R A F T R O O M T O U R : :

I've recorded a new craft room tour video, where I take you around my 'Little House' and show you all my crafting bits and bobs, how I organise my stash (or not) and answer your questions...

Craft Room Tour

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Podcast 134 | Vintage Waves & Rabbity Mitts

2023-05-12T08:49:00.004+01:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Show Notes

: : M A D E : :

Vintage Waves Sweater

Pattern | Vintage Waves Sweater by Clarisabeth Lopez Rodriguez (Crochet Cakes)

Yarn | The Wool Barn in Rose Garden, Easy Knits Fidget Dreams in Yummy, Coop Knits Socks Yeah! in Axinite and yarn gifted from Clarisabeth hand dyed with avocado stones.

Rabbit Muffatees

Pattern | Rabbity Mittens and Muffatess by Mona Zillah

Yarn | Knit Picks Palette in Finley Heather (26043) and Tea Rose (25997)

Needles | Hiya Hiya Flyers 2.5mm, I got a 6" and 8" to try

: :

: : M A K I N G : :

Maybury Test Knit

Pattern | Maybury Cardigan by Ami Lowden (Tailoress Studio)

Yarn | Elderflower Stitches in Pointe Shoes and Drops Kid Silk in Off White (01)

Rosie Posie Squares - Not Shown

Pattern | My Rosie Posie Tutorial

Yarn | Scheepjes Stonewashed

Colours | Lemon Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rose Quartz, Moonstone

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

Grace Cardigan

New pattern and video - In progress!

Yarn | Grace by Stylecraft Yarns (I used 5 balls of the main colour)

Colours | Petal, Hibiscus, Hip and Oyster

Hook | 5mm Tulip Etimo

Recent Patterns...

Daisy Puffs Blanket

OUT NOW

Daisy Puffs Blanket pattern page

Read my blog post about this blanket

All information, the video tutorials and the PDF download are now available!

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

Cozy Cottage Christmas

Felt Decoration Set by Pretty Fabrics and Trims

Knit Pro Chart Keeper

from Craft House Magic

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G : :

Vintage Waves Sweater

See above

: :

: : C R A F T R O O M T O U R : :

I've recorded a new craft room tour video, where I take you around my 'Little House' and show you all my crafting bits and bobs, how I organise my stash (or not) and answer your questions...

Craft Room Tour

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

My Heirloom Quilt

2023-05-09T10:33:00.003+01:00

I think it's safe to say, of all my creative endeavours so far, I think I would vote this one 'least likely to ever be made'! Not so much because it's a quilt, I have made quilts before, more because it's a hand stitched Liberty fabric quilt.

If you had asked me before this project came on the horizon, I would have said I couldn't afford a quilt made from Liberty fabrics. I also would have said I sure as heck don't have the patience to stitch an entire quilt by hand. In fact, even saying these words now I can't quite believe I managed it. But I did!

It's actually my sister's fault that this came about at all. She mentioned that she'd started a 'subscription quilt', which she explained was run by Alice Caroline and consisted of signing up to a 12 month project. Each month a payment was taken and each month a gorgeous box of goodies would arrive with everything needed to make a small portion of the quilt. Hey presto, at the end of the year you have a completed, stunning quilt! Well that's the theory at least.

It appealed to me for a few reasons. I had been hankering for a English Paper Piecing (EPP) project for a start and spreading the cost made it a much more affordable and attractive proposition. I also really liked the idea of breaking the quilt making down into more manageable chunks, especially as hand sewing was on the cards. She mentioned this to me in February and luckily there were a few spots left, so I signed up and got my first two boxes soon after.

It actually took me two years to make this quilt, rather than one, but I'm pleased with that. The first year was all about constructing the hexagon blocks each month and keeping up with that. There were times when I fell behind and then I would have a little blitz to catch up again. Of course that was just the individual blocks. After that they still had to be joined together, sandwiched, quilted and the whole thing bound - so that was the task for the second year.

Originally I thought the hand sewing would be limited to the blocks themselves, but let's blame my sister again, because it was she who mentioned she was thinking of hand quilting hers. My initial reaction was that she was crazy, but the seed had been planted and the idea grew. By the time the quilt top was made I'd convinced myself that after getting this far with hand sewing, it would be a shame to bring out the machine now!

So I took my first foray into hand quilting. Well, that's not strictly true, I have hand quilted quite a few smaller items before, but nothing on this scale and it was very daunting. Like any self-respecting crafter in the modern age, I immediately started searching You Tube for the best way to begin and after plucking up my courage, I started. I can't say I've done the best job in the world, but it's not too bad, and I did get better as I went along. I am very pleased I went for it though and I love being able to say I've hand stitched this entire thing from start to finish!

The only thing missing now is a quilt label. All my other quilts have one and this one deserves it just as much, if not more! So in this third year, that must be my task. Not only do I want to remember the date I made it, but of all my quilts, I want the whole world to know it was me who made this one. For this, if any, is surely my true heirloom piece!

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Podcast 133 | Grace Granny Cardigan

2023-04-30T10:20:00.007+01:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Show Notes

: : M A D E : :

Slouchy Socks

Pattern | Based on my Pick n Mix Socks

Yarn | Drops Flora in Light Grey - 03

Inspired by | Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet

Grace Granny Cardigan

Pattern | None, but it's based on those fold up granny hexagon patterns

(Like this one... https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hexagonal-hooded-cardigan-2)

Yarn | Grace by Stylecraft Yarns

Colours | Petal, Hibiscus, Hip and Oyster

Hook | 5mm Tulip Etimo

: :

: : M A K I N G : :

Rabbit Muffatees

Pattern | Rabbity Mittens and Muffatess by Mona Zillah

Yarn | Knit Picks Palette in Finley Heather (26043) and Tea Rose (25997)

Needles | Hiya Hiya Flyers 2.5mm, I got a 6" and 8" to try

Vintage Waves Sweater

Pattern | Vintage Waves Sweater by Clarisabeth Lopez Rodriguez (Crochet Cakes)

Yarn | The Wool Barn in Rose Garden, Easy Knits Fidget Dreams in Yummy, Coop Knits Socks Yeah! in Axinite and yarn gifted from Clarisabeth hand dyed with avocado stones.

Rosie Posie Squares

Pattern | My Rosie Posie Tutorial

Yarn | Scheepjes Stonewashed

Colours | Lemon Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rose Quartz, Moonstone

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

N/a

Recent Patterns...

Daisy Puffs Blanket

OUT NOW

Daisy Puffs Blanket pattern page

Read my blog post about this blanket

All information, the video tutorials and the PDF download are now available!

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

Loom Wool

March Mini Skein Set

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G : :

Grace Granny Cardigan

See above

: :

: : C R A F T R O O M T O U R : :

I've recorded a new craft room tour video, where I take you around my 'Little House' and show you all my crafting bits and bobs, how I organise my stash (or not) and answer your questions...

Craft Room Tour

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Podcast 132 | Betsy Makes Special

2023-04-14T11:10:00.004+01:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Today I'm joined but my lovely friend in yarn, Sam!

I know many of you will know Sam and fondly remember her Betsy Makes podcast.

You can now find Sam on the Betsy Makes blog and as @betsymakes on IG.

Show Notes

: : M Y M A K E S : :

Spring-A-Ling Felt Decorations

Pattern | From the 'Spring a Ling' Kit by Sarah Edgar of Pretty Fabrics and Trims

Fabric | Felt from the kit, embroidery thread I had in stash

Rabbit Muffatees

Pattern | Rabbity Mittens and Muffatess by Mona Zillah

Yarn | Knit Picks Palette in Finley Heather (26043) and Tea Rose (25997)

Needles | Hiya Hiya Flyers 2.5mm, I've got a 6" and 8" to try!

Vintage Waves Sweater

Pattern | Vintage Waves Sweater by Clarisabeth Lopez Rodriguez (Crochet Cakes)

Yarn | The Wool Barn in Rose Garden, Easy Knits Fidget Dreams in Yummy, Coop Knits Socks Yeah! in Axinite and yarn gifted from Clarisabeth hand dyed with avocado stones.

: :

: : S A M ' S M A K E S : :

Pinwheel Mitts

Pattern | Pinwheel Mitts by Ella Austin

Yarn | Isager Highland Wool in Sand and Denim

Alternating Cable Cast On

Tubular Bind Off

Sewn Dress

Pattern | Simplicity K9265 (View B)

Fabric | Double Gauze from Ray Stitch, London

Sewn Dress

Pattern | The Fruit Garden by Jane Crowfoot

Yarn | Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo and Cotton in 'Night and Dusk' colours

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

Daisy Puffs Blanket

OUT NOW

Daisy Puffs Blanket pattern page

Read my blog post about this blanket

All information, the video tutorials and the PDF download are now available!

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

N/a

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G : :

N/a

: :

: : C R A F T R O O M T O U R : :

I've recorded a new craft room tour video, where I take you around my 'Little House' and show you all my crafting bits and bobs, how I organise my stash (or not) and answer your questions...

Craft Room Tour

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Podcast 131 | Silver Forest Jumper

2023-03-31T10:58:00.003+01:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Show Notes

: : M A D E : :

Daisy Puffs Blanket

See below

Liberty Stars

For my year long Handmade Christmas Tree project

Pattern | None, but I saw something similar on Sew Sweet Violet's Vlogmas 2022

Fabric | Liberty Prints from Alice Caroline

Liberty Hot Water Bottle Cover

Pattern | Hexie Hot Water Bottle Cover by Sew Sweet Violet

Fabric | Liberty Prints from Alice Caroline

Silver Forest

Pattern | Silver Forest by Jennifer Steingass

Yarn | Drops Flora in 02, 03, 04 and 24

: :

: : M A K I N G : :

Fluffy Granny Cardigan

Pattern | None, but it's going to be based on those fold up granny hexagon patterns

(Like this one... https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hexagonal-hooded-cardigan-2)

Yarn | Grace by Stylecraft Yarns

Colours | Petal, Hibiscus, Hip and Oyster

Hook | 5mm Tulip Etimo

Slouchy Socks

Pattern | Based on my Pick n Mix Socks

Yarn | Drops Flora in Light Grey - 03

Inspired by | Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

Daisy Puffs Blanket

OUT NOW

Daisy Puffs Blanket pattern page

Read my blog post about this blanket

All information, the video tutorials and the PDF download are now available!

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

Knit Picks Palette

Brindle Heather, Opal Heather, Storm Blue, Coriander Heather,

Clarity, Tea Rose, Finnley Heather

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G : :

Silver Forest Jumper

See above

: :

: : C R A F T R O O M T O U R : :

I've recorded a new craft room tour video, where I take you around my 'Little House' and show you all my crafting bits and bobs, how I organise my stash (or not) and answer your questions...

Craft Room Tour

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Daisy Puffs Blanket

2023-03-22T10:37:00.005+00:00

The last time I managed to get a post written was when I was telling you about my Crochet Star Quilt, well once that was finally complete and both the blanket and the pattern had made it to completion I was ready to move to the next item on my list, this Daisy Puffs Blanket.

I started this one back in September of last year, but its origins go way further back than that. This is actually a reprise of the Daisy Puffagons that I made for a cushion cover way back in 2013, a mere ten years ago, yikes! Those were teeny tiny hexagons, and although I wanted something a little larger this time, that center puffy flower I thought would be just perfect.

So this blanket started to come about. I really have no idea why I made it, it has no purpose or reason. It's been made for the simple fact that I had an idea and wanted to try it out and really I suppose, for the sheer joy of doing it. Because I have really enjoyed making this blanket. I've enjoyed the colours and working with this yarn, I've enjoyed playing with lots of puffy flowers and piling up hexagons ready for joining. I've also enjoyed the border, the part I though I might find tricky, knowing that I wanted to avoid my usual go-to border strategy of all white. But no, even that came together easily and made me happy too!

Talking of the yarn, the choice I made here, for the most part at least, was Stylecraft Bambino and Belissima. Two different names for exactly the same yarn. (Bambino focusses on a more pastel palette, while Bambino includes the more saturated tones.) But whatever the name, the yarn is a soft and smooth, bouncy delight of a yarn. It's an acrylic but it feels like sooo much more. I actually find it most reminiscent of Cashmerino yarns and it's certainly a more budget friendly option! It's one of my first choices for blanket yarn these days and I find it a treat to work with.

The only fly in that ointment is that although the colours in the range are very pretty, there are a couple of gaps in the spectrum which meant I had to fill in with other brands. Something I try to avoid if possible these days, but sometimes only a certain shade will hit the spot and it seems that colour trumps all for me for I can accept no substitute. In this instance I topped up with a sunshine yellow and soft jade from the King Cole Cherish range and it makes a pretty good match from a fibre/texture/feel and use point of view too, so I was happy.

I have made a pattern for this blanket, and if you use it I really do hope it gives you as much pleasure as it's given me. I also joined this blanket using my 'modular join' method of joining as you go. I originally came up with it for the Battenberg Blanket, but I'm finding I can adapt it to use for all sorts of things. It might just be about my favourite method of joining now.

As usual you'll find lots of information in my pattern. All the written instructions of course, and you can choose to work from either the UK or the US abbreviations. I've also got charts for the entire pattern, all 3 motifs and the border. I already made a couple of video tutorials to show how to make the main hexagon motif and also to show how I'm joining these hexagons together. So I've popped those links in the pattern as well as a few photo tutorial links that I thought might be useful. In short, I've tried to make sure you have everything you need. I'll pop the link below for you, I hope you like it!

Daisy Puffs Blanket

by Sandra Paul

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Podcast 130 | Daisy Puffs Blanket

2023-03-20T10:15:00.003+00:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Show Notes

: : M A D E : :

Red December Bow

Pattern | December Bow by Petit Knit

Yarn | a bright red 20g mini from stash

Daisy Puffs Blanket

See below

: :

: : M A K I N G : :

Fluffy Granny Cardigan

Pattern | None, but it's going to be based on those fold up granny hexagon patterns

(Like this one... https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hexagonal-hooded-cardigan-2)

Yarn | Grace by Stylecraft Yarns

Colours | Petal, Hibiscus, Hip and Oyster

Hook | 5mm Tulip Etimo

Silver Forest - Not Shown this week

Pattern | Silver Forest by Jennifer Steingass

Yarn | Drops Flora in 02, 03, 04 and 24

Inspired by | Gayna of Tales from Cuckooland on You Tube

Liberty Hot Water Bottle Cover - Not shown this week

Pattern | Hexie Hot Water Bottle Cover by Sew Sweet Violet

Fabric | Liberty Prints from Alice Caroline

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

Daisy Puffs Blanket - Pattern Coming Soon!

Pattern & Tutorials | For more details so far, see Daisy Puffs Blanket pattern page

Yarn | Stylecraft Bambino & Belissima*

Colours | Clotted Cream, Soft Pink, Heather, Awesome Avocado, Denim Dungarees,

*Flaming Fuchsia & *Crystal Blue

Also added.... King Cole Cherished in Sunshine and King Cole Smooth in Sage

Hook | 4mm

Crochet Star Quilt

OUT NOW!

Crochet Star Quilt pattern page

All information, the video tutorials and the PDF download are now available!

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

N/a

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G / B E H I N D M E : :

N/a

: :

: : C R A F T R O O M T O U R : :

I've recorded a new craft room tour video, where I take you around my 'Little House' and show you all my crafting bits and bobs, how I organise my stash (or not) and answer your questions...

Craft Room Tour

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Podcast | 129

2023-02-27T10:30:00.003+00:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Show Notes

: : M A D E : :

Christmas Embroideries

Pattern | The Stitchery Advent (2020, I think)

Embroidery Materials | All included with the advent kit

Hoops | 4" hoops from Love Crafts

Fabric | Liberty Fabric from Alice Caroline

Indigo Shawl

Pattern | None, just working from a stitch pattern (see below)

Yarn | Beautiful Indigo hand-dyed cotton from Wool and the Forest

Hook | 4mm Tulip Etimo

The Stitch pattern came from a Japanese crochet book shown in the podcast, I think it's called "Spring and Summer Crochet and Knit Items". The book came from Pomadour24 on Etsy.

: :

: : M A K I N G : :

Silver Forest

Pattern | Silver Forest by Jennifer Steingass

Yarn | Drops Flora in 02, 03, 04 and 24

Inspired by | Gayna of Tales from Cuckooland on You Tube

Liberty Hot Water Bottle Cover

Pattern | Hexie Hot Water Bottle Cover by Sew Sweet Violet

Fabric | Liberty Prints from Alice Caroline

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

Crochet Star Quilt

OUT NOW!

Crochet Star Quilt pattern page

All information, the video tutorials and the PDF download are now available!

Daisy Puffs Blanket - On hold for now!

Pattern & Tutorials | For more details so far, see Daisy Puffs Blanket pattern page

Yarn | Stylecraft Bambino & Belissima*

Colours | Clotted Cream, Soft Pink, Heather, Awesome Avocado, Denim Dungarees,

*Flaming Fuchsia & *Crystal Blue

Also added.... King Cole Cherished in Sunshine and King Cole Smooth in Sage

Hook | 4mm

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

A Year of Flower Fairies Booklet by Clare Cooper - Simply Crochet

and a selection of pretty Ricorumi Yarns

: :

: : C O M I N G S O O N : :

A podcast special with Sam of Betsy Makes

My craft room tour!

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G / B E H I N D M E : :

N/a

: :

: : Q U I E T M O M E N T S : :

I've been collecting and sharing a few calm and peaceful maker moments and sharing those in my new 'Quiet Moments' vlog videos. I'm hoping to create a few relaxing and soothing minutes for you to enjoy.

Here's the ones I have made so far if you'd like to take a look...

Quiet Moments Playlist

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Crochet Star Quilt

2023-02-23T12:02:00.009+00:00

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well? Today is a red letter day indeed as I am here with a blog post! I have just posted my latest and last video for this Crochet Star Blanket and uploaded the pattern pdf at last too. So it seemed like an auspicious day for that reason alone, but also an appropriate time to write a blog post dedicated to this blanket.

Something that is probably long overdue as I started, and even finished this one last year. Honestly it feels like an age since it was on the hook. I do think it is one of my most favourite makes to date though, possibly the favourite. It's funny how these things morph in your mind. When I started making the first few squares for this blanket I couldn't see me ever finishing it, to the point where I strongly anticipated it being chucked over for something easier and quicker.

But as I made a few more squares, I refined my technique and became quicker and quicker at making enough to make one block, then two and three. Before I knew it, I was well and truly invested!

I hadn't originally planned to write a pattern for this blanket, it's more a technique than anything else really. So it started out as a video tutorial to show how I make my two colour squares. After I'd honed the method I was using, it seemed a reasonable idea to show the way I found it easiest. Then I got a few questions about how I made the blocks and I suppose one thing just lead to another.

Now I've made three different video tutorials in all and a written pattern too. In some ways this is my first 'video pattern', if that's a thing? Normally I would write a pattern first and then add videos for trickier parts. This time I think you could more or less make the whole things from the videos alone. But a written pattern is sometimes easier to refer to and it seemed like the best place to show the layout I'd used and explain how I'd added my quilt style 'sashing'.

So here it is, my Crochet Star Quilt pattern...

I'm going to give away the written pattern free for a little while, so you may want to grab it while you can. The way this pattern has come about, with videos first, is a bit of a new style for me, so I thought I'd experiment and give this idea a whirl. After a bit I'll start charging for the PDF, but the videos will stay free on You Tube, so that seems like a bargain in any one's book.

I hope you enjoy!

Crochet Star Quilt

Click link above for more pattern info and links

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

Episode | 128

2023-02-15T10:30:00.002+00:00

Podcast | Watch on You Tube

Show Notes

: : M A K I N G : :

Indigo Shawl

Pattern | None, just working from a stitch pattern I found in a stitch dictionary

Yarn | Beautiful Indigo hand-dyed cotton from Wool and the Forest

Hook | 4mm Tulip Etimo

Silver Forest

Pattern | Silver Forest by Jennifer Steingass

Yarn | Drops Flora in 02, 03, 04 and either 24.

Inspired by | Gayna of Tales from Cuckooland on You Tube

Christmas Embroideries - Not shown this week!

Pattern | The Stitchery Advent (2020, I think)

Materials | All included with the advent kit

Hoops | 3" hoops from Love Crafts

Fabric | Liberty Fabric from Alice Caroline

: :

: : M A D E : :

Bertie's Valentine Jumper

Pattern | None, but I have written up the pattern notes

for the other jumpers I made... read my blog post here

Yarn | Stylecraft Bellissima and Bambino,

: :

: : P I P ' s : :

(Patterns In Progress)

Crochet Star Quilt

Blanket Complete, pattern coming once ready!

Crochet Star Quilt pattern page:

Pattern details, as available so far and tutorial links

I'll update this page with more information as I have it.

Daisy Puffs Blanket - On hold for now!

Pattern & Tutorials | For more details so far, see Daisy Puffs Blanket pattern page

Yarn | Stylecraft Bambino & Belissima*

Colours | Clotted Cream, Soft Pink, Heather, Awesome Avocado, Denim Dungarees,

*Flaming Fuchsia & *Crystal Blue

Also added.... King Cole Cherished in Sunshine and King Cole Smooth in Sage

Hook | 4mm

: :

: : G O O D I E S : :

A selection of beautiful yarny goodies from a friend of the podcast.

Thank you so, so much!

: :

: : W H A T I ' M W E A R I N G / B E H I N D M E : :

Wearing | Lace and Fade Box by Joji Locatelli

Yarn | Dandelion and Dogwood in 'Bottle Brush Trees with 'She's Naked' Mohair.

Behind Me | Daisy Puffs Blanket, details above.

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: : Q U I E T M O M E N T S : :

Here's the ones I have made so far if you'd like to take a look...

Quiet Moments Playlist

: :

S x

♥

#CherryHeart