My handmade home: crochet bunting

This crochet bunting is relatively quick and easy to knock up, and a fantastic way to shop your stash - I used lots of leftover yarn from my blankets, making it practically a free project.

I love bunting. Always have, to me it speaks of spring fairs, festivals, sunshine and summertime. I've been keen to make some for the house a while now. I have some amazing Hungry Caterpillar fabric from Higgs and Higgs that is earmarked to be stitched up for Harry although I've held off as I've not bought any tape yet. Well that and I've been crocheting like a woman possessed since last September.

Our home is a work in progress, before my redundancy we had a to-do list that we hoped to work through relatively briskly, dealing with the 70's tastic decor and a few more fundamental issues too. However, as always with these things, life got in the way and so we're slowly, happily and lovingly making the best of what we have.

I'm not really an ornament person so our mantle is adorned with photos and a cross stitch sampler I made when I was 16, but it needed more colour - something to brighten up the expanse of concrete. Crochet bunting it was...

I used Lucy's pattern for the granny bunting that adorned Yarndale a couple of years back - it needed a bit more concentration than blankets as I had to learn how to change colours when not crocheting in rows. Lucy had no pattern for joining the bunting triangles so rightly or wrongly I used a colour yarn I'd not used thus far in any of the triangles (Stylecraft Special DK in raspberry) I started with a chain of 20 and then used double crochet along the top of each triangle, joining them together with no gap, another chain of 20 at the other end finished my first row. Once I'd gone along one way, I turned around and went back, doing another row of doubles, this time into the stitch below. It was quick, easy and beautifully effective. As you can see from the picture above. Even M said (and I quote "The fireplace looks less pants than it did before"

I even made M some in motor racing colours - I'm just such a good wife!

So, crochet bunting... and brightening up our home. It's all good. Why not have a go at shopping your yarn stash and making some pretty bunting.

Next up on the crochet projects is a Crochet along in aid of Mind, the mental health charity.

I'm linking up this post with Attachment Mummy's Friday fabulous linky - do pop over and see what everyone else has added.

My handmade home: a crochet wreath

I've written previously about learning to crochet - and anyone who follows me on Instagram will be familiar with my burgeoning love of crocheted colour as inspired by Lucy's beautiful Attic 24 blog. The crocheted wreath above is, excitingly, the first project where I've picked my own colours and worked it up to my own specification. It's based on Lucy's May rose wreath, and will eventually be bedecked with crocheted flowers - I have a copy of 100 Flowers to knit and crochet in my Amazon basket as I'd like to stitch some violets, pansies, primroses and other spring flowers. As yet, I've not clicked buy so those plans are on hold.

I've had a couple of emails asking about the wreath, my colour choices and placement so I thought I'd type this up but with heavy signposting to Attic 24, as although this isn't exactly hers I feel like you should look there first.

I didn't buy any yarn for this project, but used my leftovers from my Cosy stripe Cottage blanket pack, combined with those from my most recent Sunny Granny stripe blanket.

I did buy a 25cm half circle wreath ring from Wool Warehouse, and my hook was a 4mm.

I started with a foundation chain of 35, and then each stripe was made up of 2 rows of half-double crochet.

Working from 12 o'clock, anti-clockwise around the wreath, this is the colour order I used. I have an uncanny ability to lose stitches so check my count with each stripe.

1.   Lipstick	26. Violet
2.   Sage	27. Spice
3.   Aster	28. Raspberry
4.   Violet	29. Sage
5.   Fondant	30. Meadow
6.   Spice	31. Citron
7.   Gold	32. Denim
8. Cloud	33. Lipstick
9.   Lavender	34. Aster
10. Raspberry	35. Violet
11. Denim	36. Fondant
12. Khaki	37. Spice
13. Pale rose	38. Gold
14. Lipstick	39. Claret
15. Gold	40. Cloud
16. Citron	41. Meadow
17. Wisteria	42. Citron
18. Sage	43. Fondant
19. Meadow	44. Raspberry
20. Cloud	45. Lavender
21. Denim	46. Sage
22. Rasperry	47. Pale rose
23. Lipstick	48. Aster
24. Gold	49. Gold
25. Fondant

This took me about a week of much stress crocheting to complete. I then darned in my ends - oh how I loathe this task, and every time I make anything striped I ask M to remind me to do them as I go. As yet this hasn't happened. My last task was to stitch the wreath up first so it was one long strip, and then around the ring and then wander around the house holding it up and asking Harry and M where they liked it best. It's currently residing on our lounge door - as yet unadorned by flowers and makes me beam every time I see it. I'd really like it on the front door, but we don't have a porch so it would get wet and wrecked.

I would happily make another one of these - they're relatively quick and add such a cheering brightness to a room. Another beautiful addition to our handmade home. Up next on my hook is some bunting for our fireplace, based on a granny triangle type pattern. If you'd like, I'll be sure to add another post covering my colour choices and some lovely pictures.

I've added this post to Attachment Mummy's new Friday Fabulous links - hop on over there and see all the other fabulousness.