It's been a lovely Winters day here in my patch, bright, sharp, and blinkin' cold. Sunshine and shadows, but oh it has been chilly! It's felt like the very middle of my bones have been cold today.
It's been an odd kind of a day, sort of stressful and sweet, calm and anxious all at once. I've had Little Lady home from school, snuggled on the sofa the whole day doing silent battle with a nasty virus. Poor love. She is very rarely unwell and it has wiped her out, leaving the both of us feeling totally drained. I really don't like it one little bit when the germs take hold.
Little B has been great this afternoon, happily entertaining himself and supplying us all with lots of feel-good cuddles.
There was a request to get The Beads out, it's been a while since we did these and I was more than happy to oblige.
We made a heart together, heavy with turquoise blue as Little B knows this to be my bestest most favourite colour and kept picking them out for me.
I have these gorgeously girly-pink tulips in the house, a gift from my wonderful, kind mother-in-law. They are such a pretty colour, I can't stop gazing at them. Just so perfectly pink.
Usually when one of the Little Peeps is ill, I fill my stay-home time with baking. Germs = Baking, but not so today. Today the crisp winter light was perfect for photography so I seized the unexpected quiet daylight hours and made a tutorial. You just can't beat a bit of concentrated creative activity to combat unease.
I was lucky to have my official Health and Safety officer on hand (dressed as Spiderman) to make sure my scissors were kept safe. He is obsessed with putting the little protective leather cover back on them, telling me I need to take care cos they are veeeery sharp.
So I made the photography part of my tutorial for my new stitch, after a shocking amount of upset with Wrong Numbers. Jeez, my poor brain. I got there in the end (multiples of 4, plus an extra 3!).
I made the photo tutorial using the Stylecraft Special Chunky yarn and a 6mm hook, as that's what I'm using to make my cushion. But once I had finished it, I had an urge to try out the pattern using Stylecraft Special DK and a 4mm hook so that I could compare the two.
Stylecraft Special comes in 3 weights :: a Double Knit (DK), an aran and a chunky. In the above picture you can see the difference between the DK and the Chunky. There is quite a bit of difference both in the way it feels to work these two weights (much more physical with the chunky), and the way the finished crochet turns out.
This is my sample worked up in DK, I love it SO MUCH!!! It turns out that this is a super-satisfying pattern to work and I think in the DK weight it would make a terrific blanket. It's quite a dense stitch, so would make a very substantial, warm blanket and I would love to try it out.
You can see the difference in scale here, but essentially the lovely texture and neat rows of colour are equally effective in both weights.
You may be wondering what the title of this post has to do with anything (Raindrops? Eh?) Well it's what I've decided to call this stitch. It was named by one of my lovely readers who said the stitch pattern reminded her of raindrops running down a window pane. It seemed very apt to say how drenched we have been here of late, with day after day of the wet stuff.
So with raindrops in mind, I also made a small sample using just shades of blue. I love the simplicity of it, and again I thought what a lovely, soothing blanket this would be to make.
My cushion is coming along nicely, I'm just in the process of crocheting the button flap bit, then trying to decide on the neatest way to pull it all together. I'm calling it the Rainbow Raindrops cushion.
Also, I just wanted to say that I am not in any way claiming that I have "invented" a new stitch here. It's actually very hard to invent anything new in crochet as it's an ancient craft and you can bet that pretty much everything has already been done at one time or another. This stitch technique already exists, and is called a Spike Stitch. It's where you work some of the stitches down into the rows below, pulling a long stitch up to the level of the current row (I used this technique when making my Christmas baubles). What I have done with Raindrops is to use a variation of the spike stitch to create my own particular pattern/texture. It's my interpretation if you like.
I'm looking forward to sharing the pattern with you, to see what you make of it and what ideas start to fly....I am wondering whether I have time to make a Raindrops blanket?! I would love to, it's been a while since I started on an exciting new blanket journey. Right, I'm going to start work on the tutorial now (after I've had a quick cuppa tea), I'll let you know when it's ready.
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Edit :: I wrote this post yesterday (Friday) but towards the end of writing I began to feel veeery unwell. Turns out that the "cold through to my bones" feeling was the onset of this virus, and I've spent the past day battling chills and a fever. Feeling marginally better this afternoon, but still pretty pants. So I am a day late getting this post out, and I haven't quite got the energy to tutorial write today either...but hoping tomorrow I'll be feeling much better and can do it then. Much love xxxxx
Ooooh how exciting, a new stitch! Get well soon Lucy xxx
Posted by: Bridget Loraine | March 02, 2014 at 10:19 PM
Beautiful colors. Sorry to hear that you got sick also - I was battling an infection all last weekend and am now really appreciating my health again!
Posted by: Katie | March 02, 2014 at 08:56 PM
Get better soon Luce. Your pattern looks lovely. x
Posted by: Hazel | March 02, 2014 at 06:21 PM
Poor Lucy , I know how you feel . Get well soon .I have 2 blankets on the go , dare I start another? of course ,it's all in the name of progress.
I have been trying to email your Artisan Bread to a friend , I'm a duffer , I cannot do it . I shall have to write it but I wanted him to see the amazing pictures.
Once again GET WELL SOON
Posted by: kathleen Solomi | March 02, 2014 at 05:45 PM
Feel better soon. I have just found your lovely blog and I love the first photo of this post. The colours you use are gorgeous and am looking forward to following you.
I am originally from Lincoln, UK and now live in the States, so I enjoy some English countryside! Clare x
Posted by: Clare at CatsEatDogs | March 02, 2014 at 04:30 PM
Hi Lucy - Thank you so much for the link! Hoping you and Little Lady feel better soon.... x
Posted by: Laura | March 02, 2014 at 04:07 PM
Hello Lovely Lucy sorry to hear you are poorly, you are worn out so please take care of yourself and keep warm and toasty. Hope your little lady is feeling better soon. Keep having lots of warm frothy drinks and plenty of toasty food as well. Above all relax and take a well earned rest. Sending you lots of hugs and loves Lucy - love the colours of your yarns by the way, they are fab, just like you!
Lots of love as always
Dorothy
:-)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Posted by: Dorothy Griffiths | March 02, 2014 at 04:05 PM
Hope you are feeling a bit better Lucy. Love the Raindrops stitch, perfectly named. Such a beautiful colourful post. Get well soon.
Carol xx
Posted by: Carol | March 02, 2014 at 04:03 PM
Get well soon. I love your raindrops pattern and have my Stylecraft DK ready and waiting for a raindrops blanket.
Posted by: Elsie | March 02, 2014 at 03:47 PM
You are an amazing woman and I admire you soooo!
Posted by: Emily Rogals | March 02, 2014 at 03:35 PM
Lucy, just ran across your blog, so very interesting, I am so proud of you young mothers that opt to stay home with the little ones, sorry she is not feeling up to par, hope she is better soon.
Would love to see pic of your house and your area for that matter, I have always wanted to spend some time in the UK and Ireland. Cannot wait to see your new tutorial and I don`t crochet at all.
Posted by: ruthpappamihiel | March 02, 2014 at 01:30 PM
Get well soon!! So much going on in your life, just rest and have a cup of tea (or two, or three) and let the rest of the family take care of everything
;-)
Posted by: Silly Little Sheep | March 02, 2014 at 01:11 PM
What a lovely pattern you have designed. You have such a good eye for colour.
S xx
Posted by: Jessie's Needle | March 02, 2014 at 01:09 PM
Hope you all feel better soonest. Take your time getting back to normal, these viruses are ve ve tricksy! Had mine for nearly three weeks in January...
We'll all be here for you when you are better!
Karen xoxoxo
Posted by: Karen Williams | March 02, 2014 at 12:42 PM
Hope you are feeling better soon. I too have come down with a virus this weekend. Not good when it is your 60th birthday celebrations. Just love your blog. This stitch is adorable. Lovely to see different colour ways and weight differences. My yarn has just arrived from Derimores, so perhaps this will be the stitch I use instead of the granny stripe. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Anne Dearle | March 02, 2014 at 11:40 AM
May you and your family have a nice sunday! I'm sending you some sun from France where it has decided to come back, at last, after so many days of wind and rain... Regard. Evelyne
Posted by: JARDIN ANGLAIS | March 02, 2014 at 11:08 AM
Get better soon!
I remember making these little hearts when i was a kid! so much fun! i also had a large pad where i could free forms on. first stunts of creativity i reckon...
the stich looks so lovely! i still have tons of wip projects but i will certainly give the stich a try soonish!
Take care, Anne
http://crochetbetweentwoworlds.blogspot.de
Posted by: Anne | March 02, 2014 at 07:15 AM
Such a color feast for my color starved, winter weary eyes!
Oh, do feel better soon! It sounds as though you've got the nasty influenza. Boo! Take care!
Posted by: Dori | March 02, 2014 at 04:12 AM
beautiful post...hope you are feeling well soon...hugz!
Posted by: Mary Nolan | March 02, 2014 at 02:22 AM
wishing you and yours rest recovery and renewed energy soon
thank you for all your work and creativity
corinna
Posted by: corinna | March 02, 2014 at 12:41 AM
Lucy I'm a knitter rather than a crocheter but I love the look of that stitch! I'll be looking at your tutorial with great interest, I do like the dense look of the fabric.
Posted by: Rose | March 01, 2014 at 11:56 PM
Get well soon. Lots of liquids, love and lazyness to help your body fight the nasty bug x 💐💊
Posted by: Donna | March 01, 2014 at 11:04 PM
Hope you feel better soon, we love hama beads and have been doing some of our own here too...I have recently discovered your blog, started back at the start and followed all the way through...your crochet tutorials are fab and have finally put straight in my head how to 'do it' :) I've also started my own blog www.coffeecakesandcrochet.blogspot.com ,so thank you fir the inspiration xxxx
Posted by: niki murray | March 01, 2014 at 10:35 PM
Time for you to just rest and have someone make you a hot cup of tea. The tutorial can wait until you and yours are all rested and feeling better. First things first. Feel better.
Posted by: Susan | March 01, 2014 at 09:59 PM
I was going to suggest that you might have the virus as well - whenever one of my little people feel cold it is always a sign they are coming down with something. I do hope you're feeling better soon. Raindrops is a lovely name for the stitch pattern, and I can see it would be perfect for a blanket.
Posted by: CJ | March 01, 2014 at 09:42 PM