Not 2 more contributors...THREE!

I can count - really! I just miscounted the contributors squares which I have still to post... I did the same thing last year as far as I remember! 

In this post are squares that will take your breath away... from Faith, Paula Castro and Elisabeth Andree.

First up - Faith of Faith.  Having just moved house and taking part in a sock knitting KAL, I thought Faith wouldn't have time to join us this year... but never under-estimate someone with a name like Faith! Here are her amazing squares: 

I love the name of this square - it is called, 'On the Huh' and is by Jacqui Goulbourn on Ravelry HERE

I spend a lot of my time in Suffolk and one expression that always makes me smile, and the title of a book on Suffolk sayings by Charlie Haylock ...is, "Sloightly On The Huh"...which means, 'slightly crooked'! I haven't spelt sloightly wrong....it is written as it is said in Suffolk! 

 Faith's second amazing square is The Impossible Hexagon by Stramenda and can be found on Ravelry HERE.  

All of Faith's squares are made using Wendy Supreme Cotton.

The third of Faith's squares is also by Jacqui Goulbourn.  It is called  Alter-Ego and is on Ravelry HERE

The fourth square was made using Katia Samba yarn in a pattern that Faith made up as she went along! 

Finally Faith send an extra square in case it was needed...one of the lovely Sunny Spread squares by Ellen Gormley on Ravelry HERE

GOOD LUCK with the draw for the whole Beautiful Blogger Blanket  tomorrow Faith! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our second contributor for this post is Paula Castro of 

Paula Castro Crafts.  Paula is a fantastic crocheter who I initially found out about through a crochet design competition on About Crochet with Elisabeth Andree.  Paula is Portugese so these are our first squares from Portugal... Thank you Paula!

(At the time of posting I have no details of the patterns / yarns used for Paula's squares - when I get them I will update the post)

GOOD LUCK with the draw tomorrow Paula! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just mentioned our final contributor when I was talking about Paula.

  

Elisabeth Andree (Andree) of About Crochet has sent us some gorgeous squares from The Hague in The Netherlands.  Andree's blog is one of my absolute favourites...you can rely on Andree to be innovative, creative... and she likes the same colours as I do! Take these lovely squares which she has sent us, they are unusual patterns from unusual sources.. beautiful!  

Andree's first square is called the 'amikomo3-23,  Luncheon Mat', by Pierrot.  (www.http://www.gosyo.co.jp)

Here are the Page link and pattern link.  

As usual with Japanese patterns there is no written pattern, 

but there are good diagramatic patterns.

The second square is again from Gosyo.co.jp and is the Acrobat Square.  

The page link is HERE, and the pattern link HERE.

The page for the last square from Andree is HERE

and the pattern link is HERE

If you haven't tried following a diagram before, give it a go... a whole new world of Japanese patterns and books and even designing will open up to you! 

Thanks so much Andree - for joining in, and for your encouragement!

GOOD LUCK with the draw for the whole Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2013! 

Now there is one day left to go until the draw for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2013.  Tomorrow I will post details of all the contributors, the countries from which they have come, my own squares... and finally...

The DRAW! 

Hugs, Jill x

The Second Spray Blocking Tutorial - Sewing together HUGE projects....

This second tutorial is the result of sewing....unsewing....resewing the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012.  


The blanket turned out to be the size of a single bed and after my first attempt at sewing it all together it was fan shaped and wouldn't lay flat! 


On my second attempt I found the way to create a symmetrical piece with parallel sides ... it even laid flat on a bed! This tutorial should help you if you ever attempt a big project...and it will remind me next year! 

REMEMBER TO PIN YOUR SHAPES TO YOUR BOARD 

FACE DOWN, READY TO BE SEWN TOGETHER!

Hope it helps!  

This tutorial will stay on my blog in the 'Tutorials and Projects' 

section at the top right of the home page x

Fee from Chipper Nelly

The lovely Fee from Chipper Nelly is so creative, 

and is currently holding an inquest into the death 

of a favourite chicken on her blog .. 

(IT WAS NOT THE PIGLET!)

Even Fee's labels were gorgeous! 

Shhh... let's take a sneaky peak...

Fee blogged about her squares here.... 

You will probably be surprised to hear that she 

hasn't been crocheting for very long!

Fee hasn't told me which pattern she used... 

can you let me know please Fee then I will 

update this post....ta! 
(updated to add - Fee let me know that this pattern is from a 
lovely website which is new to me here...)

The second square has an appliqued crochet 

heart hand sewn onto it... so pretty! 

(Edited to add... The pattern is from here  - Thanks Fee!)

Fee used Debbie Bliss Eco yarn to make both squares... I love her sense of colour... the combinations are scrumptious...

Fee sells her gorgeous vintage designs blocks at 

Not On The High Street  or maybe you could win one in Knitsofacto's giveaway...

Thanks so much for taking part in the BBB 2012 Fee.

ps:  Free the pig...it wasn't him!
(edited to add... apparently the pig was LOCKED IN with the chicken.. the case may be a foregone conclusion....gulp!)

Cute As A Button Squares

A last minute entry for the BBB 2012 came from 

Laura of Cute As A Button . You can be forgiven for 

not knowing this blog...Laura only began blogging 

in January this year!  Awww...a baby blog...

Welcome to bloggyland Laura!

The 2 squares that Laura sent are just gorgeous! 

Cute As A Button shows some lovely crochet 

projects, and it it nice to hear about Laura's recent discovery of the 'crochet quarter' of bloggyland....

Laura's first square is a Granny Square... 

Laura says, 

"This pattern was shown to me by my Granny.  

She was taught to crochet by her Aunty, so who knows where the original pattern came from"! 

Now there's a thought... I wonder who DID make

 the first Granny Square... that is one of thoughts

 that makes my head hurt.. like thinking about 

what is at the edge of space... ouch!

Laura's second square truly is as 'cute as a button'!

  Laura says she found the pattern at Beata's 

Canadian blog - Rose Hip ...oh my goodness 

you are in for a treat if you follow that link! 

The yarn Laura used was.....Freedom Sincere DK 100% Organic Cotton (CREAM) and 

Katia Eco Cotton (PINK & PURPLE) 

If you pop over to Laura's Coriandr online shop 

you will find some very sweet things that Laura has made combining her sewing and crochet skills.

Finally as a celebration for getting her first 20 

followers (she is nearly there), Laura is giving away an African Flower Scarf ... you have until the 

12th March to sign up!

On the subject of lovely giveaways...over at Knitsofacto  Annie is celebrating...you can win a beautiful book and one of Fee's blocks from 

Chipper Nelly... thanks Annie!

Another contribution for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket by special request!

The lovely, colour combining magician Jules, over at her Little Woolie blog has been joining in with the One-A-day project on Ravelry ... and if you have been keeping up with her progress you will have been swooning at her current blanket.

Jules name came up a couple of times on our wishlist of participants and just look what she sent us! A lovely sneaky peak first into the envelope...

The lovely parcel with a card of a knitted pig! (Thank you for your kind comments Jules xx)...and four gorgeous squares...

 Jules says the pattern is called, "Weekend in Stockholm, by Debbie Stoller... I found it on Ravelry! Unbelievably, this is a free pattern, the link to Debbie Stoller page is at Stitch Nation is HERE

 The gorgeous yarn is 8ply 100% cotton...

 The yarn manufacturer is Bendigo Woollen Mills  ...which is a producer local to Jules... sadly for us crocheters in the UK, Jules lives in Melbourne, Australia. Bendigo Mills do export though....

Thank you so much Jules... the squares are beautiful and you have 4 chances to win the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012 (winner to be announced on Sunday 4th March at 1pm)... GOOD LUCK!

Happy Valentines Day and exquisite squares for The Beautiful Blogger Blanket from Darja!

Happy Valentines Day!  

I can't be with my hubby today.....

'The Confirmation', by Edwin Muir (1887 - 1959)

Yes, yours my love, is the right human face,

I in my mind had waited for this long.

Seeing the false and searching the true,

Then I found you as a traveller finds a place

Of welcome amid the wrong

Valleys and rocks and twisting roads.

But you, what shall I call you?

A fountain in a waste.

A well of water in a country dry.

Or anything that's honest and good, an eye

That makes the whole world bright.

Your open heart simple with giving, give the primal deed.

The first good world, the blossom, the blowing seed.

The hearth, the steadfast land, the wandering sea, 

Not beautiful or rare in every part,

But like yourself, as they were meant to be.

.................................

On with business.. Darja sent

 me 2 of the most exquisite pieces

 of crochet from North Yorkshire, UK.

I am not sure what pattern Darja

 used for her squares.. 

The first begins with a aqua centre and

 has circles of buttercup yellow and grassy

 green before the final round which

 is a pinky-purple... 

They are made so neatly! 

The second square has a yellow centre

 and circles of pinky-purple, red and yellow

 before the final purple round. 

Beautiful work Darja!  

Thank you for joining in with 

The Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012! 

You now have 2 chances to win

 the whole blanket!

  

GOOD LUCK!

A little Crochet Pixie sent squares for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2012!

Charlotte of The Crochet Pixie sent me a lovely package...

5 beautiful squares for our blanket! 

Charlotte hasn't said which yarn she used**, 

but the colours are purple (purple is 

popping up all over our blanket!) 

green and blue...

 How appropriate for Valentines Eve...

A Bobble Stitch Heart crocheted in green..

Charlotte found the pattern on Ravelry... 

I think it might be the 

Full Heart Bobble Square by Laura Majeski

A large 20cm x 20cm square called 

The Impossible Hexagon pattern 

by Stramenda.com - this is a free 

pattern - follow the link.

This one is a purple, green and blue 

Grandala Square from the lovely 

tutorial by Alice at 

Crochet With Raymond

Charlotte's 4th square is made using 

the Small Flower Pattern which you

 can find over at Rose Hip ....

Finally a simple little Granny Square using 

a basic granny square pattern..

and here are all 5 together... 

I really like the Full Bobble Heart Square... 

It would make a lovely centre decoration

 for a cushion cover... or even bunting... 

Thanks so much Charlotte... for joining in 

with our Beautiful Blogger Blanket... and 

for being a star and sending us 5 squares... 

You now have 5 chances to win the whole

 Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012

The draw is in 16 days!


** Charlotte let me know that she used Puppets Lyric 100% cotton.