Business and pleasure...

First the business....A quick heads up that my online yarn shop is selling Stylecraft Special DK in a flash sale at almost 50% off...just £1.20 per ball... whilst stocks last.  

Pop over to www.stocktoncrafts.co.uk to grab a bargain.

Now the pleasure.... A couple of days ago I received this lovely 

email from Janice who won the BBB2013.  

It is to everyone who contributed to the blanket as well as me...

Helloo

I got the blanket today and my soul its beautiful.I just love love it!! I Tried to put a thank you comment on your blog a few times but it never seems to work.. Soo I want to say thank you to you Jill for the chance I had to winning this stunning blanket.  also can you thank all the ladies as well..I love every block and that. i have a special touch in my home from from all over the world.  I will be taking it to my knitting /crochet group i go to , to show it off. At home I will be on the back of my chair so I can proudly display it.  I am going to send you some pics to see what you can use on the blog. 

Thanks once again Jill 

Janice 

Janice also attached these photos:

Thanks so much for sending the photos Janice... 

It is great to see where the blanket lives now.

Jill x

And the winner is.........

 The Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 is finished 
and it is time for the draw to find our winner.

First some photos of the completed blanket....

Not as large as last year.. 

it is as long as a double bed and as wide 
as the top of a single bed. 

TA-DAH!! 

This is almost the whole blanket... standing on the wobbly bed isn't helping! 

Some close-ups..

My favourite photo! I like the way it looks when it is rolled up!

Draped elegantly over a garden chair! 

At last all the names go into the bowl

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If you sent 4 squares your name is in there 4 times

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If you sent 1 square it is in there once

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Mix them up a bit

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That's hubby doing the draw

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Fred the dog is helping

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Out comes the winning name

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Our Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2013 is going to .....

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Drum roll

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CANADA!

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JANICE WON! 

Janice lives in Alberta, Canada... 

She doesn't have a blog, so no lovely link for you all.  

I hope you will send us a photo of the Beautiful Blogger Blanket 

in your home Janice... or let us know what you are going 

to do with it.  

CONGRATULATIONS!

Every square is beautiful and the blanket is 
sent from all over the world to you Janice.

Jill x

New date for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 draw

Phew this post has been a long time coming... I'm sorry for the delay... you must have all thought I had taken your squares and run off with them!  

I will be drawing the name of the winner of the GORGEOUS 

Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 on Sunday 31st March 

- Easter Sunday to some.  

During this next week I will be tantalising you by 

posting photos of the blanket finished.....

Meanwhile I thought I should show you the squares which 

I made for the blanket... 4 medium squares and lots of little ones:

The first 3 are all by the amazing Edie Eckman...

The first is from Edie Eckman's book, 

'Beyond the Square - Crochet Motifs',

p149, #106

The second square is from Edie Eckman's new book; 

' Connect The Shapes - Crochet Motifs' - p141, #55

The third square is also from Edie Eckman's, 

'Beyond the Square - Crochet Motifs',

P157, #113

Finally a medium good old granny square and lots 

of little ones to fill in some awkward gaps...

They are all now edged in cream as I did last year, 

and sewn together to form a wonderful blanket... 

As I say... lots of photos coming this week! 

Jill 

Sorry

Sorry all.... no draw or posts today... my Dad had another T.I.A this morning.  I will be back over the weekend x

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! 

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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! 

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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

5 more contributors squares to go... here are 1, 2 and 3...

I'm getting there, honestly I am... 

I am sewing as fast as my little fingers will let me... 

I am pinning and positioning, placing and pondering... 

It is all falling into place... 

The Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 is emerging in front of my eyes... 

And soon it will be in front of YOUR eyes! 

I have squares from 5 more lovely bloggers to show you... so I shall show you 3 sets now, and the last 2 later... 

First lets have a look at Joan's squares. Joan writes her own blog - Pembrokeshire Lass and posts beautiful photographs, stories from her life and her lovely crochet.  I find it a lovely comforting blog... like listening to a good friend chatting... pop over and have a look!  Here are Joan's squares: 

All three squares are made using Planet Penny's cotton. 

  

The first 2 squares are made using a pattern from a book called, "150 Blocks to Knit and Crochet", by Heather Lodinsky. 

The third square uses a pattern in a tutorial by Wise Craft and can be found on Ravelry.  Joan and her daughter added an extra row to help to make it more square. 

Joan hasn't been well recently, I hope reading this post makes her smile! 

GOOD LUCK with the draw tomorrow Joan! 

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The next set of squares came from Ali - of the blog, Random Wooliness.  Ali did a lovely post about the Beautiful Blogger Blanket HERE and gave all the details of patterns and yarn etc. there too. 

For Ali's square she used a pattern called the Flower Square which was used in a pattern for a dog coat! This was from the book, 'Granny Square Crochet', by Catherine Hirst. 

Ali's second square was designed by her son and is based on the windows in Dr. Who's tardis!  What a lovely idea! Believe it or not Ali has only been crocheting for a year...what amazing progress Ali! 

If Ali won the blanket she says she would donate to a local charity which is so lovely of her.  Pop over and have a look at Random Wooliness - Ali makes some amazing things!  

GOOD LUCK with the draw for the whole 

Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 tomorrow Ali! 

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Are you still with me?  The third contributor for this post is the lovely Fee of Chipper Nelly.

You must have found Fee by now.. she is an amazing crocheter, crafter, and all round lovely lady! I love reading her posts, hearing about her three lovely boys and her life.  Just look at how she displayed a recent creation on the blog HERE  .. I did giggle! 

Here is Fee's square: 

                   

Fee can't find the pattern she used, please let me know if you find it Fee... it is a gorgeous one! 

Look at the lovely trim Fee made for her parcel... thanks Fee!  

GOOD LUCK with the draw tomorrow :) 

So only another 2 contributors to go (and mine) ... I'll go back to sewing the blanket together now... 

Hugs,  Jill x

PHEW... new job, a weekend away and the Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013!

PHEW!  Sorry for my absence... it has been all go here for the last 10 days or so.  I have a new job as a Teaching Assistant in a local school - in fact in the school where I was a pupil from the age of 5 until 11 - so when I walked in for a look round I hadn't been there for over 40 years! Much is the same, some huge differences... none of my little friends are there :( 

Also my hubby treated me to a long weekend in Seville for a Valentine's treat... what a beautiful place... I'll post some pics soon.  If you follow me on Instagram you will already have seen a couple.  The weather was like a good spring day in the UK.. what a treat to feel the warmth of the sun on my face.

To make up for my absence I am going to post details of quite a few squares today.... First Janice's squares: 

Janice sent us these four gorgeous crochet squares for our Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 when there was ice and snow at her home - I hope it is a little warmer now Janice! 

I don't think Janice has a blog, I can't find details of one... let me know if I am wrong Janice.  Here are Janice's squares:  

A lovely granny square in a multi-blue yarn.

 Janice designed this flower square pattern herself! 

Janice wasn't able to find the designer for this lovely pinwheel square - 

if any one knows maybe you could send us a link please? 

Finally, Janice's personal favourite (and mine).. an owl square from Sarah's lovely blog - Repeat Crafter Me, which is called the Owl Granny Square and can be found HERE .  This square is really popular at the moment - we have had 2 sent in for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 :)

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Do you know Shelley from All4meggymoo?  Shelley recently organised a lovely 'I Love Hearts' swap for Valentines which was great - I blogged about it here.

Shelley has been kind enough to send us 3 squares for the BBB 2013:

 These squares are beautifully made.  All 3 patterns come from a book which I hadn't heard of called, 'Crochet Blocks in a Box', by Luisa Roberts. You can see more about the book here on Amazon UK

This is my favourite!

Can you see the filet heart within this one? 

Thanks so much for joining in with the Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2013 Shelley! 

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The lovely Wink of A Creative Being  has sent us 4 squares for the BBB 2013.  

If you follow Wink on her blog or on Instagram or Facebook you will know that she has been organising a 'Weekly Mandala' CAL for the last 17 weeks! Somehow Wink found time to make us these lovely granny squares too: 

Four beautiful little granny squares in lovely spring colours on a white background. 

Thank you so much Wink, Shelley and Janice! These are all beautiful squares for our blanket.  

GOOD LUCK !

The draw for the winner will be tomorrow - 

1st March 2013! 

I have more squares to post - I will do another post this evening, one tomorrow morning, and then the draw winner will be posted in the evening! 

Hugs,  Jill x