How to crochet a #grannyhottie - the grand finale

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of the #grannyhottie-a-long.

This week we'll be making a button closure so you can get your hottie in and out of its cover, crocheting the two sides into one and then we'll be making the neck cover.

Sounds like fun! Let's get to work.


Before we begin step four, if you need to catch up a bit you can find step one here, step two here and step three here.

Now for this bit we'll need our two granny square sides, a hot water bottle, a tapestry needle, some snippers, between three and five smallish buttons (1-1.5cm across), your main colour of wool and your crochet hook.


Start by sewing your buttons on the bottom of one of the granny sides. Make sure they are evenly spaced apart, I lined mine up with the middle of each square and make sure they are very close to the bottom of the last row of stitches.


Place your other granny panel on-top of the buttoned panel, wrong sides together, and do the buttons up by slipping them through the last row of dc's on the top. They will probably be tight but will wriggle through.


Now we're going to start crocheting the two panels together.

Join your wool a stitch after the outermost button and start crocheting around.

You can use slip stitch, single crochet, double crochet, or even something a bit fancy like a scallop for the joining, whichever you like the look of best. I used singles.

Continue hooking around making sure you crochet two stitches into each corner.


When you reach the opposite side of the cover to the buttons, stop in line with the end of the first square.


At this point I like to insert my hottie and crochet around it to ensure all the stitches fit it snugly.


Staring again on the other side of the neck, after the next square, crochet around the other side.


Fasten off one stitch before the first button.


Now you have a clothed hottie with a naked neck sticking out!


Join your yarn to one of the stitches in the row below, chain three and then start double crocheting your way around the neck. If it looks like there's a gap when you get to the side you can add an extra stitch or if it feels too loose, you can decrease a stitch.


When you get all the way around to the start, slip stitch into the third chain.

Then chain three and work your way all around the neck again.


Continue like this until your neck is covered. I did five rows.

Purely as a guide only;

• my first row had 28 stitches.
• I decreased one stitch on either side of the second row making 26 stitches.
• my third row had 26 stitches.
• I increased a stitch on either side of the fourth row making 28 stitches.
• I increased a stitch on either side of the fifth row making 30 stitches.

After you have finished crocheting the neck, darn in all your straggly ends.


And look at that, you're all done!!

You have finished your #grannyhottie

Yipppeeeeeee!!!!!!

Now all that's left is to fill it up with hot water and jump into bed!!!

Ahhhhhh doesn't that sound like heaven.

If you've been grannyhottieing-a-long please share your pictures with us on instagram using the hashtag #grannyhottie. I can hardly wait to see how great yours all look.


Big love, happy grannies and toastie tootsies.

xx

#grannyhottie step three

Hello it's Tuesday again!

I know, I can't quite believe it either.

But never fear, step three of the granny-hottie-a-long is here!!!

Hooray!!!!!


If you're running a little late to the hottie party, you can find step one here and step two here.

OK let's get started, for this step you'll need your granny squares all joined neatly into a front and a back.


You'll also need your crochet hook, a pair of scissors and your main colour of wool.


Now for the fun stuff.

Starting anywhere you like on the front part of your hottie cover, join your wool to a back loop and chain three.


Then make a double crochet stitch into the back loop of every single stitch along the row. This pattern is pretty forgiving so don't worry too much if you get confused and crochet a stitch too many here or not enough there.

(Remember I am working in US crochet terminology, conversion chart here).


When you reach the corner make two double crochet stitches into the corner stitch and keep going along the next side.


When you reach your first double crochet stitch, make a slip stitch into the third chain stitch you started with.

Then chain three stitches and double crochet in the back loops all the way around the outside of the front panel of the hottie making sure to crochet two stitches into the corners when you reach them.

Once you have finished the second row of stitches, fasten off and repeat for the back of the hottie.

And there you have it, the front and the back of your hottie cover. Well done!!


I was planning to go a little further and join the two panels this week but;

a) I ran out of time

b) I'm loving this hottie-a-long and want to stretch it out so it lasts a little longer

c) I found out that some people like to be able to take their hottie out of its cover and therefore need a cover that opens and closes and that's thrown me.

d) I have become OBSESSED with sock knitting and all my spare crafting time has been sucked up by the sock.


The answer of course is all of the above. The quiz of course is because I finished Gone Girl and loved it.

Let's meet up here for step four next Tuesday Ok?

In the meantime we can chat about our granny hotties in the comments here, on Facebook here, and we can share photos on instagram using the hashtag #grannyhottie.


Happy grannying!!

Love Kate xx

#grannyhottie part two

Hello and welcome back to the granny-hottie-a-long.

Today we'll be moving right along to step two, but if you missed step one never fear you can find it here. Yay!


Today we are going to start with your pile of 24 cute little grannies.

Some people have smaller hot water bottles so they are going to start with their pile of 18 or maybe even 12.


Divide your pile into two, half for the front of your hottie cover and half for the back.

Then arrange and rearrange your granny squares until you have a colour order that is pleasing to your eye.


After that gather your crochet hook, your scissors and a ball of yarn to crochet them all together with.


Start by crocheting two mini grannies together through the back loops.

Gorgeous Lucy over at Attic24 has a brilliant and easy to follow tutorial over on her blog if you need a bit of help with how to do this.


After you've joined two grannies, go ahead and join three.


Then join them all into rows of three.

And then join those four rows of three all together into one piece.

Great job!! You're half way through step two.

Now go back to the top and follow along to crochet the other 12 grannies together.

Once you've made your front and your back you can darn in all your ends by threading them onto a needle and tucking them through a few stitches on the back and then snipping them off.

And that my friends, is step two done and dusted.

I'll see you back here next Tuesday for step three.

In the meantime we can chat about our granny hotties in the comments here, on Facebook here, and we can share photos on instagram using the hashtag #grannyhottie.

Happy grannying!

Bye!!

x

Let's crochet a granny hottie!

I've got a great idea!

Somehow I've found myself in a bit of a crocheted granny-square, hot water bottle cover marathon, and before I get going on my fourth one, I thought you might like to play too.

We could have a bit of a granny-hottie-a-long. How fun does that sound, not to mention snuggly and warm too.

I'm sure you've got lots of stuff going on in your lives so we'll take it pretty slowly, maybe a step a week, and that way we'll all have lots of time to keep up.

What do you think? Are you in?



Just a few things before we get started;

Firstly, I'm going to assume a little bit of crochet knowledge here, but at any stage if you get stuck, or if you are crocheting for the first time, ask google, ask me, or ask in the comments and together I'm sure we can work it out.

Secondly, I'm going to be working in US crochet terminology.

Thirdly, I've been making these up as I go along, but if you feel like you'd like to change things up or do things your own way - go for it.

Yay!! Should we start?

The first thing we'll need to do is gather our supplies and the most important supply of all is YARN. I'm using 8ply wool left over from other projects. This is a wonderful way to use up all those rolly-polly odds and ends.



Next up we'll need a crochet hook. I'm using a 3.5mm because I like the size of the stitches it makes but feel free to experiment. We'll also need sharp scissors for snipping, a darning needle for those perky ends and a larger ball of wool for your main colour (i.e. the edging and neck). And of course we'll need a hot water bottle.


And now for the fun bit!!

Using your yarn and your crochet hook, hook up 24 granny squares using dc's and chains. Remember these granny squares are a bit mini so stop each one after three rounds. When choosing colours, be as wild or as monochrome as you like.

I like to crochet over the tail of the last colour I used as I go (there are plenty of tutorials online), but if that sounds too hard, don't worry about it at all.

I guess the other thing is joining as you go but I like to lay them out at the end and choose where each one will go before joining.

And that's step one all done. Yay!

Let's meet back here next Tuesday for step two.

In the meantime we can chat about our granny hotties in the comments here, on Facebook here, and we can share photos on instagram using the hashtag #grannyhottie (I've checked - there are not hot grandma pics - it's safe).

I'm excited - let the grannie hottie begin!!

Just think how much your cold winter toes will love you.

Bye!!

xx

knits and knots and natters

The other day I went looking for a bag of green flecked wool that I knew I had but couldn't remember where I'd put. I searched high and then I searched low and found it under my bed with a bunch of other bits and pieces of the woolly persuasion including the start of a granny hottie that I hooked up last year. Fancy that! I fully remember making that red one but I wonder why I started and then stopped this green one. I'd better finish it off don't you think.


After I found the green wool I cast on some Emerald Fingerless Mittens to swap with a potter for some beakers. It feels a bit funny to be making something for someone I've never even met in real life but a bit fun all the same. I hope she likes them.


In the middle of all this I turned around in my desk chair one day and contemplated the stacks of vintage sheets that I have been collecting but neglecting for years. Piles of them all neatly folded and colour coded. I thought about cutting out and sewing a dress for someone but it's not really sundress weather. So I pulled some down, tore off some 3cm lengths, found a 10mm hook, crocheted a 26 chain stitches and started a rag rug.

The beginning was quick and fun but then it started hurting my hands and curling up at the edges so I took a break. It's so cold and there's so much knitting to be done that I can't really afford to hurt myself right now. Or ever. I think I've got a 15mm hook around here somewhere that might help  to make it looser and easier.

If you were an oversized crochet hook where would you hide from me?


The minute before I put my rag rug aside to rest it occurred to me that my time would probably be better spent making something woolly and wearable. In these crazy cold days something that protects against the chilliness must be valued higher than something pretty, every single time.

So I systematically searched through my stash, found three bandless balls of something that looked 12plyish, found a pattern on Ravelry, swatched and cast on. And despite the fact that Indi said I would never wear that colour, I knitted on.

It was a quick knit and after about two nights I found myself nearing the end of the first ball which in turn made me happy and then concerned. Happy because I could imagine myself wearing my thick, cuddly cardi by the end of the week. And then concerned because there was no way I was a third of the way into the knit and yet here I was a third of the way into my wool.

That's when I realised I had underestimated the amount of yarn I would need. And I got out the kitchen scales and weighed it all up and realised that I was right, I was way under. Oops. I'm so used to knitting 8ply that I had forgotten that the same weight of 12ply would give me less length. And being wool from the Bendigo Woollen Mills back-room I knew there wasn't much chance of getting any more. Bum!


After that I knitted up some Small Fry Fingerless gloves for Pepper. Look at her cute little meditation hands.


Next up is socks. Wish me luck.

Or maybe I'll have to put all that on hold to knit with the smooshiest yarn ever that just arrived in Jodie's Jellywares Winter yarn club. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Decisions. Decisions.

So that's me all caught up creatively.
How about you? What've you been up to?

I hope you're feeling inspired and creative. I hope you've got a fun project on the go.

Ciao!

xx

all kinds of woolly wonderful...

On Sunday, which felt like it might have been the coldest day in my living memory, I darned in the ends of Miss Pepper's hottie cover.

Yesterday the high and the low in temperature were just one and a half degrees apart and the high lasted less than an hour before it began dropping from 3 back down to one and a half again. Yesterday we ventured outside to gather and feed for less than an hour and my fingers ached with cold so badly I feared I'd done permanent damage.

This morning Miss Pepper is home with a tummy ache snuggled up with her granny hottie on the couch and I am feeling like it was finished just in time. She says it's helping too.

At the Sheep and Wool Show I bought these three hanks of wool. 280 grams a piece.

The darkest one on the right was hand dyed with indigo and alkamet eco dyes. The one in the middle was hand dyed with indigo and tumeric eco dyes. And I might just dye the natural one myself with something from around here, beetroot or eucalyptus leaves I think.

I bought these buttons. I always buy wooden buttons when I see them.

I bought almost a kilo of this divine black sheep wool off farmer Sue French whose sheep grew it.

We chatted to Sue for ages about black sheep, about the fact that her wool is processed in Australia from start to finish and about shearers and wool co-ops.

I bought a kilo thinking I would finally knit my farmer boy that jumper he's been asking me for.

But then we found a lady selling old Tractor Jumpers made in Australia from Australian sheep's wool, so we bought two of them instead.

We were both quite excited by these two purchases, I don't know if there is even such a thing any more as Australian made knitwear made from Australian sheep. We felt like we'd discovered a real treasure. They look so great on my boy too, but that's beside the point.

I've been wanting to try an ergonomic crochet hook for ages now, so I bought the Clover one. But honestly, I'm not sure it feels any better in my hand than my good old metal one.

And I bought a bag of 50 eco-dyed, pre-knitted squares for $15. The stall holder lady was selling them off cheap because her business had changed direction. I have no idea why I bought them off her. Maybe because they were so crazy cheap, maybe because I love the thought of a blanket in those colours, or maybe because I still owe Miss Indi a blanket for her bed and this seems like a doable before the end of this winter plan. I know it's kinda cheating, but crocheting them together and then around them is still crafting...

And lastly, I bought a bag of these. For playing with and laying out and designing and admiring. And when we're finished, I think I'll string them into a garland. Love a bit of felt ball action.

So there you have it, that's me woolly sorted for a while. Or until I dream up a project in neon...

So what are you making, baking, growing, or writing?
I bet it's wonderful.

Bye for now

xx