Given that you're here, and assuming that you're not right now scratching your head and thinking "Hang on, this isn't the blog about oxy-acetylene welding that I was searching for,"* it's probably safe to assume that you're partial to looking at a bit of knitting/crochet. (I used to call it 'yarn p♥rn', but then I noticed that a few folk were landing here via some questionable search terms - and no doubt being deeply disappointed when they arrived - so I gave that up.) One of the best places Continue Reading
About A Chair
[whispers] It's done. Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time (an embarrassingly long time ago), there was a young psychologist who lived alone in a flat in Oxford. She loved her home very much and was happy there, but she didn't have much spare cash, so not being able to afford an antique overstuffed armchair on castors, she went instead to Ikea, where she bought a Poäng chair:- The chair served her well over the years, and was sat in without obvious complaint by a long succession of Continue Reading
Finishing Touches
No, really: I'm practically done. All that remains after a year or so of work on that completely crazy project is to sew/crochet the thing together in its final setting. I know that a fair few of you have generously walked this journey by my side, for which I can only thank you for your extreme patience. In a few days' time, I'll be able to photograph and show you the finished object in situ. I just hope that it's been worth the wait. In the meantime, here are a few shots of the finishing Continue Reading
Rhubarb!
All right, all right, you lot. I can see how titling a post 'Finished Object' might have given the teeniest impression that I'd finally finished that project. Sorry. But your comments have also nudged me to get on with final push towards completion, so thank you. Though when I do weave in the last end, I'll be posting under a considerably more hysterical title than 'Finished Object'. Look out for a post titled OMG, OMG, IT'S DONE, IT'S DONE, IT'S DONE! SQUEEEEE!!!!!!!! Unless the finished job Continue Reading
All Aboard The Stylecraft Blog Tour Bus For A Giveaway And A Free Pattern!
Have you been following this year’s Stylecraft Blog Tour? Yesterday, designer/author Sue Pinner showed us her marvellous Spinning Top crochet blanket pattern. Six new shades have been added to the aran and the chunky Stylecraft Special acrylic ranges, and the fine fibrous folk at Stylecraft have mixed these up with some of the existing shades to make a couple of different ten-ball colour packs that they'll be selling for a while. Over the summer, they kindly gave a few of us yarniacs a pack to Continue Reading
Back In The Crochet Garden
Dear blog, I've neglected your regular silliness business, what with all those giveaways and other stuff. So I thought it was high time to drop in on a project that's been slowly (very slowly) progressing in the background whilst I've been on here chattering about other things. Yes, if you've been reading here a'while: you'll know the one. The over-ambitious furniture-related one that began with a house, and which is now slowly (oh-so-slowly) acquiring a garden. It's so close to the Continue Reading
So Who Has Won Edward’s Crochet Imaginarium?
Another week, and another giveaway closes. I'm truly sorry that this one was UK-only but don't worry international folk, there'll be plenty more sharing-the-yarn-around to come. So, do you remember me introduciing this marvellous book that's just been published? Within these flip-book pages, you'll find everything you need to design and create the unique monster of your dreams - or nightmares. Up to you. A couple of weeks ago, I posted a review with a contest to win a copy of this fine Continue Reading
Giveaway Review: Edward’s Crochet Imaginarium
And another review with a giveaway! Wa-hey! (This is part of a blog tour organized by Pavilion Books - more on that at the bottom of this post.) So I'm guessing you've noticed that there are lots of knitting and crochet books around these days. Like, loads. If you're as untidy as I am, you probably trip over a pile of them every single time you stand up to water the cat. (See those bruises on my shins? They're knit-book-related injuries. Life is tough.) Some of these publications are more Continue Reading
Garden Variety Crochet
In case you thought my promises of completing that insane project were sounding more hollow with each passing week year, I decided to show you some progress on the garden portion... which happens to be the final section. For those of you who haven't been reading The Yarn since it was hand-copied on parchment by medieval serfs, this project is large, bonkers, furniture-related, mostly crochet, and I'm very excited about showing you what it's eventually going to be. Not long now, my fine fibrous Continue Reading
Book Review: Crochet Therapy by Betsan Corkhill
Now this has been an interesting one, this book review. It involves a rare crossover between two major areas of my life: yarn and clinical psychology. Yes, really. Please allow me to explain. The book is Crochet Therapy by Betsan Corkhill, to be published on July 7th in the UK (eg Amazon.co.uk) and slightly later elsewhere (e.g. the North American edition will be available from Amazon.com on 6th September). But I have a copy, right here in my hands - hurrah! Know-ye that I didn't pay for this Continue Reading