Colour My World With Cashmerino

I spent a couple of hours during the week doing a stocktake on my Baby Cashmerino Yarn....I love this yarn and it's primarily the staple yarn of my little business Dover & Madden.  A couple of reasons, firstly the colours, secondly the softness and last this yarn is machine washable.

Anyway the reason for the stocktake being that I'm going to be making my little Dover & Madden Exclusive  Cashmerino Striped Earflap Hats into limited edition colour runs.  It's been an idea for a while but while my shop remained fully stocked I kept getting orders for the same hats and therefore I couldn't introduce any new colours....fantastic but frustrating at the same time....and I will be honest, it does get very boring for me when I'm knitting the same colour hats all the time.  So some of you may know that my Etsy shop is very understocked in anticipation for a few new items and colours coming up.  Here are a couple of my favourites...

and this is my other favourite....Blue and Green should always be seen!

So getting back to my point...a stocktake was needed.  The wholesaler had sent me an updated colour chart and I needed to look at my colour palette and find out where the gaps in colours were.  It's a very hard struggle....2 reds....do I need 2 reds....3 shades on navy etc etc....the thought process in my head swirled around, and just because I like the colour does everyone else....so in the end I made a few executive decisions.  I will have to add a few extra pinks and purples....I think I will add in a really dark navy and the really dark brown, I need a soft purple, and another orange and I think I'm covered.

I haven't put any colour combos together because they remain top secret.....until they're introduced but here are some pictures of the stock I've got and there is more to come!!

The neutrals....I don't know why I've included cream here as it will never appear as a colour in a Cashmerino Striped Earflap Hat....I don't mind it on it's own, but I won't use it striped with a colour such as pink & cream or blue & cream...I'm probably alienating a whole market here but in my mind it just lacks a little something, it's boring and a little predictable.....and I love my baby stuff to be full of colour.  Black might get a run somewhere along the way.


 

The greys....my favourites and the new dark charcoal grey just floats my boat.  Grey is a colour that suits baby skin, and these greys are soooo pretty, I use them a lot and I expect to use the new dark charcoal many times...it looks fab with some of the blues.

The blues...and there is a lot of them....and looking at them all there really does need to be that very dark navy.  There are a couple of new blues in here and some of them do have a grey tone so could match in well with the grey tones.

Purple....I'm missing the really soft silver mauve so that will have to make it in .... I love purple and it's a colour that suits me....I find it's not a popular colour that Mum's put on their bubs....I could be wrong but I was told it was a bad luck colour.....maybe it's an old wives tale, someone might be able to clear that up for me.  Purple is a colour that no matter what your skin tone is you will find a shade that suits you....that also goes for yellow....no other colour has this ability....I always thought I couldn't wear yellow...I have to wear a soft buttery yellow....not a canary yellow.

Pinks....not one of my favourite colours but I use it a lot....I'm tend to like the soft muted pinks and the purplish pinks rather than the bold  hot bright pinks...a few more pinks are coming....

I'm a big fan of brown in knitting....and the new mustard shade I'm loving....as you can see it's missing a really dark brown as much as I love the milk choc brown...so that's on the way.

The soft lemons, apricots, oranges and red....my least favourite colours....unfortunately the bright orange, second from the right is a deleted colour, but I have a small stash of it, so I will use it as a highlight colour, it's a beautiful orange and it's such a shame it's gone....and there really does need to be a bright yellow, but DB does not do one....shame really, so mustard will have to suffice.

And lastly my absolute favourites....green.  I love all shades of green, although personally I don't wear a lot of green because it doesn't really suit me, although I do have green eyes....I can wear apple green but not much else, shame really...but loads of shades here and just three more to come....jade green and a soft khaki and a pale mint green.

So there you have it....so much colour....the fun stuff is putting them together to make hats....I won't share that with you that's a surprise.  The sneak peeks will be over on my Facebook page.

Here's a question how many hats becomes a limited run?...here are my thoughts

NB to 3M x 1
4M to 9M x 2
10M to 18M x 3
18M to 36M x 2


Let me know what you think....leave me a comment.

Till next time

Vicki x

Getting Ahead of Myself.....

I got a little excited last night and the "One a Day" became "Five a Day".....I'm loving every minute of this project....but it will have to go back to "one a day" because the hat orders beckon. Here's a sneak peek.

I think I'll only need 5 across by 7 in length...so 35 and I can always add another row if need be at the end...this pattern has a rather large border around it so that also adds width and length.....and if you want to make your own blanket the yarn is here and the pattern is here beautifully written out in simple instructions by Kate from Signed with an Owl. 

Until the second row!

vicki x

Is bigger always better.....or just different?

I love the fact that crochet is so versatile....as most of you know knitting is my thing, but I've grown to love crochet over the past few years.  I've been crocheting for around 2 years so I tend to think I'm doing ok with it.

Anyway I did a square last night for niece no 1's blanket...it will be a "one a day" project until I've got enough squares for a single bed...I'll sew as I go, because I can't stand doing all the sewing in of ends at the completion of the blanket.

Here is a pic of my square....it's a monster compared to my Baby Bullseye square and  I've popped a button in the picture to.  The button would be the size of a 10 cent piece or a large marble.

So there you go....I think I'm going to need 35 of these guys to make a bed blanket....and then the border....so let's see if I make an end of November finish.....You heard it here first!!

I'll keep you posted.

Vicki xx

Changes

Things don't often stay the same forever and I've decided I need to make a few changes.  Some of you may know, I recently changed jobs....I won't go into why, but some significant changes came out of it.....

A new job that I love that gives me no responsibility other than turning up to work on time....I leave all the stuff at the door and no longer have to put up with the toxic atmosphere and management bull***t that was my previous workplace.  I work with a great bunch of people now doing a job that I'm happy to do. 

The second change was a rather large salary cut....it's amazing how you adapt to your new income. It's surprised me how much money I wasted on items I just didn't need....I've had to make a few sacrifices.....but overall I'm coping.  The rent is still being paid, I'm coping with the bills... .a bigger income certainly made things more comfortable but I think at the end of the day my personal happiness is more important than a large paycheck.

Thirdly my working day is slightly longer.....I guess the one thing I did like about my previous job was that I left the building at 5.05pm and I was generally home at 5.15pm.....my new job keeps me at work to 6pm....by the time I get out of the building and walk the 16 minutes through the Docklands to my car....I'm not getting home till around 6.50pm....so this is where the biggest change comes in.

I am no longer going to be knitting to order....my time in the evening is shorter and I can't get through the orders as quickly as I did previously... I just don't want to keep people waiting any longer than what I consider reasonable for a Dover & Madden hat....It was with much deliberation that I decided to finally...because it's been on the agenda before...change my business to suit MY time now....You can read about it here.  It's a big step for me, but one I think will allow me some free time, experiment a bit more, make some new items, and finally spend some me time, and rescue a few fractured family relationships!

Now the serious stuff is over....here are some minor changes I'm going to make.

I started another one of these blankets pictured...I'd gifted two because the owner of the pattern doesn't allow the selling of finished products from her patterns which is fair enough and as a fellow crafter I respect her terms of the sale of the pattern.

So I combined my love of the alpaca border with my Baby Bullseye circles made in Cashmerino

and came up with these...

A combination of two of my favourite yarns with a pattern that I've created that I can sell....Yippeee.  This blanket will be in softer colours, more muted colours leaving out the vibrant colours....although as you can see I have included choc brown as there always needs to be spots of light and dark in a mixed colour blanket in my own opinion.

Another change is a blanket that is long overdue for Niece no 1.....after much thought I changed her blanket from a Granny Stripe that I did for her sister...Niece no 2 to a ripple blanket all inspired by Attic 24.

This blanket again is not floating my boat....I came across this blanket.
 

Isn't it a stunner...photo is courtesy of mamatoabigail as it's her blanket.  So I think Niece No 1 will love it, and it will be a bit more interesting for me to make...instead of going back and forward on a ripple, I can now go round and round in circles.

So there you go, some big changes some small, but changes all the same....I for one say "Embrace Change"

Until next time

vicki x

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

My love of Christmas or Fruit Cake is nearly as big as my love of custard tarts (but that's another blog!)....A few years back I made my first forray into the world of the christmas cake....I did a lot of research....If I'm going to do something I'm going to do it properly.  I knew just one thing....I wanted the cake to be dark...I didn't want one of those light coloured fruit cakes.  It had to be rich, dark and full of fruit....The world of the fruit cake is a complicated one....some people add this, some people add that, everyone wants to tell you their recipe is the best...I looked at them all.  I asked a lot of questions and I did a hell of a lot of googling.

In the end I decided traditional was best.... I didn't want all those added extras like jam, dates, apricots, pecans....So with that in mind I ruled out a lot of the Jamie Olivers, Bill Grangers and Rachel Allens of this world as they were the worst culprits for popping in those things that I didn't want.  So I looked back to the Margaret Fultons and Delia Smiths of this world and Delia Smith won out....Raisins, currants, sultanas, peel and glace cherries....bit of brandy,sugar, butter, flour, eggs, nutmeg, all spice, lemon & orange zest, almonds and molasses for that deep rich colour....Simple.

Anyway to cut a long story short, the cake was a hit with everyone. We loved it and it was a talking point for some time.....our family is easily pleased....to think a cake kept us all happy for so long!!  The cake went into hibernation for two years....no one has had a cake as a gift since, and I've been asked many times to make some more christmas cakes so I thought I'd start early this year.

I made two this weekend.  The first one was a little over cooked....I was using an oven that was unfamiliar territory to me....it was an electric fan forced fancy thing....I'm used to a gas guzzling old clonker that I know and love and it never lets me down....anyway, the second cake is perfect....and here tis.......

I'm pretty proud of it....but here are a few photos of how it came about.

I soaked all of the fruit for 24 hours prior to making the cake, you can soak it for longer and I have but it works just as well for the shorter time.

I was pretty organised this time and measured out all the ingredients first.

I won't bore you with the details, but beat sugar and butter, slowly add the eggs until whipped light and fluffy, add the flour, fruit, almonds and molasses and lemon and orange zest. and into the tin, and then decorate with blanched almonds if you desire....I personally love the almonds on top, but some people prefer to ice their cake, not me...I hate cake icing so almonds it is....a pretty pattern is required here.

The next step is quite important...you have to line the top of the cake with silicon or baking parchment so it doesn't burn on the long slow cooking process and I also like to wrap my cake tin in brown wrapping paper so the sides of the cake are protected in the oven....reminds me of one of those dogs with the cone around his head!

Three and a half hours later....

I did cut the cake that I kept for myself....I had a sneaky piece last night with a cup of tea....it was delicious.... you can see how dark the cake is and so full of fruit....there is only 225g of flour around a cup and a bit, so not a lot of batter at all, more fruit that anything else....just how I like it.

And with a little festive ribbon it turns from a fruit cake into a christmas cake.

If you would like to make your own cake the recipe is here.  I will add fruit cakes aren't cheap to make if you buy your dried fruit from the supermarket....although I was lucky all the dried fruit was on special at Woolies.  The best thing to do is take your recipe to a market and have them measure out the exact requirements you need, then there is no wastage.... at the end of the day what are you really going to do with half a bag of mixed peel and some leftover glace cherries!!

This cake lasts forever.  You do need to keep feeding the cake, so every week you open it up from it's little bed of grease proof paper and foil and feed it....that means poke holes in it with a skewer and drizzle a bit more brandy down into the holes....keeps the cake incredibly moist and gives it that beautiful smell that is so familiar of fruit cake.

I hope you give it a go.....now the fruit mince pie, that's a challenge I want to conquer.

Bake Off!!!!

I plan to do a bit of baking on the weekend....Christmas Cake....I'm all prepared, although I was taken aback by the young girl at the supermarket checkout who asked me if I was baking....she sort of stated the obvious when my basket was loaded up with flour, sugar, butter, eggs, dried fruit... I'll give her brownie points she actually made a point of communicating...."Yes" I replied..."I'm making Fruit Cake"....her response "Ewwww, do people still eat that?"  Well I do! 

More to come.....

Bullseye!!

It's finally completed....my Baby Bullseye Blanket.....the name is not great, but I think I'll stick with it.  Eighty circles of blissful colour, which makes for a 80cm x 68cm blanket of beauty.....So with the words of Montell Jordan ringing in my ears.... "This is how we do it"....

I always make the first row of the blanket and border and crochet the strips together....I do this because I don't like to make the 80 required squares for this blanket and then try to place them in an order that suits. I then look at what colours are needed as I go....I find you need even distribution of light and shade...I find that I can't really go more than 4 squares without some form of green...I find green is a good joining colour, as it suits most other colours....strip after strip crocheted together.

Making a circle.

 

 

 

 

 

I made the first row of the blanket, then decided to border with the bright turquoise blue...navy blue was the other option and both looked equally as good....in the end I thought turquoise was more of a neutral blue.


I do my best to sew in all the ends as I go....there really is nothing worse than having 1000's of ends to finish of at the end of the job...and I've been there done that and never again.  Sew as you go!!

I normally would do a row a weekend...and as you can see I like to lay it out so I can see what colour/s are going to come next...it's a very visual thing with me.  I do get asked a lot how I match colours, but I take me lead from nature....I do make mistakes, but I tend to know if I have, visually it just doesn't fit....there are a few borderline circles in this blanket, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt....and you can often make them fit, by placing a matching colour in the circle next door.

 

 

Sewing in the last of the ends last night...crocheting all the squares together creates an amazing amount of ends as well.

Border done, now looking at the blanket it's all puckered and quite tight....this is where we block.

I lay the blanket on a towel on the floor.....you need 100's of pins....I pull the blanket taught and start pinning the blanket to the floor every 2cm....I also have a tape measure handy so I can measure the width and length so it's all equal and square once pinned taught.  Once this is done, spray it with water until it's wet to the touch....and leave till air dry, usually 24 hours...as I had the heater on the blanket dried quite quickly.  Blocking relaxes all the fibres of the yarn, it then stays into the shape that you've pinned it and it gives your work a professional finish.  Once dry I always give my work a shave with a lint shave.

Ta Dah............

 

I was going to put a picot edging on the blanket....I did start it but it just didn't look right....I think because there was so much busy colour in the blanket it didn't need any more fussiness around the edge...the old less is more.  If in doubt take it out!!

Anyway it's up for sale in my Etsy store. I'm sure it will go to a good home.

Now which blanket shall I move onto now.