Since I decided to reclaim crochet as something I do just for fun I have been utterly obsessed with crochet rugs and afghans. They take so many hours, but the repetitive process means the journey is as calming as the destination, and what a destination it is – beautiful and useful and ready to last a lifetime.

I’m still working on the one I started while I was on maternity leave (trust me to pick a pattern that has at least twice as many stitches per square as the standard granny square!) but I’m mentally planning the next two or three as well. There are so many options, not just in colours, but stitches and textures and shapes as well.

Flickr contains a wealth of the most beautiful work, here are some of my favourites in various styles:

1. knotten2009, 2. solgrim, 3. whereyourheartis, 4. fwoukje
5. miainspiration, 6. wardi, 7. amygunson, 8. nathr3
9. slip_stitch, 10. littleberry247, 11. sarah london textiles, 12. ckroes

I’m fairly sure my next blanket will have a floral motif, but beyond that I am still dreaming :)

I’ve wanted to make a granny square style crochet rug for a long time, and these last couple of weeks of putting my feet up have been the perfect opportunity.

I started by sorting through my yarn chest and decided to go with a cream/pink/mauve/green/teal/grey palette. I already had about a third as much as I needed in those colours, and bought another dozen or so balls to top up. (It’s pleasing to use up yarn I already had, especially as a lot of it was partial balls not suitable for starting whole projects with, but it’s also fun to shop for new yarn!)

I’m using the Circle of Friends pattern, which I found it by browsing through the flickr “granny square” tag until I found a design I liked the look of. It looks very plain on the pattern page but I like the effect when made with a variety of yarn colours.

So far I’ve made about a quarter of the squares I need for a generously sized lap rug. I won’t get it finished before the baby arrives (which could be any day now!) but that’s OK, I’m enjoying the process and not in any hurry.

P.S. If you’re a Ravelry member my project page has more information on the yarn, pattern, etc. This is the first time I’ve used Ravelry and I must admit it’s quite addictive!

I really love displays of colours – artist’s palettes, embroidery threads, eyeshadows, paint charts at the hardware store, websites like Colour Lovers – so I made a few palettes from some of my illustrations while I ate lunch today.

From Cosy Barnyard

From Wash ‘n’ Dry

From Orchard Snacktime

From Pencil Nibbler

From Burpy Bear

I didn’t realise how often I use “spring” colours until I saw these all together!

I made a delightful amigurumi piglet over the weekend!

He is from a pattern in Amigurumi: Super Happy Crochet Cute by Elisabeth Doherty. I don’t often work from patterns, but this one was so sweet I couldn’t resist, and it used some interesting techniques. I love the snout shaping! This is my favourite crochet book, as it contains more complex and nuanced patterns than any other I’ve seen; no surprise considering the author is the genius behind Gourmet Amigurumi.

P.S. Of course, since this little guy isn’t my design he is not for sale. I’m keeping him for myself!