Round and round...

I've never been the doily type... until now! I guess this isn't a traditional doily anyway, it's a bit more rugged than that. I had a phase of making up random motifs and coasters last year some time. It was the quick and easy part that appealed to me, as well as the attraction of working in cotton during the warmer months. This time I wanted something much bigger than a coaster so I started off with a simple motif and just gave it a few extra rounds of something more solid so that it could end up as a mat of some kind. There was a bit of ripping back and rehashing to make it lie flat but I got there in the end.

This organic cotton range was a bargain when I bought them, round about £3 a skein I think. I've noticed that they are nearly £5 a skein on Amazon now. Probably something to do with them messing about with free delivery.

Tomorrow I plan to throw open my wool cupboard and dig out some holiday yarn. I need small, simple projects because there won't be long, uninterrupted crochet sessions. Just a few moments in between cricket and caravanning duties (like washing up, boo!)

When I first learnt how to crochet and we went on holiday I would pack a pattern or two and the specified yarn. When I got a bit more confident I challenged myself to take a few balls of yarn that I liked and to make up something without a pattern. Inevitably I would find an old crochet magazine in the caravan and find a pattern and off I went. I did once make a pair of crochet mittens without a pattern whilst pitched on a hilltop with gale force winds buffeting the caravan rather alarmingly but I did have extreme motivation on that occasion; arriving without gloves or mittens in sub zero temperatures.

This year I am determined to 'crochet from scratch' and I'm thinking 'socks'. E is a big fan of socks, whether decorative, humorous, slouchy, bed, wellie socks, knee highs, you name it, she loves them. So I figure she would welcome my crochet efforts. Mind you, I have one or two nice looking sock patterns!