Like anyone else that does knitting or crochet, I get lots of small quantities of yarn, so this week I decided to make a traditional granny square lap blanket....Nothing unusual about it ...just the same as many other blankets. This one is for sale on folksy
www.folksy.com/shops/teareaks
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I have also been playing with my butterfly loom with a view to making some baby shawls in the future. This is just one of the experimental squares
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I have decided that the sensory play mat is now finished.....I shall offer it for sale in one of my shops in the next few days. It will be £25 plus £5 P&P....there are many hours of work in it and lots of different yarns. The idea of it ,is a mat for babies and children to sit on, to touch the texture and be inspired by the colours. It could also be a lap cover for special needs people or people with dementia...in fact for anyone who loves to lose themselves in a fantasy world....at the widest point it is approximately 30" across and on average is 27" across...it is not intended to be square or have straight sides...
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It will be for sale in my folksy shop from October 1st
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www.folksy.com/shops/teabreaks 
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I have had a very busy week this week ...sorting out family matters and attending meetings, so the progress on the play mat has been slow.
I have still added a few more scrumbles and next I need to start straightening off the sides a bit. I don't want to make it completely straight but I don't want to leave it circular.
Here is the photo of progress so far.....
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this week I added some bullion circles and some fluffy yarns.......the blanket is getting bigger.
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another few days have gone by and lots of bits of crochet have been added to the sensory play mat....It is fun taking yarn and deciding where that colour should go and then what stitch to use.....
Here is the latest picture....can you spot the new bits?.....

It has been a bus few days with family staying for a visit. However I still managed to add a few more pieces (Scrumbles) to the play mat.....here is the progress so far....
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another day and a few more pieces have been added to the sensory play mat.......It won't be long before it is up for sale...I am really enjoying making this...I just hope that I can part company with it....
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It is growing...a little more has been added....just a few bobbles and a few trebles....and a couple of curly pieces too.....
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the sensory play mat is growing and looking good.....
here are the additions for today...
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Thursday 7th September.
The play mat is growing and the days are becoming colder. It will be nice to sit with this on my lap, keeping me warm while I add to it each day.
Here is the progress so far....
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today I have added a few more motifs to my freeform crochet scrumble piece...it is coming along nicely now..nearly 12" at the widest point.....
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I cannot promise to do it every day but I am hoping to keep adding to the freeform crochet scrumble until it is large enough for a play mat or lap cover.....
I added some more today to yesterday's scrumble........so far so good...
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Because of recent changes in my circumstances, I now have a lot more time to crochet and so I have decided to start a new sensory play mat. This one will be offered for sale in my folksy shop (might be a while before it is finished) but keep looking .....
www.folksy.com/shops/teabreaks

I shall show pictures of the work as it progresses.....
Here is the very first scrumble.
A scrumble is the technical term for a small piece of freeform crochet.
There are no rules, you just work some stitches in any yarn, add more yarns , change direction and add some more.......
People make the most amazing wall hangings, garments, afghans etc.
These are works of art...like painting with yarn.....
I shall add more pictures and it grows......please come back and watch it grow.....
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I have lots of small balls of yarn and I like to use them up doing freeform crochet.
Freeform crochet is like painting with yarn.
You take any yarn, create any stitch and work in any direction....join on a new yarn , turn the work upside down or the other way and off you go again.
You create beautiful fabrics that can be made into garments or wall hangings.
This sample will be a play mat for my new Grand daughter Chloe.
Ideal for a baby to sit or lie on, it contains many bright colours and textures to catch the imagination. This mat even has a small purse that can be opened and items put inside...maybe a teddy bear?
Every piece of freeform crochet is unique and no two will ever be the same.
These mats are a wonderful gift not only for babies and children but also pensioners and people with dementia creating beautiful imaginative thoughts.
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still trying to get to grips with life in general but I am getting there.
I have been making a few scrumbles.....(freeform crochet) and also making some more jackets.....here are this week's makes...
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I have been very busy during the last few weeks . Designing and making items for sale in my folksy shop
www.folksy.com/shops/teabreaks
and my etsy shop
www.etsy.com/shop/teabreaks
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Here are some of the items that I have made
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This week I have been busy working out patterns and came up with this classic style baby cardigan.

Worked in treble the bobbles have been added at the end using surface crochet. 

I wanted to see first if I had enough yarn for any pattern.

The buttons have also been crocheted to match the cardigan.

That also guarantees a good match and saves on expense.

This cardigan and many others are available from my folksy shop

www.folksy.com/shops/teabreaks

I also have some for sale on

www.etsy.com/shop.teabreaks 

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I liked this cardigan so much that I have decided to make them in other colours.

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Life has been very difficult this week for personal reasons but I am coping and strong and thank goodness that I am able to knit and crochet and keep on top of things.

I received a lovely box of yarn that my fab husband bought for me
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and I also made two more of my crochet cardigans.
I love making these.
Now to decide what to do with the yarn....what a thoughtful gift
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despite it being a difficult week I managed to make and finish this baby cardigan
Made to my own pattern, I don't usually go for green but this yarn caught my eye and I just had to buy it.
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I have had a very busy few weeks and I have done a lot of knitting.
I like to take my own basic instructions and alter them with different stitches and colours.....here are a few of the ones I have made lately....
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I have been very busy knitting for the last few weeks.
As I have spent most of my life designing knitwear and having been inspired by items that other people are making, I decided to get back into it again.
I am still painting but most of my sales for art are now on ebay...so I am gradually just adding more and more knitwear to my folksy shop
www.folksy.com/shops/teabreaks
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I will still have paintings on folksy and also my hand made cards as I like to do those as well.
This week I have finished another entrelac cardigan....this time with purple and mauve sparkly yarns.
These cardigans take many hours to knit but I do love seeing the finished garments.
I have also made a few baby cardigans.
I have decided to stick to mainly baby items as making larger items was causing a storage problem.
Here are some of my latest knits.....most of them can still be found in my folksy shop from starting prices of just £6 plus shipping
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Because my hands have been painful for a while due to the constant crochet...I have returned to my love of knitting as this is how I earned my living for many years.
I find that I am able to knit without causing any pain.
So here you can see some of the items that I have been making recently.
I love entrelac knitting in particular.....there is also a picture of me when I had my knitwear stall at the Wednesday craft market in Uxbridge (Greater London).
I hope to be showing more knitting soon......

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