TROPICAL COLLECTION

Whether recreating sunshine vibes in the garden or heading for the beach, stitch up all the right accessories for fun in the sun

LIFE’S A BEACH

Designed as a tribute to the classic beach blanket, Sue Pearson’s colourful picnic throw is a stylish sun lounging accessory, or perfect for draping across your knees when it’s cooler.

IN THE SHADE

Pauline Morgan’s fruity little number is a sunglasses case that you won’t lose in a hurry – its vibrant colours will call to you whether it has been left in the sun or shade. A sea blue border, cherries, and orange and watermelon slices make up the pop arty design.

BLOOMING MARVELLOUS

Embellish a plain beach bag with some bright stitched blooms for a revamp that is as speedy as it is sensational! Munira Rasul’s ravishing blossoms stand out in spectacular fashion against the plainer woven material.

FESTIVAL FEELS

Set the scene for an afternoon of grooving al fresco by decorating your party zone with Jo Hill’s festival lanterns. String them along a fence or across a patio for the colourful finishing touch…

CLUB TROPICANA

Fun and sunshine, there’s enough for everyone with Kelly Wilson Moore’s fruity drink stirrers and coasters. This quickstitch project will add exotic appeal to a round of cocktails in an instant.

PICNIC BLANKET

Enjoy eating al fresco in comfort with Sue Pearson’s stylish throw – an opportunity to try some Tunisian simple stitch skills

■ King Cole Cottonsoft DK (100% cotton, 100g/210m), 1 ball of each: Antique Gold (3461), Black (746), Jade (781), Cherry (719), Celery (3364), Apricot (1850), Buttercup (1600), Clementine (3464), Saxe (718), Ecru (711)

■ A 6mm (US J/10) Tunisian hook with extension cable

■ A 5mm (US H/8) hook

TENSION

16 sts and 15 rows measure 10x10cm (4x4in) over Tunisian simple stitch using a 6mm hook, or size needed to obtain correct tension

MEASUREMENTS

Blanket measures approx 87x112cm (34¼x44in)

ABBREVIATIONS

Tss (Tunisian simple stitch) Loop on hook counts as first st, *insert hook through bar on next st from right to left, yrh and pull up a loop, leave loop on hook; rep from * as indicated

Tks (Tunisian knit stitch) *Insert hook through fabric from RS to WS to the left of the vertical bar, yrh and pull up a loop, leave loop on hook; rep from * as indicated Tps (Tunisian purl st) Bring yarn to front of work, insert hook through vertical bar of st, yrh and pull up a loop, leave loop on hook

RetP (return pass) Yrh, pull through first loop on hook, (yrh, pull through 2 loops on hook) rep across to end

bobble (Yrh, insert hook in next st from RS to WS, yrh and pull up loop, yrh, draw through 2 loops on hook) 5 times, yrh, draw through 5 loops on hook leaving final loop on hook For a full list, see page 78

NOTES

Blanket is worked up from the bottom to the top in the Tunisian style. Each Tunisian row is worked in 2 parts. The forwards pass (FwdP) is worked from right to left picking up a loop in each st. When working into the final st of a row, insert the hook through both loops on edge of work. The return pass (RetP) is worked from left to right removing each loop from the hook. The loop on the hook at the start of each row counts as the first st throughout.

On the FwdP, change colour by working the yrh of the st in the new colour. Leave the last colour on the WS of your work ready to use again on the RetP. On the RetP, you will change colour when 1 loop on the old colour remains on the hook. For example, if you have 1 loop of Antique Gold followed by loops of Apricot, you would yrh with Apricot at this point.

Tunisian edging is worked into the row-end edges and border is then worked around the entire blanket.

PICNIC BLANKET

Using a 6mm hook and Antique Gold, ch112.

Foundation row (RS) Insert hook in bl of second ch from hook, yrh and pull up a loop, (insert hook in bl of next ch, yrh and pull up a loop) 110 times (112 loops on hook), RetP across. [112 sts]

Row 1 (RS) *Tps in next st, Tss in next st; rep from * across, RetP across.

Row 2 *Tss in next st, Tps 1; rep from * across, RetP across.

Rows 3-6 Repeat Rows 1-2 twice.

Change to Black.

Row 7 Tss across, RetP across.

Change to Jade.

Rows 8-9 9 Tss in Jade, 92 Tss in Cherry, 10 Tss in Celery, RetP matching colour of FwdP sts.

Rows 10-11 10 Tss in Jade, 90 Tss in Cherry, 11 Tss in Celery, RetP matching colour of FwdP sts.

Rows 12-13 11 Tss in Jade, 88 Tss in Cherry, 12 Tss in Celery, RetP matching colour of FwdP sts.

Rows 14-49 Continue with colour changes as set. Every other row, increase Jade and Celery by 1 st and decrease Cherry by 2 sts.

Rows 50-51 30 Tss in Jade, 50 Tss in Cherry, 31 Tss in Celery, RetP matching colour of FwdP sts. Change to Black.

Row 52 Tss across, RetP across.

Change to Apricot.

Rows 53-54 Tss across, RetP across.

Row 55 *Tss in next 2 sts, bobble in next st; rep from * until 3 sts remain, Tss in next 3 sts, RetP across.

Change to Black.

Row 56 Tss across, RetP across.

Change to Buttercup.

Row 57 33 Tss in Buttercup, 44 Tss in Clementine, 34 Tss in Saxe, RetP matching colour of FwdP sts.