Wet Christmas and TUMBLING BLOCKS crochet

I am hereby wishing all bloggers and blog-readers AVERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A DELIGHTFILLED 2013 WITH A JOLLY NEW YEAR TOO!!!!

May you ALL enjoy HAPPY times relaxing with family and/ or friends and /or creative and fun-filled activities.

It's a wet Christmas here in Oxfordshire so I'm starting with a few more snowflakes, this time from last year's London advent calendar....

There's been a lot of crochet this Christmas day also: the jumper for JJ is growing still and a scarf started from scratch is 4/7 completed. It's using Sirdar ESCAPE D.K. and a 4.5 mm hook and I'm using the tumbling blocks design which is generating lovely DIAGONAL stripes.
Here's a few photos as to how you do it: Start with a 6 chain and work a treble in the 4th stitch from hook, then 2 more trebles: you now have a block of 4 treble equivalents. Continue for row 2 with a 6 chain and repeat the treble in 4th stitch and 2 more trebles. Then you need the FLIP the block so it's a right angles to the first in terms of treble stitch direction.

 I had started this scarf at 3 am so will try to demonstrate from the top of a ''staircase'' of blocks:

 At the end of a row you will have created 10 blocks in one direction if you make a scarf 10 blocks wide as I have done. It is 10 blocks wide and also each row is 10 blocks on the diagonal.

Then you chain the 6 chains as described above.

 Then work a treble ( USA dc) in the 4th from hook and add two more trebles : one stitch in each of the next two chains to make a block.

Here above is the first treble being made and below is the block finished before flipping it into position.

 And now the block is flipped through 90 degrees and the hook position shows where a slip stitch will be made to attach the block into the new position.As in the picture below.

So in the two blocks next to each other: the trebles run horizontally in the left hand block and vertically in the right-hand block and we are now working right to left descending back down the 'staircase'' of blocks.

 Fixing the flipped block in place with slip stitch

 showing the fixed block in place.

 chaining 3 to start the next block

 Having added three trebles after the chain 3 to make a new block in it's entirety.

End by attaching the new -made block to the ''staircase block'' on the left hand side with a slipstich into the  3chain of the left hand block. Then start the next block with a 3 chain again.

 Continue to the end of the row and then turn when you get to the straight side - the edge- of the scarf.

 Here you have just slipstitched your block, turn and slip stitch along the 3 trebles to get into position to work a 3 chain to start moving back along the diagonal working a new row of blocks.

 From this point above, you will do a 3 chain and then 3 trebles under the indicated position to make a new block which lies at 90 degrees or at a right angle from the ones just worked.

  My little finger in the above photo is indicating where you work the three trebles into. It's not into stitches but into a chain space left by the 3 chain of a block below.
I hope that helps understand how the tumbling blocks works a little, maybe.
The first row has 1 block, the second 2 , the third three and so on, the chain 6 is used to increase on a side and the slipstitch for 3 is to move into position or keep a straight edge.

We went to church for Christingles yesterday which was lovely and very funny this year and arriving late we got to sit in the 15th Century Chancel. I missed midnight mass as JJ had fallen asleep by 7pm and I was still wrapping presents at 11 pm and a gaggle of happy giggly girls made the vanilla ice cream we needed today to accompany the pudding.
Today we were at church by 10:30 for 11 am having opened stocking presents but not ''tree'' ones.
We got home by 12 noon hungry as we'd had no breakfast or anything and after a light snack walked the dogs in a grey muddy field with a biting icy wind blowing.By 3 pm we'd opened and delighted over all the presents and it was  ''the Queen ''and movie time.

Then at 5 pm JJ served up a delicious dinner .
And afterwards we relaxed with Dr Who, Call the midwife and Downton Abbey on the billing whilst happily crocheting that scarf and enjoying the festivities and company of relaxed family.
Later we played a hilarious game called ''up a bit'' which had us all in stitches and almost hurting ourselves through laughing so much.
Hoping your Christmas day was just as jolly and good as this was for us.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!