{quilt} while you're ahead

25-2015 { crochet yoke top }

Another one from 'the list'.

 

Pattern from the book  "Crochet Adorned" (Linda Permann), which is unbelievably 6 years old.  Geesh... where does the time go?

The plan was to use a lovely piece of Nani Iro, but I really didn't have enough and my idea of adding crochet panels down the side didn't work out at all so I dug out an old Toast dress that was badly ripped (I'd caught it in a door handle... doh) and managed to salvage two panels of the right size for this top.  I was able to use the  hem of the dress too, result!!  (I hate hems)

I did the size small and used two balls of Rico Creative Cotton Aran in shade 12, with a 4 1/2mm hook.

 

Now all we need is summer...

15-2015 { crochet basket }

I don't buy many craft books.  Not because I don't like them, I do I do! but I rarely make things out of them... I have this rebellious streaks that makes me allergic to instructions.  I like doing things my way.

I do think they're a great source of ideas and occasionally I stumble upon one that makes me stop and think... and whilst I can't promise I will make any of the projects out of it I know that I will go back to this book every once in a while and will be inspired.

The book has a lot of projects  which are made using t-shirt yarn, which i love, and you can read more about the author Molla Mills here.

It happened that I had some t-shirt yarns in my stash (I bought mine from Hobbycraft) and a 10mm hook and in no time at all I made a basket:

Now I must find something to put it inside it!!

13-2-15 { Comic Relief CRAFTERNOON }

Have you hear the big news?

Let's assume you have at least heard of Comic Relief/Red Nose day... yes?  (if not please click here or you might be a little confused).

Ok, with me?

Great, WELL, Emma (aka Silverpebble) has come up with this great idea called Comic Relief Crafternoon and teamed up with the team behind Mollie Makes to produce a fantabulous special edition magazine full of exciting crafts idea (132 pages!!).  

The magazines will be available to buy from Sainsbury's on Thursday 29th January (make a note, you know you'll only be sorry if you forget!!).  The price is £7.90 and a whopping £5.00 for each copy sold will go to Comic Relief.  Not bad, eh?

You can also buy it online via ITunes and Google play.

ALSO, and this is for all of you out there who love crafting, it's a special invitation to organize a gorgeous 'crafternoon'  on March 13th, to raise money for all these worthy causes in the UK and Africa.  And how much fun will it be to craft together with friends or to arrange a mini craft fair to sell all your beautiful things?

So, why am I telling you all this...

Because Emma contacted me a few months back to tell me she'd designed a pattern for a pair of fingerless mittens and would I mind doing a little technical checking...  yes, the girl has just learnt to crochet and she's already designing stuff... there's no stopping some people!

So we worked together and you can find this splendid pattern in the magazine.   (Together of course with projects from Lucy from Attic 24, Dottie Angel, Flossie Teacake, Ric-Rac,  and so many others I can't even begin to list them all...

I've been sneakily wearing my secret mittens recently... it's been cold you know...

(138)2014 - a crochet blanket -

You know a project has been hanging around for too long when even you 13yr old son says "what? you're still doing that?"

Yup.

Sigh.

To tell you the truth this project was really starting to annoy me.  It was whispering nasty things from the basket I relegated it... calling me names... Four years? Five? Whatever, it was time to get rid of it and it required some intense crocheting for a few nights and a long session of weaving in hundreds of ends... but I declare it officially done.

The inspiration came from the cover of a crochet book I spotted somewhere... I think it was by Erica Knight, but don't quote me on this one.  I just remember buying the yarn from Get Knitted in Bristol and I was off....

And then I stopped.

And started.

And stopped again.

And now here we are, I reduced my expectation and it's now a single size blanket rather than a double ... ah the naive ambition of youth....

So the yarn is Cascade 220.  In 4 colours.  don't ask me how many skeins.  It seams to remember it was a lot.

4.5mm hook.  My favourite.

And as you can see it hasn't been blocked yet and probably never will.  

Lilli the ferocious beast seems to think it's hers.

She's so wrong.

(131)2014 - secret shawl -

Shhhh.

It's a secret.  A secret Santa type secret, so keep it to yourself!

A little shawlette to keep the shoulders warm during the chilly winter months.

One skein only of 4ply sock yarn (Knitglobal), 400m with a 3mm hook.

... this is how little yarn I had left!! Scary.

I made up the pattern as I went along... I knew I wanted a triangle but a shallow one and am very pleased of how it came out.

And it was such a quick project.  

 

I might even do another one for myself!

 

(128)2014 - pincushion -

It turned out that No 2's plane was very late and by the time we drove home in rush hour traffic we were two hours late.

No 1 did well in supervising No 3 and feeding him but within five minutes of entering the house:

- No 1 confessed he messed up some TV recording for Mr M (who, I'd like to add was in Madrid at a football game...)

- No 2 opened his suitcase in the middle of the corridor and started pulling out ridiculous amounts of chocolate

- No 3 burst into tears confessing he hadn't down his homework because he'd forgotten the sheet at school

- AND the dog went bonkers in the garden at a hedgehog.

Sigh.

I hid in the toilette and seriously contemplated sneaking out from the window and getting back into my car.  Except... the downstairs toilet doesn't have a window.

Sigh.

Anyway, it took a while, but we sorted the recording and the homework and the suitcase got closed and taken upstairs and the dog brought inside.

Sigh.

Good night.

THIS MORNING however the stars hadn't re-aligned themselves any better:

- The hedgehog hadn't moved since last night so I donned goalie gloves and put it in a bowl in the sink.  Called animal welfare.  Not much use.  We named it "Reginald" or "Prudence"... it's hard to say if a hedgehog is a girl or a boy.

- No 3 frantically did his Latin homework before school, then got picked up by somebody's grandmother (I hope) whilst No 1 sleepily supervised his exit and me and No 2 went to the osteopath.

- Unfortunately we kind of witnessed a head on collision on the way and stopped to call an ambulance which took ages.

- We were late to the osteo and a little bit shaken.

- Called the vet.  Not much use either.

- Called the wildlife rescue centre.  Told me to bring it in.

- We then went into town to buy school shoes.  Always a barrel of laughter.  Not.

- I then drove Reginald?Prudence? to the centre where they confirmed it was indeed injured and promised to look after it.

- Sigh.

- It wasn't even 11am by this point.

 

Is it wine o'clock yet?  Please take the bag of mini marshmallow away from me!

 

Anyway, I turned one of my many eggcups into a pincushion:

Just because I felt like it.

And now if you'll excuse me... I still haven't made any of the beds!!

...

Did I tell you about the morning I've had?

...

 

 

(115)2014 - crochet fingerless mittens -

The weather is finally turning colder.  Not that I haven't enjoyed this incredibly warm and dry September... it's just that... it feels weird.  The heating is not on, I'm not wearing a coat... 

I need time to prepare for Christmas and this year it'll smack me right in the forehead because I wouldn't have had enough time to prepare!

Anyway, whilst I dream of thick coloured tights and boots I crochet myself a pair of fingerless mittens.

I used two balls of Lang yarn, Merino +, in a lovely mustardy yellow.  And a 3mm crochet hook which is small for the yarn but it made a very dense and thick fabric.  I can't stand mittens or gloves with holes... what's the point.  (Yes, I'm aware my fingers are exposed, but trust me dense fabric is where it's at).

(talk about wrinkly knuckles... ugh..)

I purchased the yarn at The Fibre Works in Chipping Norton.  Lovely shop.  Worth a visit if you're ever in the area.

The pattern was inspired by this one on the Crochet Me website.  I made the wrist/arm part much longer and didn't bother with the thumb part.

They were ever so quick to crochet  - all double stitches through the back loops and a bunch of increases - a really good beginners project.

Go on, try it.  You know you want to!

(114)2014 - the loot -

Please take the word 'loot' as a figure of speech.  

I didn't steal anything.

First up:

The softest, squishest yarn from Mrs Moon.  It's called 'Plump' and it will become a super warm 'Mistake rib chunky snood' which will be perfect shelter for all the oncoming rugby/football/hockey matches.

Second:

Sock yarn - hand dyed indigo yarn to be precise from Tart's Art.

Thirdly I'm going to channel my inner Jane Eyre with this pattern:

(I think it's too big for this model, it look better on the mannequin...).  Bought from Purl Alpaca Design.

Fourthly (is that even a word?) I will try teaching myself how to spin with the most gorgeous drop spindle known to man:

Handmade by Lucy the Tudor.

And last, but not least...

this stupendous ball (it was a skein... but it got balled on the side of the road whilst waiting for the rescue truck - see yesterday's post) which will become a pair of fingerless mittens.  The yarn is called Soliloquy, and it's from Tall Yarns.

Phew.

That's it.  It could have been worse, much much worse I tell ya... so many temptations...

 

Now if you'll excuse me I must attend to my chores so that I can play with this lot as soon as possible!

(105)2014 - first crochet tea towel -

Imagine my surprise when I arrive at my sister's house and spot, hanging neatly from her AGA, this tea towel

 

WHAT???!?!?!?!

I first learned to crochet when in primary school, it was a convent school, all girls... the nuns were kin on this sort of things;  I have a feeling that my first project was a very crooked grey scarf my grandad never wore... then there was the never finished black mohair shawl for mum... and then there were two tea-towels.

Mum swore she would never use and that she'd keep them for me 'when I got older', she said.  'For when you have a house of your own', she promised.

Pants on fire.

How on earth did this appear in my sister's kitchen?  MY SISTER'S.  It's mine. MINE!

I distinctly remember making them, choosing the purple cotton and learning the stitches... ok it's not perfect but give me a break, I was ten.  We had school in the afternoon and after doing our homework we could read or crochet.  I think.  It was a long time ago.  Ahem.

But now I'm worried about the other one - the purple was darker and the lace taller.  Is it gone too?  Is my dad using it when it changes oil to the car? Actually I don't think my dad ever changed oil to a car.  I don't even know how to check the oil? Do you know how to check the oil?  Hey, I don't even know how to put water in my windscreen squirters and am currently relying on rain to clean my car windows. Yeah, ok, let's keep that between us.

I'm digressing.

Tea towel, yes, the second one.  Where is it? Why isn't it with me?

Note to self: ask mum about the whereabouts of the second tea towel.

(103)2014

A day of two halves.

First a rainy half, an indoor half, a half with a little crochet and two back to back episodes of 'Nashville" because if we all need an addiction, let country music and cheesy story lines be mine. (Hangs her head in shame) (Are you still me friends?) (And what if I get myself a pair of cowboy boots? a step too far?)

Then a sunny half, a half where No 3 and I walked the dog and collected early conkers, a half where he cycled and climbed trees and I cleaned after the dog (how can a dog so small.... do so much...).

You can see his foot in this last picture, top right hand corner.  It's as much as I'm allowed to show of him.  Copyright infringment apparently... I have tried to explain to him that I made him therefore I own his copyright but he wont' have any of it.

Sigh.

I'm off to make cookies.  I need cookies.