Merry Christmas to Me

Finished up a little project I started a year ago.  A big project for me as I really don't know much about crochet. It ended up taking me over a year to finish it since I stuffed it in a box over the summer and forgot about it.  Happy enough with the way it turned out for keeping for myself.  I'll have to make another one now.  Size is just over 20 inches in diameter and the pattern is from Decorative crochet. You can find it on Picasa Web if you do a search for Decorative Crochet Magazine.

Since I finished it just in time for Christmas....this is my present to me:)  Merry Christmas everyone!!

Finished Project

For one reason or another....a bit of crochet has been what I have been picking up to work at when I have a chance.  I have finished up several more cute if not so useful apple jackets......and this vintage hot mat as well.  The pattern has been around a long time and I have seen several made of this pattern over the years.....but had never owned one.  This one was made with no one in mind.........so, for now I will look at it now and again.  If any one likes yellow, just let me know.  It's yours if you'd like it!  It's 5 1/4 inches square, double layered, and a nice little spot to set down your teapot.  If you'd like to make one of your own, the pattern is right here.

Apple Cozy

I have been contemplating getting a subscription to Mollie Makes magazine off and on now for almost a year.  I had forgotten all about it until another swapper from Swap-Bot mentioned it.  When I looked into the price, however, it really made me think.  It is super expensive!!  I did purchase the latest issue off of the magazine racks this month.....so for now I will still keep thinking about it.  Although, I much prefer to hold on to a magazine.....the price reduction of the digital issue is marginally easier to swallow.  We shall see.  Before I picked up the issue that I did purchase......I tried out this cute pattern for a cozy apple jacket from a previous issue.  I am finding that I nearly always need to use a larger hook as my tension must be very.....tense:)  After two do overs with larger hooks.....finally I found one that worked up to the right size!  While it may not be entirely very functional....it certainly is fashionable:)  It almost makes me want to bring an apple to work......

Hello...What are You up to??

Well..just checking in to say that I have not yet given up on my first doily project.  You can see from the photo that I have made some progress.  While talking on the phone to my mum the other day, I decided that I should pin out this thing to ensure that it is actually going to lay flat and be at least somewhat roundish at some point.  The cute part of the pattern is just starting to come into view now.......Can you tell what it is??  Probably hard to see just yet......You'll have to wait for another update photo!  Just for a sense of scale....it is now about 14 inches across and should be about 20 inches across when (if) finished.  It has got some uneven tension that I hope will sort itself out in blocking....if it's not too bad that is.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  It is my first real thread crochet doily so I am trying to keep my expectations low to avoid disappointment.  So far.... so good!

I've also been working away at a little swap project that has given me a prime opportunity to try free motion quilting for the first time.  As with so many things...the anticipation of trying this for the first time was much worse than the actual experience.  Again...it's not perfect, but it's only the first time I've tried it.  At least now I'm not afraid to try it again.  So...what have you been up to??

Valentine Crochet

Brrrrr.....there is a bit of a chill in the air, and I'm just trying to knock it off with a cup of hot Chocolate Ovaltine.  That's better....... although I might just need a little time in front of the fire place too.  I've been up to little crochet lately.  I do much less crochet than knitting.....which is not saying a lot since I don't actually do a LOT of either.  Well, let's just say that I am less competent at crochet....and that really is quite sad.  I've been slowly working my way towards working with crochet thread.   I've made quite a few things with size 3 thread, which really isn't 'thread' in my books, and have just successfully completed my first project using size 10 crochet cotton.  Yeah!  My first project using a steel crochet hook....size 7:)  The projects above are made with size 3 thread, are nice and quick, and are a nice little Valentine's Day gift.  The pattern is available for free here if you feel like making a few.  I ended up making 6 of these (Heart's Desire Doily) for the girls across the street.....a pair for each.  With the last one.....my seventh, I ran out of pink thread and finished it off with red.......I think it turned out OK too....but it sadly has no partner to match:( 

Now this is my size 10 thread project.  I made it in Valentine's colours since I have been involved in some Valentine's craft swaps which it may yet go into.  I have a love for vintage thread crochet pot holders and this (Round Pot Holder) pattern from Purple Kitty Yarns looked like an easy pattern to start with.  It is a double sided 8 inch round project, and it really was quite easy.  You pretty much have the pattern memorized by the third round on the first side.  I made it without a hanging loop as I never use them.....but one could be easily added.  I used only two colours rather that the three suggested by the pattern since I could not decide on a third colour and I wanted to use Valentine's colours.  The finer thread is slower going as there are a lot more stitches required to make the project than if were made with thicker thread.....But I'm pretty happy that I made my way through.......Next I'm thinking about a doily.  It will be a bit of a challenge to find a pattern that I like as I am most definitely not a doily person....I just want to see if I can make one.  Sadly most of the patterns that I've liked have been rated as challenging......perhaps not the best choice for my first one:)

Pink Hearts Doily

I've never been very fearful of trying to knit beyond my abilities.  After all, for the most part...... it's just purl or plain.  I just plug along and follow the instructions one after another until I'm done.  Crochet is a slightly different story for me.  My grandmother spent certainly more time knitting with me.......I must have been around 13 years old by the time I asked her to show me how to crochet.  The first thing I made was a huge zigzag afghan.  I had made a mistake on the bottom corner and it took me a few more rows to realize my mistake.  But, by that point..... there was no stopping me.... I carried on and finished that afghan and it sat in my mom's house for many years with it's odd extra floppy bit hanging off the corner.  I did not crochet another thing until 3 years ago.  Like knitting, I figured with only one live stitch......I could probably figure it out.  While I am 'good' at neither knitting or crochet....I get by.  I find you tube videos most helpful when I get stuck, and try to understand what the pattern is trying to accomplish to help understand what it is trying to get across.  I had a heck of a time understanding what the last row of this latest project meant........but I think I figured it out by staring at the photo of the finished project......and now it's done.  I was over, catching up, with Lazy Kate when the gorgeous job she had done on her crocheted doily prompted me to try something simple...which started my search for an easy project like this one.  I have been working my way down in thread size......almost to the point of using those nasty steel crochet hooks.  Yes, I am feeling a bit intimidated.....but I'll get there sooner or later.   I do have an enormous stash of crochet thread collected from thrift shops over the last few years....and it seriously needs to be used up. Crochet thread really is expensive!  Hmmmm.....I'm starting to sound like my grandmother already:)

This pattern was found at Purple Kitty Yarns on the internet for free.  It looked to be pretty basic, and quick. With the heavy (it called for a 3.5mm hook) cotton thread I used, it finished up at 8 inches in diameter.   Next I will try it again (now that I think I know what I'm doing) with a slightly smaller thread size.  When I finished this doily last night..... the first thing that I thought of was 'Oh... I'd better starch this before I take a picture of it....or grama would be mortified'.  So I pinned it to my ironing board and sprayed it to dampen it and then gave it a little spray with the spray starch.  Not as starched as grama's, but it did neaten it up a bit........So grama wouldn't have to be so embarrassed for me.

Crafting on the Road

I don't know about you....but can find it hard to relax and enjoy a holiday when your head is still swimming with all the things you need to do.  This trip started as all of our trips do.  That being flying out of the house an hour behind schedule with a few less crucial jobs left undone.
To increase my sense of accomplishment while on the road I try to bring a little portable project along with me so I can feel like I've done something.  These little crocheted pot holders fit the bill for this trip and they don't take up too much room either.I doo have a pair of socks that needed to be frogged and restarted.....but in the usual panic of leaving....this was the best I could do.

Happy St. Patrick's Day:)

Now that spring break is over.....a week isn't very long now is it???.....we are back into our routine.  I've been trying to finish up some things.....We finished off the other half of a pail of salted Naval Beef for an easy meal of Jigg's Dinner (which coincidentaly is a traditional St. Patrick's Day meal on the east coast) , and I've been working on a little crochet project and a bit of a baking experiment as well.  Note....if you want to have a go at making a Jigg's Dinner...you must use salted beef, not corned beef or it won't be quite right.  At All Recipes they have modified the recipe and substituted corned beef  (for some reason) which would not require the soaking over night. 

So here is my end result of a little spring coaster swap I've been working on.  The pattern is available for free on Ravelry and, it turns out to be a truncated version of this pot holder pattern so I was familiar with it.  It was super easy and a quick make!

I've also been working on a recipe for a sweet bread with apricots, currants, and sultanas that I had at Cobs Bakery while down in Victoria. Cobs is a branch of the Australia and New Zealand's Baker's Delight.  My first try had nowhere near enough fruit in it so today will be attempt #2....I'll let you know how it goes.  Batch #1 was tasty enough, although I think I will add an additional rise to make the crumb a bit more fine, and triple the amount of fruit in it.  Well, I'm off to do some more baking....What are you up to today??

Thread Crochet and Vintage Patterns

So.........You probably don't know this.........I have a thing for thread crocheted hot pads. When I find them (which I suppose is thankfully not that often) I always buy them. They remind me of ones one grama made when I was little. These days you will only find such things at thrift shops or antique stores.....thrift shops being my preference as they are usually less than a dollar each. I use them all......all the time (I use them to set my teapot on to catch any drips)....so I can say that they are not going to waste. For some strange unexplained reason....I will also buy vintage pattern books for knitting or crochet. This is strange to me as I'm pretty sure that following these patterns is at the very edge of my capabilities....but I just keep buying them anyway. I've now signed up for a swap (hosted by this crafty gal) to make a thread crochet item for the kitchen.....mostly to force myself to get on with it and use some of these darned pattern books. If you stop in at her blog link above....take a minute to check out the link to her etsy shop.....she makes the most beautifully crafted crochet rolls for storing you hooks. I have one and I just love it:)

Thread crochet, more than anything, has frightened me the most....It seems much more difficult than crocheting with yarn......whether it is or not....I don't know.....it just seems that way to me. Since I picked up a bag of 2 1/2 balls of pretty aqua cotton yarn, I thought I try something with it, in the interest of continueing to make progress with my granny a day project. It's about as thick as a sock yarn, but I'm not sure what the recommended hook or needle size would be. I used a 3.5mm hook....and decided to try a little and see how difficult it really was. After a lot of you tube coaching.....I've made some progress. It took me one evening (with a bit of you tubing) to make the first side....the second side was quite a bit quicker. So there you have it...my first crocheted hot pad. I decided to try a free pattern from Priscilla Hewitt in the kitchen section called scalloped potholder. It turned out to be 6 inches (or 15cm) since I used thinner yarn than recommended by the pattern. (It would have been 8 inches had I used the recommended worsted weight yarn. I think I may try one or two more before moving on to a thinner cotton thread.....but so far so good and it has been fun!

A Granny a Day Keeps you........ Right on Track

I have not a lot of crocheting experience. Growing up.......my Grama K was the 'go to' lady when it came to knitting and crocheting. Although if I had to guess......I'd bet that crochet was a tiny bit more 'up her alley' than knitting. Her crochet production rate was rather astounding. She made afghans, bedspreads, horrible crocheted beer can hats, terrible poodle toilet tissue covers, some slipper....(slippers tended to be a knit item for her more often than not), and doilies, table cloths, and more and more doilies, oh and she had these crocheted bottle cap grapes on her dining room wall.......I always thought they were so cute:) She would borrow projects from friends and copy them just by looking at them.......and I don't know if she could read a pattern as I never saw her use one. I could not image that grama would ever have purchased a pattern booklet.......and I don't remember ever seeing any in her buffet cabinet which housed her many needles, hooks and yarn. Now for all the crochet work grama did, I really don't' recall seeing a lot of it on display around her house........so she must have enjoyed the activity more than anything. I remember large pieces of cardboard with Ivory laundry starch soaked doilies pinned and stretched on them like insect collections. Can you even buy Ivory laundry starch anymore????? I have not seen it in years.

My grama taught me to crochet when I was about 13......I think. Well enough to make an afghan in that common zigzag pattern. Which I did complete (with a few errors) and then proceeded to not picked up a hook until a year or so ago when I decided to try a little ami project. I am fairly particular about which crochet projects I like, and there are a few projects that I would like to try so when I saw the sign up for A Granny a Day over at Meet Me at Mike's.......I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to practice my rusting and abysmal crochet skills. If you'd like to tryt these cute little crochet hearts, you can find the pattern here. If you'd like to brush up on your crochet you should join the challenge....there's still lots of time. So far so good.....I'm trying a few new things and working my way towards this project I've had my eye on for a few years now. So far the challenge has been very helpful and I am starting to understand how some items I have, might have been made. I think my grama would have been tickled:)

Knitting with my Peeps and Cocoa

It's been quickly cleaning up around here with regards to the snow. Some days have been bright and warm and others have been deceptively bright and not so warm. Still cool enough to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa with some left over Easter peeps. The weather has been luring me outside with grand visions of all the landscaping I could do this year since I'm off work..........This weekend I cleaned up the very back corner of my yard in anticipation of planting all sorts of perennials back there. I have very limited garden space as it is, and it's even more frustrating that the people before us put the garden in just about the poorest spot on the property. One of these years we may address this issue. As with every job we ponder.....we over think it and plan it until it becomes a job of such immense scale and expense that it becomes intimidating. What more would you expect from two engineers.....I suppose:(
On the chilly days, I've been working on a few swaps. This one was for crocheted or knitted cleaning products. I found this free pattern and thought it was just adorable. Oddly enough.....I do not use knit dish cloths and the like. They always seem so soggy and dirty to me. However, they are a nice super quick make, they are mindlessly easy, and although I have little use for them....I know my MIL likes them......SO......those that I will receive from this swap will be making their way to a good home. I could not resist these puffs as they are so darned cute. I've got about 5 out of each ball of Bernat Handicrafter (100%) cotton 42.5g worsted weight. There is also a pattern for the plain dishcloth to go with it as a set if you like. Have a look and give it a try right here from knitability. There is also a really nice crocheted version here if you'd rather crochet.

Be warned....these little guys are addictive. Don't they just look like little peppermint candies in this colour? Already, I'm wondering what to do with the 5 sitting in my project bag?? Anyone want one?...or two?

More Amigurumi Cuteness....I think:)

BTW today is the last day to enter the giveaway I'm running and about a thousand more at Bloggy Giveaways. Click HERE to go to the giveaway page.

These little guys are well on their way to their new homes...one to Spain.....and the others to the US. In all cases...pretty sure they are off to see better weather than me;( These three are for replacements for the few people who received nothing from their partners in the Mushroom Stuffie swap I ran at Swap-Bot at the end of last year. I actually purchased a pattern to make these but could not get it to work out at all for me......I ended up with a bottom that was too wide for it's top, and a top that was ridiculously tall. After 3 attempts with the pattern...I gave up with no idea why my attempts looked nothing at all like the picture on the pattern.....which sadly was ridiculously adorable. One of these days, when I know more I'll go back to the proper pattern and give it a go again and see if I can figure out where I went wrong. But for now...... I came up with my own pattern.....and here it is. At the end of each round I finished off with a slip stitch into the first stitch of that row and did one single chain before starting into the next. I don't crochet so this was a bit of an epiphany for me as previously I had been crocheting in the spiral....not in the round...if you know what I mean. I was a little perturbed to notice that this 'finishing the round' seems to be implied but not stated in patterns. But as I say....I really don't crochet, so I'm finding these things out as I go. It makes sense that you's need to......but I'm still having a bit of trouble seeing the spot to finish into especially at times when I lose count on a row.

I will apologise in advance if my notation is not as it should be.........and it quite likely is improperly written since I don't really crochet:(..............so here goes nothing. I used worsted weight wool yarn and a 4mm hook.

Cute Little Mushroom Guys

Top

R1 ch2, 6sc in first chain
R2 *2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next * rpt (9)
R3 & R4 sc in each st
R5 2 sc in first st, 1sc in next 2 sc* rpt (12)
R6 sc in each st
R7 *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 3 sc* rpt (15)
R8 & R9 sc in each st
R10 *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 4 sc* rpt (18)
R11 & R12 sc in each st
R13 *2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 5 sc* rpt (21)
R14 *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 6 sc* rpt (24)
R15 *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 7 sc* rpt (27)
R16 *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 8 sc* rpt (30)
R17 *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 4 sc* rpt (36)
R18 -R21 sc in each st (36)
R22 * sc2tog, 1sc in next 4 sc* rpt (30)
R23 *sc2tog, 1 sc in next 3 sc* rpt (24)
R24 *sc2tog, 1sc in next 6 sc* rpt (21)
Finish Off

Bottom

R1 ch2, 6sc in first chain
R2 2 sc in each sc (12)
R3 *2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next * rpt (18)
R4 *2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 2 sc* rpt (24)
R5 *2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 3 sc* rpt (30)
R6-R 13 sc in each st
R 14 * sc2tog, 1 sc in next 3 st* rpt (24)
R15 &R16 sc in each st 24
finish off

little decorative dots are made of R1 alone from bottom instructions and larger ones are made of R1 and R2 of the bottom instructions....You get the picture>

Stuff top and bottom pieces with polyester stuffing or wool batting. Stitch top and bottom together with tails from yarn ends. Stitch on embellishments.

Handmade Holidays Idea #8 Amigurumi

How happy is he? This little guy just arrive a few days ago to his new home in the US. If you can crochet....(and even if you can't because I really can't) these are a really quick and cute gift idea. Of course if you're gifting these to a very small child you might want to sew on crocheted features rather than buttons etc....and like for the crocheted ball......it could be an excellent cat toy if stuffed with a little cat nip etc. There are plenty of free patterns available on the net for these like here and here and here and here. The one shown here was made from a purchased pattern. I had to modify it so much because it looked nothing like the cover photo that I'll have to make note of what I ended up doing. This was for a swap-bot mushroom stuffie swap I hosted and I have a feeling I'll be making quite a few more of these as there seem to be still quite a few no sends in my swap:(

Bye-Bye Birdie & Felt Ornament Too!

Two more swap-bot swaps are in the mail and on their way to their new homes. One was for a blue Christmas ornament swap, and the other was for an amigurumi swap of summer animals. For the ami swap I chose this pattern at Bitter Sweet and sent one identical to the one pictured. It is a quick little project (so you know I liked it) and just perfect for the beginner.........also a good selling feature in my book.
The felt ornament is a pretty blatant copy of one I saw in a card store last year. To finish it off, I sewed in a very small loop of deep blue ribbon into the top, and sent it with a ornament hook for hanging. Of course the colour combination I chose for the ornament is different that the one I had seen, and I believe they used buttons instead of the glass beads that I used to act as berries on the ornament. I was really happy with the way they turned out, and just as happy to have them out of my house........I have too much clutter already. I used felted wool fabric to make the body of the ornament, and acrylic felt, embroidery floss, and glass beads to embellish it. There are unlimited options for how you might choose to embellish it. It also was a fun, quick project just perfect for a little Christmas gift. When I straighten out my Corel Draw Issues, I'll add a pattern for this although it is dead simple.

This Little Piggie Went a Swapp'in

My second completed amigurumi. (Another free pattern from the Lion Brand Web Site.) I accidentally purchased a chunky yarn to make this pig when the instructions called for worsted weight. Ooops! I think he's still kind of cute anyway. He is now on his way to my swap partner for Beginners Amigurumi. I have found this whole crocheting in the round thing quite easy, but certainly requiring attention. I don't know how my gramma could have talked to people while crocheting. When I'm doing it, the minute anyone says anything to me I have to rip back to the beginning of the round.......and I do that plenty enough on my own. I remember gramma always could tell which side was the right side on a doily, and if she noticed one upside down in your house, she would correct the situation right away. As I am crocheting in the round on these projects, I find myself working on the inside and I have a sneaking suspicion that my amigurumi to date have all been made inside out. Maybe one day someone will look at my Ami in horror and fill me in on my error. So far, they have been fun and quick to make. I have a little bird waiting for some eyes, and a beak in my living room. When he's ready to fly I'll post him too.

If I Can Amigurumi.....Monkeys Can

Wow, I have not crocheted since I was about 13 I think. But there was this Amigurumi swap on swapbot that interested me because those little guys are so darned cute it's rediculous! Needless to say, since I am posting this, I decided to enter the swap. I found free patterns at Lion Brand's site, although I have read comments that the Lion Brand patterns are not "True Amigurumi", but they were cute enough for me. I should also say that I have never read a pattern for crochet, as the afghan I made as a kid was taught to me by my grama, so I don't know all the names of the stitches. In any case the pattern I chose was as simple as it could get, thank goodness.......I printed out two patterns, the pig and the octopus and started out making them both. I could not get Lion Brand yarn since for some reason they stopped selling at the Walmart here so I used Bernat acrylic worsted weight yarn or so I thought. Turns out my pig will be larger than anticipated because I accidentally bought the softee chunky when I should have went for the regular stuff (Satin). Oops, my pig is a little big. But I'll finish him and he'll be pretty cute I think. I did go back and buy the proper size when I figured out my error and got some purple to make the octopus. And here he is. Let me know if you can think of a good name. Out of the 100g ball I started with, I have 56g remaining, so there's enough to make him a relative. Wahoo!