Neck Warmer

Very quick to make and not only does it look good it's very warm. the yarn i used is Schoeller + Stahl "SHOW" It's chunky yarm with %10 Mohair. I used at size 8mm hook and just did a filet stitch with UK trebles.

I had a little yarn left over so finished it off with a flower and a wooden bead.

I was very lucky today as we went shopping and walked past a charity shop. In the window was a necklace made from wooden beads, they were big and chunky and just jumped out at me, at £2.00 with 12 beads it was a bargain and just right for some projects I'm doing.

Tiny Xmas gifts.

Tiny bobble hats with mobile phone dangler thingys attached to them.

Tiny IceSkates made with Paper Clip blades. I have attached brooch backs to these.


Santa faces, with mobile phone danglers and Keyrings attached.

The whole lot.

All of them are covered in glitter and have been made for the girls at work.

Beach Bag

After wanting a sewing machine for absolutely ages and not been able to afford one I got a bargain on Ebay. The Janome arrived and i could not wait to go out and buy some material and give my new toy a whirl! What to make?? I really didn't want to start off with a big project until I got used to the machine and tuned up my long lost skills with a machine. I learned to sew on a very old treadle Singer Machine and really got into it when my mother, who was a tailoress all her life bought an industrial machine....that machine was faaaaast!

Anyway............

I went to my local market and bought some off cuts, all of £1 each a few bobbins of cotton, a new pair of scissors and i was ready to create something stunningly wonderful lol

After trying out the machine and learning what it could and could not do the final result was.....................
Da Darrrrr!!!

I couldn't make my mind up whether to make a bag or a a new cushion lol

I love the colours!


The little appliqué flower didn't turn out exactly as I thought it would but hey ho! I've never done it before. It was really supposed to go over where the handles are attached to the bag to hide the stitching but the fabric was far too thick for my machine and I didn't was to risk breaking the needle.

Sunflower Sofaghan

I saw this pattern and it inspired me to make my daughter one. I changed the pattern around a bit as i always do. It's very bright and cheerful and i love it.

Made with a 4.00mm hook and dk yarn it took about 4 or 5 weeks to make. I sewed the squars together because i get a little confused when trying to crochet them together.

I know sewing the squares can be a bit of a pain but I did 2 squares at a time then sewed them together. The result is quite neat I thought.


I know my daughter will love love as Sunflowers are very special to my family.

I wanted a petal edge to compliment the rest of the blanket and really wanted to do it in the 4 colours but I did not have enough of the green or the rust colour.

Project - V neck top

I thought this would be ideal for those cool afternoons here in the UK, cool being the optimal word lol. The yarn i have chosen to do this is Stylecraft life dk.




It'll be great with a pink, cream or lemon vest underneath and I have the ideal linen cream pants to go with it. It looks like it will crochet up pretty quickly.



I can't wait to start! I'll post a pic once it's finished.

Crochet in a frame

I saw a pattern for a little butterfly fridgie and thought it would look good in a picture frame and it does!! The frame was 50p in our local supermarket i suppose i used 10p worth of cotton and it took me a little an hour to do all 4 pieces.

Bargin!

They would make super little gifts too.

Tunisian Crochet Adventure

I was sooooooo excited to get my first ever Tunisian hook today and could not wait to get some yarn out and give it a try. I used this tutorial and found it very helpful. My first steps into the Tunisian world of crocheting has begun.

I felt like i had 13 fingers and wasn't too sure what to do with 8 of them lol but as you can see form the pic my first ever attempt isn't too bad! It's easier than I thought it would be and i even managed the purl row without getting my fingers into too much of a knot!


My little sample looks a bit skew-wiff! but I'm sure with practice I'll be zipping along like I've been doing it forever.

wanders off looking for patterns..................jumpers.......Afghans........wooooooot!

Cushion by mistake

This is a waistcoat!......no really it is! .....well it's what it set out to be but after doing two granny squares i realised that I would not have enough yarn to finish it and hey presto a cushion was born lol

I already had the pad, I bought it for another project I was thinking of making...oh well! It was only 99p from a discount shop and they have lots more.

It was only after I had finished the cushion that i decided it needed a flower to give it that finishing touch. I did'nt use a pattern..it just sorta grew into shape lol


I think the edging really suits it!
What a great way to use up those odds and ends.

Hot water heater

I don't know what's going on with our boiler but it sounds like we have the Queen Mary docking in our back bedroom (that's where the hot water tank is). Hubby reckons it's air in the pipes but honestly it sounds just like a ships horn. It's driving me potty!!
It's early Sunday morning and I'm sat in my kitchen with the back door open listening to the birds singing and the odd wood pigeon coo cooing and then WHOOOOOOOOOOO!!! URRWHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Don't you just love quiet Sunday mornings lol

Pants

I was surprised that i had enough yarn over to complete a pair of pants to go with the matinee set i made for my niece.



It's years since I did anything babyfied and loved making this little outfit. A very lady sent me lots of baby dress patterns, I'm going to have great fun making them for my little great nice :)

Baby Set

Specially for my niece to be. Kayleigh Michelle due to be born in Sept.

Sofaghan

Whooot! Don't you just love finishing a project. Done in Aran yarn, so it'll be toasty warm in the winter :) It didn't take that long to complete really, about 4 weeks off and on. I love the colours and think they go really well together.



I think i've just decided on the colours for my bedroom. :)

New Job

It's all very exciting :) After nearly a year out of work I've finally got myself a job working from home.........yipeeeeeee! It's full time hours, 40 hours a week but it means no more travelling to and from work, no more getting up at 6am and getting home at 7pm, which means I have lots more time at home to spend in the garden and better still crocheting......go me!

My current project is a hexaghan, which is looking good even if I do say so myself. I have lots of odd bits of yarn that I wanted to use up and this is the prefect project for it. Apart from the brightly coloured accent yarn i am alternating the light and dark grey on each hex and then finishing it off with a row of white. I would love to make this into a cover for my bed but seeing as it's a super king size......i might just get a little fed up lol.

Away til Friday evening

Someone is definitely smiling down on me.

I've been offered a job working from home ( full time) and have to go away on a training course for a week. This cannot have come at a better time to be honest. Our car has collapsed in a rusty heap, never to work again and the bills are piling up. Hubby is having to go to work on public transport, now, I don't know where you are all from but if it's anything like the UK, public transport is the PITS! it's expensive and is never on time.

I'm just glad we're on the upward cycle again :)

Chick Topper

I have a lady friend who saves me all of her odd bits of yarn, she's a knitter. This is a gift for her. I shall fill it with her favourite sweets. :)

Thanks very much Kath xxxxxx

Easy Peasy Pom Pom

A long time ago my grandmother taught me to make a pom pom with a dinner fork. I've used this method many times because it's super quick and there's no messing about cutting up cardboard etc. I used a sharp knife to cut down the sides of the pom pom but you could use scissors.














Step 1, Wind wool tightly around the fork, making sure that you try and keep away from the end of the prongs. Obviously the more wool/yarn you use the fatter the pom pom will be.

Leave a long tail and using a tapestry needle wind the wool/yard around the middle going between the prongs in the middle of the fork.



Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut down each side of the fork. Pull gently off the fork and fluff up, trim if needed.

Jar Topper/Pin Cushion

I made this last night whilst watching a film on the telly. I do love projects that can be started and finished in one evening :)

I did think about writing a full a pattern for this but to be honest it would all depend on the size of the jar. The one i used is a typical instant coffee size jar. I had more trouble getting the label glue off the jar than anything else. If you know an easier way rather than scrubbing it please let me know.
Stitches used are in UK terms.

So......

I started off in lilac with a magic ring with 6dc's and increasing evenly on each round until it was the same size as the top of the lid. I carried on without increasing until the side was the same depth as the lid. On the next 2 rows i did a popcorn stitch with 2 trebles in between. " 5 trebles in next stitch, remove your hook and insert it in the first treble and slip stitch into 5th treble" 1 treble in each of next 2 stitches. On the next round i placed the popcorn in between 2 popcorns from the previous round.

Finish off. Don't worry about weaving in the loose threads :)


Top of the Topper

In white i followed the instructions above until it was same size as the top of the lid. Finish off leaving a long tail and then sewed it three quaters of the way round with very small tight stitches and stuffed it. Close the gap.

Sit the lid inside and glue firmly into place

That's it, you're done.

I loved doing this so expect some more and I have some great ideas for toppers.

Shawn the Sheep

My daughter asked me to crochet her a lamb and i did this one in a little over 3 hours from start to finish. I fluffed him up with a small wire brush and it worked very well.

Look after him Shell. He was made with a little love in every stitch. He'll be in the post tomorrow :)

xxxxx

Toys and stuff

The duckling is for my niece and the chicken is an Easter present for my granddaughter Caitlin.

Christening Shawl

This is a work in progress. It's a christening shawl I'm making for my niece, her baby is due in September although I'm dying to know what it's going to be so I can make lots of things for her.

The shawl is almost 50 inches in diameter and there's about another 20 -ish rows to go before it's finished. It's taking roughly 2 hours to complete a row now and obviously that will increase as I add more rows.

I'm using 4 ply wool and a 2.50mm hook.