Well, here’s a teaser first: Diddly, Squiddly and Freddy’s finished and personalised jumpers
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Tunisian Crochet rules…
Remember these from my last post:
You can find the method and pattern by clicking here
Well, I confess, I went a bit crazy with them, as you can see, and they are now available in my shop if you fancy one but don’t have the time / inclination to make one yourself.
Then, the most wonderful thing happened. The post arrived. I may, in my impatience, have ordered several different sets of these from several different places. But look!
They’re like a fabulous cross between a knitting needle and a crochet hook, since the Tunisian method requires going from one to many stitches on a hook at a time, and the noggin on the end stops them all falling off thus averting your subsequent three-day flip-out (or is that just me?)
So, of course, I had to try them out.
And I managed to sit through an entire action film without the necessity of following the plot last night (Denzel Washington was involved, though, so it wasn’t a total wash-out) to design this, to which I put the finishing touches today:
It is quite a simple construction of two rectangles joined by a single strap that starts on the right on the front of the bag and finishes on the left on the back, with a button-down flap to keep it closed while in use.
And I have to say, I’m rather pleased with it.
Off to play some more – toodle-pip! <3
Jumper Season – WHOOP!
I know, I know, knitting isn’t just for autumn and winter, but I really do struggle to knit big bulky things all year round. I love to wear big bulky things though, and this Autumn has got me really excited because it was only in Spring that I taught myself to knit jumpers. And by then it was kind of too warm to wear them.
I bought myself some wool 🙂
It’s the same lovely stuff as my last jumpers, but breaking out of the earthy colour mold – just as a little refresher, you understand 🙂
However, I also had some left over from this little chap:
which I figured would make a rather nice jumper for my littlest. I’ve come to the end of the ball and have had to order a bit more (I know – shucks – buying wool… what a nightmare! 😉 ) I’ve chosen a top-down, seamless yoke method which, given the small size, started out on DPNs and progressed to circular needles when there were enough stitches.
So, here it is in progress (excuse the dodgy phone pics):
Starting out on double pointed needles.
Bringing in some stripes and separating the arms stitches out and onto waste yarn.
Another little flash of pattern.
Trying not to stamp my feet that I didn’t have quite enough wool 😉
I’ll be back, though <3
The nights are drawing in… ;)
I know, I know, not quite.
But it’s definitely a bit nippier than it has been.
And that Cuddle Cat thing? Well it’s just got dinkier, and snugglier.
It started with some divine DK in natural, undyed, pure Jacob wool from The Knitting Gift Shop, who are specialising in such wools and in kits and accessories, too. Well worth a look if, like me, your weakness is undyed, natural, knee-wobbling pure wool.
And suddenly, what I have is a pocket-sized pussy cat with a stuffed head, button eyes, wool-embellished features, and a button at the bottom. In the middle? I’ve sewn a little calico pouch and filled it with washed and graded wheat, and aromatic lavender heads. To be microwaved and popped in the Pusscat’s tum.
Perfect for your pockets in autumn, or your boots before you put them on in winter, or your pillow for a gentle drift to sleep.
Anyway, here he is. Take a look 🙂
And if you’d prefer me to make him for you, come and ask me over here.
New Friends
Last week I had a few hours to kill while some very obliging gentlemen fitted a towbar to my rather tricky car. Two of my boys and I spent those hours pootling around a nearby outlet centre and I picked up a book for a couple of pounds because there was a very straightforward tank top pattern which required not too much brain power from me.
It was this book here.
And it happened to contain a rather adorable pattern for a sort of small stuffed toy in the shape of a cat. Rather too small for my liking. And rather too two-dimensional. So I selected some leftover chunky yarn, 10mm needles and got going.
When it came to assembling it, I knitted an extra panel and put it in the base to help it stand upright, and ignored their minimalist embroidered face, opting instead for button eyes, sewn nose and whiskers.
You can see from the pictures how very simple it really is:
Here he is made up:
And here he is standing on his base:
Of course, once they’d seen him, everyone wanted one. So… here he is with his next buddy:
Just another three to go! 🙂
Note: It took between 100 and 150g of chunky wool on 10mm knitting needles to make one. A great stashbuster 🙂
The Split Poncho
Hello strangers 🙂
OK, so we know about the Ponchette, right? And that you can now make it for yourselves? If you visit here, I wrote the pattern up at Black Sheep Wools’ request and it is available as a free download on their website.
But the thing is, I have a nipper I struggle to keep up with. And ponchos always leave me a little restricted in the arm department, so this needed some thought.
Here it is in pictures and I just might, at some stage, write it up so you can have a go too 🙂
I have a couple of crochet blankets on the go, too – so more anon!
Hope all is well in your woolly worlds <3
Upcycling the Godets
It started with a tunic, crocheted in chunky brown wool, which was never quite right.
I frogged it. Reused the yarn in other projects. Was relieved it hadn’t been wasted.
But I was left with these:
My mother-in-law tells me they’re called godets: triangular-shaped pieces used for ‘letting out’ or shaping garments. I made two for a long denim skirt to enable me to take longer steps, for example. These two, which didn’t look right in a tunic that no longer existed… What to do?
And then it hit me.
I had reached this stage last evening, modelled by Ted (3):
And by bedtime, it looked like this:
Here, it is modelled by Bert (7):
I crocheted two sides together in an unobtrusive colour to provide the less visible bottom seam, then used the beige chunky wool to crochet the other side, around the brim, and to make a huge pompom.
I’m glad not to have frogged the godets.
In other news, this scarf is almost finished, and when it is, I’ll share its construction:
And we had a beautifully creative Easter Sunday afternoon – our first egg-dyeing eggsperiment 😉
Toodle-pip for now ❤️
A teeny tiny embellishment
I bought myself some clogs.
I have some brown ones already, from Schuh, and I live in them come spring and summer.
But I wanted some black / grey ones. My wardrobe palette seems to be autumn browns and beiges, or blacks and greys just now.
I found these, charcoal grey felt from Birkenstock:
But they felt a little plain, a little too unisex. They needed embellishing.
I had a spark of an idea, which began here:
A very fine, natural undyed wool. A teeny granny square. But it still wasn’t quite right. Too angular. I wanted softer.
It ended here:
with the teeniest tiniest of crochet hearts. Sometimes, it’s the littlest things 🙂
In other news, my hook is back on this Spring Scarf project:
A Spring Scarf
The sun is shining and my mood is appropriately springy.
Yes, it’s in the air! At last! Emerging from the cold and snowy wardrobe, blinking into the light. Hurrah!
And to celebrate, here is a scarf I’ve oh-so-nearly finished. I suspect it may be the start of something as my head is whirring with ideas and I don’t feel I’m anywhere near the end of this particular new obsession 😉 It is worked with Louisa Harding ‘Ianthe’ which is 50% cotton and 50% merino wool, beautifully soft but also wonderfully sturdy.
So, without further ado, here it is in pictures:
But I’d better get on with one of the other 105 projects I have on the go 😉
Some hearts and a little crochet…
This pretty little thing has just appeared here
And the quest for a lighter weight yarn for a spring seamless yoke, top down tunic is over. Sublime cotton kapok has saved the day.
Here it is in action:
Best crack on! 😉
