Tunisian Crochet rules…

Remember these from my last post:

glasses-case2

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.

brown1 grey2 pinkbrown1multiThen, 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!

hooksThey’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:

2bag1 2bag3 2bag4 2bag6 2bag7It 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

Back so soon?

Why yes, I am πŸ™‚

How’s this for a New Year’s Resolution not to fall off the face of the earth for a few months? Twice in one year – hurrah! πŸ˜‰

So.

What’s happening?

Well, this morning I happened upon this video:

[vimeo 6723357 w=500 h=375]

DROPS Crochet Tutorial: How to do Tunisian crochet, Afghan crochet or Tricot Crochetfrom Garnstudio Drops design on Vimeo.

And I thought to myself ‘Now that doesn’t look too tricky!’

So I gave it a go.

tunisian-crochetIt’s hard to express how gorgeous this is. It’s thick, and springy, and sturdy and yet still incredibly soft.

I wanted it to be something, so I carried on, and here we have my new glasses case:

glasses-case2 glasses-case1

And in case you fancy trying this yourself, here’s how I did it:

Tunisian Crochet Glasses Case

Drops Andes 65% wool, 35% alpaca (about half a ball)
7mm crochet hook

Chain 12 stitches (you end up with 11 on the hook once you have begun)
Follow the directions in the video for simple tunisian crochet

I did 22 rows of grey which I could rest my glasses on and fold about 1/3 back over.
I then changed the colour to chocolate brown and made another 16 rows.

Do not bind off, but fold the two colours together at the colour switch and single crochet back around the edge to create the case. I put a line of single crochet along the bottom as I went around, too, for aesthetic reasons. When you have joined the sides, continue up around the top of the case and when you reach the middle stitch put in one single crochet, chain 3 for the button hole and make another single crochet in the same stitch. Then carry on around.

If you’re clever (or is it lazy?) you’ll then cut the tail long enough to be able to weave it through the inside of the front and use it to secure your button before fastening it off and weaving in the ends.

Does this make sense?

If you try it and get stuck, please let me know where I have confused matters and I’ll try to clarify πŸ™‚

In other news…

I made a bag over the weekend. That is, I found a ‘blanket’ (ahem) I had started and decided to give it a new destiny. So here it is:

bag1 bag2 bag3And that’s my news for now, so toodle-pip till next time! <3

Whoosh! Catch-up!

I have been horribly remiss keeping this blog going of late. I notice with horror that September was my last post. And it isn’t as though I haven’t been busy! I’m buried under works in progress (*hangs head in shame*) and full of new ideas. I seem to have a discipline problem – must finish one of my eleventy-six WIPs before starting the next!

So, in a mad scramble to bring myself up to date here, I am going to post a few pictures of works completed and works in progress and give myself a round telling off, coupled with threats of disciplinary measures if I don’t try to keep up a bit better.

I have, however, been far more efficient at keeping my Instagram and Facebook pages more current, so if you fancy checking either out, I’d be delighted to see you there.

So… first up, a commissioned Snuggle Bunny for my dear friend Clare. He is HUGE and contains a handmade wheat and lavender sack for microwave heating. Actually, come to think of it, he’s a she πŸ™‚

Clare1 Clare3 Clare5

And I finally got around to making one for me, too. A slightly smaller cat, mine, with a flower granny square embellishment:

me1 me2 me4 me5My thanks to Bertie for modelling them <3
These can be commissioned at cuddlecats.co.uk if you felt so inclined.

It’s winter, so bobble hats have been flying off hooks and needles.

bobble1 bobble2

And I have finally got around to starting a long-promised blanket for my beloved:

Square-flowers Valentine's-blanket Valentine's-blanket-3It still has a way to go and I’m hoping to complete it by Valentine’s Day (gulp)…

This little chap was fun to make – he’s a travelling sized version, still with wheat sack, in wool and bamboo:

Travelling-4 Travelling-3 Travelling-2-insta Travelling-2And I’m designing a jumper. It’s a little short for my liking, so I’m going to have to get inventive about lengthening it, and I’m onto the sleeves, but prevaricating… I’ll get there:

stripy-jumper stripy-jumper2

Et voila! A selection of the latest.

I will, I hope, see you again much sooner <3