woollen friends

So here I am - getting very fat, but at last on maternity leave! I have had a bit of a tiring few weeks of work, doing a few more hours than I was used to, and really struggling to keep on top of my life - but am pleased to be at home again now, and although Rose and I are not really doing any blog-worthy activities (our favourite pastimes at the moment are making 'just add an egg' cakes and 'shout singing' to Frozen!) we are enjoying this new pace of life and the new routine the autumn brings (I am sure she agrees!)

After Rose has gone to sleep though, I have really re-discovered my crochet hook and it is proving to be the perfect activity to relax with. I am mostly making woodland creatures. It's nice to make some things just for fun. And I like the faces and taking pictures of them for instagram and seeing the other gems posted there. I have been trying to write up the patterns too, but this is a little bit more brain work than I can really manage at the moment, but maybe a project for the future.
Here are some pictures of some foxes - Felix and Sylvia... little friends...



Happy woolly faces!

a little crochet wall hanging

One of my new years resolutions was to do a few more crafts to help brighten up our home.  I moved around a lot in my twenties and I developed a bit of a phobia of owning unnecessary things. And for me purely decorative items were definitely in the category of unnecessary. But now we are settled in our home and able to hammer nails into the wall, I am feeling much more like I want to cosy up  our home a little and there is good reason to have decorative and unnecessary bits and bops.

Recently I have seen some wonderful ideas using textiles to brighten up walls. Not just tapestry and embroidery, but also weavings and applique banners, and crochet hangings.



This week I had a little go myself at a crochet wall hanging. I found a lovely free pattern online for this square motif - the flower power granny square. I thought this was a pretty design and a good one to introduce different colour combinations to. I'd like to use this pattern again changing the number of colours used to see how it effects the way the pattern is picked out.

To turn my square into a hanging for the wall, I just added some pom poms to give it a bit of weight to hang (and I like pom poms. Although I have not spaced them very well so might need to revisit those!) and a little chain stitch handle to the top. I've got it taped up at the moment until I have made it a partner.

Lovely stuff!

Baubles of wool

I came across this really nice pattern and couldn't resist a little more festive crocheting. Our tree is going to look so grand (when we get round to putting it up!)



Free pattern can be found here (i am making the most of it!)



There are a lot of projects in progress around here at the moment, but i am feeling confident that everything will come together in the (st.) nick of time (ho ho). It's nice to be so busy with making at this time of year.

Happy festive crocheting!

Crocheting Beads

I found a nice little project this week - crocheting beads (not to be confused with bead crocheting which is something completely different - but something I might have to give a go...)

I really love the trend for painted wooden beaded necklaces - they are so bright and cheery, and just so cool! I found the idea for crocheting beads from a baby teething toy, which is probably not really so cool, but I really wanted to have a go at it.



I bought a few wooden beads in different sizes, but the ones which worked best for me were the big 25mm ones.

Here is how I crocheted my beads:

I used:

4 x 25mm wooden beads

a 3mm crochet hook

DK yarns in off white, bright orange, mustard and turquoise


My abbreviations:

SC = single crochet (in American terminology. This is a double crochet in UK terminology)

2SC = working 2 single crochet stitches into the same space

SC2TOG = single crochet decrease - single crocheting the next two stitches together.

(you might need to experiment to get the right tension - I found some of my DK yarn was slightly thinner and this made quite a big difference so if your yarn is thin you might need a slightly bigger hook)



Row 0:  6 single crochets into a magic ring.
Row 1 - 2sc into every previous row sc. (12sts)
Row 2 - working into the previous row, **1 sc into the next space, 2sc into the following space**
repeat ** to ** to end of row (18sts)

Work 5 rows straight.
If you want to make a half and half coloured bead, change colour after the third row. I have found a neat way of changing colour is to do the final yarn over and pull through of the last single crochet stitch with the new colour, rather than changing colour in a new stitch (hope that makes sense) 

Row 8 -  **sc2tog, sc1 into the next space** .Repeat ** to ** to the end of the row (12 stitches)
Row 9, sc2tog the entire way around the row (6 stitches).
Finish by breaking your thread and threading through the final row to draw it in and neaten it up.

and ta-dah!

I really enjoyed this project also because it was so quick. My necklace just took me an evening. And it's just to bright and lovely. One of my winter wardrobe staples are black thermal vest style tops, and this little accessory is just the ticket to brighten that up a bit on a gloomy day.
I would love to see if you have a go.

Mouse stop

My friend debbie (quite) recently crocheted this amazing doorstop. A mouse! I love it so much. 

All of our doors need doorstops, and i really love mice so i thought this would be a good addition to our home too. 

And i wasn't wrong - a lovely face he has: 

Here is my version. he looks quite different from debbie's (even though i copied her blue ear design) and from the one in the pattern. I like all the varieties.

He looks so lovely next to our door, but unfortunately he is not heavy enough to hold it:

Debbie used a kilo of rice in hers. mine just has 500g of pearl barley which i fear is not enough.

You can make a mouse using the pattern - it's a free one from Lion Brand and you can click here for that.

And this was a good project for me as i fear i have knitters block! More on this serious condition in my next installment.

That's all for now from me and mouse,
Dora x

Crochet Items for your home

This morning i have been busy listing some more items in my shop. I was overjoyed last week because I sold my first item - the lovely gloves. They are going to be a christmas present - wonderful!

I was very happy about it, but my shop was looking very bare, so i thought it was time to put some more things there. I had done some crochet a little while ago, but hadn't got around to taking some photos and writing some descriptions. I am finding it hard now the evenings are dark - I don't like to use the flash.

But here I just want to share some of the pictures of the finished items:

I love them all as they're so bright. The items are a set of greek cross square coasters, a set of granny square coasters and a popcorn stitch teacosy. The teacosy is so wonderful! I will be happy if no one buys it so i can keep it myself. Such a bobbly delight (but i will happy if they do as well as it is nice to share)

And here is another thing to tick off of my list. Now i just want to go back to crocheting squares, but i think i should wait until the new year before making more shop items as there is still much to do. I have started making some little christmas gifts too as inspired by this blog the Crafty Christmas Club blog. It's lovely to see all the handmade presents!

Yours busily,
Emilia. xxx

Be square

over the last few weeks, crochet has been the order of the day.
I am enjoying trying out some different square styles for some shop items.

I started with a set of traditional granny sqaures:

 Then made some greek style squares:

And am now working on italian squares:

I think after these i will make some big sqaures, and maybe some circles! And hopefully put some items in my shop quite soon (i am quite slow with stocking that shop! I keep being thrown off course by things like sunny days!) i hope there will be someone who will really like to have some of these on their coffee table!

Lots of love,
Emilia. xx

a new house for mouse

here is my mouse (Roberovski he's called) in his NEW crocheted den.

He is warm in there.

Now that the nights are beginning to feel chilly it is very important for mouse to have a warm place to sleep, especially since his brother, Robert, died - no one to cuddle. He has a lovely knitted house, but sometimes it needs a wash so i made this one with a bit of crochet as a stand in for those occasions.

When i gave it to him, he knew what to do straight away and climbed in and went to sleep. I was happy about that.

He also sits on the top of the house to eat his dinner! I think he really likes it a lot.

Goodnight mouse,
Emilia. xx

Little cakes

Oh my dears - the weather has turned and so have my spirits. I can not believe this summer is ending? However - I am working on many bright and beautiful things to help cheery up my days. They are for my shop - but as I keep starting things and not quite finishing them there's nothing to see here yet.

lots of ends to tie up! 

However, I am very much enjoying myself at etsy at the moment. Although i am not really being much of a salesman - i am enjoying some window shopping (and some just normal buying type shopping) and have found some beautiful shops and blogs because of it.

Today i am happy because i am learning french from Stephanie on her blog Petit Plat. She is an absolute genius (genie absolu) making tiny little foods. i love the tiny christmas cookies (although i know i need to quell my festive excitement for a little while yet - at least until after bonfire night)

mmm.

xxx

Raspberry parade

(i used to think those were the lyrics)

remember this can you?

you would be forgiven if the answer was no as it was a long time ago i started this project. I do feel though that maybe it is a sign of a good knit:life ratio?

And really a nice feeling now i have finished:

What a wonder

crochet detail - there were a lot of stages to production. I am pleased with these buttons too - what a grand match

I am not sure if my crocheting is exactly accurate as I got into a bit of a muddle with double and trebles and british and american abbreviations. Now i look again i think perhaps the pattern was written with american stitches in mind, but i am pleased with the way mine looks, even if not quite right. 

I decided to leave off the little crochet hoop detail long before i reached that stage, and not just because i was feeling lazy at the end. I preferred the look of it without them i think. a little less fuss. perhaps i will change my mind though.

Also today my new coat arrived (on the hottest day i have known for a long time) i have wanted this coat for a long time. good for summer beach evenings i hope.

my face is crazy from the sun

Even my legs are looking a shade of berry at the moment due to that bright sunshine. must be careful. 

Yours berrily, berrily berrily berrily,

Emily. xx

Be Square

I am devoting lots of attention to making our new flat into a warm and inviting abode and the next thing on my list after 1. tea cosy was 2. a set of coasters and table mats (because we have a table for eating - quite grown up)

My first idea was to knit some using one of the lovely stitches in my reader's digest book, but realised that this was making quite a lot of work for myself. Instead i decided to use a few icecream colours i had in my leftover wools and made some granny squares, inspired by some lovely coasters my friend Debbie gave me a couple of christmas ago.

I have run out of wool now, but have 4 table mats and 4 coasters. This should be enough as so far we have only had two of us for dinner. Guests soon i hope.

it is nice to be making useful things for the house and not just clothes. I have also had a go at some flatpack furniture. i am pleased to be expanding my making skills!

yours at home,
Granny

New year knit (in moderation)

Although I am attempting to spend less time knitting, it is hard to shake it from it's position as hobby number 1. And so although i do feel i have spent a little less of my time knitting this last week or two (an achievement!) there is a little knit purl going on...

evidence - article 1 - knitting on the train

After the success of my december knitting, i decided that it would be grand to continue following patterns and to embark on another project from the same chapter of Rowan book 44.

this one is called Dietrich

A lovely romantic pattern to lighten my heart during the hardest of the winter months. I enjoy knitting to Martha's Piaf record for optimum 1940s romance. My cardigan will be raspberry red instead, but hopefully just as lovely. i am looking forward to the crochet challenge it presents too.

berry nice

Yours warm of heart,
Emilia xxx

Marlene Dietrich - what a beauty

Crochet V-Cluster Stitch Cardigan Jacket

At the weekend we went to the Brunswick Square Festival. That was lovely with loads of stalls. The crepes looked good. especially with cheese! And Lucianna bought Jemima along and i gave her the little cardigan i had made. And then Deb held her which had been one of her new year's resolutions. She is so lovely and laughs. And then we ate some amazing cakes.

Then it started to rain (which as been a bit of a theme of the week) and we went to the pub where i finished my cardigan! (well, i finished the crochet part there - tying loose ends and sewing on buttons meant last night was the final date of completion!)

My first big crochet project! Here we are then:

headless. you can sort of tell the colour - it is called Banwry.

I was waiting for some daylight to photograph it in, but all the days are dull so it looks like probably i'm on a mission in night vision. (ps. i cut my hair!)

Crochet is like a dream! It is so fast (partly because it is so addictive i think) and satisfying and easy to make grand effects. I saw a lovely book of crochet stitches which is very tempting - maybe for christmas. This stitch I have been calling butterflies in my head, but it is really called cluster v stitch. Here you can find some instructions for it. Very easy indeed. It reminds me of the knitted daisy stitch i used to knit a scarf for Robyn, but much much easier than that to achieve. I really love the weight and texture.

I made this pattern up as i went along, despite my initial reservations about making something in crochet without a pattern. I used the colinette art wool i had started to knit into a lacey cardigan, but decided to unravel. I really love this wool. it is something like a bamboo blend i think and is really soft and nice. And the colours have a sort of tweedish effect. I also used this one for this puff sleeve cardi you can see in this picture of me with the baby. The effect is very different when knitted, and also took a look less wool (the crochet is like a rug!)

Art wool when it is knitted. Baby Lyra thinks it is nice and soft to sit on.

Here i have written out the pattern for my crochet cardigan. It is not really perfect i don't think, but it might be good guidelines if you don't know where to start. One good thing about crochet is that if you have made the wrong shape, it is quite easy to add stitches in.

Crochet V-Cluster Stitch Cardigan Jacket Pattern 

I am a 32" bust, or size 8 and the finished garment measures 16.5" from side seam to side seam when laid flat. The stitch is called cluster v stitch. You can see how it is done here. I used these instructions but decided during my warm up phase that i would just chain one between each cluster rather than two which kept it a bit tighter. To increase the width you can add more stitches - each one measures about 3/4 of an inch, but it is worth doing a tension test.


For my Jacket I used 6 x 100g skeins of Colinette Art (aran wight yarn) and a 4.5mm crochet hook


Back
First make a chain of 97 (to increase add multiples of 4)


Working back into your chain, skip first 3 chains and crochet *1dc cl, 1ch, 1 dc cl* into the 4th loop. This *to* sequence is the cluster v stitch (you can see more instructions following the link above).


Skip the next three stitches in your chain and in the 4th work * to *


Repeat the stitch along the row. if you are following my pattern you should end up with 24. Finish the row with a dc and chain 2


Turn and on the next row work into the chain stitches you created in the middle of the cluster v. At the end of the row again chain 2 and turn. Work back and forth in this way until 16 rows have been completed (or to desired length)


Shape for arms:
On the next row skip the first 2 stitchs and work just 20 across, leaving the last two. Work a further 8 rows on these stitches.


Shape for the neck:
Work 8 stitches, chain 2, turn,
miss one and work seven (to keep the outer edge straight) chain 2
turn and work six, chain 2
turn and work six.


Work the opposite side identically.


FRONTS (make two)
Create a chain of 49, and from this work along to create 12 cluster v stitches. Work identically to the back for the length and arm shaping until 23 rows have been completed.

Shape for neck:
Work so the outer edge is straight, decreasing from the inner edge only:

Next row work 8 stitchs
Next row 8 stitches
Next row 7 stitches
Next row 6 stitches
Next row 6 stitches



SLEEVES (also make two)
Chain 77 and create a 19 cluster v chain
worked six rows
next row, decrease half a stitch at each end (just one cluster)
Work 3 rows.
Next row decrease another half a stitch at each end
Work three more rows
Continue to decrease on every fourth row like this until 13 stitches remain. Work 5 rows to finish (or more for longer sleeves)


FINISHING OFF
i sewed all the pieces together using slip stitch seams. then i crocheted around the edges to create front bands and a collar.

Charted Shapes

(click to enlarge)

I remember a while ago i was looking at some granny squares that Deb and Yumi were making into blankets and just couldn't understand crochet at all. But it's grand when you know how! i am converted.

By hook or by crook,

Emilia. xxx

Show and Tell

Cushions
This has been a busy week for me. I was asked to help make some cushions for a printing shop in Lewes. My friend Chrissy works there and the lady who normally does their sewing has gone on holiday for a little while. That has kept me busy! The designs all varied as the shop takes orders and you can go in and ask for what ever you like. Eleanor wants one with a fold cat on it so i will have to ask about that. I would have a mouse. The best ones i did were some which will be sold in the shop which and say 'no place like home' and are a nice style. If you buy one you will know who made it!

me with the finished products

It is nice to do a bit of moew professional sewing, although it is much more stressful than just making the dress for me. But it gives me a nice feeling of satisfaction and I was very pleased that I was asked to do that. I think i did a good job.

Quilts

In other news i have my mind full of new things to try out. i have a friend called Marian at work who has done some quilting before and has told me how to go about it and showed me the book. i think a quilt will be a lovely project for winter. I can sit under it while i sew it! I like to look at all the pictures of them as they are so beautiful and amazing. Yesterday Marian took me to a shop in Lewes which is a specialist shop for quilting. The fabrics there are wonderful - i think i might even go there for dresses when i want a treat. The lady showed us around. she had made an amazing quilt - so big and colourful. i am not sure of my design yet, but i have found a lovely website with a lot of inspiring pictures. These are the ones i like most so far.

Marian says you can make one in an afternoon- but maybe that is only a small and simple one. i want to make a big spectacular one. I think it will be a long-term project but i think that will be the nicest way to do it. I am so excited to make the design and buy the materials.


Crochet
Since my collars i have also been thinking a lot about crochet. it really is a satisfying hobby. I  have a dream of a crochet dress (not hippy style - something tightly stitched and structured in shape) but although i have done a sample and worked out my stitches, my lack of experience makes me a little nervous to start a garment without a pattern. There was a lady at Stitch and Beach last night who was doing a lovely little bit of crochet. perhaps she will be able to advise me.

Until then i will be on google images looking at these beauties (and more!)

These ones are Chanel from the ss2010 collection

Dolce and Gabana crochet pants!

I like this outfit Twiggy has

Works in Progress

As well as all my imaginary projects, i also have some real life ones. The baby cardigan is almost finished now so more on that at another time. I have also started a lacy knit cardigan using the Colinette yarn i bought a little while ago. It is colourway called 'Banwy' and the yarns are a mixture of Art and Skye - both aran-ish weight. I am making a chunky lacy cardigan.

Here is a sample

It's hard to tell, but it looks quite nice.

Busily yours,

Emilia. xxx