Getting on

Hello! Having a peep out from my hidey hole to show you what I have been up to lately. It’s been a while, I know, but for various reasons I have been suffering from a bit of a crochet block lately. It happens when I end up making loads of things for other people, either by making for friends or for a project and the fact that I HAVE to do it take all the fun out of it and I get fed up with the whole thing. Of course I do enjoy making most things, when I actually do them, but I find it hard to get started when I have a deadline to meet. Anyway, my ‘block’ went a couple of weeks ago now and I have my crochet head firmly back on.

The first thing I wanted to do when I picked up my hook for fun again was tell you about it, but of course I would have to get something made first. This extremely cute Christmas pattern was the first thing on my wanty list. I had the yarn; I had the pattern now if only my eyes were up to such a fiddly precise job.

It took ages too make all those mouse bits! And that was just a fraction of it. Not that I am complaining (too much) it will make a lovely addition to my growing pile of woolly decorations. 

All that crocheting in 4ply was difficult to say the least; it got to the point where I could only manage a few stitches at a time. Still, worth it in the end J

Staying on a Christmas theme after I got the mice done this weekend, I was having a browse and found this adorable pattern for a reindeer by Tales of Twisted Fibers. 

So Reindeer bits! 

 I got the last antler sewn on this morning and here he is, awwww.

 What is it about black safety eyes? As soon as they go on the whole toy comes to life, far more so than with embroidered or felt eyes. It must be the shine from the plastic. He is already sat on my fireplace, along with the mice and it’s still (just) November. It may not be too long until I drag out some more decorations, or make some more. I am loving crochet again and got a new yarn delivery coming soon too. Happy days

XXX

Bonfire Bag

The last few weeks have been busy to say the least! I'm not really sure what is happening to time, it seems to be racing by in great big dollops. One of those dollops was spent making this!

Katie, over at The Woolly Giraffe asked me if I would like to make something using some of their Ice Yarns. Not really sure what to make or even if it would be any good, I couldn’t wait to play with new yarn so I said I would have a go.

My go-to item to make was a bag; yes I make a lot of bags!

So I started playing around with it, trying to see what I could come up with, something easy but interesting, usable and fun.

The way I make things is very slap dash, usually I just start crocheting and see what happens.

Using this approach I got nearly all the way through one bag before I actually sat back and looked at it. No, I didn't like it, not one bit. This yarn is acrylic but different to the stuff I usually work with. It sits differently, different stitches make a fabric that isn't what I would expect, and my first attempt was more of a big woolly shapeless sack than anything anyone would want to make. No way am I showing you a picture of it!

So back to square one, think about the yarn and what would work best with it.

The best bit about this yarn is the colours - it really is very pretty. So the best thing to do was make the pattern simple, quite plain and let the colours shine through. But who wants to do rows upon rows of straight doubles or trebles? So using an idea I first used to make my basket weave bag I started using the fine weave bit (from in the middle) and just kept going. And I am very pleased with the result!

The pattern is all made too; I think I will be able to make it available in a month or so if anyone would like to make it :)


XXX