Weekend basket

I hope you have all had a good weekend!

My project for this weekend was to crochet this lovely Moss basket.  I had lots of aran wool from my Nan's stash and so found some that I had 2 balls of, as it was double stranded.

It was really quick and easy and made up quickly.  I made a 14" one in diameter and approximately 10" high.  It is in American so I had to get my head organised for that.  I would say that a beginner is more than capable of producing this.  You only need to know how to do single crochet, half double crochet and reverse single crochet (also known as the crab stitch - this was for the last row.  This last stitch was new to me and took me a few attempts but I think it really finishes it off well.

Although it looks a little lopsided, it isn't.  You can see the reverse single crochet along the handle in the top right photo.

Betty, the dog, thought it looked rather good and might make a good bed if only it were bigger.

Inside the basket is some of my new yarn for my next project, which is a throw for my youngest daughter's bed.

Next time you are at a loss as to what to make and you only have a couple of free days, have a go at this.  You can make it any size and it would make a lovely present to fellow crafters for storing little bits and pieces. A small one would look nice to store cosmetics or cotton wool balls.....give it a go!!

Nan's stash

A few months ago I was given a huge stash of yarn that was found at my Nan's house.  She is now 91 and can no longer knit or crochet, so my parents decided to remove it and give it to me.  They didn't bank on the amount of wool that was there though.......it filled the entire car up!!

Here is part of the stash:

So today, having given myself a day off study for being a good girl, I thought I would use some of it.  I had seen a rather nice square pattern that I thought I would give a go.  I saw it on Ravelry; the 'yarn clouds square'.  

It is my Nan's 92nd birthday in a couple of months time, so I chose colours that she likes and set to work.  It was very quick and easy once I got into the swing of it.  I used DK yarn and a size 4mm hook; in fact I used my favourite wooden hook.  Because I used DK and a smaller hook, the square measured only 8.5 " rather than the 12". 

Here is the finished square:

I'm thinking that I will make another one and buy a cushion pad and some lavender essential oil and make a lavender scented cushion for her to put on her bed.

It has been lovely being able to have a quick project after a long one with all my lounge cushions.

Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day I decided to make something myself for my husband.

So armed with some red and white wools, I attempted something which involved increasing and decreasing stitches, which I had never done before.  My trusty book, The Happy Hooker, was never far from my side.

First of all I decided to make a heart and chose to do a Danish heart by Alipyer.  It turned out to be very easy, although I think I did get a little lost along the way but it turned out just like her photo.

Then my next task was a teddy bear.  This is what caused me the most anxiety with the increasing and decreasing......but it turned out to be a doddle....what was I getting into a stew about?  Unfortunately I can't remember where I got the pattern from but here is the pic: 

I thought it turned out quite well.  Betty, as usual, was quite happy to act as a prop for it to sit up against.  The bow was my little embellishment.  Husband was polite and pleased with his presents.....so, they were successful, even if they weren't perfect.  But then, practice makes perfect!!

Cushions

All my cushions are getting old and yuck, so I decided to make some of my own.  I need 7 in total and have decided to 3 designs: 4 circular ones in contrasting tones (two sets of two in different colour orders), 2 Mabel cushions by SarahLondon and  Attic24's Blooming cushion.  I will use the same wool for the circular and Mabel cushions.  I have yet to decide the colours for the Attic24 one.

I bought some lovely Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran wool from Deramores.  It is gorgeous and soft and lovely to work with.  I chose pale pink, heather, aubergine and basil.

Here is the start of my Mabel cushion.   I am using a lovely knit pro symfonie crochet hook; it looks fab with its different colours and is wooden.  It has a very silky feel to it and the hook is a little deeper than the metal ones I have used.

Here is that pic I promised earlier:

Doesn't look much at the moment.....in fact looks a bit like a blobby jellyfish, but you can see what should look like in the end.  Will update again soon and let you know how I'm getting on.  This is the first time I m following a pattern properly.......wish me luck :-/

After a few more rows it still doesn't look like the picture but when you sort the loops out, it does start to make some sense and you get an idea of what it will be.  But here is how it looks at the moment: 

Yep, a bit of a mess, but I must have faith that it will look superb! lol

It still looks like a frilly doily but with a bit of tweaking you get the idea of the end result. It looks very effective.

The cushion has metamorphosed from a blobby jellyfish, to a frilly doily into a lovely cushion. I'm quite pleased with the result.  Betty made a convenient prop to show it off!

For my last cushion I have decided to adapt a pattern of Miss Abigail's Hope Chest: specifically her "Vintage Rose" granny round crocheted dishcloth.  I shall use the same colours as the other cushions so the colour scheme matches but will have a different look.

I wasn't sure how to attach the front and back as one was scalloped and the other round.  I tried slip stitching the back following the contours of the front but it made the cushion look wonky as it flattened out the scallops.







So I decided to hand stitch the back to the front in line with the base of the scallop and so retained the flower effect at the edge. (This was taken during the stitching together and so you can still see a bit of the white cushion poking through).





This completes my set of cushions.......for now, although I do still plan to do Attic 24's blooming cushion.  But as you can see I decided against doing 2 Mabel cushions.........well it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind!

Crocheted bags for Christmas

Along with scarves for Christmas pressies, I decided to have a go at making some bags for my daughters.  I could only really do double and treble crochet then.

I made them up using double crochet;  making a large rectangle which I then folded in half and then stitched the two sides together and attached the strap.  I then made up a lining in their favourite colour and included a pocket for their mobile phone which closed with a velcro tab and handstitched it to the inside.  Then I found buttons which matched the lining and made a 'catch'.

They weren't perfect but the girls loved that they were handmade by their mum.

Me, crocheting and my helpers

This will hopefully be the start of many blogs.

I started crocheting 6 months ago and haven't looked back.  I am making a sampler throw with the help of the Art of Crochet magazines, and also making some cushions.  Supervising me are my 2 border terriers (Audrey & Betty) who love to help choose which wool I should use........it usually involves me chasing after them as they like to have a run around with it first.

I shall post more of my achievements very soon.