A Crochet Hat

 I finished the crochet hat this week, as I mentioned last week I am not very fast at this so it was just a case of doing a little each evening.  I didn't follow a pattern although I did see an image I liked and that has three coloured striped so that is what I aimed for.  It was also made up as a flat piece and then gather at the top so perhaps not how may of you would do it but like I mentioned I was just making it up as I went.  The colours look well together and they are just odd bits I had from a few years ago, my main hassle was making the pom pom!  Oh my I have not made a pom pom in so long and the way I remember it with two pieces of card did not come out right, then I tried it around my hand and that was big and messy so finally I settled on a fork as I saw this on you tube.  Now there was still unravelling when I came to tie it but I did get a shape that is not too bad.  I know you can get pom pom tools, are they any good? The thing is I don't feel I will be making enough to warrant a special tool, I have started another hat though as I found the process very relaxing.(Apart form the pom pom! ;)

I didn't plan on matching my hat today it just happened. 

It had a road test when we went for a walk yesterday and it did keep my head warm, so that is the main thing.  I am sure it could be neater but I have not had as much practise with this skill.

There was some more baking yesterday in the form of cake, I did say I wanted to try a new cake each week so we will see how  long it takes me to run out of reasonable bakes.  I say this because the ingredient lists for some cakes are ridiculous and would cost a fortune to make, I am also not a fan when they state about three different sugars in a recipe in large quantities.  Cake is a sweet treat yes but I don't like sickly sweet.

So the recipe I chose to try out this week was from one of my Aine Carlin books The New Vegan, now the cake is called gluten free Orange Polenta cake but that went out the window straight away as Asda did not have any polenta and an assistant saying they had never heard of it and don't have it but I have had it there from before! So they do have it just not that day, so the first substitute was coconut (Ok it is nothing like polenta but I thought I would try it anyway)  Then they had no agave so that was quickly changed to maple syrup.  On the whole my changes worked just fine and I still followed the recipe but I have to admit to halving the sugar, we are so used to less sugar now none of us would be able to  eat it with the stated amount in.  The cashew frosting worked out super too and I might add looks very pretty with the pistachios.  In all it feels like a very posh coffee shop cake that I would normally not be able to eat because they never have gf vegan and this one is so it is one of my prouder bakes.   As usual fading daylight in the photo's and lets face it I am never going to be a food photographer. 

Another job for the weekend was finishing up this bag, again this is continuing the folk art inspiration.  It is actually based on a doodle on my notepad from some art I saw on pinterest but with a few changes and bits left out.  Sewing everything down is the most time consuming bit.  I think these ones are a little bit quirky so I hope they appeal to someone, I certainly like quirky so lets pray that others feel the same or I will have one large handbag collection.

I hope you are all well and have a good week ahead, bye for now. 

Slow Living Make it Mindful

Well I have missed a day of this challenge due to being ill this past few days, it began with awful cramps on Wednesday evening then a terrible night as it kicked in.  I believe it is food poisoning due to some mushrooms I ate, my husband did say there was an odd smell but I thought it was the lamb I was cooking for him!   Anyway here I am finally up but on the sofa with a blanket I have managed a banana and a little porridge this afternoon but my stomach does not seem impressed.

So I had to do something before I go mad with boredom so laying here typing this is about all I can manage right now.  I have decided to re-share a project I made at Christmas for today as I obviously haven't been able to create anything new, also I feel the theme of slow living demands a project that took time to create and this one fits the bill.  It is this little jacket and penguin I made as a Christmas gift, the penguin was unpicked about three times and the jacket came together over a week.  It was an enjoyable process and some things don't need to be rushed.  Sorry for repeating myself for those of you that have seen this before but maybe a few readers haven't and I did so want to complete the whole challenge.

I think the reason my little penguin took so long was that it was supposed amigurumi, it was coming out too small for my liking but maybe it was supposed to be like that.  Anyway in the end I just went ahead and made it my way, so it turned out a better size but perhaps not with the tight stitch it should have had.

Hopefully I will be able to have a go at some more of these little toys, so if anyone has any tips on making them it would be appreciated.  I think some of the online patterns don't always explain things properly especially if crochet is not your area of expertise.

I'm hoping to have a bit more energy tomorrow, or rather hoping, two nights without sleep and no food has left me washed out.  Let me know if you have posted anything to this challenge, I haven't seen anything so far from people I follow but then I didn't look at it at all yesterday so maybe I have missed some of your makes.

It is half term here ,so for any of you that are with me in that I hope you have a restful break.

Handmade Gift

I finished another little crochet project last week but I have to say parts of it were pulled apart and redone about three times as the sizes of parts didn't work out!  I got the pattern from a link on pinterest but first of all everything came out ludicrously small,  then ok but the wings were the wrong size, (it's a penguin by the way) so more unravelling.  Well I know it could be me that did it wrong but after checking and redoing I gave up on the pattern and made it up as I went. I winged it.  (ha really bad I know)  So I did get there in the end and I'm quite attached to the little guy now, he is part of a themed gift for my friend's baby boy.

I have also made a little hooded jacket that I have appliqued penguins to the front and back, with mismatched buttons in pale blue and turquoise.  I really enjoyed making this and can think of a whole range of wildlife themed children's clothes I want to make, but steady on let's see if that fits him first.  As it is a surprise I couldn't ask for clothing to check against so I just did his age but a bit bigger.  Finally I ordered a nice picture book off amazon to go with the items.

I think adults are often hard to buy gifts for but there are so many lovely little things you can do for children.  My boys are not little any more but I used to love making them dressing up outfits as that was something they loved to do.  I also made toys from felt to go with characters from favourite books a few times.  

Here a few more pictures, sorry bad lighting time of year again!

 Here is the back of the jacket, I had to do the penguin low so the hood didn't cover him.

I decided on buttons because I thought a zip might a bit scratchy near his face.

The eyes are just stitched from wool, the original instructions (that I threw away) said use sew on eyes but I thought that may be dangerous,  so best to sew the effect of eyes instead.  My friend has been told not to peek at the blog as she sometimes reads it.  I hope it is all ok for him.  What gifts have you all been making?  I always love to read your comments.

Etsy Shop

Crochet Cowl

This week I have been trying to do a little bit of crochet every evening to finish the cowl I had started, not a lot just a few rows and it worked as I finished it yesterday.  This has made me feel that maybe I could do something bigger by plodding away at it like that, I am not very fast at it but it just shows a little here and there and things get done.

I got the width and chain length from the beginner book, I also repeated the rib pattern that I did on the fingerless mitts but this time I used two colours.  I didn't make it as long as the cowl in my book I just measured around my neck, then I twisted it before crocheting the two ends together after that I carried on around putting a shell edging all around the outside.

I am very happy with it and feel it will be useful and not fall off or come undone like a scarf does sometimes.

I think I will start a small novelty item  for now while I decide on a bigger project.  There are a few images of snowflakes and little decorations I have seen on pinterest so I will have to have another look.

Earlier this week I made  a little hairbow for the daughter of a friend who was admiring my flamingo blouse, I knew I had a little bit of fabric left and some children's hair slides from a while back.

Sometimes it is nice to make something small, especially if you can use up those last bits of fabric.  I have started keeping really small pieces now just in case I fancy doing some micro patchwork (if that is a thing!)

A little bit of progress has been made working through my library book 'Drawing on the right side of the Brain' fascinating stuff!  While I was working on one activity that has you copying an image from the book upside down, I was thinking this will never look anything like it should, well it turned out better than if I had done it my way, right way up.  I have since done other images this way and it really works.  It is just to get you looking and not to suggest you forever draw upside down.  So far so good hopefully I will be improved by the end of the book.

Today I have been taking up curtains for a friend, I listened to another radio 4 drama while I was doing that, it had a little twist to it.  You can find it here Heather.  I have also just quickly  cut out a top from one of the patterns I was gifted a few weeks ago.  It is a very basic shape so will take no time at all to sew up tomorrow, or later this evening.

I have to say it looks very large at the moment I am hoping it will be due to the effect of it having a tie back, otherwise there will be some adjustment's made.  The spotty/floaty image on the cover looks good (future fabric choice perhaps). 

Crochet Fingerless Mittens

It must be something to do with the change in temperature but I had the urge to get out my crochet hooks and have a go at something.  I haven't done any since 2016 how ridiculous! Where has that time gone? So back then I taught myself as best I could  with library books and YouTube and created this Floral wreath  it hangs on the wall near my sewing table.  Well as it has been so long I had to get a book out again to jog my memory, I chose a beginner book by Emma Varnam and decided to make the fingerless mittens.
My first pair are a bit odd in size, I think my tension was varying, the second pair I have made for my son as he said he would still be able to use his phone in them.  My younger son also wants a pair in grey so on with those now, it is nice to be able to make something for them.

I went to fetch this yarn  yesterday after my son said he wanted black, I could barely see what I was doing!  It really made a difference trying to work in a dark colour and was maybe not the best choice for a beginner but they are definitely better then my first pair which turned out a bit bumpy, but wearable.

The black ones I made a bit longer, I seem to have trouble when I get to the end of a row deciding which one is my last stitch so any tips would be appreciated, I end up checking lots because I am uncertain.  With knitting you have a definite number of stitches on the needle that can be clearly seen I find with crochet the stitches are harder to spot.  All you old hands at it will be laughing but I tried putting a safety pin at the ends but that seemed to confuse me more so I took them out.

This is the pattern I used...

This is the book from the library...

I got the yarn from Hobby craft and it is  Women's  Institute acrylic 100g, you got three balls for the price of two making it £1.50 a ball is that good?  As it is not something I buy usually I have no comparison, I know I got some from there a few years ago when I did the wreath and a few bits from the charity shop.   Also if anyone can point me in the direction of some more good beginner projects that would be great, I don't really want to just do blankets as we have the dogs and little claws will get caught in them.  

While I was getting a bit of crochet finished earlier I listened to Henry James The Turn of the Screw this was a really good dramatization of this story,  I read this a few years ago and enjoyed it, just earie enough without being horrible if you know what I mean.  I don't like actual horror but good old fashioned ghost stories can be enjoyable.

That said, I  had to put down one of the books I got from the library because it was too disturbing 'Alice' by Christina Henry, I got one hundred pages in then stopped, there are some images you just don't need in your head!  I did read The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters over two days.  I enjoyed that, there was  lots of information in there that makes you think and question your thoughts, I am about to start 'Uprooted' the good thing about getting them from the library is I don't have to feel bad if they are not for me, I can just stop and move on.

I am going to have another browse on the BBC radio 4 website to see if there are any other dramas I can listen to while getting on with things, any audio book suggestions I can get on there? My only problem with that though is that if I don't like the voice doing the reading I can't listen.

Crochet Floral Wreath Completed

Last night I finished sewing the flowers on my crochet wreath, I'm really pleased with it as this is what I wanted to make when I began to crochet last month.  I did have plans to do some daffodils and pansies on it but when I began to arrange the flowers it became clear to me that enough was enough. The colours on it I feel go well together and compliment  my sewing space, adding more and more would have just overloaded it.

Here it is on my wall, as you can see it goes with paint colour and the curtains behind my sewing table.

The purple and pink flowers are the ones from the pattern in the triangle shared last week. I just made up the flower part then stopped.  The daisies I saw a picture of and just made up, they are perhaps all a bit different and not very straight but I think they resemble a daisy so that's ok with me.   The same goes for the leaves I just crocheted a bit then cast off or on to get the leaf shape and it seamed to work.  Although I do intend to learn to do some proper ones at some point,  these are fine for this.

I added a few buttons and beads to the centre of the flowers.

So in all it was a nice little project to make, pattern free as the only thing I followed any strict rules for were the purple and pink flowers which were the centre of the triangles like I said (here is the link to that) also the actual wreath shape was free/recycled from the celebrations lid (find that here).

I know there is a lot I need to learn about this craft but as with sewing I like to experiment with things and see what happens if you do things your own way. They may not always come out looking exactly like the projects  other people are making but that is a good thing. 

It is good to get inspiration from other people  but you should also go with your own interpretation of things I think.

Crochet Wreath on the Cheap

When I decided I wanted to learn to crochet this year I was very much inspired by all the lovely colourful projects created by Lucy at Attic 24 .  I especially love her seasonal wreaths which are just amazing, so with that in mind I have decided to have a bash at one.

Now as I am only just starting out I only have the few colours of wool that I have bought this past couple of weeks.  That is pale green, dusky pink, purple, navy and some grey that I found at my mums from when I knitted a little cardigan for my son when he was a baby.  This is why the little bits I keep sharing are all in the same colours.

I had a look back over the ideas on attic 24 and it appears you need a circle base of polystyrene that you cover in your base piece of crochet.  Well for a start I have a feeling these specialised little bits and bobs will be overpriced and also surely there is something else that could be used?

Below is a picture of my covered base, grey is not very colourful I know but I'm sure when it is covered with flowers and whatever it will get better!

Looking a bit plain at the moment.

So I had a look around the house and found a celebrations tub in the cupboard from Christmas with one sad chocolate in it.  I took the lid and with old scissors cut a circle out of the lid.  This was quite tricky and I bet there are easier ways of doing this.

Not terribly accurate cutting but it will all be covered over.

Then I wrapped the whole thing in two plastic bags, just sort of winding them around it and then tucking in the ends.

So ok it doesn't look much like this but does it really matter if you are going to completely cover the whole thing? As ever I really like the idea that something that was rubbish is getting re-used and also that I haven't had to go out and buy some overpriced craft item.

I have made a few more flowers this afternoon while sitting here with the dogs, the youngest had a little operation today so it was a quiet afternoon in. I look forward to sharing the completed wreath with you.  

More Crochet

Well I finally feel like this virus is starting to shift, it's still there but it's going, you know the feeling. So I am feeling more awake now and it's just as well because it's half term so I get a lovely whole week off work. That means there will be time to look over the fabrics that I bought a couple of weeks ago, start this months patchwork and learn some more crochet patterns.

I have sewn together some of the squares that I finished, I'm not sure I would do it that way next time, the book suggested sewing with the raised seams for effect but in future I think I will sew them flat.  I also mastered the little flowers but the middle on two is different because I thought the centre hole was too big so I changed that on the second one.   Here is a picture below, not sure if I should keep going until its a blanket or just a cushion cover, blankets like this are tricky in my house anyway as the dogs will pull at the holes.

I know there is a bit of a wobble going on, I didn't block it, but do you have to do that with every bit? Any advice appreciated.

I really liked making the little bits so maybe that's the way for me to go with this, endless straight lines might bore me a bit, although I do enjoy making the little squares it is very therapeutic when I have just come in form work.

Yesterday I had a go at a triangle with the flower in the middle the one below is my third attempt, the first two got unravelled! It is not as neat as the one in the book but it does resemble it, also it has not been blocked  (again) and I think this shape would really benefit from that.  I like it but again not sure what I would do with a lot of them, I just like trying the different patterns at the moment.

My wool has lots of fibres coming off it, so it can be tricky to see which stitch you are going into, I have looked at a couple of images online and the projects look like they are using more of a smooth yarn so I may treat myself to some at some point.

While we were out food shopping I did have a quick look at the magazines to see if there were any crochet ones as you sometimes get little gifts of wool and so on with those things (not that I usually buy them!).  There weren't any on crochet just one on knitting with bright yellow wool with it, it was expensive too, £5.99.

So I may have a look on ebay to see if anyone is selling any crochet magazines or books that are less expensive.

The next piece of patchwork I want to try is called windmill and it's a Japanese style I saw on pinterest, so I copied the picture onto my notepad and will be starting that this week.

Crafty Bits this Week

Following on from my attempt at a sprocket cushion I thought I would have a go this week at a cathedral window. After  seeing a few instructions it appeared to use a lot of fabric so I decided I wouldn't be using my new fabric for this as most of it would be folded in and unseen.
The youtube video I found on this was just using hand stitching so I decided to follow this one, I have made a start with some cut up chambray trousers that I had given to me for the fabric.  There won't be enough base fabric to do all the background in this, as I said it uses quite a lot so I will mix in some other recycled bits along the way.  Here are my first few blocks...

It feels like you are doing origami with the fabric, also reminded me of those little paper fortune teller things I used to make when I was a child.  I can see this is quite a time consuming way to do this but I thought I would get the hang of the style first then maybe later do machine stitched ones. 

Because of the nature of all the folding it is a really good way to turn old shirts into cushion covers and quilts that might otherwise feel a bit thin to make anything substantial with. You can then just save your colourful little bits of best fabric for inside the window piece.

There is also a little growing pile of crocheted squares on my work table, still undecided what I want to do with them, I have noticed that despite being the same kind of wool they grey is much thicker than the pink and green! This has obviously caused a variation in size, I tried changing needle size and tension but it's still obvious. i may have to leave the grey squares out and just do two colours.

Me being me though I am a bit bored with squares now though and want to try other patterns from the library book (which I renewed) I also want to learn to make the little leaves and flowers.

In light of closing the Folksy shop last week I remembered that ages ago I had opened a free store with weebly so I thought I would add that to my blog page.  What a time wasting exercise that was!

 I just wanted to add a photo and a link but the pages are hard to use with it, it wouldn't let view URL for image from there either I had to search through own photos first, then when I finally got it on and sorted I decided to check that the link was working and what happened when I clicked on the link? It took me straight to a flashing full page advertisement for some dodgy product and not my store page. 

 So I checked the link was correct, it was, then I tried again this time up popped a full page add for online gambling!! 

 Unbelievable, that is not something I am interested in promoted or would ever want anyone to get involved in.  Obviously if you set up these free sites and try to link them they want to make money this way, well I don't like it so I have closed that one too.

I was ill at the beginning of the week and still not fully recovered now but I have managed to get back into practising my guitar this last three days after a bit of a break since Christmas.  I need to get back into the habit of using the Justin guitar lessons  I was progressing well I thought and I started finding songs that I like and having a go at the simple versions of them that I found, but then I didn't stick to the stages.  So I am back working through the lessons because I feel if I don't I will not learn what I am doing properly and therefore not progress beyond pottering about on it.

First Attempts at Crochet

This week I had my first go at crochet, I was up early with the dogs and thought I would get on and have a go but following it from the book didn't seem to make much sense. I must have undone the same piece about 8 times trying to figure out why it didn't look like the picture in the book. Eventually I watched a Youtube video and straight away I could see what I was doing wrong!  So come lunchtime I had a growing piece.

Later I tried a circle and I did create one but now I see that was inaccurate but I know how to do it properly next time, I added a frill as I went around just experimenting it wasn't from the book.

Next I managed a granny square, again the first one went a bit wrong but after watching a video it made sense. I really must watch the videos first without just plodding on and getting it wrong.  My auntie taught me to knit when I was small and you can't beat watching someone else for learning something. (Providing they are doing it right of course.)

So I am sure it will improve and get neater, these are still a bit wobbly.

Another thing I did this week was to take down my Folksy shop.  It has become just an irritant to be honest, it hardly gets any traffic and I feel like every few months I just pay to renew items that no one sees and it doesn't really inspire me to spend time putting up anything new. So I am either going to try a new site or add a buy button here. 

So far I haven't started my next piece of patchwork but I do like the look of the cathedral window effect but it looks like it wastes an awful lot of fabric with all the folding and I do hate waste.  I will have a look if I can create the same effect without quite so much fabric.