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.

First Cathedral Window Panel Finished

Well I finished my first cathedral window panel yesterday, it took longer than I thought due to it being hand stitched but I really like the effect and I would imagine that that this style could make even the most dull fabrics look interesting.  I'm not sure what to do with the panel, whether to put a border around it and make it a cushion cover or to turn it into a bag I'm leaning towards a bag as it has the denim shades already in it so it will go well with the denim scraps I have.

My shapes are not perfect I know but I'm very pleased with it as a first attempt.

I had a suit to alter today for my mother in law, as skirt to take in and up by 6 inches (she is only small) and the jacket needed sleeves taking up. Then they came here for lunch along with my mum.

While I was in the mind for sewing I had another look at my sprocket cushion because I felt the cover was a big for the cushion I made. So I took that apart, I made the side panel smaller and also gave it a bigger button at the centre.  It looks much better now and gathers in nicely at the centre, I want to make a few of these for the caravan.

I changed the colour of the button in the centre also, I did like the yellow one but I didn't have one big enough the other other one looked a bit out of place.

Here is the back, it is good to get some daylight photos.

After continuing with a few more crocheted squares today I thought I would share a couple of the patterns I have seen that I might try next. They are from the same library book but I have instructed my mother in law to keep an eye out for any books that come in the charity shop where she works as this one is getting looked over quite a lot.

This one is pretty and a bit different I thought.

After everyone left earlier we went for a rainy walk with the dogs, we called in Tesco on the way just because they always mark stuff down on a Sunday at that time.  We got three veg curries with rice for 50p each and two of those posh soups that we never buy at full price for 20p each not bad.  I took a picture of these bargains but it came out blurred each time.

I also made a soup for my lunch tomorrow using the leftovers from dinner today ( the bargains from the Tesco had chicken in the soup).  I used carrots,fried onion, red lentils, veg stock and tomato paste.

So as January comes to an end I feel I am on track with what I set out for myself, I have learned a few new things and I am enjoying looking at ideas on pinterest for what to try next.

  I often get asked what I did at the weekend and sometimes I feel a bit err.. what to say, because people tend to want to know where you have been, what events you have attended and so on.  I really must stop feeling awkward about this, unless it is the summer and we are taking the caravan places we are not people who go out a lot.  However I am always busy with something and these are the things that I enjoy, learning new skills and creating things, listening to music,  reading, walking and reading blogs by people who share my interests.  All these things take time but they don't all take me out of the house, they are often very low cost too and that is ok.

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.

Taking in a Thin Cardigan or Sweater (Makeover)

In my wardrobe I had a charity shop cardigan that I bought because I liked the colours. It was £4 from the Bluebell Wood Hospice shop and originally from M&S (Peruna).  It is lovely and soft but  a bit shapeless, I also wasn't keen on the small pearl effect buttons.
So I decided to make it fit properly and change the buttons, here it is to begin with...

I already had a bag of buttons with lots in the right colour, I bought them from the works a while ago and have used some for card making. They are all different so it was just a case of going through the bag to find seven of a similar size.

The ones I chose are a bit more interesting than the existing ones and not bad to say the bag cast £1.99 last year and they keep coming in handy for all sorts.

(There are only six there, I did find number seven)

If you have any sweaters or cardigans that have gone a bit mis-shaped in the wash this is something you could do to extend the life of them.

I tried mine on my mannequin inside out and pinned it down both sides, I wouldn't do it too snug at first as you will want to try it.

Then you need to follow your pins as you sew down the sides, I started mine a little way into the sleeve under the arm and tapered it into the line of pins so that it would blend in.

        When you sew you should have your stitch on small and don't pull at the fabric as you go.

When you have done both sides try it on and check it fits the way you like, if not add more pins and reduce a little more.  Next you need to sew down each side with a small zig zag stitch close to the seam, then trim away the excess.

I think it looks much better now and I know I will wear that with jeans and a long sleeved t shirt under while it is cold.  I also think the odd buttons add a bit of interest.  If you had a cardigan in plain grey or black it might look good to have all your buttons different in bright colours.

We went into the city centre today as I had a gift card for John Lewis. It is not some where we would normally go to as I think it is expensive but the gift card was from Christmas.  I wanted to look at the fabric and lucky for me the ones I was looking at were on sale!

Two of them were reduced from £14 per metre to £3, the other two £7.  My gift card covered that, just as well really as I wouldn't have paid full price, or I would have only got one metre of one pattern then agonised over cutting into it. Does anyone else do that?

It is all very summery I know and I will have to get thinking what to make with it all.

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.

Lemon Custard Coconut Tart (Gluten Free)

Yesterday I tried out a new desert, I got the recipe from a book I got from the library called Gluten Free Vegetarian, to be honest however there wasn't much in there that was anything different.  Things like stuffed peppers and salads with different combinations so nothing new.
I did see this one recipe for a coconut lemon custard and as I've not made this before thought I would give it a try.  As  usual a few things had to be changed to make it milk free as well, also I didn't like the idea of just coconut and egg white for the crust so mine has GF flour and Bertolli in it.
As I made it below I think it still needs tweaking, I ate it and enjoyed it as did my younger son but my husband said it was too lemony and older son agreed so less lemon next time.
Here it is...

Now I was pleased that it looked like a custard tart and the pastry held.  I would cook the pastry a little less next time I think it was in about seven minutes next time just five.

Now if you can eat cream use double cream, I used single soya cream and my custard was soft and not as firm as it would be using double cream but I can't eat that. I may try another for the rest of the family made in the proper way.  I ate mine with soya cream and raspberries.

Lemon Custard Coconut Tart

I used 21cm tin

1oz dessicated coconut

2oz GF plain flour

1 egg white

3 egg yokes

2oz Bertolli (or Margarine)

zest and juice of half a lemon

100ml soya cream (double dairy cream if possible)

2tbsp of sugar

Heat oven to 180c and line and grease tin, combine coconut, flour, egg white and bertolli in a bowl, rub in and bring together in a ball.  Roll out gently and press into tin.  Cook for 5 minutes (no longer)

Beat together egg yokes, cream, sugar, lemon and zest.  (The soya cream cannot be whipped!) Pour over tart and cook for another 13-15 minutes. 

I will use a little less lemon juice next time and I may try other flavours, I will also keep a closer eye on the pastry as mine was a little over cooked.   I still enjoyed it though as I only tend to get pudding when I make it!