Married

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was truly the most magical day.

The sun shone, the wind blew (a lot) and everybody smiled from start to finish.

Even my 3 year old wore her bridesmaid dress (having refused to even try it on for months).

The church was decorated in a unique Christmassy style (imagine something out of the Vicar of Dibley and you'll be close) with life-size Nativity figures and snowman. And a badger. Yes. Badger.

In contrast, the reception venue at Amberley Castle was amazing. Beautiful and elegant and everything I could have hoped for.

And I laughed like I have never laughed and smiled throughout, happy to be married to my wonderful man.

Xx

 

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Busy ....

I love this time of year but boy, is it bonkers!

 

My Instagram network of buddies has bought in lots of commissions and so I've been up to my eyeballs in Imps: brown ones, red ones, lilac and pink ones...

 

I've made Imps for adults and Imps for children (and enjoyed every minute, I must say).

[If you fancy making your own little Imp, you can buy the pattern from my Etsy shop here]

 

And then, I had a wabbitty-kind-of-idea....

 

And Ooooooo, I LOVES a pompom maker!

What a genius little device!

Perfect for Wabbits:

 

Oh and there's another thing keeping me rather busy at the moment...

... I get married this Friday.

And I cannot wait....

Best wishes to you all for this festive time of year. And do enjoy the bonkerness of it all.

Xx

 

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Crochet Imps

I had an Imp-ish idea.

So I played around with some Rico Cotton and a 4mm hook

and came up with one of these:

A festive Imp

And, well you know how these things tend to multiply once you start making them ...

 

 

Fancy making one or two?

The pattern is in my Etsy shop here.

 

Have a great week!

Xx

 

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Cosy Granny or a Granny cosy

I was rather pleased with my first foray into granny-square-making.

(You may recall the white edged circle-squares from the tutorial here which I made into a cushion.)

 

So I decided to make some darker edged ones to make a wintry cushion.

("Why do you need a winter cushion?" was the Mister's response. Grrrrrrr! Honestly. Does he know nothing?!!

 

Anyhoo I was rather pleased with the grey border. Hmmmm a nice cushion this will indeed make.

Well that was the plan.

 

And then I started doing other things- you know how it is. And the little stack of grey-edged squares remained a disappointingly small affair.

 

 

 

And then I was struck by a new idea.

A better idea.

A quicker idea.

Much more my-kinda-idea:

 

A granny cup cosy.

 

 

I've made cup cosies before, but this was something different.

This was very simple.

I joined 3 squares together and then edged around the whole rectangle twice with some single crochet. To make it reach around to the handle I did a couple of extra rows of sc along the short edges. I then added buttons on one edge and made two chain stitch loops on the other edge.

 

 

And that, as they say, is that.

Perfect for Christmas pressies, methinks.

 

 

And now for something completely different:

A lovely bloggy gal's luncheon at the beach!

 

 

 

Starring the gorgeous Gem from Treasures from the Cherry Tree, the sensational Sarah from Shabby Chic Sarah, the adorable Ashley (accompanied by her little Rose) from Country Rose, and me (with my little Annaboo too).

What a fabulous time we had at the Sea Lane Cafe!!

Beautiful sunshine, scampi and chips to die for, great company, a good giggle and a catch-up. Oh, and Rose, entertaining us with her splashy wet antics!

We have already scheduled another meeting (can't wait!!) for a mammoth charity shop session and another luncheon.

Right, am off to whip up some more granny cosies for the shop...

Enjoy the rest of the week!

xxx

 

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The Ultimate Cowl/Snood Pattern

I think I made my first cowls/snoods about a year ago. See here. They are just brilliant. A scarf without the ends. You know- those ends that get caught in doors/ disappear up sleeves/ get pulled by toddlers.


They were an easy project using some chunky acrylic and an 8mm hook. If memory serves me correctly I even made one in the Noro I found in that amazing charity shop stash.

Well, they were ok.

But all of them had one problem: too clunky (that's a technical crochet term, right?)

You know what I mean - crochet produces quite a dense stitch and these snood/cowls could almost stand up on their own.

Warm? Yes. The most comfortable? Not really. The Noro one was duly frogged for this reason.

So I tried different stitches and patterns until I found one which produced a nicer open texture, based on a V stitch. But still, it was too clunky.

Then it struck me. A larger hook was needed. A big hook would work more air into the pattern.

How big? I hear you ask.

MAAAAAAASIVE. Is my answer.

And so, ladies and gents, may I present The Ultimate Snood Pattern.

I use US crochet terms, so my Double Crochet (dc) here is the same as a UK Treble stitch. We will work from the bottom of the snood upwards in rows*. You'll need a tapestry (blunt) needle to hide any ends and to sew the piece together.

* NB Pattern Update: scroll to the bottom for a version worked in the round, rather than rows- it saves on having to sew up them sides...

1. You need some super-chunky yarn (about 100g) - anything that recommends you use a 8-10mm hook (try Sirdar Indie or Big Softie) and a 15mm hook (I bought mine online) don't worry, it's made of plastic, so is light to manoeuvre and you soon get used to it.
2. Chain 42. Now I use the chainless foundation stitch as I think it gives a good structure to the bottom of the snood, but a simple chain will do. Your chain needs to measure just over 22 inches/ 57cms and its total number should be a multiple of 3.
3. [We are going to work in rows, turning at the end of each.] Chain 3 (counts as a dc) Turn. Make a dc in the 6th stitch from the hook. Chain 1. Dc in the same stitch. Skip 2 stitches, (dc, chain-1, dc) in the next stitch. Repeat along the row. Make a dc in the top of the 3rd chain from the previous row.
4. Chain 3. Turn. (dc, chain-1, dc) in the chain-1 space from the previous row (the V) Repeat along the row. Make a dc in the 3rd chain from the previous row.

Repeat 4 until your snood reaches the desired height- anything from 33 - 40 cms seems good to me, or until you run out of yarn
Fold the two edges together and stitch up!

(Technically, this pattern shouldn't work as you begin with more stitches in the first row, but somehow, it does)

That's it. It really is very easy and super-quick, too.

***Pattern Update: To make the cowl in the round (kindly provided by the lovely Victoria from Yarnroundhook )

Work chainless foundation as original pattern. Join with a slip stitch to form a circle, being careful not to twist the chains.

Round 1: ch 4 (counts as 1dc, 1ch), 1dc in same space as joining sl st, * miss 2 stitches, (1dc, 1ch, 1dc) in next ch, repeat from * , join with sl st to 3rd chain at beginning of round. **do not turn work**

Round 2: sl st into 1ch space in centre of first 'V', ch 4 (counts as 1dc, 1ch), 1dc in same space, *(1dc, 1ch, 1dc) in next 1ch space, repeat from * to end of round, join with sl st to 3rd chain of starting ch. ** do not turn work**

Repeat round 2 until cowl is desired height

Sew in ends.

And on a complete tangent, I met up with the lush Gem from Treasures From the Cherry Tree this week. We had a spot of coffee and a charity shop dash! And we both did rather well, I must say. Look at what I found for £1:

Is it ever too early for a cocktail, I ask you?

Have a great week.

Xx

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Feeling Smug

Yes, I am feeling super-smug at the moment, for I have actually completed a project.

 

It's been a nice little school-holiday-kinda-thing - you know the sort you can pick up, make stitch, put down, wipe small person's nose, feed cat, wipe cat food off small person (who has insisted on 'helping' to feed aforementioned feline), pick up again and make next stitch.

 

 

 

No counting of rows, no masses of yarn to carry around, no complicated new techniques to learn.

 

And so, my very first crochet cushion is made:

 

I have to admit to feeling very pleased with myself and was surprised by how easily it came together. I love the pattern (available here), with its circle in the centre and the white edging looks very summery (I'd like to do another surrounded in dark grey for the winter, I think).

I like the buttons which close the back too (two small people + feline = wash-ability).

 

 

Here it is in situ . On the chair where it will live:

 

I have had a slight crisis where a few of the stitches have come undone. I suspect the problem is the knotting coming unravelled somehow - I blame the small people and the feline for actually using the cushion, rather than moving it off the chair when they sit down (do they know nothing??!!!). Anyhoos, all has been rescued and swiftly mended before too much unravelling has occurred.


 

 

I think for my next cushion I will use something a bit more acrylic or wool-based- my only criteria is that it must be affordable and washable. Any suggestions great fully received, as always.

On a complete change of subject, can I say how marvellous Instagram is. I have fallen for its simplicity. I love to see what other people are up to and share my photos too. It's like mini-blogging. And if I like what someone has posted, I can click 'like' so they know, or I can write a comment if I have something to say.

 

 

As much as I like blogging, I am finding I have less time to comment on as many posts as I would like, which I don't feel is fair on you all. Really, I'd like to be able to press a little 'like' button to let you know that I've read and appreciated your post- that all your hard work and creativity is acknowledged and that you are very much a part of my blogging journey.

 

 

So a big thank you for taking your time to be here.


I really, really appreciate it.

 

 

Have a great week.


Xx

 

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Japanese Kokeshi Crochet

Am trying to get back to normal. Whatever that is.

Child number one has returned to school and routines are being re-established.

My crochet cushion is coming on a-nicely, too.

But I love the little projects in-between; you know, the small, quick-fixes. The 'only-takes-an-hour-ish' instant fix.

And so, as many of you know, I love the little Korknisse or Norwegian cork-gnomes.

Traditionally these little fellas sport pointed hats. Other versions are adorned with witches hats, or dressed as knights or blacked out as ninjas.

And so my deviations lead me here:

A Japanese Kokeshi cork creation (adapted from Lucy Ravenscar's knight pattern). [Kokeshi are wooden Japanese dolls. Their history is a little ambiguous, but they were essentially sold to tourists as souvenirs.]

Here's my original doll. Found in a charity shop if I remember correctly:

And so followed this:

 

And this:

 

The best bit was decorating them. Such fun!!

 

Right, back to the cushion for me.

Have a great weekend!

Xx

 

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Of Knights and Ninjas

Finally.

I have managed to wrestle the iPad from the kid's grubby mitts for long enough to actually write a post!

[I am totally looking forward to a return to routine. Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays- but things just get a little, well, bonkers.]

Wait a sec.... What's that? I can hear the sound of marching feet...

Hey! It's the crochet Korknisse Knights, or Korknightsse, as they like to call themselves.



Hello, fellas! How are you?



What, you haven't got any weapons yet? Well, be careful, won't you?



But who's that?

Watch out, Korknightsse! Behind you...

.... it's the Korknisse NINJAs!


They're a deadly and dastardly duo..

You naughty little blighters.



Ok, so the knights and ninjas are free patterns from the lovely Lucy Ravenscar's blog. The knights were made for my nephew, who is doing something 'knight-ish' at school in Sept and the Ninjas for my son, who has demanded 'hundreds more'.

Good excuse to drink more wine, methinks.

Mwaaa haaaaa haaaaa!

Oh, and the crochet cushion cover (pattern from here) is coming along nicely...






Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

X

 

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