Some Crochet!!

As well as our outdoor adventures I have also managed to fit in a small amount of hook time. I always have a few projects on the go at once but my most recent FO is this baby blanket....

I made it small, car seat sized really. I find this size handy for little ones and they make a nice doll blanket later on.

The yarn is Scheepjes Colour Crafter and I LOVE it!! It is so soft and yummy, lovely for an acrylic yarn. The shades are Weert, Ameland and Heerenveen.

We are visiting soon and I can't wait to pass it on. I love those scrummy little ripples. I haven't checked but I think it follows the Attic 24 pattern as I have used that in the past.

I found out recently that we will be having another niece in October so I have another one to make this summer. I am undecided on the pattern and colours yet so more exciting plans to come!
Until next time. x

A most Egg-cellent adventure....

Oh yes, a cheesy Easter title. Happy Easter! Things have been wonderful, busy and just a tiny bit stressful here. We are nearing the end of a nearly 3 week Easter break here Pickle is only at preschool but it makes a big difference having him off. Penguin has decided she doesn't like to nap when he is at home and at just 18 months she is not really ready to drop that afternoon snooze. I really must look at getting that sorted before Pickle is off for the summer and then starts nursery in the mornings rather than the afternoon!

Any way. We have had a lot of fun building junk robots, making krispie cakes and easter crafts with a few trips scattered in....a post on that later.

Today's post is all about my new crochet Easter bunting! It has taken me a while and progress certainly slowed down without Penguin's nap time these past few weeks.

Not the best light I am afraid, it is hard to get away from the kidlets to take photos in the daylight. 

These are crocheted up with dk yarn I had left over, not sure what the yellow is but the white is stylecraft special. I then cross stitched on the egg shapes with some Patons 100% cotton 4 ply. I am not sure they do the green anymore but the other colours are Candy, Lilac and Pale Blue. I think the green was called sage or similar but I no longer have the ball band. Hook size used for these was 3.75.

To make the egg shape: (Uk Terms)

Ch16

Row 1: dc in 2nd chain from hook and then in each ch until the end. Turn. 

Row 2: ch 1, dc in each dc. Turn

Row 3: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 13 dc, 2dc in last dc. Turn.

Row 4: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 15 dc, 2 dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 5: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 17 dc, 2 dc in last dc. Turn

Row 6: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 19 dc, 2 dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 7: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 21 dc, 2 dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 8: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 23 dc, 2dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 9: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 25 dc, 2dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 10-16: ch 1, dc in each dc. Turn. 

Row 17- 45: ch1, 2dctog, dc in each dc after that until the end. Turn.

Row 46: ch 1, 2dctog, dc in each dc after that. You should now have 7 dc in a row. 

Row  47: ch 1, work dc down the side of the egg shape, 1 in the end of each row. Along the foundation ch work 1sl st, dc, dc, dc, htr, htr, tr, 2tr, tr, htr, htr, dc, dc, dc, slst, then dc up the other side of the shape. In the top row, work sl st, dc, htr, tr, htr, dc, sl st.

Row 48: dc around the edge to finish boarder.

I then cross stitched random patterns onto the eggs and joined them with a sl st along a simple chain. I am really pleased with my easter bunting. I think I might do some bunny bunting for next easter.

Until next time....x

Leg Warmers

Penguin is a Kangeroo baby. Ooo mixture of animals. I wonder what at Kangeroo Penguin would look like.....Anyway. She spends a lot of time in the carrier. Our carrier of choice right now is the Lillebaby. I love it.

Through the winter she has been in a slightly padded puddle suit or a reindeer all in one to keep her toasty when on my back. She feels the cold so I like her to be wrapped up warm.

Now the weather is getting warmer (she says hopefully) or on days when we are in and out of buildings a lot (like a visit to the Natural History Museum) the all in ones can get a bit too warm. However, her little dangley legs can still get a bit chilly. So we have gone for the Hat, Fleece and leg warmer look....

I whipped these up pretty quickly. They are quite big around her legs so I can still pull them on and off over her shoes which is very handy. I think they could do with being longer but they certainly keep the bit between trousers and socks toasty. I would definitely make more. These are worked up in Stylecraft Special DK, I think a wool blend for extra warmth would be fab. Maybe for Autumn when we are on the nursery run...

Until next time... S x

Rainbow Mice

Pickle started pre school at the start of January. As I am a SAHM he has never really been left, just a few times with my Mum and a few times at a church group. I must say he has been a champ. No tears, loads of happy faces. Immense relief.

One day, on the way home, he said he had been sad because he missed me. I suggested I could make him something small for his picket so if he missed me he could hold it and know I loved him and was thinking of him too. His little face lit up and he began to chatter excitedly.

I suggested a little crochet heart thinking I could whip up one nice a quickly before I went to bed, maybe in a few colours so he could choose....Pickle claimed that would be too big, it should be small like a mouse. Yes it must be a mouse. So a mouse it was. A little purple mouse.

On day two of the little purple mouse the pre school leader asked about the mice, if I had in fact made it and if she could pay me to make some for her. I whipped up 5 as a gift for the pre school, and a rather cute collection they are too. Pickles teacher was very pleased and I got to test a new pattern! Watch this space for the little mouse pattern and tutorial!

They are just the perfect size for little hands and little pockets.

I used Patons 100% cotton as found here. The colours are Delta, Candy, Apple and Jade. The Yellow one is the same type of yarn but doesn't seem to be in the current range. I have sadly lost the ball band as it has been in my stash for a while. It is a very pretty yellow, I am sad to see it is no longer on the stock list at Wool Warehouse.

I loved working in this yarn, it is so smooth and has a beautiful sheen to it. I love that it is cotton too. Will certainly be using this type of yarn again. It looks like it may be similar to the Scheepjes Catona which has a lot more colour options! Wow, Scheepjes you are winning me over from sight only. I am absolutely going to need some of this yarn in my life....on my next order for sure.

Have you seen....?

Oh My, have you seen the Scheepjes CAL? It starts in February and it is so beautiful. There are 3 original colourways, Jewel, Rainbow and Pastel. Rainbow is my personal preference, I love how the colours pop on the dark smokey background.



Mmmmmmmmm sooooo pretty!!! I am going to follow too keep an eye on the goings on. I am in awe of the beauty! I will definitely have to follow a CAL with my blog one day. Maybe I will even be able to run one sometime in the future, who knows! I will certainly have a look at the Scheepjes yarn next time I am looking to order, it looks so very pretty!

It is fair to say the crochet world is alive with CALs right now with Attic 24 midway through the moorland CAL. A blanket would have been my preference but I just love the techniques int he shawl. I wish I could justify the outlay to buy the kit! I would love to try the Scheepjes yarn. At the moment I mostly work in Stylecraft special dk because we don't have a local yarn shop and I like to know that the yarn I am buying is going to be a lovely texture as well as affordable!

I love the idea of a CAL and I hope that it encourages more people to pick up a hook and give it a go!

A Life in Black and White

I love crochet. I am going to drop that bomb one more time. I love crochet. I love the snuggly yarn and the beautiful colours, I love the different patterns, the versatility and I love to feel productive. I like seeing my proects grow, I love the inspiration from wonderful creatives online....I could go on.

Did you see that I love colour? I am not Monochrome. I am blue and green, I am purple and pink and all the colours in between. I wear green jeggings and I love teal and turquoise. Yellow bean is monochrome. Don't get me wrong, he likes colour, he wears normal clothing and has some very colourful t shirts. But he loves black and white. He loves Ska music and all things two tone.

My latest F.O. was a little challenging. Not only was I trying to complete it without Yellow bean spotting it but it was all black and white. A two tone lap blanket for my ska boy. He loves a snuggle under a blanket and always seems to be cold, particularly when he is working. So I made a narrow lap blanket as a Christmas present (it was late). It is big enough to cover his lap and small enough to be manageable when he is sat in a chair at the table working. It is long and thin, just like my man.