Crocheted Scarf in New Stitch

 

This is a scarf I crocheted for my sister's Goddaughter's christening. I came across this stitch online and it is supposed to be a crochet equivalent to knitting's moss stitch.

The scarf is cocheted with lovely Debbie Bliss cashmerino yarn in an antique rose colour.

The shell edging I got from a crochet encycopedia I have and is done in a contrasting silvery grey-I had some Salty Seadog from Posh Yarns left from my last project.

Hopefully the scarf is something that the little lady can make use of when she is older!

(P.S. the scarf was of course washed after sitting on the chair!!)

Happy Mothers' Day!!

...to all the mums out there!

I made a phone cover, which my Mum had requested, and completed a cross stitch. I also made my card this year to fit the handmade theme!

The card is in the very popular scrapbook style (I haven't yet learnt to draw!). I don't have many materials so I hope to be able to make some better cards as soon as I get a good collection of scrapbooking materials and stamps :)



The cross stitch is adapted from a C&H pattern (read: I kept screwing the pattern up so improvised) and I changed the colours to make it more red/pink. I was going to add a border but decided the simplicity of the rose and the wooden frame worked well so left it as it was.

My Mum also wanted a cover for her new phone. I happily obliged.



I tried a new stitch called the up and down stitch which creates a really nice texture. A lot of people dismiss crochet in favour of knitting but personally I think crochet has a lot to offer. Admittedly crochet does have its limitations but I actually prefer the range of textured stitches in crochet to those in knitting.

And isn't the yarn beautiful?! It's more blue/grey than it looks in the picture with a sort of pinkish hue. It's Sirdar Click yarn I think. I'm deciding on something special to make using the rest of the yarn ball :)

Mobile Cover For My Sister

Just before Christmas my sister requested a green phone cover.

A few days ago I had a free evening so I had a chance to crochet a cover for her.

I used my favourite basic crochet stitch-the half treble. It's quite a tall stitch but I think it still provides enough protection for a phone. I added a contrasting band for interest but just stuck to the basic stitch this time as I think the half treble rows are beautiful enough themselves,

The wooden button I got from a new craft shop in Maidstone called Sew a Good Yarn. They specialise in knitting and fabric supplies and also have an interesting selection of reasonably-priced buttons. The business was set up by C&H Fabrics staff who were made redundant when the Maidstone branch of the company closed. It's nice to see how they've turned a negative into a positive.

Hand Crocheted Teddy Bear for Eleanor

My friend, who first introduced me to crochet, had a little girl at the end of last year. I thought it was fitting to crochet her gift and decided on a teddy bear.

The teddy is my own pattern and crocheted freehand-although I am going to have to be more conscientious about transcribing my pattern as I always have trouble remembering how I did the arms/legs and some guesswork is required to get the limbs to be something even close to identical!

Technically soft toys aren't particularly difficult to crochet and I really like creating them so I'm just waiting for my next excuse to make one!

Some photos:

Crocheted Bracelet

The threat of snow has loomed over the weekend and turned my plans upside down. So I've stayed in and experimented with some crochet ideas. I've been thinking about ways crochet could be used to make jewellery.

The first idea is to use a very extended treble crochet stitch to make a bracelet. The yarn has been wrapped around the hook 4 times to create tall stitches. The bracelet is fastened with a plaited tie. Originally I had planned to thread some beads on but I think this yarn is so incredibly beautiful I decided to leave it as it is.

This particular yarn is called 'Salty Seadog' and was hand dyed by a couple in Pembrokeshire, Wales. They use the seas and skies to inspire their colours and only small batches of each yarn are dyed each time meaning each hank is of the highest quality and a one off. Salty Seadog is a shimmery blue-grey yarn and is comprised of Blue Leicester Wool, silk and cashmere.

The snow has arrived in the valley. I look forward to experimenting some more...
Some photos:

One Quiet Sunday=a Hand Crocheted Bowl

When I went to Iceland, we visited a town called Vik (a hamlet by English standards). One of the shops there had a splendid selection of Icelandic wools. Prices are very high in Iceland so I picked up a ball of marbled red wool without much hope-to be pleasantly surprised. Indeed, wool is one thing, perhaps the only thing actually, which I found to be cheaper than home in England. I bought three lovely fuzzy balls home with me.
The wool is a little on the rough and scratchy side so plans to make gloves were abandoned until I had a flash of inspiration. I decided the durability, though not suited to garments, would make a nice storage bowl.
I made the pattern (and actually bothered to transcribe for once!) as I crocheted along.
I crocheted a basic flat circle:
Chain 3, 6 dc in centre
2 dc in each (12)
*1 dc in next, 2 dc in next* to end
*1 dc in next 2, 2 dc in next* to end
*1 dc in next 3, 2 dc in next * to end
Continue pattern until *1 dc in next 14, 2 dc in next*
I changed to cream yarn to mark the end of the flat section (dc in back post) and then just crocheted the sides until I sadly ran out of yarn.
I worked the edge in cream as follows :
*dc in next 4 stitches, 6 ht in next stitch* to end.
It's the first time I've tried an edging so I was quite excited that it worked out ok.
I've transferred my collection of homeless ribbons into it.

Crochet + Taxidermy = Crochetdermy

When you think of crochet, you think of scarves, soft toys and the granny square. Have you ever thought of it as art? I hadn't until I saw these amazing crochet masterpieces by British crochet guru Shauna Richardson.

She uses standard crochet equipment-a 3mm hook, wool and mohair mix yarns. Each piece takes months to complete. As a newcomer to crochet I can hardly imagine the skill and patience required to execute these sculptures and attain the lifelike shape. I have now found a crochet artist who has inspired me to keep working on my crochet. Only through practice and perseverance will I improve. I will almost certainly never reach this high standard of crochet artistry-but I have been inspired and that is quite enough. Here are some more of her stunning animals:

(I think my iPhone has a way to go in understanding how to upload correctly to Blogger-apologies)

The Yarn Addict

Tissue paper falls away to reveal gun metal silver, hand dyed in Wales,
"Songs and Sonnets" is its name, poetry disguised as the silkiest of yarns.
At the back of a souvenir shop in Vik, walls of Icelandic sheep wool, Alafoss,
Fuzzy, rugged and beautiful, fed by lava grass, blueberry flowers and Icelandic rain.


A parcel of azure blue mohair, imported from Turkey,
A wound ball of Mediterranean sky in my bedroom.
Cabaret, gratefully received in a birthday bag, frivolously sparkly and purple,
waiting for a chance to be the star of a pattern.

Guiltily purchased Debbie Bliss, elegant, antique rose cashmere
Expecting to become lacy mittens fit for a Victorian Lady.
Nutmeg from Spain, now "discontinued". Candyfloss soft and glints of gold
Happily rehomed in a crochet addict's bedroom in England.


Skye wool, multi-coloured and soft. Rainy skies, heather and a castle
of a Scottish holiday an age ago remembered.
Down to earth acrylics, in cheerful pink and brash red.
Indispensible and cheap, a yarn junkie's affordable fix.

I touch and admire the balls laid out in their careful exhibition,
I see a spring scarf and graceful mittens,
a useful cream bowl, a lacy shawl,
A Ravenclaw book cover and a chubby teddy bear
A ribboned hat and a hot pink corsage to brighten my day.
Stitch by stitch,
Brought to life by me, their creator.

Crochet Snowflakes and Gingerbread Dragons

Christmas has come and gone. I shall miss crocheting snowflakes and making gingerbread but I am starting to look forward to the New Year, another of my favourite times of the year.

Next year I hope I have time to crochet enough snowflakes to fill the whole tree. I much prefer a tree with every branch covered with individual, special decorations, rather than a neat set of mass-produced lights and baubles. I am definitely not a minimalist when it comes to decorating Christmas trees.

I also indulged in some Origami and made some lotus fold napkins for the Boxing Day table

I set aside a morning to make a gingerbread house but it was still rushed and sadly collapsed for a couple of reasons (thin icing and irregular walls). The garden of the house was to be filled with dragonsand I asked our resident artist (Ty) to draw a simple dragon outline on paper for me to use as a gingerbread stencil.

 (The dragons were out of the house at the time of the collapse and survived)

I'm not sure why it hasn't occured to me to make my own stencils in paper before. I'm glad I did work it out though and I have sooo many ideas for biscuits shapes. Next year I will try to do a gingerbread house again and hope it remains upright this time.

Now I'm thinking about all the things I want to do next year and making lists. I also hope for snowfall in the New Year, which always happened when I was a child. I'm not a huge fan of snow but a light dusting on the branches and berries always lifts the spirit a little at this time of year.

The snow shower which settled on the hydrangea for a mere couple of hours earlier this month

I hope everybody had a lovely Christmas and here's to a great New Year too!

Many Mobile Covers as Christmas Gifts!

A little Christmas present for my Mum

I've had quite a few requests for crocheted phone covers since making one for my iPhone. Christmas gave me an excellent chance to make a few and give them away as presents. I've started to experiment with different styles and stitches which is always fun for a novice crocheter.

Here are a few I made for friends this year:

Green double crochet for Paige

Purple stripes for Cat

Pink for Rosie

'Bobbled' texture for extra protection!

(and I like how it feels, even though it takes longer to do!)

A loop rather than a flap.

I have a few more still to complete and I have plans to try some new stitches and even some embellishments if I'm feeling brave.

I hope I have saved at least one smart phone from the ever-popular cracked screen!