Eye Candy of the Woolly Sort

I love Instagram. I love following fellow hookers and seeing what the world of crochet is creating. I like uploading snippets of my life as a Mummy and a hooker. I find it such a good place for inspiration too, and found plenty of that last week! It was The Patchwork Heart's feed that caught my eye, and her wonderful mandalas that she had crocheted using lots of bright colours. I instantly fell in love with these and had to make one as soon as I could.

With some of my larger projects nearing a close, I needed no more excuses before I began to hook up a pretty mandala. I have seen things like this before, but wondered what you would use them for, so never made one. After seeing these ones, I didn't care what they were used for, I just had to try one! For me it's just a pretty thing, something nice to put on my bedside table, to stand a drink on, or a vase and it just adds a splash of colour to it's surroundings. I instantly knew it was time to bust out the Lily Sugar n' Cream yarn I ordered from America (I am very careful how I use this, very selective, only to be used for the perfect project - it is my precious!) 

I found the pattern that The Patchwork Heart used - it's on the Made in K-Town blog, and began to put hook to yarn. I had no colour plan, just bright, see what happens kind of thing. The tutorial is really easy to follow and in no time at all I had made my first mandala. Happy face! Here it is...

Obviously, one was not enough. There were so many colour possibilities. Better make another then...

Ah, they are such a riot of colour, and the yarn I used is 100% cotton and has a certain stiffness to it so they keep their shape really well. It's not such a super-soft cotton, I describe it as more rope-like, but it's perfect for these kind of things! 

I thought my Little Lady may like one too, a mini one. I wanted to try a new pattern out, so I scoured Ravelry to find this one by Tamara Kelly. It had the option to make a smaller, coaster sized mandala, or a big, placemat-sized version. Using the same yarn, and no particular colour plan, I hooked up a little one for the Little Lady. I like how it turned out, but I'm not in love with it like I am the Made in K-Town ones. The actual crochet is not quite as fun and playful as the other pattern, but it does produce a nice coaster type thing. It shall go by Little P's bed so she can put her drink on it at night too, just like Mummy. 

I was enjoying making pretty things. Pretty, colourful things. I didn't want to stop, this is what crochet is all about! On a practical note, Little P needed some facecloths for the bath, and I've been saying for ages I'll make some - I feel begrudged to buy things I can easily make - so I took the opportunity to whip up a couple of pretty cloths. 

I used RICO Design Creative Cotton for both of them, as it is lovely and soft, and the colours are so bright! I hunted for some cloth patterns and found a couple I liked - a flower and a star.

The star was fun to make, it took no time at all and hardly any yarn in each colour. And the flower worked up quickly too, although not such a fun pattern!

I will have to have a go at playing around and making my own design mandala-thingy - watch this space!

The BIG exciting news of the week is that I booked tickets to go to Yarndale! I am so excited! My friend (a great friend I must add) approached me with the idea of going together, making the pilgrimage up North to the Yorkshire Dales. I read about Yarndale from the Attic24 blog, and thought I had absolutely no chance of going, so I never even entertained the idea. It was just a dream that one day I would go. So it was a total surprise when my friend text me to pretty much tell me I was going to go, and stay overnight too.

I have not had an overnight stay away since the Little P was born - so this was big news for me! After deliberation, I am in fact having 2 whole nights away. Staying near Skipton in a rather lovely looking inn, and spending a whole Saturday at Yarndale! I am very excited - a festival of woolly goodness created by (amongst others) Lucy of Attic24 - my crochet heroin! And I might even be able to see her in the flesh, as she will obviously be there! Starstruck! 

Lucy is planning on yarnbombing the half-hour walk from the train station to Yarndale - that will be epic! As part of it, she is calling for fellow crocheters to help the cause and make bunting triangles, which she will link together and use to decorate the walk. So many people are contributing to this - hundreds and thousands - I think she will have her work cut out crocheting them all together! I, am of course going to make a few - not loads like some people - but a few when I can fit them in. It would be great to be able to spot mine hanging up around Skipton when I go to Yarndale!

I must be off now, things to do, yarn to see. Until next time...