The Laptop is Encased

Since I got my new laptop a while back, I've been wanting to make it a little cozy to keep the dust off. I have been toiling over what sort of fancy stitches to use for a few weeks, and then the other night, it hit me. The answer was obvious really, the humble single crochet would suffice. Just rounds and rounds of single crochet, creating a neat little jacket for the laptop to live in. I would let the colour do the talking, instead of the fancy stitchwork. One colour wouldn't be enough. Nor two, or three, but my whole collection of Lily Sugar 'n Cream yarn would be involved.
It looks so wonderful siting in it's box - so many bright cheery colours side by side - but what good is it in it's box? I'm a bit protective over this yarn, not because it's expensive or anything, but it comes all the way from America, so I don't buy it very often and use it only for the right kind of projects, It's 100% cotton, which I love, but is not super-soft like some others. It has a certain strength to it and is great for things that need to keep their shape (like the mandalas I made). I realised though, that if I use it up, I will just have to make another order won't I?!
There was no master plan, I just started with an oval shape and made it the right size to snuggle the laptop, and then just went round and round. I used joined rounds as I think these look neater with colour changes, The seam has a tendency to wander to the side, so I kept starting a few stitches back again in order to keep the seam on one side of the sleeve.
I love, love, love all the colours and how they look together. I finished it off with a little button fastening, and did a final round of reverse crochet to give a nice edge effect. It's a funny stitch - not natural at all, but it does work out in the end if you keep going! Here she is, avec laptop...

And a closer look at the colours and edging...

 I posted a picture up on Facebook when I finished it, and have already racked up two orders for iPad sleeves in this style! Wahoo! I'm rather chuffed other people like it as much as I do, and I'm sure my laptop is a much happier machine now it has it too. Looks like I will be making another order for this yarn!

In other news, I've just realised it is one month until Yarndale! And I know this month will absolutely fly by... I'm so excited! I shall be there on the Saturday with my good friend Curly Girl Coop, and we plan to fill her (small) car with as much yarn and things as possible. I do have a thing about buttons, so plenty of those!

Now, I'm going to get back to my to-do list and put the laptop back in it's little home. And then I'm off out for a meal with my family - good times! Until next time...

Covert Action

Yesterday, our quiet cul-de-sac was taken over by a film crew and a celebrity. I use the word 'celebrity' fairly loosely, as he is probably way down on the A-Z list. If you are from the UK, you probably know him, that bald chap - Dom Littlewood. He is often on 'The One Show' and programmes like 'Cowboy Traders'. Yesterday he was filming a new episode of 'Cowboy Builders' right across the street from us. I spent most of the morning standing on the toilet seat, aiming my camera out of the tiny gap in the bathroom window, and this is my best shot:

That guy did not want to turn around, so this is the best shot I could get. Loving his co-ordinating shoes and jacket. There was also a female presenter, no idea who that was. It didn't look like Melinda Messenger, who had been in previous series of 'Cowboy Builders'. I was waiting for the 'builder confrontation' but it never happened. I can't wait to see this episode, as the rogue builders in question done a fair amount of work in my parents' house a few years back... and totally messed it up, and ripped them off, so I'll be happy to see them get publicly humiliated. Don't get done, get Dom!

So that unexpectedly changed my plans yesterday, poor Little P had to amuse herself a bit whilst we took it in turns to peer out of the window. She kept calling him 'John Lewis' too which was funny... can you tell where we shop?!

I have been playing about with the camera as usual - the garden being one of my favourite places to experiment. Only when you see the really close-up detail of flowers and insects do you appreciate just how amazing and beautiful nature really is. Nothing we make can compare. I'm always photographing flowers, and noticing patterns inside I would never have seen with the naked eye. But the other day, I had a different subject. A grasshopper. He actually sat on my hand whilst I photographed him - Little P was a bit weary, and kept calling him a chameleon! I was amazed he sat there, I actually had to put him back, he didn't hop away. He was quite happy having a scratch of his body and face. Here is the little chap...

In between these antics, and occupying the Little Lady, there has been a bit of crochet. Designing in fact. I mentioned in my last post that whilst making the amigurumi monkey for my niece I had an idea for my own monkey - well I put the cogs into action and produced one!
It started as a few rough sketches in my notebook (along with a bit of colouring help from Little P)...

and got refined to this tiny sketch in the corner of a page...

 

I knew I would use my trusty Rico Creative Cotton Aran for this, as I did the last monkey. Little P wanted a pink monkey too, and I have a thing about pink and green together, so he needed some green 'bits' too. Then began the experimenting...

Originally, I had planned for this monkey to be quite a big thing, but I decided to try a scaled down version, to see if I actually like the design. It turns out I do, and so does Little P, which is the most important thing! I'm happy with proportions, so in theory I could scale him up to be the big chunky monkey I once envisioned.

And there he is! I actually have ideas for a whole series of these animals. I really like his rectangular body shape, with the face as part of it, I think it's quite unique. My Mum has some ideas too, so watch this space for some more animals like this!

I also got quite an exciting delivery in the post this week, more Hooplayarn! Each bobbin is quite sizeable, so I couldn't order too much, I limited myself to 3. I love the colours! Think they look lovely together...

In fact, I think my original plans for them have changed. Instead of adding them to the mixed colour mandala rug (see last post) I may make another rectangular rug just using these. Any oddments can get added to the mandala rug, but I think these deserve to be together, in their own ruggy glory. I ordered mine through an Amazon shop as they had a great range of colours and were a good price.

I've also started crocheting a simple stripy sleeve for my laptop - just to keep the dust off. Will post about that when it's finished! I think I can hear it calling me now, but one thing before I go...

Please go and check out my friend Leah's new blog - Curly Girl Coop - I taught her some of the basics of crochet about a year ago and her love for crochet has taken off, just like mine did! She shares the same love of colour and amigurumi as I do - but we differ a fair amount with other things (she still doesn't get grannysquares), but please go give her a look, it's a great blog already!

I've just been informed that the film crew are back outside... I can't waste another day watching, that's so old hat now! Time to crochet, so until next time...

The Big Blanket

Something happened the other day, something that hasn't happened for a long time. I was projectless. Not for long, I will quickly add, but for a brief window in my life, I was projectless.
A couple of my larger projects have been finished and sent to their new homes, including one very large one. Introducing the massively enormous patchwork blanket, a present for my Auntie and Uncle on their silver wedding anniversary.

I started this just after I finished Little P's mini patchwork blanket, so maybe back in March I think, and finished it a few days before the day it was due - so it was a mammoth project, 5 months in the making! It was more of an 'evening project', one for when Little P had gone to bed and I could watch TV and crochet square after square, joining as I went along.
I based it on Attic24's Patchwork Granny Blanket. It is made up of 144 six-round granny squares (my calculation told me that was nearly 20000 double crochet stitches alone!) and then finished off with a calming border - 7 rounds of 'grannying' and then a round of moss stitch (in purple to give 'dotted' effect) before finishing with a round of bobble shells (see Attic24 tutorial).

I forgot to measure if, but it must be at least 180cm x 180cm. It consumed an enormous amount of yarn - Stylecraft Special DK - in loads of colours! I machine washed it before giving it to my Auntie and Uncle, and was so nervous hoping it would come out in one piece, and not just a jumble of wool! It was greatly received and I was a bit sad to see it leave, as it had been a labour of love for so long! I guess I'll just have to start another blanket, as I feel a bit lost without one on the go! Just look at that feast of colour...

Yesterday was the 3rd Birthday of my little niece, so of course I had to make a little something for her. Just like her cousin, Little P, she is all girly and pink and fluffy, so I thought I would make something pink. I decided on a monkey, using the 'Monkey Girl' pattern by Lilleliis. I changed it a bit to fit with my colour scheme, and adapted the face a bit, but the general shape followed that pattern. I used Rico Creative Cotton Aran as it's super soft and bright - great for chunkier toys...

 

 

Here she is having a photo shoot in the garden (ignore the weeds! No time for weeding at the moment!)

 



Whilst making her, I had an idea for my own design monkey - and more animals, maybe a series - so watch this space for a new creation!

After finishing the monkey, and catching up with a couple of other bits, I actually had to think of something to crochet. I had an empty list of my phone to-do app - first time in a long, long, time. I had caught up after all the babies, birthdays and anniversaries. What to do?
It didn't take long before I rediscovered the bag of Hooplayarn I had picked up at last Autumn's Knitting and Stitching Show at the Ally Pally (read my post here). I had bought loads of odds and ends in a variety of colours, with the plan of making a rug. I had visions of a small, round rug, but never really got on with it. Now was the perfect time to start, and with my recent love of mandalas, it seemed like a great opportunity to make a really big one.
I started my research, but it didn't take long to find inspiration. I wanted to keep the pattern fairly simple, and let the colours do the work - although I didn't want just round after round of double crochets. I discovered that one of my fave bloggers, A Creative Being, had in fact designed just what I was looking for, and had a free pattern - brilliant!
I set to work with my Hooplayarn and a 15mm hook. It was a struggle at first, but I soon got into the rhythm of working with such massive yarn.

It worked up fairly quickly, but I soon realised my odds and ends wouldn't go that far. In fact, I've now ground to a halt, and have ordered some more Hooplayarn to get me going again. Hooplayarn are exhibiting at Yarndale in a few weeks time, and I'm hoping I can get some more odds and ends then! I love it so far though...

mmm.... colour...I hope the new bobbins hurry up and arrive so I can continue with it!
Now I'm a bit stuck again for projects... maybe I will have a play with that monkey design?! Until net time...