Birthday Preparations

Once again, things have been busy around these parts. There has been much crafting (mainly crochet) in the evenings when the Little Lady is asleep. There has also been preparation for the Little Lady's third birthday next week - agh can't believe I will have a 3 year old! She's having a little party with her friends and I'm currently in the process of (trying) to make a cake for her. I've never done the whole party cake thing, where you cover it in roll-out icing and make it look all pretty, so I'm excited to have a go at that. The tricky part is the actual cake, as Little P has food allergies - dairy and egg - pretty standard in a cake mix! I've made cakes before for her, but they always turn out pretty flat, but there was one Victoria sponge type thing I made once which was great... only trouble is I didn't bookmark the recipe and I am trawling the net trying to re-find it! If it all goes to plan and the cake works, I will show it off here, if it's a complete failure I'll just let the vaults of time swallow it up and forget about it. One 'trial' cake is already out on the lawn for the birds... it was definitely not the recipe I tried before!
Little P is super excited about her birthday this year, finally old enough to appreciate it and understand. It's all about princesses with her at the moment - completely the opposite of me and how I was as a child. She's so imaginative as keeps playing with her imaginary princess friends in the house - this morning they were all at a Royal Ball, and it was so busy we had to queue to get a ticket!
So needless to say, I have a few princess related presents for her birthday - not that I'm trying to fuel the obsession! I also thought it would be nice to make her a little something, as I don't seem to have made her a toy for quite some time. Princess? no... she has enough of them... but maybe a Tinkerbell? I had a look for some patterns on Ravelry and decided to give this one a go as I thought it was sweet (not necessarily the most Tink-like but super cuddly)

I used Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo, which is still one of my favourites for toy making as it's soft and has a very neat finish. I changed the pattern slightly - firstly the skirt 'leaves' weren't working out for me so I adapted it to make my own skirt. Also the wings seemed too 'floppy' and I fancied something a bit more decorative, so I searched for a pattern for some small wings and found these.

I'm quite happy with her, she is cute and I'm sure Little P will love her. I personally am not a big fan of the 'fringe' and if I were to do it again I'd definitely do her hair slightly different, but this is a great little pattern and it's super-easy.

I have also made another softie for Little P's friend, who had his second birthday last week. The Little Man loves Monsters University, especially Mike Wazowski, so I thought I'd give one of them a go...

This little chap was fun to make (although his fingers and toes tool a while to work!) and I'm pleased with him - he's probably one of the more intricate amigurumis I have made - he even has surface stitches for lips and an eyelid! And felt detailing for mouth and eye. He even has pipe cleaners in his legs so they can bend nicely. I like this little chap and was sad to see him leave my table - although I have been informed that he was well received by the Birthday Boy! yay!

In my last post I mentioned a 'blog swap' with Maddy of From Twelve To Two Fifteen, and showed off my stash of yarn I ordered especially for it.... well there has been progress, in the form of a small pile of granny squares. I love this pattern (Summer Garden Granny by Attic24) and it works up so quickly. I am also loving the yarn and the colours and can't wait to make the pile grow and grow!

You may also remember my empty frames waiting for prints to arrive.... well shortly after that post they turned up. Both on the same day too, to make it doubly exciting. Both were bought through Etsy from artists which I very much admire.
First up is a little 5x5 print from an artist called Geninne Zlatkis - I have a couple of her books and love her stamping, so it's great to have one of her watercolour prints up on my wall. It came all the way from Mexico (a country I love) and features cacti (which I very much love) so needless to say I do indeed love it. I also kind of want to frame the packaging it came in - the outer envelope and inner paper bag are both hand-stamped with some of those famous Geninne stamps which are so beautiful...

Love it! The second one was from an artist called RiverLuna from San Francisco (another place I love) and is another watercolour print. It's so pretty, I love it up on my wall, and my little collection is looking good.

I have my old California licence plate up too, and hope to get a picture sometime soon, when light is better. A little bit of 'me' space full of things I love.

I'm now going to head off and maybe crochet some more squares, and I can confirm the cake attempt no.2 is out of the oven and looks good, phew! So until next time...

A Year In Crochet

It's now coming up for a year since I first picked up that trusty old hook and yarn for the first time, and tried to teach myself the art of crochet. How I persevered I'm still not entirely sure, as I don't usually stick at things if I don't get them straight away! But something about crochet had me hooked (no pun intended). I was having a look through some of my makes over the last year (see most of them on my Ravelry page)
My first hooky adventure, and where it all came together, was Squiddly Dudley, from Nicki Trench's book 'Super-Cute Crochet'. I had bought 'posh' yarn as I liked the colours, but it wasn't the easiest yarn to get started with! However it was super soft and looked nice - and so it should for how much it cost me! I actually found working in a spiral and seeing the shape forming helped me to understand basic crochet, rather than working straight back and forwards rows of stitches. Considering he was my first project, I was dead chuffed how he turned out. The stitching on of his numerous legs was haphazard and untidy, and ends poked out everywhere, but that kind of adds to his charm. He was my first crochet creation and I was a very proud hooker!

I made a whole host of animals after him. Including giraffes, monkeys, elephants and rabbits. A selection of the few I still have are pictured below.

By this time I also began to understand yarn a bit more. Indeed, I may have started realising not everything was simply 'wool'. I experimented with a few, but soon settled on a favourite, cotton based! King Cole Bamboo Cotton was one I instantly fell in love with, as it was super-soft and not at all 'itchy', and more importantly, came in a range of great bright colours. I still use it as my first choice for amigurumi today. I also discovered Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo - not strictly a cotton, but feels and works like one, and also comes in lots of bright colours. It also works up similar to the Bamboo Cotton, so I often use both alongside each other in a project.
For a while, I only dabbled in amigurumi. And to be honest that was enough. I thought, and still do, that it is amazing how you can turn a ball of yarn into one of those cute stuffed animals. I could quite happily make them forever! I had found something I totally loved doing, and that was a creative outlet for me, something I felt I had lacked over the last few years.
But eventually I was tempted into other forms of crochet. Mainly due to the discovery of the amazing Attic24 blog. Finally I had seen something which summed up what I wanted to do - create bright and cheery items and not wishy washy dull things.
The first things I had a go at from the Attic24 library were the Striped Yarn Bag and the Happy Flower Decoration. I was enjoying learning different types of stitches and techniques, rather than a single crochet around a spiral. I also discovered another cotton yarn which I love - Rico Creative Cotton Aran - widely available in lovely bright colours. A bit splitty, but you do get used to it - but the colours and feel of it are totally worth it - and it's cheap too!

Then came the first blanket. Attic24's Summer Garden Granny Square was the pattern I used. (Take a full look at my blanket details here) I enjoyed this longer term project, hooking up squares, and joining as I went along. I was thrilled with how it looked when it all came together. It's still one of my favourite creations to date, and almost too nice to use!

I got the blanket bug by now, and I moved on to yet another Attic24 pattern - the Granny Stripe Blanket. This time I wanted a big blanket, so I decided I needed something bigger than DK weight yarn or it would take forever. I chose King Cole Comfort Chunky, as that was what was available in my local shop. It felt nice and soft and came in nice bright colours - so that was sorted! This blanket seemed to take forever, but I also had a lot of other smaller projects running alongside it. It was well worth it however, as me and the little lady are always snuggling or playing 'tents' underneath it!

Around this time I also plucked up the courage to have a go at designing my own amigurumi. I started with a long-legged floppy bunny thing, which didn't turn out that great, but I then made my Monty Moo. Totally designed by me - I was very proud with how he turned out. I do plan to put the pattern up on here one day, but need to test it first!

Another blanket made it's way on to the scene - the massive Rainbow Granny Stripe - a birthday present for my Mum (whose birthday was in October) but it's still not finished! I'm plodding along with it, 3 colours to go now, and then the border!

Along the way I have also made some cushion covers, bunting, hats and scarves, and plenty of little animals. I designed Ronald the Reindeer, and wrote a pattern up for him here, and a simple amigurmi strawberry here. I thought, in the style of 'Team America', I need a montage...

So, with my first anniversary of crochet coming up, I can say it has had a huge impact on my life! Finding that creative streak again has uncovered a whole side to me that had got lost for quite a while, and it's great! When I'm not being Mum, my primary role, all I can think about is crochet. It has also spawned a whole host of other craft endeavours. I want to try, when I get time, lino printing - I bought basic supplies the other day to give it a go. I also want to learn to use a sewing machine and be able to whizz up all sorts of things. Me and a friend went on a sewing machine course last saturday, to make a very basic cushion cover. My friend, who shares the same passion as me, got a machine for her birthday, but has never used one either, so we thought a course may be the best solution! And it was fun! I think we both took to the basics of using a sewing machine and my personal favourite, the overlocker, very well, for complete beginners. Great fun, and an enormous sense of achievement that maybe we could actually do this! This meant we had to go buy fabric to try it again - and we picked some lovely patterns to give it another go (however said friend has been somewhat busy with an important essay or something...pffft, but we will give it a go again!) I will post pictures of the fabric and cushion, but light has faded and photography conditions are poor!
So, back to now... I'm still trying to crochet whenever I can, but a dreaded sickness bug struck the little lady earlier this week, and me this weekend, so there's been minimal hooking this week.
A couple of weeks ago I decided to start the owl granny square cushion cover I had been planning for a while. I used a pattern I found on Ravelry by Repeat Crafter Me, and adapted it to suit my needs. I'm alternating the owl squares with plain, basic granny squares, and I'm pleased with how it is coming along!

I also finished the Christmas Tree Skirt - I'm happy with the finished product, and it will be ready for next year. I finished it off with a simple edging and added buttons and a tie to fasten it. The little lady had to stamp on it outside whilst trying to photograph it!

the edging...

the buttons and tie...

the close-up...

the whole thing, without child!

Before Christmas, I also finished the Striped Elephant for my friend's new nephew/niece due imminently. That elephant is still a pleasure to make and the pattern has been worth every penny I paid for it - find it on Ravelry here.

I've just realised, this is quite a long blog - I've been busy typing whilst keeping an eye on the football - my boys won and I'm just watching the opposition in action now. I'm a Manchester United fan and always have been, since I can remember - I think my Dad brainwashed me as a baby, I hope to do the same to my little one - she already has a kit!
Also, I received a great present in the post (a present to myself that is!). I had ordered some yarn from the US at the beginning of the year, and yesterday it arrived! It is Lily Sugar 'n Cream Solids, and is, you guessed it, 100% cotton. It comes in 75g balls and is worsted (aran) weight. It comes in loads of amazing colours! I got mine here, and even with delivery to the UK, it worked out cheap, something like £1.90 a ball including delivery. I bought 14 balls - thought i better make the shipping charge worthwhile. It looks great, can't wait to use it!

Must go, other 'normal' jobs to do now, with maybe a little bit more crochet before the little P returns!

Back on Track!

Well it's been a while since I've had the chance to write on here, what with technical issues and a poorly little P, but I finally have the chance to sit down and type at my new workstation - iPad and wireless keyboard - thanks brother for sorting me out!
The little lady had a horrible cold which seemed to last forever, so she just wanted her Mummy all the time. It was lovely to get cuddles as I don't usually get too many, but it did mean crochet time was reduced! Only the little P could get away with that! I do have a few creations to show for myself over the last 3 or 4 weeks however, as I have made the most of what crochet time I did have.
The change in temperature has sparked a new line of crocheting for me... hats and gloves and scarves! I refuse to buy little P woolly items, as I can easily make them myself, but they kept getting relegated down my 'to make' list. Eventually it got to the point when I felt terrible that the little monkey had no woolly hat and gloves in the cold weather we have had... so I halted other productions and got to work on protecting my daughter from the cold!
I scoured the internet for quite some time to find the 'right' hat for the little P. I wanted a beanie, but a pretty one, not just a boring round and round hat. I also wanted to use King Cole Bamboo Cotton as it's nice and soft on her little head, so I needed a pattern for DK weight yarn. Eventually I came across one on Ravelry as a free download. It is called 'Perenni' and it's by Deanne Ramsay. It was a very easy pattern to follow, although it took me 3 attempts to get the size right for the little P! I'm chuffed with how it turned out, and she looks super sweet in it! I also tried to make some mittens for her too... I wanted ones with thumbs, but a lot of the patterns for her tiny hands don't have thumbs, so I had to improvise a tad. They turned out not too bad for complete guess-work, and they fit OK, but will she wear them? NO! Maybe when it gets a bit colder.... here's hoping!

and the detail of the pretty stitching...

I then decided to make myself a snood/cowl type thing as I saw pattern I liked on Annaboo's House. She recommends super-chunky yarn with a 15mm hook so I ordered some Sirdar Indie in Apache. I have fallen in love with this yarn, it's super soft, maybe a little bit itchy, but the colours are amazing that you forget all about that! I got straight to it the day the yarn arrived, and finished it that same evening. Super-quick and easy to follow pattern with great results! A cosy snood for cold weather! No more silly scarf ends poking out of my coat!

As I loved the yarn so much, I had a look at some of the other colours and decided I needed a bit more. I thought I could make little P another hat... this time a chunky earflap hat with a bobble on top. So I visited a local shop where I knew they stocked it, and bought a couple more colours.... Madison and Crazy Horse. I used the lovely Madison for the Little P's hat and I plan to use the Crazy Horse to make another cowl type-thing for myself. 

The Crazy Horse...

and the beginnings of a hat in Madison...

I have also been back on the amigurumi. I had an order for 2 rabbits, which I've been slowly assembling over the last month, but they are finally finished and will be off to their new home soon! 
And I finally finished the hair on the amigurumi doll, now named Polly Dolly. It's plaited and tied up with bows and finishes her off nicely. Little P seems to like her, she gets dragged around by the hair a fair amount, which I'm sure is a sign of affection!

Meet Polly Dolly...

and a couple of sweet bunnies...

Also, my kind brother went on a trip to Barcelona for a few days, and brought me back a present, a cactus pin cushion! It's really nice, too nice to stick pins in maybe! They were for sale on a stand on Las Ramblas, all handmade and loads of different designs and colours. 

There are also a few exciting things coming up for me... Fresh Stitches Mystery Crochet-Along starts in just 2 days, so looking forward to receiving the first bit of the pattern for that! And some more exciting things in the New Year if all goes to plan (all crochet related obviously!) which I won't talk about just yet but am very much looking forward to them!
Now I must go, bed is calling, and me and little P have to be out early to a Music class! Until next time...

All Things Pretty

The lovely ladies of Two Birds Craft sent me one of their new products to review. It's a beautiful stitch marker charm bracelet, you may have seen a sneak peak in an earlier post. Well, I have tried and tested it and am ready to tell the world about it!

The product in question, is a very pretty bracelet adorned with beautiful charms, 5 of which are removable stitch markers of use in crochet or knitting. The bracelet itself is very pretty and the charms are very tasteful. I wore it the day I received it but haven't used it as a bracelet since.... the reason being my 18 month old daughter constantly wanted to pull at the shiny pretty thing! I didn't want it to break (she has form!) so I keep it with my crochet equipment now, nice and safe from little hands.
The stitch markers themselves are my favourite part, they work well and are lovely to see hanging off your work. When it comes to aesthetics, there is no contest, these charms are head and shoulders above traditional stitch markers.

The main thing you would want from a stitch marker, is for it to do it's job, and hold a stitch. One thing I find with traditional split-ring markers, is that if I leave them for a while, they manage to work their way off...which is disastrous in amigurumi... and I'm left trying to count back stitches to see where I'm up to. The beauty is with these clasps is that they won't do that. I've left one on some work for a while, it's been hauled around a lot, and it's still sitting pretty just where it should be! The clasp is small, but not too fiddly, its easy to put on a stitch, and remove, but a bit trickier to get back on the bracelet.

My main issue with stitch markers is that I'm forever losing them. These ones prevent that a bit more, as you are conscious of not wanting to lose them, and they stand out and sparkle if you drop them on the sofa next to you!
Overall, I'm very happy with my charm bracelet set, and am very thankful to Two Birds Craft for allowing me to try out their new creation. They are not something I would normally think of buying, but after using them I wouldn't want to go back to the plastic rings, and I think many knitters or hookers would feel the same. They're not expensive, and they are available in other colours too. They also make stitch marker charm keyrings and brooches, which are great too. Please take a look at their Etsy shop and consider treating yourself or a friend to a set!

Two Birds Craft are also on Fcaebook, Instagram and Twitter (@twobirdscraft) and have a blog too, please add them!

In other news...... after suffering the Knit and Stitch hangover, I picked myself up to continue what now has become known as 'Polly Dolly'. As of last night she is mainly complete, she has a head, body, 2 arms and 2 legs, hair and bows. All that is left to do is the dress and shoes. Oh and finally trim the hair, as I daren't do it! I'm considering taking her to my hairdresser, as if I mess it up and cut it too short, it won't grow back! I did not particularly enjoy doing the hair, so won't be doing that again for some time. I'm quite pleased with how she has turned out so far, and best of all little P loves her! So without further ado, meet Polly Dolly...

I would love to get more pictures, but I am currently experiencing technical difficulties in the laptop department, so I am just borrowing my Brother's Macbook Pro. It's very nice, but I'm sure he'll notice if I don't return it.
You may also notice the change of name.... 'Hookaholic' was always sort of a holding name. I was never happy with it and have been racking my brains for a more original name. Finally I have decided on 'A Bunch Of Buttons'. My very kind brother is a talented graphic designer, so he is now creating me a whole new 'brand', so watch this space for changes.... there will be a logo and everything! So until next time...