Normality

If there is such thing, we are back to it. It's been a nice Summer - some bits didn't work out as planned, but things got done, fun was had, and the weather for once played ball - we've had amazing long sunny spells since July (this is not usually the case here in the UK I can tell you!)

Now, September has set in and the weather has instantly become more autumnal. Schools are back and Christmas chocolates are already in the shops. Boo hoo! I love Summer - the sun, heat, nature - and not having to wear jumpers and coats, I hate those things! I really should move somewhere a bit warmer...

But, with all the change as we lose our Summer once again, a sense of relief also comes into play, as normality is restored. It's just me and the Little Lady pootling about our business through the week, doing jobs, shopping and plenty of things to keep her entertained! The Summer was lovely, but it's nice to be settled back into our familiar routine.

This means less crochet time however, but it's OK as that time is transferred to full-time Mummy, which is a job I love! I've managed to sneak in some most evenings through the week, which is just enough to keep me sane/happy. This week's project has been the FreshStitches Tiny-A-Long - a crochet-a-long where you can make any of her patterns, but the twist is they have to be tiny (or at least smaller than worsted weight yarn!) I consider FreshStitches animals to be large. If you make them out of the suggested worsted weight yarn, they can be a foot or more tall! Whilst I like the odd larger creation, storage is not practical! Previously I have made her patterns with DK weight yarn, meaning they came out smaller than intended, but for me they were still plenty big enough. For the tiny-a-long, I decided to go one smaller, into unchartered territory - 4ply yarn and a 2.5mm hook! Arghhh! I had none of this, so of course I had to shop. I wanted to use cotton, as usual, and remembered the DMC Natura Cotton my friend once used. It comes it loads of yummy bright colours, so I went and picked out a few I liked.
I still didn't know what I was actually making, so I browsed FreshStitches patterns and tried to figure out what would look good in the colours I had bought. I probably did this the wrong way round, as I usually know what I am making before I go colour hunting, but it actually worked out rather well!
So now I will introduce Jacques, le Hermit Crab!

Friendly little chap isn't he?! I added the smile as I thought he needed it - and Little P likes to pretend to feed these things, and we need a mouth for that!
Even with the 4ply yarn and 2.5mm hook, he still turned out about 9 inches long, imagine if you made him full size?! I striped the shell too, to make him a bit more interesting and bright, and I'm pleased with how that turned out, even if it was a bit of a faff changing colour every row!
My main gripe with the construction of Jacques, was the 5 rows in the middle of his 'body'. They comprised of single crochets, slip stitches and half-double crochets. I understand that this is a necessary technique in order to get his body shape, but working with such small yarn, it slowed the process right down!
In fact, the whole thing took a lot longer than I expected as the yarn was infuriating! It may look and feel lovely, but it was very, very splitty, and working with a small hook, you really noticed it. I was dead chuffed it I managed to complete a stitch without stray loops appeared from where the yarn had split. I won't be using this for amigurumi again in a hurry... or ever!

I was not looking forward to assembling him (I often find sewing on bits can be tricky!) but this was actually plain sailing compared to the rest of him! I don't blame the pattern at all, that's great - it's that yarn! And I won't write the yarn off entirely either - it's just not made for amigurumi! I think he was worth the blood, sweat and tears though, and I've rather fallen in love with him since his completion last night. Little P found him this morning and had to get her other toy crab so they could say 'hello' to each other. Ah sweet child!

I also had another one of those exciting yarn deliveries on Friday. All the way from the States. You guessed it - more Lily Sugar 'n Cream! I've had a few people ask where I get it from, so here is the link to the Bernat shop. It's relatively cheap, comes in great colours and variations (even smells?!) and works up lovely too. I love it. Not for everything - I'm not sure I'd ever use it for toys or blankets, but for decorative stuff it's top notch. Obviously, being as it's from over the pond, shipping is relatively large ($16 to the UK). But I figure, if you order enough (meaning loads) it balances out quite well! Also, I have only been charged shipping once out of 3 orders - I'm not sure how that works? But I was charged this last order, which ruined my idea that if I ordered enough they scrapped the shipping! However, it still works out a good price per skein (mine was about £2.20 per 71g, and works out about the same price per gram as Rico Creative Cotton), and I'm quite happy to pay for the luxury of this stuff!

I ordered a couple of super-size balls this time, and will do so in the future if they have the colours I want available. I also tried a super-sized striped ball of 'Creamsicle', yummy isn't it?

Which leads me nicely on to the other thing I've been getting on with this week - the Little Sunshine Hat pattern is written up, and ready to download as a PDF file (via Google Drive)!

Now the Summer is over, I've finally pulled my finger out and got it written up, good timing eh? Better late than never! I used the Lily Sugar 'n Cream yarn to make these hats, as it has enough strength to it to hold it's shape, but is soft and floppy enough to make a nice hat too. Go take a look! I hope to be writing up another pattern sometime soon, when time allows, but until next time...

All Singing, All Dancing

So, I am currently recovering from a late night. I don't have many of these nowadays and I'm quite thankful actually as it seems I can't handle them! I know I sound old, but it's just how it is! It was, however, a very good night, worthy of feeling a little bit tired this morning.
I was invited by my Auntie to her 'hen night' as she is getting married next weekend. We were off to see 'Evita' the musical and then out for a meal. I have never been to a musical before, and to be honest, didn't think I would ever go - I am just not into singing and dancing like that. I always find the singing in movies unnecessary, I really don't see the need for breaking into song and dance every five minutes. I know I sound miserable, but it's just not my thing at all. I love my music, but not musicals and all that frivolity! Anyway, I didn't hesitate in accepting the offer to go along to see Evita, as it was my Auntie's hen night, and I was really chuffed to be asked to go. Plus, I kind of saw it as a challenge to prove me wrong about theatre!
And I was proved wrong, to an extent. The opening 10 minutes, I did think, 'oh no, I'm not going to like this'. I saw my Mum look at me as if to say the same thing, but as it went on, I really did get into the story of Evita. I have never really known much about Eva Peron or any of the work she did, but I found it fascinating. It was the story that done it for me, rather than the singing and dancing (even if it was Marti Pellow!) I had to have a quick scout on Wikipedia at the interval to check I was understanding the story properly!
So, all in all, I have come to the realisation, I may not think so much of the singing and dancing, but a musical can still very much be enjoyed if there is a good storyline. There I said it, I enjoyed Evita, and I never thought I'd say that about a musical! I must be more open minded to these things!
So after a late night and a few glasses of wine, I'm a little weary this morning. In fact, it's not morning, it's actually afternoon... I had a very rare lay in!
My little blog also passed it's first birthday earlier this month. Looking back at it I realise I haven't posted nearly as many times as I would have hoped to, but I guess that's what happens with a baby/toddler around all the time! I'm not so ambitious now, more realistic with posts - maybe fortnightly, but really whenever I have the chance to sit down and get it all together. I love keeping a little diary of my crafting and such things, and it is lovely to look back over the months and see what I have made in a logical timeline. It is however, not my priority. When I get some 'spare time' my priority is to do what I love - crochet. And watch the cricket. They go quite well together actually. I'm currently sitting here watching The Ashes, and enjoying England rattling the Aussies. It's quite a relaxing sport, and seems to sit really nicely with crochet for me.
I hope to pick up my hook in a bit, I've got a couple of projects on the go at the moment, the Yarndale bunting being one. Lucy of Attic24 has sorted out a postal address now, and set a deadline for the end of August, so I'm getting my act together and churning out a few more triangles for the cause. I'm not going to make loads, but I think 10 will be my goal. I have a couple which I think I will definatley be able to spot as my own when I go in September - I can't wait!
I've had a couple of projects fly off the hook the last couple of weeks. First up is a cute little giraffe toy for a baby boy born a couple of weeks ago. I wanted it to be 'floppy' and cuddly for the new arrival, so searched for a pattern and found this wonderful free pattern by Emma Dent. It's written for quite a few colours, but I just used 2 plus cream. I used Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo, as it's really soft and nice to work with and perfect for baby toys. It also comes in lovely colours, and recently they launched a few new colours, so I couldn't wait to use them. I sneaked the new 'Deckster Blue' into the giraffe. I love it, such a lovely blue, I can see me using a lot of it in the future. The other new colour I love is Suzi Sizzle - a deep orangey-red colour which is just gorgeous. So without further ado, here is my little giraffe - I was very proud of him I must say!

 

 

 

The last couple of weeks has also seen the conclusion of the FreshStitches' Mystery CAL. I was once again duped by the clues, and had absolutely no idea what I was making. After Clue 1 I had this...



 

 



And after Clue 2 I had all this...

 

 

Clue 3 just left one piece to crochet, and the crucial assembly instructions. A lot of the guesses seemed to point to kangaroo with baby joey. I was not convinced by this, as I couldn't really see kangaroo in the pieces I had, but after I saw some people who had pinned their pieces together to back up their guess, I was a bit swayed. It could be a kangaroo I guess.

And it was. All was revealed in the final clue, and Amber was indeed a kangaroo, with her little joey to fit in her pouch! Very cute!

 

She is lovely - quite large (and I used DK weight yarn instead of worsted so it was smaller than the pattern suggested). Assembly was tricky in places, getting those legs to attach nice and straight so Amber could stand without support, but I am very pleased with the final result, and Little P loves her!

I still have the mandala bug too. And love using Lily Sugar n' Cream yarn. So I combined the two again to make the gorgeous mandala pattern by A Creative Being featured in Simply Crochet magazine issue 7. I love, love, love it...

 

 

and a couple of close-ups...

 



I wouldn't be British if I didn't mention the weather. It has been glorious here the last couple of weeks (except this weekend!) and the Little Lady and I have been revelling in the sunshine. Plenty of outdoors time and trips out to the zoo and beach, and of course the swings. There has also been paddling pool action, a lot later this year, but it has finally made an appearance! Little Lady loves splashing about and anything to do with water, so there has been plenty of fun with that in the garden. The weather also spurred me to make her a new sunhat. I made a couple last year using this pattern, but fancied making a new one. I ordered some more Lily Sugar n' Cream from the States (I ordered here, great prices and fairly quick delivery considering it is from the US) including some yummy variegated ones - (from L-R) Summer Splash, Playtime and Key Lime Pie.

 

I love it when the Postman brings this...



I really wanted to use Playtime for the hat, as Little P loves Pink and bright, fun colours. I couldn't find a pattern I really liked, and didn't really want to buy one, as they really are very simple to make. The main thing is not gauge, but getting the head measurements right. And if you make it too big, just take an increase round out, and if it's too small, just add one in. I played around a bit (Little P wouldn't let me measure her head!) but I roughly knew the size using the hats I made last year as a guide.
I wanted a fairly simple hat, nice and airy so it doesn't get too hot, with a slightly ruffled brim. After trying a few variations, I came up with this...

Modelled by Little P...

She must have loved it as she went to bed with it on, and wouldn't let me take it off her!
I have made a note of the stitches, and hope to type it up as a pattern sometime soon.

Well, this post has taken an age. I didn't realise I had so much to say! Maybe smaller, more frequent posts may be the answer?! Now it's time for lunch and a little bit more cricket-watching hooky before the Little One returns!

Loose Ends

Yup, lately I have been tying up many of these loose end things. Since I lost got a chance to write, I have been hooking up a few things and completing some of those projects that have been going on an age. I still have one rather large one in the pipeline but I did manage to cross a couple off my to do list!

Months and months ago I spotted a bolster cushion on a visit to John Lewis. It was a feathery one too - I never usually go for these but it felt so nice and squishy. Since then, I've been keeping an eye open for stitches or granny squares I like to make a cover for it. I never really found anything that stood out enough to transform the bare white bolster to an explosion of colour. It went on the backburner for quite some time. Until I discovered the moss stitch. I saw a couple of pictures on Pinterest which really jumped out at me, and I thought, I really have to give this stitch a go, but what can I make... the obvious answer, the Bolster! It also gave me a chance to use up some more Lily Sugar n' Cream yarn that I ordered with the bolster in mind months ago. 

I was still in two minds whether to do each row a different colour to give a tweedy effect, or whether to alternate cream yarn in with the colours to give a spotted look. I eventually opted for the latter. So I'd hook up some rows until it was big enough to stretch around the cushion, without being saggy or gappy. Sorted. Then the ends - 2 circles. There was only one thing for this - the Made in K-Town Mandalas! Yes! I got to hook up 2 more of those! I knew they would be a bit big in their entirety, but i would keep going until they were the right size. I love making these, so didn't have to think too hard about choosing these for the ends. 

With the main body parts made, it was a case of stitching them together. Once I stitched the main 'spotty' body to form a tube around the cushion, it became evident that it was a bit 'gapey' at the ends. I counted my stitches and worked out how many times I had to decrease to get to the number of stitches on the outside of the mandala - which was 72. I then staggered the decreases evenly around the end. I also worked a couple of plain single crochet rounds around the edge of the mandalas in order to pull them in around the cushion. I then sewed it all up using a simple whip stitch, and voila, the Bolster!

I'm pleased with it, after so long deciding how to do it, it's nice to have it sitting there all finished and ready for action. Which mainly involves being squished behind me or under the little Lady. She has dubbed it 'Mummy's cushion' and she has claimed the first ever cushion I made last year, the Puffy Flower cushion! So we each sit with our cushions on the sofa watching Peppa Pig in the morning, noon and night. 

Here's a close up of those moss stitches...

and a montage. I think it deserves one!

The moss stitch is so simple to do, yet so effective and can be used in many ways to create different effects (see this blog here). I shall definitely be using it again (and already have, making some pretend oven gloves for Little P as she keeps stealing the real ones when they are needed!)

Little oven gloves... not for use in a real oven!

It is basically just single crochet one, chain one, skip a stitch and do it all over again. I started by chaining an even number a bit longer than I needed, as it does shrink up somewhat. Then I sc in 2nd chain from hook, ch1, skip 1 chain and repeat until the end. You then either chain 1 and turn, working the same pattern, or join a new colour in. You need to be chaining over your stitches in the previous row, and sc'ing into the chain spaces, and as long as you get that right, you'll end up with a nice square piece. When joining a new colour on the second row, you need to start with a slip stitch in place of the chain (you can't just join with a chain!) and then sc into the next stitch and continue as usual. To get the spotted look like my cushion, I worked 2 rows of cream, then a colour, 2 rows of cream, then another colour etc etc. It just so happened to work out that I used 3 repeats of my colour pattern, but I didn't plan this - it was luck!

Also flying off the hook this week was my first item of clothing. A cardigan for the Little Lady, who is due to be a bridesmaid for my Auntie at the end of July. She has the most beautiful dress and shoes but we worried she may get a little cold around the shoulders - well you can't expect it to be hot in July can you?! We thought just a short, bolero type thing would be best - nothing bulky. I wanted to have a go at making one, as I've never made something to fit before (just a couple of hats) so this would be new territory for me.

I trawled the wonderful Ravelry for patterns and my heart resided with this one, the Sunburst Cardigan. I didn't mind buying a pattern as long as I really liked it and knew it would be suitable. The stitching in this is so pretty and the pattern gets good reviews - it has lots of pictures, charts and very clear instruction - perfect for the clothing novice! 

I already knew the yarn for the job before I started (that limited my search to pattern for DK weight yarn) - Sirdar Snuggle Baby Bamboo in Cream, and I had plenty of it. Then came the sizing, the pattern has various size guides, but I know my Little Lady is a titch, so I made the size 18 month one - a size down from her age. 

To begin with the chain and first few rows looked really long and I was worried it would be too big, but as it went on it began to take it's proper shape and it seemed fine. You have the option of cap sleeves of longer, puff sleeves. I opted for the latter as the cap sleeves wouldn't have really made much difference. I will try and get a picture of it being modelled some time in the future, but no luck so far! So here it is!

and a closer look at the pretty stitches...

The other excitement this week has been the release of Clue 1 of FreshStitches new Mystery Crochet-A-Long. The last one was great fun (even if I wasn't overly smitten with the final product), but that not knowing what you are making is quite fun. A lot of the guesses on the Ravelry group seem to be pointing to Kangaroo, possibly with baby. I'm not convinced by this argument, but have no suggestions to put forward myself as I genuinely have no idea at this stage! This pattern calls for only one colour yarn, so I went with a variegated yarn - King Cole Bamboo Cotton Prints. I love it colours (and Little Lady picked it out too) so it was a no-brainer. 

The pieces of Clue 1...

A close up of the lovely yarn...

I am so excited already about Yarndale in September and have been making a few granny bunting triangles for the cause. I have only made 6 so far, and some people seem to have made loads, but every little helps right? Plus I hooked up a shameless self-plug of a triangle... my blog logo! At least I'll be able to spot it at Yarndale right?!

and the others...

In other news, I have been watching bits and pieces of Glastonbury on the BBC, and realising how out of touch I am with popular music and culture. I am officially old. But hey ho, I'd rather be that way I think than like some of those little yobs! So until next time, I'm going to go and sit in the sun whilst it makes a brief appearance!

Garden Politics

It's been a while again since I last got a chance to write on here, as usual there are many reasons. Little P was a poorly thing for a whole week, and only her Mummy would do - she did not leave my side poor thing. It was sad seeing the usually bubbly little thing so lethargic and miserable. She tried her best to be happy but it wasn't easy! It was a tiring week for us both, and I was so happy when her antibiotics kicked in and she perked up. Now she's back to bouncing around and wearing me out in a completely different way, but one I much prefer!

I'm enjoying this 'free-time' while she is out and about, to sit down in the sun in the garden. Yes, sun. Yesterday it felt like winter again, today it is beautiful. Crazy English weather! But on a nice English summer's day there's nowhere else I'd rather be (well, almost!) 

I've been quite taken by the garden and nature lately, I must be mellowing in my old age. For weeks and weeks, I've watched a pair of blackbirds (dubbed Mr and Mrs B) build a nest in a clematis in the garden. They then disappeared for a few days, and I felt sad that they weren't going to nest in our garden. But then they returned, and she laid eggs and the pair took it in turns to sit on them and guard the nest. It was lovely to see them so close up. Then there were frantic trips in and out of the nest with food, all day long. The chicks had hatched! She continued guarding her territory, dive-bombing and large birds thats entered the vicinity. Yesterday, I came downstairs and opened the blinds, to see two young fluffy blackbirds hopping along after Mrs B in the border at the back of the garden. Wow! They are super cute and  just bundles of fluff really. I then sat and crocheted by the window watching the young fledglings explore their new world. It was amazing to watch, I don't think I've ever really seen baby birds just out of the nest like that before. I did get a little bit obsessed with watching them, but I'm glad I did. Later I went into the garden and heard a bit of a commotion - and then I saw a seagull with a baby bird in it's beak. I was horrified and thought 'nooo, not my babies please?!' 

It turned out to be a baby starling - we have a lot of them nesting in the gutters here. But I was then on fierce seagull/crow patrol. I swear, if one landed near my babies I was going to scare it sooo bad! So, that took up yesterday. I'm happy to be sitting in the garden now, and I can hear them chirping away in the bush. Poor Mr and Mrs B are still working tirelessly to bring them food, and I thought I was a busy mum! In fact, as I've been sitting here typing, one baby has flown right past me on his maiden test flight and landed a couple of metres away from me. Dad was close behing telling him to get back to the nest! He was escorted back promptly, but I can hear him flapping his wings in the bush now - he's eager to be off! The other one doesn't seem quite so adventurous, he's quite happy to be perched up high in the bush and be fed.

I've tried to get photos but I haven't had much luck yet! I have been taking snapshots of the garden springing into life, albeit a bit later this year! I love playing around with my camera and will showcase a few of my faves...

An Erythronium pagoda (Dog's Tooth Violet)...

A special daffodil called 'Pheasant's Eye'...

A type of Muscari (grape hyacinth)...

And a montage of some others I took...

On the crochet front, I'm afraid I don't have too much to show. It's not that I haven't been crocheting my spare time away, it's just all the things I'm making still seem to be gifts and I can't show them yet! There's a big project, a designing project, and as usual, lot's of baby things - why so many babies all at once? 

I can show a couple of the things I've made and given as gifts, as they have been received now (gratefully I hope!) First up was a little fox, made for Little Lady's bestest friend's second birthday. I trawled the internet for something I hadn't made before and that I really wanted to, and came up with foxy - the KISS series Fox by K4TT.

I made him using Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo and a 3.5mm hook, and he worked out quite well I think! He was a bit tricky around his face (constant colour changes) but I love how he turned out. The level of detail in the pattern is amazing, I love the shape of the tail, how it swishes round.

Next up, was a gift for my brother's girlfriend, an avid West Ham United fan. I put my football rivalry to the side and made her a Hammers monster in claret and blue. He is cool, I rather like him! It was the FreshStitches Mr Toothy pattern again - I just love that monster so much!

And a couple of baby gifts to finish up - the 'Chubby Teddy Rattle', a lovely free pattern I found on Ravelry - it's very quick and easy to whip up (I have in fact made 3 as I like them so much!). I used the trusty Baby Bamboo again, it's just so soft for toys and easy to work with. I also purchased a few 'rattles' to put inside. They are little plastic discs which rattle nicely, as I found the bells just don't work - the sound gets muffled and they don't sound too great (if they do sound at all).

I also made a rabbit snuggler for a little lady born in February. Another free, quick and easy pattern I found on Ravelry. It's quite sweet and I like the other choices of animal to make - the owl is very nice!

Finally, another FreshStitches pattern... it's that Alastair the Caterpillar. A very quick and easy project, but very cute. I used Rico Creative Cotton for this as FreshStitches uses Aran (worsted) weight yarn for most of her things, and I didn't want him to turn out tiny!

So that's that for now, I'm going to get back to the sun (it really is quite warm now) and maybe crochet a bit until my little Lady returns, so until next time...

Gifting

Well, this is a first. I'm sitting in the comforts of my sunny garden typing this. It's a beautiful day, the first one with a bit of heat in the sun. This makes me very happy, as I am such a sun-bum and outdoor person (when the weather is nice!) Sitting here makes you instantly forget the insanely long winter we have had, and it feels just like yesterday that I was sitting in this spot admiring all the life springing into action around me. Birds singing and frantically looking for long, dangly bits of plant and twigs to build their nests, a frog in the pond, disappearing when I got to close. Could this actually be Spring?
If the sun stays out, I shall sit in this very spot later and crochet. And there is nothing much nicer than sitting in the sun doing your favourite thing. I just cant wait to be able to sit out here in the summer months and do just that!
I've been making lots of amigurumi lately, from monsters, to cute animals, to re-inventing one of my own designs. I've not posted on here lately, partly due to time restrictions, and partly due to the fact that everything I am making seems to be gifts. And I don't want to run the risk of said recipient catching a glimpse of their present to come!
The Easter holidays have been rather hectic at times. First, was the Easter weekend itself. I can't really remember that now, it seems a lifetime away already! Then a few days later, was the Little Lady's 2nd birthday. Now I can remember that, I'll never forget that. We had got her a playhouse for the garden, as she absolutely loves them. At playgroup she spends so much time in and out of them, opening doors and windows and sticking her head out and asking 'cup of tea?' That will be the day, when I actually get one! So, I was dead excited about giving this to her. In stark contrast to this precise moment in time, it was bitterly cold around her birthday - snow actually fell! I had been keeping an eye on the weather forecast before the big day, and it wasn't looking too promising. On the Easter Sunday, it was freezing, but dry, so my Mum and I braved the outdoors to assemble the house. It was actually relatively straightforward - if you did it correctly. But alas, in my haste, we put the wrong sides together and the telephone ended up above the hob. Not good - health and safety would have had a field day. Putting it together was OK - just a bit of welly needed - but getting those wrong sides apart was something else. It took 3 of us and a lot of effort and stress to take it apart. Finally, we managed to, and assembled it properly, and it was easy! Sorted! We then tried to conceal it by wrapping the mahoosive box it came in, around it and left for the warmth of the house and a well deserved cup of tea.
The plan was to keep it that way until her birthday - but weather was against us, and the Little Lady also seemed a bit poorly, so needed cheering up a bit. A couple of days before the big day, we decided to let her see it. It was a sunny (yet bitterly cold) day, and she was getting restless stuck inside. We wrapped her up and took her to the garden and unwrapped the beast of a house. Needless to say, she loved it. In and out, out and in, opening and shutting windows until her heart was content. It was just too cold to be out for long though. The only part of the plan I didn't think through particularly well was that I would also be summoned to sit in the house whilst she played around me. She totally loved it though, so I spent a few hours sitting on an ice cold floor, wrapped up with a hat on and a cup of tea.
The big day soon arrived, and despite having her 'main' present, she was still laden with things to play with. It was so lovely seeing the look of excitement on that little face. We had an afternoon tea party with some relatives and one of her friends, and she absolutely loved prancing around in her 'party dress' and demanding anyone that passed through the door came bearing a gift. It was a very lovely and special day and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially the Little P, who kept going on a high all day until 9pm. Her little face when her birthday cake came through - she looked like she was going to explode with excitement - she just couldn't contain herself. I'll never forget that!
So, back to the crochet front, I've been fitting it in as and when I can, and it's been a lot of gifts. Everyone seems to be having babies at the moment - so it's lots of neutral baby friendly toys and things. A couple have actually arrived now, so I can show a few pictures of what I've been making!
One such baby, a little girl, arrived yesterday. One of my creations was a little toy for her, and one for her big sister - so she doesn't feel left out! A stripy elephant for the little one and a girly monkey for her big sister. I spent a while trawling the internet for a sweet monkey pattern, and I really struggled to find one that suited my needs. I even toyed with the idea of designing my own, but as time was a bit of a constraint, I didn't want to rush one! Finally I came across one called 'Monkey Girl' by Lilleliis I found through Ravelry. I wanted the monkey to be a decent-ish size and dangly so it could be dragged around. This was perfect for the job. I instantly knew I would use RICO design creative cotton aran for the job. I am still so in love with this yarn - the colours and the softness is amazing. It is a tad splitty but I soon get used to it and it's not really a big problem. So here are the finished creations which are now with their new owners!

I have also been making some funky, bright coloured monsters. One for a Little Chap who had his 2nd birthday a day before my little lady (although the monster arrived late due to a technical hitch of running out of stuffing!) and one for, well me. Well, for the Little P really I suppose, but I like him just as much.
I have been wanting to make monsters for a while, but have never got round to it, so it was great to finally be able to. I wanted chunky cuddly monsters, so I used the RICO creative cotton again, and a 4mm hook. There was only one place I would get a monster pattern from - FreshStitches. Her patterns for monsters are simply awesome. A friend of mine gifted me the Craftsy 'Design Your Own Monster' course for Christmas - which is great by the way - so I had a few monster patterns from that, but she also has a few free ones here.
I decided to make 'Mr Toothy' for the Little Man's birthday. I wanted him to be bright, boyish colours. And I used different sized safety eyes to add more character. I have to say I am totally in love with him, and didn't actually want to part with him! But I'm glad I did - when he finally made it to the Little Man he was well received. Poor boy had been poorly for 2 days and not been happy at all, but when he got his crazy monster he smiled and cheered up, which was lovely to hear. Job done, and maybe being late actually worked out rather well!

I then had to make one for us. using my daughter as an excuse, although really he was for my pleasure! I opted for one of the free patterns 'Mixtro Monster'. He wasn't quite as cool as 'Mr Toothy', but I didn't want to make the same thing again straight away. He is rather cool though, and Little P calls him 'funny monster' and seems to like throwing him around the lounge! I took some pictures of him in the foliage of the garden...

He also peeped out of the Little Lady's house...

I love how FreshStitches uses back loop only crochet technique for her designs - it gives a lovely striped texture effect...

Yet again, he was made in the RICO creative cotton - fuchsia and light pistachio. I love it so much, and love having a stash of it. I just 'top up' the colours as I use them up, so I always have a range of them ready to go when called into action!

Right, time to be off - lunch is calling my name! Until next time...

Joyful Tidings!

I tried desperately to post before the Big Day, I even got as far as typing a fair amount, but alas, I could not quite find the time to finish it off, what with all these festivities going on! I guess there is still time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, even if Christmas Day has passed.
The lead up to Christmas was as usual, busy. I was far too excited this year, that's what having a little one does to you! I was far more excited than her, as she is still too young to really understand. But the look on her face was priceless when we went downstairs in the morning to find a load of presents spilling out from under the Christmas tree.

It's the most I've ever seen for us all, even if 80% of them were for the Little Lady. We counted 99 to open in total, which took some time to wade through.
Little P opened her first present which was a lovely box of Crayola colouring pencils. That was it. She was so happy with just them, there was no need for the rest. In the end I had to hide them so she would forget about them and open some more. I opened a lot for/with her as she was totally overwhelmed with the whole thing. How could she possibly have all these new things at once? I was excited too for her, as apart from what I had bought her, I didn't know what she was receiving.
After a marathon of opening, the lounge looked somewhat like a tip. We waded through the debris, sorting paper from presents, and cleared a little area to test all the new toys out. The pencils were still hot favourites. Which was fine, as my present to her was an easel. A lovely little double-sided, chalkboard and magnetic white board type thing, with a roll of paper and a handy tray. I set to assembling it, eager to have a go! Her Nana and Grandad had given her two lovely magnet sets, so we started playing with those on the board. No need for messy chalk today! As usual, I began to take over, as I love all that stuff!
She did really well present-wise, not too much bulky stuff either so no frantically finding 'homes' for things. There was a lot of nice books and clothes, a couple of DVDs (for when I need a 5 minute break!) and a few toys and colouring books. Lovely. I'm very happy. For her obviously!
I didn't do so bad either, as amongst those 99 packages were some with my name on. Some I was expecting, as I had asked for them, like the usual slippers and dressing gown, but others were a lovely surprise. My parents took note of when I had said in conversation that I'd like to do an old fashioned jigsaw, and they duly delivered. We managed to get the edges together last night, so I will be continuing with that adventure today!
My friend also spoilt me with some crafty gifts. I got this treasure:

...a novel, combining two of my favourite things, crochet and a good old murder mystery, so I'm looking forward to reading that! And also these lovely stitch markers...

So pretty. Later in the day, I received an e-mail from Crafsty, informing me that said friend had also gifted me an online class - Design Your Own Amigurumi Monster by Stacey Trock aka Freshstitches. This is brilliant! I can't wait to have a proper look later, and get started on my 'classes'!

Crochet lately has been understandably slow. There has been too much going on, that by the time Little P has gone to bed, I'm ready to sleep too! She has also dropped her afternoon sleep, meaning my little bit of after lunch hooky time has disappeared. But I can't complain, as she is great fun and no trouble. She's started more imaginative play now, making tea for everyone! She is quite hilarious, turning in to a proper little toddler, it's wonderful.
When I have had a chance, I have continued with the Tree Skirt for my parents, using a pattern I found on Ravelry here.

I'm using Stylecraft Inspiration Chunky in Flame, Sorbet and Cream. Whilst I love the colours, this wool is far too itchy for me, which is fine for a tree skirt, but I wouldn't want to make a blanket out of it.

I also made my own little snowman to go with Ronald the Reindeer. I loved had cute and chunky Ronald was, and wanted to create a similar feel with the snowman. I haven't done this! My prototype is OK, he looks like a snowman, others seem to like him, but I still think he looks a bit scary. Child-catcher (from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) comes to mind. I think maybe its the hat, and he would look better if it was something softer, so I'll mull it over for a while! Shame, I was proud of how the hat turned out too!

Right, best be off, much jigsawing to be done, and rest to be had. Plus I think I am getting a cold, which is terrible timing! Until next time...