Calming crochet

Having a little 3 month old baby around the house doesn't leave much time for complicated crochet projects... there is always something that needs to be done like changing a nappy or reading a story so you are constantly stopping and starting.

So the best way to get a little crafting done in the short breaks between is to do something like this granny square blanket that I've started working on for my little bundle of trouble. I'm trying to use up a good few oddments of wool with this project and I've even had to borrow a few extra shades of blue as I keep forgetting just how much wool is needed to make a large crochet item. This blanket will be going on my son's new cot bed and as he is fast outgrowing his moses basket I'm going to have to be quick with it. The cot bed is pretty big (my little baby looks so small compared to it - I hope I don't lose him in there!) so I'm going to need another 70 squares... why do I always seem to be leaving my projects to the last minute?

I received a couple of lovely new crafting books for Christmas which I'm very excited about:

The friend who bought me this book must really know me very well as it is such fun. I love the idea of using my old socks to make these strange creatures - I've got a drawer full of socks that are full of holes but I just can't bear to throw away as I love the colours and patterns that they have.

The instructions are clear and well written and the author encourages you to experiment and not worry about following an exact pattern. There is also an inspiration section at the back showing a whole host of other creatures made by the author - they are just so lovable!

I'm really looking forward to having a go at making a creature or two myself now so hopefully the results of my own experiments will be making an appearance here soon.


Amy Butler's book has been on my wishlist for sometime - I've seen it reviewed on a few other crafting blogs and was very keen to get a copy for myself.

I'm so impressed with this book - the patterns are lovely, the projects are all beautifully photographed and the book itself is spiral bound to make using it much easier.

My mother-in-law has an old spare sewing machine that she is going to be giving me in April so hopefully I'll be able to have a go at machine sewing for the first time. I'm pretty nervous - but determined to have a go as there are so many lovely things that I want to have a go at making.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and belated Happy Christmas everyone! Due to my usual last minute Christmas panic I didn't manage to find the time to write a post about these little Christmas Robins that I made as gifts this year. They really were a last minute thing with me deciding to make them up with only one day before going off to my parent's home for Christmas.

You may find that they remind you of something, and that is probably because they do... yup these little robins are a variations on my first pattern and are much closer to what I originally intended when I first came up with the idea for them. These little guys are smaller than the original robin and much rounder - and so look a lot more like tree baubles which is how I wanted them to look. You can find the original pattern on the CrochetMe website, but the revised version for these little guys is below:

Use a slip stitch to join each row
Start with brown wool

2 ch, 5 sc in 2nd ch from hook
ch 1, 2 sc in each sc (10 sc)
ch 1, *2 sc in first sc, sc in next sc* repeat 5 times (15 sc)
ch 1, *2 sc in first sc, sc in next 2 sc* repeat 5 times (20 sc)
ch 1, *2 sc in first sc, sc in next 3 sc* repeat 5 times (25 sc)
ch 1, sc in each sc
ch 1, sc in each sc

Join in red wool
with red work the following:

ch 1, sc in each sc
ch 1, sc in each sc
ch 1, *2sc tog, sc in next 3 sc* repeat 5 times (20 sc)
ch 1, *2sc tog, sc in next 2 sc* repeat 5 times (15 sc)
ch 1, *2sc tog, sc in next sc* repeat 5 times (10 sc)

stuff with fiberfill

ch 1, 2sc tog in each sc (5 sc)

finish off with a long end - use this end to close off the circle

For the wings (with brown wool):

ch 2, 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook
ch 1, 2 sc in 1st sc, sc, 2 sc in last sc (5 sc), turn
ch 1, sc across, turn
ch 1, sc across, turn

finish off

make two wings

For the tail:

ch 2, 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook, turn
ch 1, 2sc in each sc (6 sc)

finish off

Attach wings on the halfway point of the body, add beads for eyes, add yellow felt for beak and attach tail to the back.