check out these stars

hi hi!

umm...

There's not much to say 'round these parts. Life is pottering along and between work and home and all the stuff in between there is a new crochet project. But I'm not going to show you that yet. Instead - check out these stars:

Photo from Little Woollie

Aren't they fab. They're from here (which is a lovely tutorial) and I love love love them! I am so going to get distracted from my new project to do a few of these! Our Christmas tree is going to go up on the weekend, and I'd love to have some stars to decorate it with.

How 'bout you? How's the balance of work/home/life going? And when are you putting up your Christmas tree?

crochet finger puppets

I don't have much in the way of words tonight. It was my first day back at work today and it involved sitting in meetings non-stop for most of the day. So I'm a bit worded out. Instead, here are my finished finger puppets:

 

They worked out really well. I followed this pattern for the dog, and then simply made up the others. Surprisingly, the lion wasn't that much of a hit with little-miss-e (she usually loves lions), but the dog got lots of kisses and woofs, as did the koala (we have have a book about koalas and joeys, which I can recite, so the koalas acted out the parts from the book). The butterfly I made from copying one of my Nan's crocheted butterflies that now live on my fridge, and I just added a green finger hold to a flower I already had. I saved the puppets up for the flights there are back (small,compact lightweight and easy to play with), but they've now entered the general toy collection. 

They were really easy to make, and I think I'd like to make a few more. Another few butterflies and I had also planned on making a bee, a frog and maybe a ladybird. The possibilities are endless...

How 'bout you? Have you got show and tell? Join in with Leonie (on Thursday) then!

the coasters

My crafting mojo is definately back, and boy is she keeping me busy! I have a number of projects on the go at the moment, but first, here is my completed water jug and cup coasters for my desk at work.

I love the way they turned out, simple and sweet. My desk is usually so crowded with papers and books and things, these really bring a nice spot of peace.

Now those are done, I've got a set of finger puppets on the go for the flight for little-miss-e on our trip - we head to QLD and sunshine on Sat, so seeing I've got 2 and 2 halves of puppets to make tonight, let alone the planning/organising/packing for our trip (don't you love that I've put the crochet at the top of that list!) I'd best be off. It'll be a little quiet 'round here for the next few weeks while we're of hols, but I'll be back soon enough, hopefully with finger puppet fun to show you all...

mojo-ing

Hooray! It seems my crafting mojo has returned! I am currently brimming with ideas of things I want to make! I'm not sure where my mojo went, she seemed to be buried under a sea of work/home/life type tasks, but now she's back and I'm happy about it!

My first project hasn't gone all that smoothly - I've been trying to drink more water at work. So I took in a lovely water jug from home, which it turns out has a little bit of a continence issue after it pours. Given that I often work with actual paper, the wet jug rings are problematic. So I decided to crochet myself a little coaster to sit my water jug on. Something bright and cotton (to soak up the leaks). And something simple. A simple square dishcloth.

Then I got on ravely and got distracted. I found a cute star dishcloth and thought - that looks like fun. Well, 3 attempts later I was at this - not very stary and not very flat.

So I took a deep breath, got back onto ravelry and found what I was looking for. A flat square simple dishcloth. Perfect. I'll post it when it's done. Now I've decided to make a little coaster for my glass to match...

And I've decided I want to make some more of those finger puppets. We've got a plane flight coming up (HOLIDAYS!) and I thought they'd be a great toy for taking on the flights. And, and, and... My mojo and I - we've got such plans!

What about you? What do you do when your crafting mojo wanders off? And do you and your mojo have plans?

baby bunting

Bunting is very in at the moment. I feel like you can barely turn around in the blogosphere without tripping over a string of bunting! I think bunting is really cute, but up til now I haven't made any. This has been for a number of reasons, but mostly because I haven't anywhere to hang it once done! But a friend at work needs a bit of cheering up, so we are putting together a basket of things for her, and I thought what is more cheerful than a string of baby bunting. Teeny tiny triangles in bright colours, just perfect for hanging up over your desk!

I followed pink milk's easy tutorial, but obviously did a lot less rows!

I also made my friend a load of oaty lindt chip biscuits...

Chocolate and bunting, the perfect cheer-you-up!

duck!

So, I am a little early for show and tell, but I am pretty excited about this. I made a duck!
 
Ok, so I didn't follow the pattern all that brillantly, got my terms mixed up and whatever. But still I made a duck! Little-miss-e loves it! She shouts QUACK when she sees it, and then comes over to give it a kiss.

Ahh, the satisfaction of a quick project that turns out just right!

Pattern from here: I think I'll be making a few more of these. Finger puppets are so so easy and quick and delightful!

Do you have show and tell? Joining in with Leonie (or I will when the link is up tmrw).

a few more things on my to-do list

Oh, my to-do list is growing and growing.There are so many fun and fabulous patterns! Here are a few I have been thinking about making. The question always is - which one to start first? (oh, and the other question should be: should I finish what I am currently working on first...)

Hobbes - how could you not want to crochet him!

and I love the idea of making a lacy scarf

Or like this

And I definitely want to crochet me some arm warmers!

(Can you tell I have fallen in love with moogly!)

my current project

So this is what I am quietly working on. I've not been posting about it, as it is not really going that well... I'd ask you to guess what it is, but I am afraid you'll say a snake.

See, it is supposed to be a frog. A frog puppet for little-miss-e's 1st birthday. She loves frogs, she finds them very funny. And she loves puppets, so I thought, what better than to crochet her a frog puppet for her birthday.

Well, the problems have been many (leaving aside the fact that her birthday has come and gone and I am still working on her present). I couldn't find a pattern I liked, so I started adapting this snake pattern (which is why everyone thinks it is a snake). But my adaptions have been frustrating and slow and I've lost confidence that there is going to be any froggy resemblance once I am done! The mouth is too long, not wide enough, the legs are too spindley and the crochet too loose. I'm finally nearly done, but not nearly happy.

Still, here's hoping that if I tell her it's a frog she'll simply believe me!

What about you? Do you have any birthday present/doesn't-resemble-what-it-is-supposed-to-be disasters? And, do you think it looks anything like a frog?

Playing along with Leonie at show and tell...

little present for a new little one

I've been working on a little bootie/beanie set for a little while. I used my new favourite bootie pattern. Given I'd started with plenty of time before the bub was due, I thought I'd make a beanie too. After such success from the bootie pattern, I started making a beanie also from the Lion brand site. But I felt it didn't really match the clean lines of the booties (and looked a little too much like a toilet doily..). So I scrapped it and started again.

For my second go, I grabbed one of little-miss-e's newborn beanies. It happened to be a knitted one, but I kinda followed the basic principles and size and made it up as I went along.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out - my first beanie! And I think it matches the booties much better. It's now wrapped up to take to church tomorrow to give to our new-parent friends.

diagonal crochet

I just stumbled across this amazing diagonal crochet blanket from Lanas de Ana.



Isn't it gorgeous! She even links across to a tutorial. I love love love it. This is absolutely going to be my next blanket project!

I've already added it to my 'stuff I want to make (when I get the time)' list which sits towards the bottom right of my blog. I keep the list there it as a place to store up fabulous ideas like this one that I am not able to start straight away. How 'bout you? Where do you keep your list of projects you want to make so they don't get lost? And how much do you love this blanket?

granny sqaure cup cosy

Do you remember cup cosies? They were all the rage a couple of years back. You couldn't mosy 'round the blogosphere without running into one. At the time, I confess, I thought: what a silly idea. A cup cosy - I thought, why don't people just drink their tea!

Well, fast forward and these days I feel like I hardly ever get to finish my tea. I start a cup but then... well, things happen and life (and little-miss-e) gets in the way and before I know it, my tea is cold and I am contemplating whether it is worth trying to reheat it in the microwave again. And then the other night I remembered about cup cosies and I thought: what a brilliant idea!

So I crocheted myself a granny square cup cosy. And this morning enjoyed a whole hot cup of coffee.

We are not one of those families that have lovely sets of matching cups. We have a mish-mash of cups from all over, with different sizes, heights, widths and handle positions, so to try to make the cosy universal - I sewed the bottom edge together and made a drawstring for the top edge, so that I can tie the sides together. 

So, here's to warm cups of tea and coffee*!

What about you? Is there something you used to think was silly that you are now converted to? What's your opinion of cup cosies?

*My lovely husband is not sold on the brilliant-ness of the cup cosy. He thinks the issue of my cold tea and coffee is more to do with my distractedness and is less than convinced that a simple cosy will solve the problem. Needless to say when I offered to make him one too, he scoffed politely declined.

finished!

The baby blanket is finished! WOOHOO! and the baby I made it for is only 14 weeks old (oops). I was planning on getting it to his mum before he was born, but then he came early (three weeks early) and bang went that idea.

Still it is finished!

It is the first time I have acutally placed my squares in a pattern, rather than randomly, and I think it really works with these squares. And I did a really simple edging - spiraled like the squares, complete with an uneven finish.


Love love love it!

Now I just have to block it, in the hope it will help straighten up those edges (something I have never bothered to do to any of my blankets before) and pass it onto its owner. Ah, it's Friday night and I am off to block a baby blanket - we're livin' the high life 'round here!

a question...

I was asked this question the other day, and I've been pondering my answer ever since:

"why do you crochet your friend's bubs stuff?"

It came after spending time with my lovely sister (the very talented Sayraphim), and showing her my current baby blanket project:

Here it is, nearly finished - photo credit to Sayraphim

The answer I've decided on is simply that I do it out of love. I make stuff for my friend's bubs because I love my friends. And I want to show that love in the form of some cleverly tangled wool. I want to demonstrate love to this new little one who has come into the world. I love to give welcome gifts to these little bubs and I love that those gifts can be made by my hands. I love to crochet (and to be honest, there is also a little bit of me that loves to be able to give away the stuff I make so I don't just end up with piles of crocheted things strewn around the house!)

How about you -

why do you make stuff that you give away?

bootie pics...

They're finished! YAY! and even better, finished before the bub arrives!

Now I've just gotta find some time to pop them in the post and get them across the ditch to their new home.

Playing along with Leonie's show and tell!

take three

A good friend of mine is due in a few weeks and I wanted to make her little bub something. Instead of making the easy-peasy booties I've made before, I thought I'd try something a little more challenging - crocheted baby ugg boots. But after a many frustrations and a redoings, all I had to show for my time was this:

Not really very ugg-boot like - more slouch boots that were never going to stay on a little ones foot...

So, take two: I found another pattern, that looked lovely - cute and simple booties. I began enthusiastically but, typically, without really paying attention to size, tension, hook size, wool ply - you know those things that all important when following a pattern. The net result being a finished bootie that would barely fit a doll.

So, take three: Adjusting the pattern size to make up for the fact I couldn't find the right sized hook and getting out one of little-miss-e's old booties for comparison, and so far take three is a winner!

Now the challenge (as always) is to finish the booties before the baby arrives!

Playing along with show and tell and with my creative space.

ahh, finally some time...

I can finally snatch a few moments this morning. The house is quiet, the bathroom clean, breakfast cleaned up and the teething little-miss-e is still sleeping. Teething is such a challenge, hey...  Still, she sleeps now and so lets just enjoy the silence.

Ahh...

In other news, I've been pottering along. See I thought I'd made enough squares for my current baby blanket project. But a few weeks ago I laid it out alongside little-miss-e's blanket and realised it was too small and I had to make another 25 squares. 25... So I've been trundling along making more squares, but I'm only up to 11 extras. And my friend is due in 4 weeks. I am getting the feeling this is one of those projects that will be a little late...

I'd love to chat some more, but I hear stirrings... I'll pop 'round and visit your blog, really I will, I miss hanging out with you. Maybe if these teeth ever arrive!

what day is it again? or crochet necklace inspiration

I was going to post for Wordless Wednesday, but then suddenly realised that it is actually Tuesday! (This maternity leave caper is a little day-less, if you know what I mean).

After making a few crochet necklaces I decided it was time to check out what other people have been crocheting and get some "inspiration" (I think it's worth reflecting on the difference between inspiration and nicking someone else's idea - but that's for another day). So in no apparent order, here are some of the fab necklace designs out there that I am feeling inspired by:

from this lovely collection full of insanely amazing pieces, but actually made by this lovely crochet genius

this is from here, but also actually made by Lavender Field

from here - although is this a necklace or a scarf? whichever it is, I love it!

from here. Ok so this one really is more of a scarf, but I love it too!

From here: I love the long drop of this one - I wish I'd thought of that for the necklace
I made the other day. Maybe I'll have to chain another...

And how fun is this? I love the idea of crocheting around some big beads...

Again I am left with the question - just how many crochet necklaces can I get away with owning?

crochet for the cold and miserable

I've had a nasty coldy/fluey thing this week. And it has made me pretty miserable. So much so that my lovely husband gave me an afternoon off. He took over looking after little-miss-e for the afternoon, whilst I lay on the couch watching trashy telly and feeling sorry for myself. My fingers were itching to do some crochet but my brain had very limited capacity. The thought of planning out the pattern for the baby blanket was too much for me. As was even sewing together the circles to finish my last necklace. About all I could manage was chain and double crochet.

And ta-da another baby proof necklace...(although truth be told, I do need to fix up the catch on this one. When little-miss-e pulls on it at the moment it comes undone. And she does that often).

Do you have a project you do when you are feeling cold and miserable?

the race is on...

14 days til we head home...15 squares to do...

Do you think I'll make it?

baby proof necklaces part 2

I was so excited about this idea that I posted the beginnings of this necklace last week. So I thought I'd show you it all finished...

And here is the next on that I am working on - it's going to be circles of various sizes (single colour), joined together (rather than on a chain). I am really liking the way it is turning out...  

Oh, and I meant to ask - how did/are you managing to baby proof your jewelry? Have you bothered or have you just stopped wearing it? And do you have any tips or suggestions for me (little-miss-e is definately at the grabbing stage)? (and how many of these necklaces do you think I can get away with making!?)