Your knitting and crochet time - 2KCBWDAY7

Write about your typical crafting time...

The basic ingredients...

A comfy spot....

A bag of yarn...

A nice mug of coffee and some nibbles.....

And a furry friend or two......

I hope you are having a great weekend and a Very Happy Mother's Day.

Thank you so much for joining me for this week of blogging, it's been fun but would have been nothing without you.

x

Something to aspire to - 2KCBWDAY6

Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant?

That is the topic for todays post from Knitting and Crochet blog week. A few things came to mind when I read about this topic. As well as learning a few more new stitches I would really love to do a couple of things. One is a Babette blanket and the other is a dress for my littlest one.

Many crochet bloggers have made a Babette blanket and I love them. However I really don't enjoy making blankets. I think it's mainly because of the repetitiveness. Some people love it, I don't. I like to finish projects quite quickly and I'm yet to find a quick blanket. However I LOVE crochet blankets. It was my love of such blankets that made me start crocheting in the first place.

image via here

I don't know what it is that makes me love the Babbette so much but to me it is the Queen of all blankets. I think maybe it is the fact that you can be as colourful as you like and it just works. I also love the size, the bigger the better.I guess this is why I will probably never make one. I could do a small one but it just wouldn't be same, it is the size that makes it fabulous, all those blocks of yummy colour.

image via here

I would also really like to crochet a dress for my littlest one whilst she is still little enough to want to wear dresses. She is a very girlie, girl and loves to wear pretty dresses so I would love for her to have a handmade dress. I cannot sew so crochet would be the best option.

I have an idea of what I would like it look like but cannot find an image or a pattern. I think I might have to write my own so that would also be something quite new. I have done a couple of my own patterns but only really for toys and never for clothes. In fact I haven't made anything wearable at all except for scarves and and a couple of shawls.

Unlike the Babette, I think a dress would be quite manageable. It would have to involve stripes and a few pretty colours, probably a flower somewhere too, but the rest is in the planning stage. I'm thinking of maybe using the Rico cotton?

Do you have any experience in crocheting clothes or can you recommend a good yarn that is washable? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

I hope you have a great weekend.
x

Where are they now? 2KCBWDAY4

Whatever happened to your                     ?

Today we are supposed to discuss what has happened to a particular project. Being the indecisive person that I am I couldn't decide on just one so I have decided to show what happens in general. This is pretty similar in a way to what happens to my yarn stash. In other words it takes over the house. Not much is given away except for corsages. My Mother wouldn't appreciate a crochet cushion and neither really would my friends. That's ok though, more for me.

So, cushions are used on sofa's, chairs and beds along with blankets. I don't really tend to make projects to go in a specific area. Instead I tend to decide where it will go either during or after making it. Some things have gone into storage such as the multitude of doilies, there are only so many that you can put around the house. Larger projects though are dotted throughout the house.

Along with just a few doilies...

Thank you so much for the comments yesterday. It is so good to know that I am not the only one.

x

Tidy mind, tidy stitches - 2KCBWDAY3

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised? 

That is todays topic for discussion. The quick answer to this is.... I don't. If you are a regular reader of this blog you may have noticed that I there is a total lack of pictures of my house. This is because despite my bestest efforts I am UNTIDY. My house seems to reflect my brain, cluttered. Clean but cluttered.

My yarn addiction is out of control. Any kind of bag, cupboard or shelf is seen by me as a good place to keep my yarn.  The rest of the family may disagree but if it's there I'll shove yarn onto or into it.

I have tried to be organised. I have a studio where all of my craft materials are meant to be stored. Notice that I said meant? There are huge bags, boxes and baskets in there full of yarn but that hasn't stopped the yarn from taking over the house. You see I have to go outside to get to my studio so if its raining then thats not good. Therefore much of the yarn must be stored in the house. Sometimes I go into the studio, look into my huge stash and find yarn that I totally forgot I had. That's not good is it?

Miu Miu is so embarrassed by the explosion of yarn in the bedroom that she tries to hide it with the curtain.

I would love to be organised but the older I get the more I realize that it just isn't me. I have seen many bloggers who have cupboards or shelves that are dedicated to yarn and they look fabulous. Maybe if I had such a cupboard I could keep my yarn under control, I don't hold out much hope though.

Ps. Thank you for your kind comments. I loved reading about what you would like to learn.

x

Skill + 1UP – 2KCBWDAY2

Skill + 1UP – 2KCBWDAY2
Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year.

I was a bit concerned after reading todays topic as I don't really think that I have learnt any new skills over the past year. Instead I think that I have been fine tuning the skills I already have. For example it was around this time last year that I started to work with Japanese crochet patterns. I bought the book Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts - Lacy Crochet and began working on patterns using the diagrams rather than written step by step instructions. 

Kyuuto! was a wonderful book for a beginner because it had basic written instructions. The blanket that I made recently was from another Japanese book, this time with no English whatsoever. Although the patterns look daunting at first I now find them easier to follow than written ones. I do still struggle occasionally with small parts that I don't quite understand but so far have been successful in just winging it.

As for the coming year I would like to learn stitches such as the front post double crochet. Every time I come across a pattern that has such stitches I am put off. Maybe this is a touch of laziness on my part because I understand what I am supposed to do but have convinced myself that its too complicated.


I would also like to try some freeform crochet. I had a go once and it was fun so I would like to do some more. It would be good for me to loosen up a bit.


Is there anything that you would like to learn? Or is anything that you think that I should learn? I would really like to hear your thoughts on this.


Much love.
 x

Ps. If you are interested in learning to work from diagrams as opposed to written patterns, may I suggest Crochet Adorned by Linda Permann. The reason I would suggest this is because it has written instructions as well as diagrams. It also has information explaining the different symbols. I just wish that I had found it earlier, it could have been very helpful.

A Tale of Two Yarns - 2KCBWDAY1

Hello my lovelies. Happy Spring! I love Spring, a time of new growth and freshness all around.

Today is day one of the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week. If you fancy joining in just click on the buttony thing in the sidebar and hopefully it will take you to all the details.

The topic for today is A Tale of Two Yarns, in which we are asked to discuss two yarns that we have used and either like or dislike. When I first learnt to crochet I wasn't sure if I would succeed or not so I chose to use acrylic yarn from the local pound shop. It was great for learning with but I soon wanted to try new and more interesting yarns. This is when I went onto using yarn that was mainly natural. Cotton, 100% wool, mohair, angora etc. I tried many brands and didn't have any problems that I can remember.

My favourite of the natural yarns is the merino wool that I used for the Indecisive Project. It is so soft, thick, cozy and snuggly that I just love it. I think it is by Sublime but can't remember the full name of it.

One of problems with natural yarns though is that it can work out to be a wee bit expensive especially for large projects such as blankets. As is the case with a great many households, budgets are being stretched more and more and ours is no exception. So, towards the end of last year I started to look out for cheaper alternatives. Lucy of the wonderful Attic 24 posted that she had been using Stylecraft Special Dk and that she highly recommended it. 

I tried it and couldn't believe the difference between the Stylecraft and the acrylic that I had used from the poundshop. The Stylecraft is soft, easy to use and most of all cheap compared to the natural yarns. It also has an abundance of colours to choose from. I have added a few extra colours of other brands of DK that I have spotted while I have been out and about but they are not as soft or easy to crochet with. 

The Stylcraft Dk is great for all types of project although I am yet to make anything wearable so I don't how it would hold up for that. An added bonus is that it is washable too, great if you have children and/or animals.

Now, I would like to add that this is only my opinion and that other people may feel completely differently. I would love to hear which yarns you love to work with and maybe any that you don't like much. In future I would like to have a go with some of the Noro yarns that I have seen bloggers using. It looks so soft and yummy... maybe when our budget grows.

Thanks for stopping by, ttfn x

Oooops

Hello there, if there is anybody still there. I have to apologize for being a bad blogger so far this year. I have no real reason for my lack of posts just that life got in the way as it so often does.
Anyway, in an effort to make it up, I am planning to take part in the 2nd annual knitting and crochet blog week.

If you would like to join in, clicky here for the details.

x