Aaaggh!

Waited all week for my Getknitted parcel. So yesterday I'm exhausted after a night shift, all my boys are out for the day, and I finally give up waiting for the post by noon. Iwake up at 4pm and find a card saying that he came at 12:10pm! Grrr! Missed him by 10 minutes!
So now waiting for DH to get chance to go to the sorting office for me and get my parcel. Just hope it is the yarn order now..........

Yarn stash.

Ok slightly embarassed by the size of this stash but maybe showing it all will help to restrain me from buying more. So please don't lead me into temptation by showing off a bigger one ;-). Or then again maybe I won't feel so guilty if I know this is really quite a small stash?


And is this normal too? All the scraps and ends saved up......just in case! Although they're perfect for little toys, balls, pompoms etc.

Still waiting for my order from here and then definitely no more buying yarn for a while.

Right need to sort out my fabric stash now.........

Baby flared tunic.

Another make for bump, this time a crochet tunic in the Playtime yarn I bought recently. Not sure I like the yarn as it is an acrylic microfibre but it is very soft. And I'm not sure of the colours either but I do like the style of the top.
I found the pattern in this book which is full of beautiful crochet ideas for 0-2 year olds. It was a really easy pattern to follow even for a beginner and it worked up really quickly too. It is an overall treble crochet stitch with some basic shaping and the main body is worked in one piece so making up is very quick and easy. I have a feeling bump may be having another one or two of these tops but in different colours/yarns.

The complete guide to needlework.

A great book discovered in the local charity shop for only £2. It is rather old and has that old book odour, and slightly yellowing pages but oh boy, does it contain a lot of information. Chapters on knitting, crochet, embroidery, cross-stitch, macrame, applique, quilting and more. A neverending menu of techniques, stitches, patterns, designs and so detailed too. Definitely my find of the week.

What do you think?

Crochet soakers!
First attempt at making these in either knit or crochet. Thought I would give crochet a try first as it seems to be a bit quicker to grow. Quite pleased with the result. The legs are a bit wonky, one hole is slightly bigger than the other, but overall they seem ok. Now just have to decided whether to lanolise them to use as wraps, or just to leave as they are and have very cute knickers?


Anyway details - pattern is in the latest Let's knit magazine, along with a few other styles, another crochet with frills to the backside, and a knit one. The wool I used for these is James C. Brett 100% Merino. It took one 50g ball and just a little of a second ball in the green, and then obviously just scraps for the dots and edgings.

So as you can see I am really loving learning crochet. Can't believe I have avoided it for so long. In fact I have even splashed out on a new book full of gorgeous patterns. Can't wait to try a few, but need a little more practise first I think.

Finished!

Yay, I finished the blanket.
Actually it didn't take too long really. Thanks to Joxy for the advice on edging the rug and fixing up the bumpy edges. I edged it in a single row of double crochet right the way round in Sirdar click in the green shade. Finished measurements are 90cms x 70cms and it used eleven 50g balls in total. It is very thick and warm and soft and I think as a blanket it might be a little warm for summer but it will be nice for baby to lay on whilst on the sofa (cold leather!) or an outdoor rug even for picnics, days out and so on.

And I have been spending money again. Not wool this time but this sweet little book.


It contains such wonderful projects and how-to's on subjects from how to milk a cow, to how to knit a shawl, to how to predict the weather. Aparently all essential skills for the traditional prairie girl. Very Little house on the Prairie and soooo enjoyable.

Buying yarn!!!

So much for using up my stash before buying more.
Made a trip to the yarn shops and topped up a little ;-) Although I do think it's only reasonable, after all I am finding it increasingly more uncomfortable and painful to walk and so soon will be housebound once again, and I need something to occupy my mind whilst trapped inside.
So first off we have this selection of 100% merino 50g balls from James C. Brett. The wool is beautifully soft as you would expect and the colours are ideal for bright summer days. Thinking of soakers/knicks, shoes and hats for bump. There's also one odd ball of Sirdar Click to edge the crochet blanket I have almost finished.

Next we have a 10 pack of 50g Playtime baby DK microfibre in a pink/lilac/lemon colour combination, which was only £6.99 from Abakhan. Not toos sure if I like it really as it is not my usual thing but temptation (and price) got the better of me whilst in the queue to pay! Not sure what I'm going to do with it, maybe baby cardigans, leggings or so?

Next buy - a car boot sale bargain 5 balls of 100g Patons cotton 4 ply, and the pattern book, AND the reusable bag to carry them in, all for just £1! I dare anyone to resist that offer ;-) No idea what I'm using this for either but will think of something I'm sure. I did think maybe little socks, bibs and hats which could then be dyed a brighter colour? And if anyone wants the booklet then just say. It has a few "interesting" patterns, very early 60's and some good basic instructions for learners.

And finally this wool today from the local lovely yarn shop. New in, not yet on the shelves, I spotted it before it was even unpacked. Aren't those colours amazing? And its 100% virgin Merino so feels amazing. Can't wait to see it knitted up!

Dare I admit I have also placed an order at getknitted for some lovely Mirasol Tika FT 100% Pima cotton. But it was only £2 a hank in the clearance sale so obviously a bargain too hard to turn away. Oh and some sock yarn too.......... Ooops, I will have some work ahead!

So pleased with myself ;-)

I found a pattern on Ravelry for an easy crochet baby hat, just a simple pull on type. So I thought ok, I have the yarn, I have the size hook, I'll have a go. Ha! It was pretty easy but it wouldn't have fitted an egg! So I thought tension issues here, lets try thicker yarn and a bigger hook. Still no luck, despite going from the recommended 4 ply up to bamboo, and from a 4mm to a 6mm. So I added in another couple of rounds with increases and then carried on the straight part when I was happy with the circumference. I really wanted a frill too so kind of hodge-podged and guessed at increases. Just to detract from the pinkness I added a little of the daisy trim I bought the other day. And this is what I ended up with:

The hat is more baby pink than it seems in the picture but it is cute.
Think I am beginning to love crochet. It's not that easy to make up a pattern when knitting. And so easy to go back a few stitches, or even rows, if a mistake is made. Oh why was I afraid of it for so long? Although I am going to have to get a grip of this tension problem.

Changed plans!

The blanket for bump was coming along very, very slowly. And time is becoming a slight issue here. 10 weeks to finish, and start, all baby bump projects! And I have a lot of things to make. So the patchwork knitted blanket in various shades of Sirdar click has been ditched. Instead I have decided to crochet one instead. Becoming increasingly confident in my crochet abilities, well the stitch I have mastered so far ;-) and so thought this would be a much quicker way to get the blanket finished. I just started with a chain of 121 loops and continued back and forth in treble crochet using one full ball at a time. So far I have worked my way through almost 6 balls since last Saturday so flying along. The knitted squares had taken me well over a month and I had only used 3 balls of yarn! Maybe this is because the crochet is more portable so can be whipped out on the bus, in the park, or anywhere I can sit for a few minutes? But the best thing about switching to crochet is...........no making up! No stitching together of lots of squares and deciding which goes where. How pleased I was when that thought came to mind. Makes it worthwhile pulling down the squares I had already knitted! So here's how we were getting on yesterday:

Not sure crochet is supposed to have those bumpy edges as I know knitting doesn't but still, I like it and I guess I can only get better as time goes by. My poor knitting needles must be feeling abandoned ;-)

Season swap.

This is what I made for the GP season swap. Very pleased with myself as I have only just learned the basics of crochet. For the crocheted bowl I used a 100% Merino wool in a lovely green . The beaded crocheted egg was in cream bamboo which was extremely difficult to work with and really I should have been less optimistic as there are a few faults in it but the overall result was ok I think. And to finish off two little felt and pipe cleaner daffodils which the boys are loving helping to make. We have a whole bunch of them in a vase now ;-)