all things bright and beautiful

I learnt to crochet just before Xmas and launch myself into Xmas tree and robin and every thing Christmas by New year I was sick of seeing the red and green and gold  colour  Pallett I vowed to stay away from Xmas  projects but this weekend I reverted back to Xmas stars . That was untill my new mag plopped on to my  floor














To aS actually making lunch but at sound of postman I.abounded food and ripped open  the cellophane. It's a good issue  and although there was a number of things I want to make  .sausage dog being top of list but as soon as I saw this spring mandala I had to make it. Those dedicated crochet a in blog land will probably recognise  it as being  from.wink  I had never tried surface crochet as  if you can keep a secret  I have actually done  it wrong  but still pleased with result. The colours don't show  as good as I would like but if you get chance look at proper one in simply crochet  it a work of art. More importantly it awaken the desire to embrace spring just in time for my holiday at end of week where if weather kind hoping to crochet on beach .....shhhh bliss!

whats in a name

Think I am on star phase . I hunted through many blogs and found these stars  . The stars looked lovely  and would work well as Xmas tree . The pattern was easy so of I set . Well best laid plans and all that they came out huge so I took of some of the repeats but it still pretty big and not the dainty star of original image  still I plowed on maybe expecting a miracle









This is end result I am pleased with it but no way it going on tree I nay use as hanging for ceiling . While pondering possibilities my youngest spies it and says wow ninjas death star and spent a happy hour flinging it around room ......#sigh

relight my fire

I never thought I would feel  crochet a chore but after doing nothing but bits for my.sons project felt fed up with whole thing. This weekend I wanted to ignite my love for crochet again  .the new magazine was due to arrive I waited all morning postman came the letter box rattled but no no magazine.














At a loss for what to do I explored Lucy blog and found these .ok strictly speaking it's a Xmas decoration . A star to hang on Xmas tree but it's so pretty I couldn't so no and I had beads begging to be used. In fact I think I might make a set as Xmas presents . Anyway what ever I use it for its reignited my hooky love again

marvoulous Mandela

I do supply in schools and we did a project  on mandalas . I love how detailed and pretty  they are. I was itching to have a go at one . I have seen some  Really intricate ones . This one seems quite simple but I like  the colour and overall effect it gives.

This crochet one come from the simply crochet mag. Research suggest the mandala represents order  and balance  . Which  I guess is true as i find these really relaxing to make.






However what I found less relaxing is how long it took to get a decent photo. I blocked the project as you are told to in my case had no choice it wouldn't lie flat lol  but it really helped the project look good but try as I might I couldn't get a good photo . I have seen so many good blogs with amazing pics  mine never seem to show the work as it truly is. I saw on mummy bunny blog a post about photography think I will be preceding tips lol

minion army

My son project feels like it will never end I couldn't face any more bunnies or rabbits  and a search on ravelry  resulted in finding these minions. I made four the two above and two mutant ones . They sold out quickly so this weekend making more. They a nice easy pattern  . Only take around half a hour  and very very cute.

upcycle

My son project is going well .he made over twenty and we still going strong . The hearts I thought would fly but sold two eventually but my son knew I liked this one and kept it for me for mothers day lol.  I do like it but a random heart just hanging looked a bit twee my friend who showed me pattern originally  made small flowers and heart to hers so I decided to have a go. I spent ages looking for a flower and settled on Lucy's triple layer flower  which I think adds nice touch . Then use her design for a heart to finish it off I really like it and how it evolved  now I need to find it a home. At moment it's in my hall but it's two pretty to be out of sight.

opps i did it again

Ok I didn't  go back to the snood  I couldn't face it and fancied a treat so I made this vintage vase coaster. I love it despite it taking a endless amount of time,the pattern being wrong and I have no need of it but what out weighs all of these things is how pretty it is. This picture was taken while I was blocking it I never blocked any project before but it really  was worth effort and bought all the stitches to life. . At this point I should promise to return to my project but I can't as my son sold a lot of the stock I made for his business project so back to making phone cases for me .one day I will finish it I promise.

crochet marathon

Add caption

 The government in the wisdom want to to teach children business so each child in my son's school was given ten pounds my son had a idea to make mine craft weapons . Two weeks later  he had made no money . And then to make matters worse he  lost the ten pound start up money as its a proper loan  he has to pay it back things were looking desperate so on Friday I offered to help the above picture shows my efforts   over the weekend   to   give him some start up stock. I made granny hearts , phone cases ,badges ,bookmarks ,bracelets and bunny heads.

These hearts came from another blog  and hopefully will appeal  to those looking for mothers day gifts

The phone cases are desperate attempt to appeal to both boys and girls. Lol

The badges are rather cute I prefer the ducks to rabbit I think . They are ideal as only take ten mins to make . The bunny heads and really cute too .since the project runs till Easter  No harm  appealing to Easter trade lol. All in all a productive weekend  don't think I ever crocheted so hard in my life . I better have earned a good mother's day present now. Fingers crossed we start earning and it will be worthwhile 

granny love

Add caption

I took a break from snood as you know I needed to stop making granny squares . Yet when looking for mittens  to match hat found myself drawn to simple granny stripe. I like  the look  despite being different stitch  Think they look good together . This will more than likely be a Xmas present so the colours are ideal . I am glad I made it early as by Xmas I am sick of anything that red  green , or gold lol. Now I have run out of excuses I must get on with the snood.

practice makes perfect

This hat was my first real project try as I might  I couldn't get it right . You can see even my  model was less than impressed . The only good thing was  I was able to  read the pattern but   wasn't going to be beaten so I grabbed my hook and tried again.

This was the result and vast improvement , you wouldn't think it was same pattern   . But sadly this to is inseparable as my oversized head  looks awful rammed into this hat .  I decided maybe me and hats are not meant to be but after flicking through a crochet book I found  a beret in bobble stitch that was to cute not to make  ( ok you got me I needed break from making squares for snood .)

Success at last I love this hat . The colour and the texture  I feel I have conjured the hat demon  .  Sadly though  my head is doomed to be cold as much as I love the finished result  my head was not made for hats . Or maybe  I just haven't  found the right one yet  . I have a feeling there will be many hats before I find the one .

karate kid

 I confess I have done very little crochet today ,well hands up I done nothing  . Instead I went out with a friend I have not seen in almost a year . Since my snood is yet to reach half way Mark a I thought I would share this past project. this little nija was a present to my middle child when he last went to his last karate grading . It was in the Xmas edition of simply knitting  I had planned to make a set  but within minutes of finishing I lost the magazine and never found in again. So this little nija is a stealth nija 

i love lucy

I had heard of Lucy at attic 24 before I had made my first  foundation chain. My friend introduced me to Lucy work  after she had competed a beautiful wreath. I set off for a journey into blog land and spent literally hours trawling her  blog and with a determination to learn crochet. Before I set up this blog I read others and was shocked by how often Lucy name mentioned   and a quick Google shows how many people have been inspired  by Lucy work.  These two picture are my attempts at recreating  Lucy work .I especially love the wreath which  was featured in February simply  crochet mag and the little bird is simply  adorable and very quick to make  My ultimate aim is to do a proper wreath but then something else seems to take my eye, still never say never

size does matter!!!!

I love toy taking  . The advantage of crochet is how quick it is . The I internet full of lovely  toy patterns . I saw this flamingos and loved the ruffled feathers I scanned pattern decided even for beginner I could do it and set to work . The first night was enough to tell me it  going to be bigger than I thought . Night after night it grew and grew. By time  I got to legs  realized something wrong then I looked  at pattern properly at first  glance decided in 30 cm   closer examination showed it 30 I chez lol .the flamingos taught me to pay more attention to small print lol . I am really pleased with how he turned out so much so I entered him in a competition  .  He didn't win  but he winner in my eyes.

setting sail

I have aspirations  of living near the sea.  Fantasies of walks long a sea front the smell of fish nd chip   and then a quick stop to arcades seem my idea of heaven . These little  Boats   Conjures up  the image of sunny happy days and looks rather good next to my picture of Scarborough  beach 

spring cleaning aka stash busting

I like many crafters have a stash pile that take over the house. Most of this wool I inherited from a friend  whoose husband stated she could have no more wool untill her craft room cleared true to her word she put it all in bin bags delivered to me and promptly bought more  wool  .so now I have wool in every room in house . The thing about crochet is you can use the smallest of scraps and turn  it into something this is precisely what I will be doing with my granny square snood  . This has the advantage of teaching me how to join squares as you go something I have always stayed away from the snood is the design of another blogger at bunnymummy- Jacquie.blogspot.co.UK  .I am also half way through another project of hers  which I hope to post pics of soon

This is start of the snood long way to go.

spring has sprung

 The nice thing with a craft like crochet is no matter what time of year there is a project for every occasion  . after all the storms we had to suffer this spring  in particular offer a new hope for better and hopefully warmer times. I like Easter for a number of reason and none surprisingly involve chocolate ( well much any way ) . The main reason I like it is we always go on holiday for Easter break as it usually falls on or near my middle child's birthday . Another reason I like it as my youngest child first present was a chicken and a rabbit  he has just turned ten and still has them to this day . He has a vast collection of chickens and rabbits he has added to over the years . The two pictured here will be added to his collection . I have no doubt they will be well loved.

loving my scarf !!

This is my finished scarf and a selection  of makes from the  book I previously reviewed

I really enjoyed these projects . The purse is not how it meant to look .I would love to tell you I invented the flower design but I actually messed up the first petal and liked result so I finished the other petals same way  ( plus it hide a mistake under the flower lol but I know you can keep a secret )

book review

This bag  caught my eye and I promptly bought the book  cute and easy  crochet  with flowers by nicki trench I was very excited when it arrived and  every project a winner . Although the yarn used  is her own brand and frankly out of my price range I have substituted for standard Arran or dk and am pleased with the results.  ironically  I have not yet started  the bag   but I have made a pin cushion a poppy purse and have almost completed the daisy scarf although i changed colour to make it more poppy like . This book is versatile and  got plenty  for novice and for my advanced .i could happily make every thing in this  book and probably will.

The  following link should take you to Amazon if you Interested . You can even take a look. Inside  the book .....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cute-Easy-Crocheted-Flowers-incorporating/dp/1782490493/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393715101&sr=1-2&keywords=cute+and+easy+crochet

perfect saturday

The only thing I love more than crochet is reading., so the day my magazine subscription comes is always my favourite day. The simply crochet mag always comes on the Saturday before it due out. This means I get a day with no school runs to enjoy my magazine with a cup of coffee. Today even better as my other half on day shift so no mindless chatter when I am.counting or trying to read .  This magazine has a spring theme throughout  and a few projects taken my eye.

 

This butterfly buntingfor one however I have a scarf on my hook at the moment and a blanket half finished so for the moment will just have to wait

discovered photo editing

This is some  from my work from this year . I recently discovered a collage app. I must have addictive personality as spent hours going through old photo making collages . This is a work in progress by end of year hoping it full.

jumping on blog wagon

 I have a confession  i have a problem some may say obsession I love yarn . I love crochet  he'll! I admit it I love crafts .  I bore people I know it it to be true . People who are  kind enough to be my friends eye glaze over as I show yet another pointless  creation that no doubt will gather dust as not only do  I make  these pointless items I then can't  part with them . So  where does some one go to deal with this affliction  after wrestling with the answer.  I did what any one does in this global day and age I googled it   and the answer was write a blog . So here we are  a place I can revel in my creations  with no eye rolling  and polite nods .  If you to  have a similar obsession  join me   if not  I can only apologize  lold