Cacti - a cute way to use up scraps

So, with the weather turning warmer this week I decided to try to do something different. To take a break from the blankets that I have been concentrating on all year. I was given the cutest cactus for my birthday at the beginning of May and this inspired me to see if I could use up some of my scraps to make some cacti.

I am not very good at keeping house plants, or garden plants for that matter, alive. I love the look of them and feel so accomplished when I have done some gardening and everything looks admit that making sure they are watered enough does at times get on top of me, especially when it gets really hot as my back yard becomes a real suntrap.

The thought of making some house plants that would need no taking care of really appealed to me and I set about seeing if I could come up with a range of patterns for the different types. Sorting out the different shades of greens was the easy bit along with using google to see what designs other crochet designers were coming up with. Boy, what a stunning range of designs the internet found! Feeling inspired I decided to make first the ball cactus where I was incorporating the rib technique I had used when making my crochet socks. It was so easy to do and with gathering at the top and bottom my first cactus appeared. It was developed further by doing a smaller version and attaching it to make a double ball and also by using a fluffy yarn along the ridges to give the impressions of spikes.

Feeling inspired I set out to make some that were based on a spiral design and also one where I made a rugby ball shape that was then pushed in and twisted to give ridges that were slightly twisted. I also had to do a typical desert type cactus that had "arms" and a cute face of course had to be added.

The finishing touch was to crochet the soil that was to go inside a terracotta pot and glued in firmly to stop it coming out. The pots have been hand painted, initially in an acrylic metallic colour but I am now venturing into doing different colours and adding trim and hand painted designs. The opportunities as they say are endless.

I have loved making my cacti. It really is a good way of using up scraps of yarn and one plant that I am guaranteed not to kill!

Interlocking filet - Early American inspired afghan

So, I have finally finished the first of the three blankets that I am doing in this style. I had to weave the ends in and it had to be on a gloriously hot and sunny day to do it as well! I am so pleased with how this Early American inspired Afghan has turned out as it is the first time I have had a go at doing this particular style of crochet and I can definitely say that I am hooked.

There was a practice sample that the designer did do to ease you into this way of crochet which also had a video that I followed for the first few rows until I was happy with the technique. She also has pictures in her written instructions for this Early American inspired afghan which I found really useful as I learn better through visual aids until I am confident with the written instructions.

The technique does look a bit daunting at first I must admit but it really is a case of doing the same stitch into the same colour as they overlap slightly. It is written in American crochet terms for double crochet followed by a chain which is repeated all along the row with the double crochets being done stacked as opposed to in the gap. You just have to remember whether you are going into th front of the work when you stack or the back. A bit like back post double crochet and front post double crochet but in the top of the stich instead of around the post itself.

I do like the colour choices I have done this blanket in and I am hoping that the recipient of it does too. I chose to do this one using double knit yarn and stylecraft in both black and teal colours. The other 2 that I am working on I am doing in Aran weight yarn and with black being the main colour and a variegated yarn for the accent colour. One in shades of purple and the other blanket in shades of yellow, oranges and red to give hopefully a sunset feel.

I added a border around the outside which was not part of the pattern from the designer for the Early American Inspire afghan. I am really pleased with how it has come out as I completely made it up as I went with a bit of informed knowledge on how to do it having completed the blanket.

So, onto completing the next one. Now will it be the sunset one or the purple one that gets done first ................................

Locking filet crochet - Floral elegance

So, I have been doing the interlocking filet crochet style now since about half way through January and I must say I am absolutely in love with this technique. The stitches are very simple as it is the same stitch all the way along the row but you make the pattern by either going into the front of the work to make it or the back. I will admit that it did take me a while to get comfortable with it, especially the inside stitches as I have done them wrong on more than one occasion! This was down to me entirely not reading the pattern right and doing what I thought it should be and not what it stated. A rooky mistake.

The designer I have been using has been releasing a mystery Cal for the last few week. She releases 4 rows per day and the joy of this is that you don't know what it will be and you have to take a leap of faith when starting it. The only clue is that it is called Floral elegance. She does suggest lighter colours but I have gone for black as my main colour with stylecraft dreamcatcher yarn, in the shade of Cheyenne, as my accent colour.

I love how this is coming out with the colours blending beautifully from one shade to the next. This is it completed up to 128 rows with the total rows in the pattern being 204. I am starting to think that the flower in the middle could possibly be a tulip as they have those shape leaves.

Despite not knowing what this interlocking filet crochet pattern would be when I started I am really pleased that I did. It is definitely addictive and I look forward to seeing the next 4 rows as they are released.

So, here's to the next rows being released .....................................

Native American Afghan - version 2

So, at the beginning of the year I happened to stumble across this pattern that I absolutely fell in love with. It was a pattern that was to push me to new limits and develop my crochet skill and take it to another level. When I found the mandala madness blanket pattern a couple of years ago I loved the pattern so much that I ended up making 4 different versions of it including using a different type of wool to the one that the others were made in. I have done the same again with this pattern. I am currently making 2 different versions with a third and possibly a fourth in the pipeline.

The first version I have completed 2 out of the 5 sections of the Native American Afghan CAL and have just started the 3rd section. This one is done in black and teal and am using dk yarn with a 4mm hook. This version I am using caron cakes in the shade of bumbleberry for the accent colour with black again being my main colour. I am really pleased with how this looks so totally different to the other version. It has taken a bit of getting used to swapping between the 2 of them and trying to get my tension correct for each especially where the yarn differs in thickness along with the size hook.

The butterflies and the rivers sections have been completed on the second Native American Afghan. Onto the eagles ....................

Native American Afghan - a new type of crochet

So, I haven't been writing on my blog for ages. Life got in the way and as a result I seemed to lose my crojo for far too long and so hadn't nothing new to write about. I really enjoy making things, especially creating patterns for my little crochet accessories and learning new stitches and styles of crochet. I find it is good therapy, especially at the end of a hard working week!

At the beginning of January whilst looking through the various pages/groups on Facebook someone had posted a picture of a blanket that I fell in love with the design of. This blanket was the Native American Afghan by Lissa Conley. It is a CAL as well as being a pattern that could be purchased for those that cant wait.

It is definitely a challenge as although the stitches are exactly the same each row, you are either going in front of the little window made by the previous row to crochet your stitch or you are going in the back of the work. You work with two colours, your main one and your accent one. These rows are done in pairs, you complete one row from left to right in one colour and then the other colour from left to right before turning. They also overlap each other so you are able to work the stiches through the windows which create the interlocking part of the design.

I love this pattern so decided to give it a go using double knit for my first attempt in black and teal. I have to say I did end up frogging the first few rows more than once but once I had got the hang of it I found it much easier. It is definitely a  break away from the usual style of crochet and has taken a bit of getting used to. You have to remember to count and double check when you get to the end of the row. Once the pattern starts to emerge it is easier to see if there are any mistakes, which I have found more than once!

I have to admit to starting a second Native American Afghan but this one is using aran weight yarn which will be really cosy in the cold days of winter. I am also planning a third and possibly a fourth!

But for now, progress on the first one ...........................

Snowman rucksack style phonecase with a mini matching version

So, the weather temperatures have decided to definitely drop recently and I have given in and finally put on the heating. This reminds me of earlier on in the year when we saw drastic drops in temperature which resulted in several snow days. Whilst I am not a fan of the cold weather I do like being tucked under a crochet blanket, be it one I an currently making or one that has been finished. There is nothing like the feeling of being snuggled up and cosy and it does give me inspiration of new items that I can make.

I have been adapting the pattern that I created for my rucksack style cases for a while now so it was no surprise to see how I could change them again to suit the cold weather and my thoughts of the snow days earlier on in the year. It seemed a natural progress to see if I could create a snowman (or two) version. making the basic body was very straightforward as it was to be created just in white wool with no adaptation to the pattern required at all. It didn't even need any new parts making for it either.

So with the basic phone case rucksack made I thought I would have a go at doing a mini version at the same time. My mini rucksacks up until now have just been decorated on the flap, I haven't tried to do any of my character phone cases so this would be a first. Now to think about how to decorate them. Normally I do a twisted chord for the tie to get into the case but I wanted something different. Snowmen traditionally have a scarf so I thought I would have a rummage through my ribbon boxes to see if I had something suitable and found several that I thought I could use for great effect. Now onto the rest of the features: the face and the buttons down his (or hers) front. As snowmen used to have coal for eyes and buttons I thought I would use different size black buttons and for the mouth I had some flat back gems as my buttons did not go down that small. The last thing to add was a felt triangle to act as a carrot for a nose.

I love how these have turned out as with just a few adjustments the snowmen can have very different characters. I like how the different ribbons give different effects. I would like to work out how I can make a mini hat and sew it on their heads but that's for the future ones, for now I am really pleased with how they look and they are much kinder on your hands to make than the real thing as you don't get such cold fingers!

Mandala Madness - the circle is squared once again

So, the days are certainly getting chilly again and its the time of year that I enjoy. I love seeing the vivid colours that Autumn bring, with the leaves on the trees changing from green through to reds, yellows and oranges. I also love this time of year as it is a great excuse to start, and also finish, any blankets.

Having been working on the Mandala Madness blankets for quite a while now it has been great to finally square of the one that I started first. 3 out of the four blankets have been finished to the end of the circle pattern by Helen Shrimpton and now the second one of those has been squared off as well.

I have been making this one using Scheepjes whirls and I really love this yarn. I love the moment when you get a "fuzz buzz". For those that do not know what that means the yarn is made up of 6 thin threads which change colour one thread at a time. This is how the colour changes are so subtle. When one of these threads change there is a small fuzzy section where the new colour has been joined. I like the little fuzziness of it. You can however damp the thread slightly and roll it in between your fingers to blend it in with the other threads.

I love how the colours of the whirls that I have chosen have blended one into the next. I really didn't have a plan for how it was going to go. I started off with Popin candy before moving onto Lavenderlicious. Next came Liquorice yum yum and slice o cherry pie. It was finished off with tasty nom nom and then Blackcurrant squeeze me. I think these choices have worked very well with this pattern and I cant wait to use whirls again especially where there is now the whirlettes that can go with them. The only problem I have is what to make now that I have finished this Mandala Madness and yet another circle has been squared.