Latest crochet

I just haven't been in the mood for any quilting lately but have finished a few crochet projects. I made this blanket a few weeks ago. I just love it. It's bright and cheerful and is the biggest project I have attempted in a long time, although it is just simple granny squares.

This one was made from 100% wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills. I can't wait to stock up on wool and make another one.

I've spent a couple of weeks at home looking after the pups as Sug had to have an operation on her knee due to a broken cruciate ligament. I was supposed to keep her confined and stop her from walking, so we spent a lot of time just sitting together while I did a few hand crafts.

For a bit of a change from crocheting, I've been doing quite a bit of cross stitching. This isn't a craft I am normally passionate about but I have had a thing for it lately and have finished quite a few little projects. Here is one - a little pin cushion:

 

And a band to embellish a hand towel. I also crocheted a pretty filet edge on this one:

Crochet edgings are something I have been having fun with lately. I have more doileys than surfaces now, so edgings make a nice change and means I can beautify the most mundane objects, such as these kitchen towels:

Home Sweet Home Filet Crochet

I finished off this sweet filet crochet on the weekend. Although not a large project, it has taken me a few weeks as I've only been able to spend an hour or so each weekend. This was a free pattern from Sauntering Stitches. I used a thicker crochet cotton, as that was what I had, so mine turned out a bit bigger than the original (about 14" x 17" as opposed to 12" x 14"). I also used a different edging as I really wanted to get it finished and I find picots slow going! 

I'm not sure whether I am going to frame it or turn it into a pillow yet.

Bag saver and peg angel

Here's another crocheted African flower project from a couple of months ago. This one is a plastic bag saver. I usually take my own bags to the supermarket so don't collect a lot of plastic bags, but I do like to collect a few to use as poo bags when the dogs and I go for a walk!

It is suddenly so close to Christmas, it really is alarming! I'm starting to think about what to do for the Christmas swaps I'm in. I had some fun experimenting last weekend and made some peg angels from odds and ends I had lying around, including some vintage doilies for the wings.

Bits and Pieces

Here are a couple of cute crochet hexagon bags made from this pattern at Lion Brand Yarns. I made the darker one a couple of months ago and have been using it as a library book bag. I found the handle a little too long so made a much shorter handle on the lighter coloured one.

I really liked the Papillon layer cake quilt I made for my Mum in an earlier post, so decided to make a quilt in the same pattern for myself. I chose the Vintage Modern range - this simple pattern is so good for showcasing beautiful fabrics, and who can resist gorgeous florals and red polka dots?

So I've finished piecing the quilt top but need to get some backing fabric before I can quilt it.

Other things I've been working on lately include this courthouse steps log cabin quilt top. I made this from one of the bargain quilt kits I bought at the Penrith show a couple of weeks ago. The fabrics are kind of unfashionable, but I guess they suit the design.

Finally, on the quilt top front, a simple jelly roll quilt from Gypsy Girl fabric.

I also finished a table runner made from the sashiko fabric I bought recently. This fabric was fantastic! It had the embroidery design printed on it, and it washed out with a quick dunk in water, so I could choose which lines I wanted to stitch and which I wanted to leave blank. Believe it or not, the below three blocks were made from the same pre-printed fabric - I just sewed different bits of the design in each.

It was kind of fun and relaxing sewing these blocks. I think I will have to get some more of this amazing fabric!

A couple of milk jug covers

Here is one of the beaded jug covers I made through the week. The pattern is one I found on the antique pattern website I referred to in my earlier post (and which I am too lazy at the moment to go and link to). I had enough thread to make another which I did last night, using this free pattern:

I love the little three dimensional flower on this one, although the loops (at least in my version) are a bit biggish and aren't going to stop pesky flies from getting through. Then again, I don't really have any jugs that need covering so I guess it doesn't really matter.

One of the goodies I bought online  recently was this little Christmas stitchery book by Natalie Bird. There are twelve 4 inch stitcheries, which can be made into a quilt, pillow or other things as well as another one for a stocking. One of my favourites is this little penguin:

Autumny Weekend

It's getting cooler here in Sydney and we are just a week or so from winter. It's been a nice quiet weekend, so I've had the fire on and it has been so lovely and cosy and have done some crafting for the first time in a while.



I finished off this little jacket for a colleague's new baby girl. Beneath it is a cot quilt I also pieced together yesterday and hope to get started quilting today.

I need to catch up on my Jelly Roll Sampler blocks too. To start with I was impatient for the next block to come out, and now I find I am two blocks behind!

Happy Mothers' Day

Happy Mothers' Day to all the Mums!

I haven't been doing too much crafting the last couple of weeks, being very busy with work and other things, but one thing I did manage was to finish this crocheted vest.



The pattern was from Garn Studio (Drops Design) - my favourite online resource for knitting and crochet patterns. And the yarn was Thorobred Scheepjeswol Granada, an unevenly spun, textured cotton, which I picked up at the markets cheap a year or so ago.

Crocheted Jacket

I finished crocheting this little jacket for my neice Olivia today. It is from this pattern here, but I used two strands of a Lincraft brand 5ply acrylic - one strand in pink and one in purple, and also added a little flower in the pink. This was a nice and easy pattern to make, mostly worked in one piece so there was minimal joining to do.

And some puppy photos, just because Sugar and Spice are such beautiful angels, and they make me smile.

I bought some gingham flannelette sheets recently and I think the pups like them.

Jelly Roll Quilt Along Block 2 and Some Crochet Things

I finished my second Jelly Roll quilt-along block today:

For some reason this block gave me a lot of headaches, even though it isn't that complicated. I normally have a rule that I don't do any piecing on weeknights after work. I usually find if I do, then I make a lot of silly mistakes because I am tired and my mind is on other things. This week I ignored my own rule to my peril, and ended up having to unpick twice. I finally put it together properly this morning.

If I do feel like doing craft at night, I normally stick to embroidery or crochet which are a little less difficult to stuff up and easier to undo if I do!

I was looking for a pattern to make my little neice something for her birthday but instead came across a beginner's crochet book from Patons with some easy, thick-yarn projects I had forgotten about and made a couple of adult things from that instead.

This scarf is just a nice weight and sooo soft, made from Jet which is a wool/alpaca mix, and with such a chunky yarn it was very quick to make too. I hate the very cold weather, but I am kind of looking forward to it now with a new scarf to wear!

Also with Jet is this beanie and wrist warmer set. I still need to make some little flowers for the beanie. The wrist warmer, or fingerless glove, wears like this:

I've got the flu at the moment so am feeling a bit sorry for myself. I had a pounding headache for two days, but now am just snuffly and lethargic. I mowed the front lawn this morning and the sun and heat and exercise have made me feel a bit better.

Some crochet goodies

I've been enjoying some more crocheting recently including some washcloths and some Christmassy things.

Star Quilt Coming Along

I've spent this cold, dark morning making the chain blocks to set my star blocks from Crazy Mom's Quilt Along of some time ago and am now just playing with the layout. I think I will put it together without the optional sashings as I am just having one of those days when I can't cut or sew a straight line, so I want to give myself fewer opportunities to stuff up!

I made my blocks with all different white tone on tones for the background, to give it a scrappier look.

Yesterday I had a lazy day in front of the TV crocheting another doiley:

A couple little projects

I've been catching up on my DVD watching this week, while crocheting this cute filet tray cloth:



And also made a smelly wreath for my kitchen with cinnamon sticks and star anise:

A Fine Day?

It is looking like we might get the first rain-free day in over a week today. Fingers crossed, although it has been good weather for snuggling up to warm pups and doing some crafting in front of the heater.

I bought these pretty pastel fabrics from the local Big W, when I went to get some sewing cotton last week:

And made these Penny Pockets using Happy Zombie's pattern:

Not sure what I am going to do with them - I'd like to make a little hanger for the bathroom for odds and ends. I also made another set of the doileys I blogged about previously, this time in a very light mercerised cotton in blue:

The rain cleared enough yesterday morning to hit the local markets at North Rocks and Blacktown with my friend Lyle. My favourite purchase must be these old magazines from the 50s and 60s, and one from the 1972 because I liked the crochet patterns in it:

They are interesting to flick through. The recipes are quite appalling though. Were herbs not invented in the 50s and 60s? Feel really sorry for the Australians in that era for all the bland dinners! Will have to have a better read through and will share anything interesting.

Lyle also gave me some lovely patterns he bought for me last week:

I finished my panda quilt. I didn't do much quilting on it, just in the ditch around the panda and the borders and bound it in black. I gave it to Lyle as he loves pandas, and he has put it on his wall.

Soiree Arm Chair Caddy

I took advantage of the novel situation of being told not to go to work yesterday to get some sewing done!

I've been admiring these Soiree charm squares and jelly roll and wondering what to do with them, and looking at the mess around my arm chair and constantly losing everything under the cushion, decided to make an arm chair caddy.

I started with two appliqued circle blocks and then went from there, making it up as I went, so it ended up a bit of a riotous clash of colours!

Above is one side, with a largish pocket for all the quilty goods I need while I'm watching TV. And on the other side are three smaller pockets for my remotes (one of which is missing!).

I didn't put a pin cushion on this one, as I made this for the side of the chair the pups like to "greet" me from. And greeting usually entails faces and paws etc on the chair arm.

In retrospect, I think I could have done with a lot more white to break the fabrics up and make them more distinct. I was making this design up as I went, and really should have drawn a diagram or thought about it first! But, whatever, it certainly brightens the place up.

And here are a couple of dishcloths I made through the week:

Did I say dishcloths? I am going to use them as face washers instead.

More crochet from QUARANTINE

I have been a bit crochet mad lately. It's something easy to do while snuggled up in bed watching TV, now that it is getting wintery and I am still getting over the flu so haven't had much energy for anything else.

I made two sets of the above - the same as the white ones I made, but in a mercerised pink cotton.

And also this filet crochet runner for my dressing table:

As for the post heading, I am in QUARANTINE!

A work mate has a relative in the same dwelling with suspected swine flu, so as a precaution, my whole team was sent home this morning and told not to come back til Monday.

I'm thrilled cos I'm still feeling run down from the normal flu so am just ecstatic over getting to sleep in tomorrow and rest up more in bed.

We'll find out tomorrow if the person in question really does have swine flu, and if so, we'll all need to be tested and quarantined further. So hopefully it doesn't come to that and everyone is well and just gets a day off work!

Crochet from the sick bed

While confined to the house and doing nothing more exciting than watching crappy DVDs, I've managed to crochet this doiley for my new lamp:

I just love this pattern. I love the way each band just barely connects to the next. For once, my tension is right too so it actually sits flat!

And it seems to go well with my new lamp shade.

The best thing about this pattern is that you can make it in almost any size, by increasing or decreasing the number of bands. So I plan to make a matching one for the other bedside table and then a couple of coasters as well.

The pattern is from Australian Crochet V1 No3. I don't know what ever happened to this magazine. I think I bought this about 10 years ago and at that time, I purchased 3 issues and then it disappeared from the newsstands.

Two Door Snakes

I'm still on my mission to use up old wool so this week I have been crocheting draught stoppers or door snakes. It seems funny to be reading the blogs of those in the Northern Hemisphere talking about Spring and Summer, when here it is starting to cool down and my mind is turning to woolly things.

These are filled with an inner made of plain homespun and filled with kitty litter so they have a nice weight to them. I made one of plain trebles (or double crochet if you are in the US) and one in a simple shell pattern.

Sugar is lying on the spare bed in my study waiting for me to finish up here, and of course, she has taken ownership of one of the snakes. I may need to crochet her a neck/chin roll!

Chunky Scarf

I'm trying to use up some wool at the moment (to make room for more of course!) so have been looking for quick projects to use up odd balls.

I whipped up this quick crochet scarf on the weekend, in a big chunky variegated yarn and a big hook so it was very quick and is very thick and warm. I made a fringe of chain loops at each end for something different.