Lots Of Crafty Things To Share

We have had a very productive couple of weeks with the completion of lots of sewing and crocheting. My shawl is finished, another Sassy Cowl and some Winter Wishes Scarves. We have made project bags, little zippered pouches, and crochet hook holders. 

Finished Objects: Crochet

My Florentina Triangle Lace Crochet Shawl by Annie Design Crochet is completed. I am absolutely thrilled with the finished shawl, which has ended up nice and large to wrap around yourself. The pattern was very enjoyable and easy to follow. I originally put small fringes all around the shawl, on each shell shape like the designer, but I didn't like the way they looked and the fringes seemed to catch on each other. After removing them, I made three tassels from embroidery thread using a tutorial by Sew Can She. I think the end result is stunning and would definitely make another.

I have completed another two of my all-time favourite scarf pattern the Winter Wishes Scarf, using Red Heart Aran Charcoal Print. I love the way the variegated yarn has worked up. Using the same yarn I made another Sassy Triangle Cowl by Avery Lane Creations. I like the effect of the variegated yarn which gives a totally different look from the plain ones I made here. 

My mum has also been busy and finished her first crochet shawl, the Half Circle Crochet Shawl by Annie Design Crochet, which she really enjoyed making. She added a toggle button to the front so it would sit over her shoulders. The Abbey Road yarn colours she used are now discontinued. 

Crochet Hook Holders

We were looking at patterns to make a holder to store our crochet hooks. A while ago I  made some travel toothbrush holders from washcloths, and I had a few that were leftover sitting in a box. As we are trying hard to re-purpose things this year, these were just perfect to transform. They already had pockets, some were wide and others were narrow perfect for crochet hooks. I divided the wider pockets and sewed a couple of rows of stitching to make them smaller to accommodate our crochet hooks. For a finishing touch, and to secure them when rolled up, we removed the ribbon that was already on, and used some pretty elastic headbands that I had made ages ago. They look absolutely gorgeous, will keep all our hooks in one place, and are transportable to take on the go. This was a very quick and easy project that took less than half an hour.

Zippered Pouches

Miss C wanted to make some zippered pouches to store notions. She found some zippers and a Youtube tutorial and set out to make them. She had never put a zip in before and really enjoyed it. Once conquering these she quickly moved on to project bags.

Project Bags

Miss C has been busy making zippered project bags, using the  Holiday Bag pattern by Hue Loco. It is a free downloadable pattern and has a beginner-friendly, Youtube tutorial as well. I made my very first project bag using this pattern. It makes a good size bag, with a boxed bottom, perfect for smaller projects like socks. These are the first zippered project bags that Miss C has made and she did an amazing job. The lovely fabrics were kindly gifted to us by a friend. Miss C is entering them in the #dodgybagmal22, being run by Ali of @starryeyesali and Claudia of @crochetluna on Instagram.

Until next time,

Samantha & Miss C xx

Mannequin Madness!

Since starting the blog, taking photos has always been a challenge. Trying to make the garments look good when laying flat, or trying to model them, has not been very successful. We have been dreaming of getting a mannequin to make photographing easier for a while. Lincraft had a sale, and we now have a gorgeous mannequin to display our handmade creations. My son noticed on the tag that the mannequin actually had a name, and was amazed to find it was called Samantha. I think it was meant to be!  We have already put her to good use with our latest creations. Now we have a mannequin, the next thing is the lighting. It is raining and dark, so difficult to get good photos.  

Finished Objects:

We have just completed two Sassy Triangle Cowls by Avery Lane Creations. We really enjoyed working on this design and the stitch pattern looks really pretty. Miss C had always avoided patterns that required you to crochet into the third loop, as she thought it was quite difficult. The instructions were very well written and easy to understand. Miss C found out that third loop crochet was actually quite easy!  I always have trouble getting my cowl to sit properly and look good. I really like the Sassy Cowl, as it is worked so that you join it together at the back, resulting in a cowl that sits nicely, without falling off. Miss C used Bendigo Woolen Mills Luxury 10 ply in Coastal Blue and I used 4 Seasons Marvel 12 ply from Spotlight, in Wild Orchid.

Miss C has finished her 2nd Gorse Sweater, by Eleven Handmade. She loves this pattern, as its simplicity really makes the gorgeous yarn shine. (Hobbii Tweed Delight in the "Wisteria Bloom")  The colour is absolutely gorgeous. She made the XS size again, with a 6mm hook. As the cooler weather approaches, she can't wait to wear it.

What's On Our Hooks:

Miss C:

Inspired by my shawl, Miss C is also making a Florentina Lace Shawl, using a cake from her stash, Oh My Yarns Southern Scapes in the "Fairy Bread" colourway. (this colour is now discontinued) She is loving the pattern and can't wait to finish it. It is such a pretty colour combination and has shorter colour changes than mine.

Having successfully mastered sock knitting, Miss C has now begun work on The Road To The Mountains Of Pyre cowl, a free pattern, by Miss Wrap 'n' Turn. Using Cascade Yarn Heritage Prints - Sand. She is really enjoying knitting the lace section.

Her Up North Cardigan in Bendigo Woollen Mills, Bloom 8 ply Sugar Plum is simply divine. The yarn is such a sumptuously rich colour, and the ribbed texture created by using half trebles makes the cardigan a lovely timeless piece. She is making a small size. 

Miss C has begun making a pair of knitted socks for her dad.  This time she is making her first pair of toe-up socks. A lot of people use the Sockmatician's toe-ups sock recipe, so I suggested to Miss C that it could be a good pattern to purchase. She is thrilled with this fantastically unique pattern, which is created as a recipe, that allows you to use any weight yarn and fit any size foot. The main colour is - Fiddlesticks sock yarn in black,/grey, and the contrasting toe, heel and cuffs in Mayflower 1 class sock yarn in Light Gray. She is knitting 76 stitches, 8.5 stitches per inch, on 2.25mm/ 80cm needles - working magic loop.

Samantha:

Quite a lot of progress has been made on my Florentina Lace Shawl by Annie Design Crochet. I am loving the pattern and can't wait to finish. As the shawl is now quite large, the rows are getting longer the stitch count continues to grow and so my progress is slowing.

Until next time,

Samantha & Miss C xx