tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59673959317991905322024-03-13T15:48:56.679-07:00The Constant WIPThere's always something in progress, in fact there's usually several somethings in progress...Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-10402464538588716742011-08-16T23:53:00.000-07:002011-08-17T19:42:06.219-07:00Free pattern - Soren the baby dragonA while ago, I wrote a pattern for an amigurumi dragon...and I've decided to share it with everyone for free! So much of what I crochet is based on free patterns so I figured it was my turn to give something back. Enjoy!
<br />
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVZ_GU9xIAXSjMAg_3mpQv0XkVgrNUGm-LjqDSXpmnBRSZxKbtwTX80itf15svsD-9ebR0-GwqJvy7xPulFMdXKEksB_5dX6_toshgZLs-lje8aTFTKiSASu98XN8uufMwD97NDvpGAiP/s1600/soren2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 186px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVZ_GU9xIAXSjMAg_3mpQv0XkVgrNUGm-LjqDSXpmnBRSZxKbtwTX80itf15svsD-9ebR0-GwqJvy7xPulFMdXKEksB_5dX6_toshgZLs-lje8aTFTKiSASu98XN8uufMwD97NDvpGAiP/s200/soren2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641720118819578754" border="0" /></a>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Head:</span>
<br />Using yarn colour A
<br />Row 1: ch 2, then 6 sc into the first chain.
<br />Row 2: 2sc into each of the sc (12 stitches)
<br />Row 3: [2sc into the first sc, sc into next sc] repeat around (18 stitches)
<br />Row 4: [2sc into the first sc, sc into the next 2 sc] repeat around (24 stitches)
<br />Row 5: [2sc into the first sc, sc into the next 3 sc] repeat around (30 stitches)
<br />Row 6 to Row 10: sc into each sc around (30 stitches)
<br />Row 11: [sc2tog, then sc into the next 3 sc] around (24 stitches)
<br />Row 12: [sc2tog, then sc into the next 2 sc] around (18 stitches)
<br />Row 13: [sc2tog, then sc into next sc] around (12 stitches)
<br />Start stuffing the head as firmly as you can, you're just making a basic ball as the face and eyes will be attached later.
<br />Row 14: sc2tog around, cut and finish off leaving enough yarn to sew the hole shut. Weave in loose end.
<br />It should look like a perfect little round ball.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Snout/face:</span>
<br />Row 1: ch 3, then 3 sc into the first chain from hook, sc into the next sc, 6 sc into the next sc. Turn
<br />work around 180 degrees so that the bottom of the row now becomes the top row, and sc in the next sc, and 4 sc into the next sc (14 stitches)
<br />Row 2: sc into the back loops of each sc (14 stitches)
<br />Row 3 and Row 4: sc into each sc (14 stitches)
<br />Row 5: [2 sc into the first sc, sc into the next sc] repeat around (21 stitches)
<br />Row 6: [2 sc into the first sc, then sc into the next 2 sc] repeat around (28 stitches)
<br />Row 7: [2 sc into the first sc, then sc into the next 3 sc] repeat around (35 stitches)
<br />Row 8: sc into each sc around (35 stitches)
<br />Row 9: [2 sc into each sc] for the first 15 sc, then sc2tog around (40 stitches)
<br />The face should have a flatter, broader side on the top half and a curved rounded part on the bottom half.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eyebrows:</span>
<br />Make two of these! Use yarn colour A. Alternatively, you could use yarn colour B for an interesting contrast.
<br />Row 1: ch 2, then 6 sc into the first chain. Join with a sl st, then finish off and weave in all the ends.
<br />They should look like 2 tiny flowers. The safety eyes will go through the little hole in the middle. Next, the eyes are attached onto the snout/face and the backs of the safety eyes are then attached onto the back of the snout/face. So it should be layered, from the outside in it will go: safety eyes, eyebrows, snout/face, then safety eye backing. If you aim to have the centres of the eyes line up with the outer edge of the nostrils, it should be about right, but you can play with this depending on how you want your little guy to look.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Body:</span>
<br />Using yarn colour A
<br />Row 1: ch 2, then 6 sc into the first chain.
<br />Row 2: 2 sc in each sc around (12 stitches)
<br />Row 3: [2 sc into first sc, then sc into the next sc] repeat around (18 stitches)
<br />Row 4: [2 sc into the first sc, then sc into the next 2 sc] repeat around (24 stitches)
<br />Row 5: [2 sc into the first sc, then sc into the next 3 sc] repeat around (30 stitches)
<br />Row 6 to Row 8: sc into each sc around (30 stitches)
<br />Row 9: [sc2tog, then sc into the next 3 sc] repeat around (24 stitches)
<br />Row 10 and Row 11: sc in each sc around (24 stitches)
<br />Row 12: [sc2tog, then sc into the next 2 sc] repeat around (18 stitches)
<br />Start adding stuffing at this point, make sure it's packed in as firm as possible.
<br />Row 13 to Row 15: sc into each sc around. (18 stitches)
<br />Row 16: [sc2tog, then sc into the next sc] repeat around (12 stitches)
<br />Row 17: sc into each sc around.
<br />Finish off, making sure you leave a long enough piece of yarn so you can attach the head later. Add more stuffing and shape the body in your hand so there's no lumps or ridges.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Legs:</span>
<br />Make 2 of these!
<br />Starting with yarn colour B (the contrasting colour)
<br />Row 1: ch 2, then 6 sc into the first chain.
<br />Row 2: 2 sc into each sc around (12 stitches)
<br />Row 3: sc in each sc around, break off yarn colour B (12 stitches)
<br />Row 4 to Row 5: Join yarn colour A, then sc in each sc around. (12 stitches)
<br />You'll need to add a little bit of stuffing at this point, the little legs get narrow and it gets too hard to
<br />poke it down into the foot part.
<br />Row 6: sc2tog around (6 stitches)
<br />Row 7 to Row 8: sc into each sc around. (6 stitches)
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Arms:</span>
<br />He'll need 2 of these, too, in yarn colour A.
<br />Row 1: ch 2, then 6 sc into the first ch.
<br />Row 2: sc in each back loop only (6 stitches)
<br />Row 3 to Row 6: sc in each sc around (6 stitches)
<br />Cut and finish off, making sure you leave enough yarn to sew them onto the body.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tail:</span>
<br />Use yarn colour A.
<br />Row 1: ch 2, then 4 sc into the first ch.
<br />Row 2: sc into each sc around (4 stitches)
<br />Row 3: 2 sc into the first sc, then sc into the next sc, repeat. (6 stitches)
<br />Row 4 to Row 6: sc into each sc around (6 stitches)
<br />Row 7: [2 sc into the first sc, then sc into the next sc] repeat around (9 stitches)
<br />Row 8: sc into each sc around (9 stitches)
<br />Row 9 to Row 10: [2 sc into the first sc, then sc into the next 2 sc] repeat around (16 stitches)
<br />Row 11: sc into each sc around (16 stitches)
<br />Cut and finish off, leaving lots of yarn to attach it to the body. Weave in the loose end from the tip of the tail. Stuff with polyester filling, making it fat at the open end. The narrow tip of the tail
<br />should be left unfilled, so you can pinch it and shape it as you like.
<br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Assembly:</span>
<br />
<br />Start with the snout/face and head. The head should have one side that looks neater than the other side, so use the neater side as the back of the head (you'll see the back of the head but we're covering up the front with the face). So with the less neater side facing you, lay the snout/face over the ball like a mask. Stretch it and play with it until you're happy with the position of the face. Then stitch it onto the head using the yarn you left attached for this purpose! Weave in all loose ends.
<br />
<br />Next, attach the head to the body using the length of yarn left on the body. You may need to play
<br />with the angle of the head a bit and be careful when attaching the head, so that the face is straight and facing forward. Weave in any loose ends.
<br />
<br />The tail goes on next. It should be placed low down in the very middle of his back so that it sits
<br />level with what is essentially his bottom! Sew it on then weave in loose ends.
<br />Next are the little legs. They should be attached low down on the front of the body, face forwards
<br />and angle out a little bit. If you look at the bottom of the dragon, the feet and the tail should make a triangle shape – this balances him so that he can sit up on his own. Getting there! The arms are the last little appendages to attach, they should go on his body about 1cm (half an inch) under his neck. They should be on the same angle as the legs. Weave in all the ends.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">All that's left now is his spines</span>.</span> These are stitched directly onto his body using contrasting colour
<br />yarn B. To do this you will need to crochet a foundation chain from the tip of his tail up to the top of his head.
<br />
<br />Row 1: Insert hook into a stitch on the tip of the tail. Yarn over and bring it through, chain 1 then sc along the length of the body. Try to space them fairly evenly, don't worry about an exact number of sc because you'll need to make the sc where ever they will fit!
<br />Row 2: Turn him so you will now work back towards the tail. Ch 3 then sc back into the same place so it makes a little ridge.
<br />[sl st into the next sc, sc into the next sc, ch 3 and then sc back into the same place] repeat the
<br />length of the body.
<br />
<br />Cut off and weave in loose ends. You should now have a completed dragon with little spines!
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-20583069951685693392011-03-08T14:55:00.001-08:002011-03-08T15:14:17.492-08:00This is one you can eat!<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4WT24sBVv7_92_p98mctBWk3vMH-i0J2yfAqJJt95dBFoaqjcuFAdAzIfdKLPQAPx-wpqeiGQT7CybTErVTHE0UT79UFeRm4DvV9UJHNoHhTZPIbc0OOHkwUXUyKGO6OHpzhVZcNYmxB/s1600/Burger+cupcakes.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4WT24sBVv7_92_p98mctBWk3vMH-i0J2yfAqJJt95dBFoaqjcuFAdAzIfdKLPQAPx-wpqeiGQT7CybTErVTHE0UT79UFeRm4DvV9UJHNoHhTZPIbc0OOHkwUXUyKGO6OHpzhVZcNYmxB/s200/Burger+cupcakes.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581846721904697010" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Look at these tasty little things! Cupcakes that look like mini burgers...mmm sugar-loaded!<br /><br />I made these on the weekend for my friend's 30th birthday. Being a guy, it's hard to know what to get (or make) as a gift for him, so the last 2 years it's been a food gift. Last year was the bright yellow Super Mario star biscuits/cookies, and this year I did these cupcakes since we were going on a picnic.<br /><br />Now I'm not claiming the idea is mine, far from it. I saw pics on Flickr and thought, hey that's super cool! So I ran out and bought stuff to make them without looking up a recipe or anything. It's pretty easy, just "involved" in that there's a few different things you need to do. I had a friend ask how it was done, and since I wrote it out for her I thought I would copy/paste here in case anyone was interested in making them for themselves.<br /><br /><br />BURGER CUPCAKES - A vague "how to"<br /><br />I bought 2 basic cake mixes, one chocolate and one vanilla. I made them up as the directions said and made the vanilla mix into cupcakes. I used baking paper circles on the bottom of the non-stick muffin trays instead of the cupcake papers (you know what I mean, right?) because the baking paper makes the bottom smooth and the paper cups give it that funny edge when you peel it off.<br /><br />I made the vanilla cupcakes as the packet said and cooked them. I made the chocolate cake mix as the packet said, but instead of making them into cupcakes I put them in a long shallow pan lined with the paper (lamington pan/brownie tray). I cooked that and when it was done, I took it out and used a small round cookie cutter to make the "meat patties" while it was still warm and flexible. It gets too crumbly when it's cool.<br /><br />So then I cut the vanilla cupcakes in half with a bread knife and let them cool.<br /><br />While all the cake was cooling, I took a bowl of shredded coconut (the longer, thicker stuff, not the dessicated stuff) and coloured it with green food dye. I ended up "massaging" the dye into the coconut with some gloves on because it was sitting on the surface of the coconut and not actually going into it. Then when I was happy with the colour of it, I spread it out on some baking paper to dry.<br /><br />Next I used 1 can of Betty Crocker vanilla frosting and I used about half for each colour of the frosting "sauces". I used a whole buttload of the red food dye for the ketchup, with a drop or two of green to take the pinkish-ness out of it. I just smeared that on the bottom half of the vanilla cupcake, and stuck one of the choco-meat patties on it. I used yellow food dye for the mustard, and I actually had a clean, empty mustard squeeze bottle that I put the mustard-colour frosting into. I traced a circle around the edge of the choc-meat pattie and squeezed some more in the middle just for good coverage, then sprinkled the shredded coconut-lettuce on top. After that I stuck the cupcake top back on, and brushed a little milk on top so I could sprinkle the sesame seeds for the "bun" effect, and actually have them stick.<br /><br /><br />So that's it. Pretty straight forward, just a lot of steps in it. And it blew everyone's mind at the picnic. My friend's sister apparently wants to marry me now, which is great but my husband might have something to say about that...Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-54967826562260586392011-01-31T15:12:00.000-08:002011-01-31T15:38:44.269-08:00Oh, didn't I mention?<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI23s3XfXDa9nkUg7FWEguAJkgnEnwcQyFHZb0DJdvsZjBC94KaUjRp6PJpmeqQ_CvtyVQtfgSbvlP2yA-16sOySI47qmlLSw1zEbJCbj0BtYuQRXrHhR2txjxWAP-fQCgBINCqusWSwbT/s1600/Green+and+brown+quilt.JPG">I made another quilt!</a><br /><br />I was sitting on my bed a few weeks ago, thinking about what pattern I was going to use for the queen size quilt I wanted to make for my bed. It's going to be in red, black and white with a bit of grey mixed in. I was there pondering the delicious fabrics I had and their light and dark values, and realising I may need some more light value stuff I pulled out the bag of fabric and started to sort. In the middle of this sorting, I realised I have some totally gorgeous fabrics in colours OTHER than red, black and purple, and wondered if I could make a nice quilt without using these 3 colours.<br /><br />Starting with a cute Moda fabric that had green and blue birds eggs on it, I started to build up a little pile of complementing fabrics. Beige, brown, greens, blues...even an oriental fabric in tan and teal with metallic gold highlights. I decided that I wanted to give the "string" style of quilt blocks a go, so I cut the fabric into strips and got stuck in. The first block was great, so I did more.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10EtJNKJip9hXAnoRjhqYef_JATRwTT3r29vKNVeW2aelQy8KctW7uv44Kb4YNYnKP18EqxX9Xa6g5sD6_2AUjGgdjDGRye9-ztiODjUlObF1Q-W7te5E9dcUCPycfdwiWinN9P5h1RHF/s1600/1st+%25E2%2580%259Cstring%25E2%2580%259D+square.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10EtJNKJip9hXAnoRjhqYef_JATRwTT3r29vKNVeW2aelQy8KctW7uv44Kb4YNYnKP18EqxX9Xa6g5sD6_2AUjGgdjDGRye9-ztiODjUlObF1Q-W7te5E9dcUCPycfdwiWinN9P5h1RHF/s200/1st+%25E2%2580%259Cstring%25E2%2580%259D+square.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568494960974289170" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After a while, I ran out of patience. I liked the piecing on paper thing, but it was pretty time consuming and I tend to lose interest if I haven't made discernible progress after a few days. So instead of the original idea I had of making a wavy chevron style pattern with the squares, I made the quilt much smaller and made 9 big blocks instead. I had to buy the chocolate brown and solid teal fabrics as I didn't have them already, but I loved how these colours look together and may use them more in the future.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI23s3XfXDa9nkUg7FWEguAJkgnEnwcQyFHZb0DJdvsZjBC94KaUjRp6PJpmeqQ_CvtyVQtfgSbvlP2yA-16sOySI47qmlLSw1zEbJCbj0BtYuQRXrHhR2txjxWAP-fQCgBINCqusWSwbT/s1600/Green+and+brown+quilt.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI23s3XfXDa9nkUg7FWEguAJkgnEnwcQyFHZb0DJdvsZjBC94KaUjRp6PJpmeqQ_CvtyVQtfgSbvlP2yA-16sOySI47qmlLSw1zEbJCbj0BtYuQRXrHhR2txjxWAP-fQCgBINCqusWSwbT/s200/Green+and+brown+quilt.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568492166313510930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />This quilt is small, about 140cm square, which is big enough to have it on the couch and just snuggle under or use as a pillow or what have you. (Mostly, it's just beautifying the couch, the suede is very unforgiving but it was a freebie so hey, I shouldn't complain!) I really like how it looks, the only problem is I made some of the seams too small and there are a few little seams that have popped open already after the boys "rough-housed" on the couch the other day. I'll fix it, soon, it's just too bloody hot at the moment to have it on me. And then next time, I'll just make it with a bigger seam allowance. Problem solved!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-51774799192000227672011-01-20T00:59:00.000-08:002011-01-20T01:42:15.621-08:00This month, it's quilts.Yep, it's true. Crochet has been put on hold for a while as I indulge my love of fabrics. I've always looked at quilts and thought, "Wow I'd love to make one of those...but it looks hard!" I guess that's because I hate measuring and calculating and blah blah blah. I'm not so fantastic at maths but I go all right, it's just that for some reason I seem to screw things up when I'm trying to be precise. You know that saying, "Measure twice, cut once" (shut up, it IS so a saying!) well in my case it's more like, "Measure thrice, cut once, measure again then swear like a sailor since you're just that little bit under as to make a total hash of it". Ok that saying will never catch on but eh, that's what happens around here.<br /><br />Anyways, it all started with the quilt that I gave my mother for Christmas:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH18d7G39ony5A54lh6debAjglcrgDcAg_8XJE0DOONP8rhQz03TGr9BsjMpWzcF1CUgXElwnFwHjfedN7KZ3zge-id0l8NS-HX5ErSK2YEaA3N-9yAprdvKNKV-iDRiJoV5kqZQtpFJPn/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH18d7G39ony5A54lh6debAjglcrgDcAg_8XJE0DOONP8rhQz03TGr9BsjMpWzcF1CUgXElwnFwHjfedN7KZ3zge-id0l8NS-HX5ErSK2YEaA3N-9yAprdvKNKV-iDRiJoV5kqZQtpFJPn/s200/007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564191822310869522" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'd cut up the squares for myself originally, with the intention of making a queen-size quilt for my bed. Ambitious for a beginner, I know, which is why it landed itself in the "unfinished objects" pile after I sewed together about 20 squares. There it stayed for the best part of a year. Then with Christmas approaching I thought, "Hey that'd make a nice little lap quilt! I'd just have to back it with something..." and not long after I saw a polar fleece throw at Ikea for about $6. So I bought one, sewed it onto the squares with some shiny metallic thread, and before I knew it - I was in love with this little guy! Of course, from that love was born a new crafting obsession.<br /><br />So my brother-in-law's girlfriend got one for Christmas too. As did my son, his was different - my first attempt at a proper 3-layer quilt with wadding. He chose colours, I just put it together:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DlzH3McI7DI_Ah8S6eZ1-vCarPFF0TQfcp9d_fHZdQgAajllXzzo0bsKxr-5YuLCrIcpj4DN8fR-KTdn32AtPr0_XVIEr0z4vfQnwjMHBXzRlk8XvMtEIkHXNCL0Q49YbfcjHFRRmkZa/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DlzH3McI7DI_Ah8S6eZ1-vCarPFF0TQfcp9d_fHZdQgAajllXzzo0bsKxr-5YuLCrIcpj4DN8fR-KTdn32AtPr0_XVIEr0z4vfQnwjMHBXzRlk8XvMtEIkHXNCL0Q49YbfcjHFRRmkZa/s200/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564196861895116082" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I went with a simple pattern for ease, yet somehow I managed to screw it up too. The squares aren't all perfectly square, I blame my hand-cut fabric for this. I have now invested in a rotary cutter, a few quilts too late I think, but my "slicie" as I've been calling him, is my new friend. He helped me create this quilt for my best bud's birthday:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCnXYIh_yVbASrAJvGjMV_CbPpW9-763YNyv2KUGklxcEq3PAlJMj7yN3RyCPLU1rl5WlaJFRdqXRhUk3IYlOeYfNncnxFY9r3Cd3bv4oKzPrb9Og-okeAwlZpxnRBFp87GlAA2z8cKMp/s1600/Filmstrip+quilt.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCnXYIh_yVbASrAJvGjMV_CbPpW9-763YNyv2KUGklxcEq3PAlJMj7yN3RyCPLU1rl5WlaJFRdqXRhUk3IYlOeYfNncnxFY9r3Cd3bv4oKzPrb9Og-okeAwlZpxnRBFp87GlAA2z8cKMp/s200/Filmstrip+quilt.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564197842137108370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I really like this one! Originally, I didn't like it so much. There was none of the black sashing and all those fabrics together just looked way too busy. So in the fashion of pretty much everything I make, I had to change something at the last moment to rescue it from the brink of ugliness. I think I achieved that goal.<br /><br />Very little of what I make ends up like I originally planned. I think in this way, my crafting has helped me to adapt better, and go with the flow. I'm usually an all-or-nothing kind of person, where it has to be a certain way or I want no part of it. Control freak, I hear you say? I'm not so much of a control freak, as someone who has a vision and can't rest until it's realised. But making something with my own hands...I guess it shows me that even when something is in my control it still doesn't always go how I expected. A very good lesson that translates into life.Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-22185502423945953722011-01-09T13:49:00.001-08:002011-01-09T13:53:58.430-08:00Long time, no...something.Hey y'all,<br /><br />It's been a while since I blogged last. In fact, over a year. Oh. Well anyway, lots has happened in the last 12 months so instead of trying to go back and talk about everything I've done since then, I think I'll just start from now and refer back to things I made last year.<br /><br />Prepare to embark on a crafting voyage!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-47022557361709143462009-12-15T19:57:00.000-08:002009-12-16T18:33:17.712-08:00Soft squishy friendsI don't know what's happened to me recently, but I look at the toys around for kids and think, "What a load of garbage!" It could be that they really ARE garbage, what with their one intended use that allows minimal imagination, the likelihood that they're made in China with lead based paints, or the fact that I am slowly turning into a cross between the mother from Malcolm in the Middle and an angry Nana. Take your pick, they're all in some part true.<br /><br />Anyways, I decided that I'd make a few soft toys for Christmas for the kiddies. Here's my first few toys:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY6t5-hDOPt2x6BXyaCxTRUkPsw1_eA9KxWu91bzIjlrRctgmiqLW22T7DZnFPoYVYzjfoI4RCwfgOfVepewTJZjP3OwNEr5txOzbxTVFgQ34S7H6TetETt5P5oU8_XgF5Jjx6_xe-Fss/s1600-h/pirate+kitty.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 196px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY6t5-hDOPt2x6BXyaCxTRUkPsw1_eA9KxWu91bzIjlrRctgmiqLW22T7DZnFPoYVYzjfoI4RCwfgOfVepewTJZjP3OwNEr5txOzbxTVFgQ34S7H6TetETt5P5oU8_XgF5Jjx6_xe-Fss/s200/pirate+kitty.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415679660501403938" /></a><br /><br />The pirate kitty - looks kinda like a little devil!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV0AbAXdzPpwvj_ULx_yWyzXY9pJMLRFjFL_-3e8Mnfj_ajYKQ1Otlpz0aeCn6oFdP3POkOF1iLlIc3mlNezXSZoX65QKNMEoeK5lYbAexegNlRBpGKs-WU7VDece62-zXl2qHphZJ1pd/s1600-h/girl+front.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV0AbAXdzPpwvj_ULx_yWyzXY9pJMLRFjFL_-3e8Mnfj_ajYKQ1Otlpz0aeCn6oFdP3POkOF1iLlIc3mlNezXSZoX65QKNMEoeK5lYbAexegNlRBpGKs-WU7VDece62-zXl2qHphZJ1pd/s200/girl+front.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415679652307541826" /></a><br /><br />"Peanut Girl"<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjGP17da8ANqJezPDPbtttu2oK-AVp9iibQ67v602A0QMozByuAMJjxk7Qx1SbXqK04BLvBpcdj5QwZ20s6oRtC7_uK4rHtjbbYo3NOKhwX4I-99ssxmdnRYMi_WQmPHic8ZkWbXgtH9K/s1600-h/green+pillow+pal.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjGP17da8ANqJezPDPbtttu2oK-AVp9iibQ67v602A0QMozByuAMJjxk7Qx1SbXqK04BLvBpcdj5QwZ20s6oRtC7_uK4rHtjbbYo3NOKhwX4I-99ssxmdnRYMi_WQmPHic8ZkWbXgtH9K/s200/green+pillow+pal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415679650493650498" /></a><br /><br />Pillow-y dollface thingy<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecm-sUIORw9o8yuiw51DaCW1jF-NR_ZiLQ7daVEGHhQMUy0K04hXmxToL-5Wz-dUbOY9MyBDH3tdLmtZBr0OynX5UJHxpmPNpBocxoL4S_EtjiHjrav7pzl0WIzTIUkmA1OJrUwXO8P8B/s1600-h/lovabun.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecm-sUIORw9o8yuiw51DaCW1jF-NR_ZiLQ7daVEGHhQMUy0K04hXmxToL-5Wz-dUbOY9MyBDH3tdLmtZBr0OynX5UJHxpmPNpBocxoL4S_EtjiHjrav7pzl0WIzTIUkmA1OJrUwXO8P8B/s200/lovabun.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416027468844515410" /></a><br /><br />Lovabun<br /><br />I like them, they're different. And squishy!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-20945668121141211502009-12-12T01:59:00.000-08:002009-12-12T02:18:33.920-08:00Just like Nana used to make!I've finished a few more presents for Christmas, these ones are of the old school "Nana crochet" variety. No, they're not tea cozies but almost as good as.<br /><br />First up is an Aussie football scarf. Look at that green and gold goodness! The funky tassles! This is crochet as it's been for generations...well, at least the generations that support football. Yay team! I'm not a fan of tassles, but this was a gift and it was requested that they be added. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rlV_LZLDMg1M0HH4S2jynSVfQFHCFoKmvUmHnRVWrQNMTxkb5iGaZxhzOJ3wKJeOAhnReIDlDIH43si-0BiIYyYiX0Xn078ONe-EQOE3hATVBAFLLmC91HdPBbHUURO5QhAd-Gh-YP26/s1600-h/finished+footy+scarf.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 162px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rlV_LZLDMg1M0HH4S2jynSVfQFHCFoKmvUmHnRVWrQNMTxkb5iGaZxhzOJ3wKJeOAhnReIDlDIH43si-0BiIYyYiX0Xn078ONe-EQOE3hATVBAFLLmC91HdPBbHUURO5QhAd-Gh-YP26/s200/finished+footy+scarf.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414288338308900386" /></a><br /><br /><br />Ok, this is classic Nana crochet, but for good reason. How useful is a hanging hand towel? All right, no need to answer, it was meant to be rhetorical. Anyway, I love these things and I reckon they make a perfect little gift for someone, especially as a housewarming present. I see a lot of them at craft markets, but they're made with tea towels cut or folded in half. I like to use the thick, high quality cotton face washers, they're very absorbent and soft (tea towels can be quite scratchy) and come in some awesome colours. I bought some face washers with the printed jaquard pattern on them (you know, cut away in the shape of a flower with a flower printed over the top, giving it a 3D effect?) so that I can make some ultra-retro funky ones.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbW0FPpyttUbr1aC18ZtcqW9CcxQlksugs11222GxP2VbmDBUWVtg7CBldiQ3xFkeunciTscyEVEdDoP9Xn5-WCGm2uARRhALY2zSL-LnNt9vFs6h887_jRltJ_oifr3JRLIDsGM3t3Liv/s1600-h/hand+towel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbW0FPpyttUbr1aC18ZtcqW9CcxQlksugs11222GxP2VbmDBUWVtg7CBldiQ3xFkeunciTscyEVEdDoP9Xn5-WCGm2uARRhALY2zSL-LnNt9vFs6h887_jRltJ_oifr3JRLIDsGM3t3Liv/s200/hand+towel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414291929395618610" /></a>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-16197260496740640162009-11-28T14:46:00.000-08:002009-11-28T14:57:03.453-08:00Something edible!<p align="left">Ok, today I'm going to post something OTHER than fabric or fibre crafts. Mmm, rocky road! I just gave my very basic recipe to my friend and thought, well since I've just written it up I should blog it. So, here is the *recipe* I use but keep in mind, I change it every time I make it. This is perfect to make then pop in a nice tin or container as a Christmas present. Or, you know, you could just eat it yourself. Whatever, I'm not the boss of you.<br /></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 140px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409290248608534514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Y2kNRAYDas7g1mimo0AQAXpvqkffuS0EGByIUjzax70s_IPwRbtxLMhefevky-eRsLDuGItmE_0un96LIZfeVHE6v6-M5JyeF6GUPnWk1V5c8XmNaXKwwdDNZkHqrildZ740dXpCT895/s200/rocky+road+honeycomb.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />- approx. 400g of chocolate<br />- approx 200-250g of marshmallows<br />- half bag of red licorice<br />- selection of nuts & peanuts (cashews are our favourite)<br />- some sultanas or craisins (dried cranberries) or other dried fruits <br />- desiccated coconut<br /><br />Line a small baking tin or tray (like a loaf pan?) with greaseproof paper. Melt just less than half of the chocolate (I use the double-boiler method on the stove, a big bowl sitting over a pan of steaming hot water, but if you're confident in not burning the choc you can do it in the microwave) then dribble some on the baking paper in the tray. Start to lay down a foundation of marshmallows, licorice, nuts and dried fruit in the melted choc and when that's done, pour over some more melted chocolate. Sprinkle some coconut and some more of the smaller ingredients like the nuts and fruit, and dribble the rest of the chocolate over the top. Then make another layer of the bigger stuff like the marshmallows and licorice, and melt the rest of the choc. Just continue to make layers of the choc and the other ingredients until you've used up all the choc. Stick it in the fridge for a few hours, then you can use a big-arse knife to cut it into the size pieces you like. <br /><br />Obviously, you can use half the amount of ingredients to make a smaller batch, but in my experience with Greg and myself (and a little help from Dylan too!) it's so good that even using the big block of choc, the batch doesn't last very long. Gone in just over a week?? I usually cut the licorice pieces in half before I put them in because Greg likes to have a little bit of everything in each piece, and I have to say it looks really pretty when you cut it in half. I've also used choc orange chocolate before, which was really good! You could really put anything in there that can be choc dipped, maybe even some crushed biscuit chunks? I used up a few leftover pieces of smashed choc honeycomb in the last batch I made. The key is, quality ingredients will give you a quality result. I made the mistake of using cheap marshmallows on the first batch I made and it was rubbish! I haven't done that again.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 156px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409290090907137186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuV6j253ScA2Et4WO-7XRmPE5-glsNGROpuw54ABUyIdS3IaOc5lNACwgsyaWM8Wx2DseZN9TGTbcNkdZ2k5dwjEMYwE_Izsd8sN9t2q6p8aJOEIxXCKQv1NDhVEQu9xcrc2vf8Ve55t8/s200/cross+section.jpg" />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-36687061924068541212009-11-10T01:42:00.001-08:002009-11-10T03:06:09.361-08:00I can tell that we are gonna be friends!Well, here it is in all it's finished glory - the red white and black blanket! I thought the dramas I had with this one would end my love affair with crochet, but now that it's done and sent off to it's intended recipient (and if this is YOU then please act shocked when you open it!) I have to say, I'm really happy with it.<br /><div><br /></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 246px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402408369434258482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk69hVpv91ICuQPzMYlCHmyJ3jPoiIAx_ne8skpku5BT22HkM0FIXQJLfSmGr2JOPcJYRl383V59_ev03EmRZXX0OGnNAnjO6_EUrk3hBAsj3TZpQTl-IFiDRdpPERHF5ND-KVfjJYHb_6/s400/Red+black+and+white+blanket.jpg" /><br />So now that we're all friends again, let me explain from the beginning why this blanket nearly drove me up the wall.<br /><br />The original concept was simple: a blanket made up of 9 squares (50cm each) so it would be 150cm square. It was to be in different tones of red, black, white, grey and burgundy. Each square would be made using a different crochet technique, so that it had a patchwork feel to it.<br /><br />The first square to be completed was the skull square. I'd seen a pattern on Flickr (thanks to underthevalley <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nat_neko/3456699344/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/nat_neko/3456699344/</a> ) and wanted to give it a go, and so I did. I loved the result but decided I didn't care for making picture designs in crochet as there are far, far too many ends to weave in. And we all know how I feel about end-weaving! So I went back to my list and changed the few squares that would require much end-weaving. The only one I left was the square with the wording, I figured I was writing block letters and the end-weaving was minimal, so I wrote myself a pattern for the words and got stuck in. I learned that it doesn't matter if you're working in straight lines or doing small patches of colour, there's still a hell of a lot of little fluffy end bits that need seeing too. Hmm, let's re-assess the patterns, I say.<br /><br />Next was a black and white checkerboard patterned square (which sadly, didn't make the final cut). I decided I'd make it like 5 little scarves, alternating between black and white after so many rows, then stitching them together side-by-side at the end. I thought it would would quicker than making granny squares and stitching them together, and there would be less ends. True, there were less ends. But it wasn't quicker and the end result was a square that wasn't actually square but rectangular. Bum.<br /><br /></div><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402417970483297762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pi5DZZcyYd-lW844auz8lQnQ4hXb3ym1p9JY-e3A-kT5mWoCNziSjNP7m7FhTpdeCdk2owbHsN9hyphenhyphen_t8Zgd_21WS1MrxEr8QZlbK9nvlG1H4xBHtOdHtUWLOSClO4y2Ac2vf70uxgzdI/s200/Checker+square.JPG" />So, feeling peeved I started on the mitred square and was pleased with how it looked. It's a great pattern and nicely geometric, but when I laid it out with the squares and rectangle I'd already done, I decided that geometric shapes need balance and symmetry, so I had to complete 3 more to make the corner squares. However, I ran out of the yarn I was using and had to use different yarn on the 4th square. No big drama, *recipient* won't notice, right? Just keep going...<br /><br />Next was a gorgeous square made from 9 granny squares out of the Jan Eaton "200 crochet blocks" book, in the red, white, grey, black and burgundy colour combo I had originally intended. It's pretty, I think. However, you may notice it's not part of the final blanket.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402418550557436562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zwSOvKqRPPYpkYbRZSR96UI8Vtn34emDZpA6PVVGjQuuI6XfVIVlNiQqTbODeKGacoFifcifGfZUZ1ghZO3Tn4mxwt7-ZXym3nU9EZ7e-kNpdKTUln-CKuniMw3vrr2e3g_7zm_TTFBT/s200/9+patch+square.JPG" /><br /><div>So now I'm up to 8 of 9 of the squares. Good, I'm on the home stretch now and I just need one more square to finish it off and hooray! we're done. I decide to make a nice striped square with the same colours of the Jan Eaton squares so that they all tie in to one another. It worked up quickly and again, I think it looks lovely.</div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402420505229784034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_LzTYHCwHnzFs8ByvmYh8rZePPAcUr4OSG9Qu4ekZ3EFqXOPRpwnG5W5U91hCLnLV4j2jg1bky79loTUGPK4Fq8e17qfRHdnsLUEB5wrEzudQzOj3e968_Z9bjhbwy8K-4xr9WE1f80I/s200/striped+square.JPG" />I clear the loungeroom floor of everything and lay out the squares, but I don't think it looks right. After about 15 minutes of "what if I swap that one with this, and rotate that one like this...." I look to my husband and say, "It sucks and I hate it". To which he tactfully answers, "It doesn't suck baby, just...have you tried...?" and suggested the layouts I'd previously tried. Nothing. I sighed, picked up the checkerboard square and say "It's all your fault, you just don't fit in!!" and toss it in the spare room. Again, it's the symmetry that bothers me. It just isn't balanced and I need to find something similar to the skull because then it'll be even and it'll be perfect.</div><div></div><br /><div>I need something gothy, something punk and symbolic...hours of fruitless internet searching yields nothing but a migraine that leaves me blind in the right eye. There's nothing for it but to write my own pattern. Gasp! Hence the ankh pattern was born, and I stitched it up and was well impressed with the result. (See previous post for patterns).</div><br /><div>Then, looking at the squares laid out again, I turn to my husband and say "The squares with the grey have to go - but what will take their place?" Unfortunately, he's an xbox man and doesn't know much about crochet (other than, it's what I do!), so I jump back on the internet and search for free patterns. After a day of seaching, I decide I'm willing to pay for something. Another day, no results. Bugger it. So, I create the crow pattern. I stitch him up and I'm happy with that one too. Although, I did realise about 3/4 of the way through I'd used 12 ply yarn while I'd been using 8 ply previously. Probably had something to do with the yarn band being in German or Dutch or something. Hmm. Oh well I'm almost done now!<br /></div><div>The last square. This is it, the final showdown. I was going to try a dragon pattern I had, but pulled it undone 3 times and decided it just wasn't going to work. The problem is, I like to work in double crochet (trebles for UK terminology) so this messes with the patterns. I do 2 doubles per one stitch on the chart when working across, but only one for the height since it's a double and is already twice the height. This means that the design ends up being a little fatter than the chart represents, or a little shorter than it's supposed to be. This was the reason I dismissed the awesome pentagram design from Sooticas Dream on Flickr ( <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sooticasdream/3476198617/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/sooticasdream/3476198617/</a>) because it'd mess with it too much. Then I had a brilliant idea. I'd work the pattern from the side, so that it stretched it up instead of out. Success!</div><div> </div><div>Then yesterday, I laid it out and thought "Yes, this is it!" and whip stitched those suckers together, then finished off with a border of white single crochet. It's done, as of 12.35am last night. I posted it off this morning, and now I am happy again. Next project please!!</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-62446806567301670562009-11-02T14:43:00.000-08:002009-11-02T15:07:41.757-08:00The Blanket That May Just Push Me Over The EdgeYes...this may the one that causes a mental breakdown. It's certainly been responsible for many a foul swear word in the last few weeks. The "red black and white blanket" will be mentioned in this post today, and maybe one photo of it once it's completed...then we will never speak of said item EVER again.<br /><br />I'm making the blanket for someone I love dearly, which may be why I am stressing so much over it. Searching the internet for free patterns that fall under the catergory of "goth" or "punk" yields very little, even the ones you need to pay for are very light-on. So I've had to write my own patterns, which sounds easy enough in theory but ughhhhh, it's not.<br /><br />Anyway, since I've written these ones and there aren't many freebies on the net, I thought I'd share them here. Use them for your own personal work, but don't try and resell it or claim it as your own work. I believe in "credit where credit is due" so please do the right thing. Oh, and if you use it, I'd LOVE to see a picture of it!<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Like the Joy Division song</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx37-bfIzQJcsmpHaq5KG7Awgyj-fonYOLoiYIUM1BVs6z4zLLv8Mt3WJo5Xmji63JmcO7SC6Zhi1XXN_OIlNCv78hTsq5Lx9-BtzHw4zuQ2KFgqm-mP9jRiOqsAw2PvuzWtE74mMZI9QE/s1600-h/wording+pattern.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 285px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399641238903188738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx37-bfIzQJcsmpHaq5KG7Awgyj-fonYOLoiYIUM1BVs6z4zLLv8Mt3WJo5Xmji63JmcO7SC6Zhi1XXN_OIlNCv78hTsq5Lx9-BtzHw4zuQ2KFgqm-mP9jRiOqsAw2PvuzWtE74mMZI9QE/s320/wording+pattern.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Crow on a branch<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCX85FZgIIMkLBAbodAHKTSGnJ0YI2XwDsP5c0GjTDwpf4IBk5UFdIpjL9V4skvhkENghdlnTFpCkiaEL4-NEtWfx1wqJFYPC-x_usrgHT70YxD7pBQ5hOuk8qqDtMZVZCqk-kwRXrKZF/s1600-h/bird+pattern.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 312px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399641159946768770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCX85FZgIIMkLBAbodAHKTSGnJ0YI2XwDsP5c0GjTDwpf4IBk5UFdIpjL9V4skvhkENghdlnTFpCkiaEL4-NEtWfx1wqJFYPC-x_usrgHT70YxD7pBQ5hOuk8qqDtMZVZCqk-kwRXrKZF/s320/bird+pattern.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />Ankh (Egyptian cross)</span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfIsXRT0H5aKKPl7PWcpZZbsXv6SVNdG09HAjBpcFfoANSMkOPEVHWRQvyZh8Sk4jJcRfvtrM_QJAA2OOzGQA0U61etf2wyY9UEEBWQ10vmWcb3cAk5nDpFHo3OIq8gss1NG-2f_2Mlrk/s1600-h/ankh+pattern.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399641066115533378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfIsXRT0H5aKKPl7PWcpZZbsXv6SVNdG09HAjBpcFfoANSMkOPEVHWRQvyZh8Sk4jJcRfvtrM_QJAA2OOzGQA0U61etf2wyY9UEEBWQ10vmWcb3cAk5nDpFHo3OIq8gss1NG-2f_2Mlrk/s320/ankh+pattern.jpg" /></a></div><div> </div><div align="left">I have crocheted extra squares for this blanket, and either abandoned them in the spare room or just pulled them undone (doesn't that just make you want to cry?). Really, this blanket is getting my goat and I'll be really happy when it's done and I can wrap it up and send it away. Does anyone else have a project like that, that they'll be happy to see the end of? Let me know!<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><br /></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-86395535975100957032009-10-28T19:45:00.000-07:002009-10-28T20:09:20.859-07:00Slippers<div align="left">On one of my many trips around the internet looking for patterns to finish off the *seemingly endless* red black and white blanket I'm working on (I'll explain later), I came across a pattern for these cute granny square slippers. My friend's birthday is coming up and I thought they'd make an excellent little gift. I used leftover yarn from the rainbow ripple blanket I did, and they came out looking really pretty...my son liked them too so I made him a pair in his size! The good thing about the pattern is that it's so adaptable, and you can use up scraps in something functional. I like that they were quick to make.<br /></div><div align="left">Pattern is from the Purl Bee: <a href="http://www.purlbee.com/granny-square-slippers/">www.purlbee.com/granny-square-slippers/</a><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div align="left"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 216px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397848315512888034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjLQyrP7C9VzzOBRskoT3oQnIYMH7vTFXNJxyTnRK_jBkzHeqlKeRiPFiwVO_4y4K_F3jXi5V7M9eKBt_127EeQSs8s-5i5GaVCrQaTr34aujw7xdszGQlx9iftUEtme7SM85PLNdA1Ga/s320/granny+square+slippers.jpg" /><span style="font-size:85%;">Green and blue square is the toe end, pink and green the heel: multi-coloured squares are the soles.</span><br /></div><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></p><div><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 276px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397852966339612946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3QbMrg8IadUI0YwtswwAxD4nvidnVQpbFksTwnMD9iohpSEz0oCJNfGvd5nzYmWMPZs4ArF3hLcPpUp65GkWiNjjd3moUa4mlTqUtvto6tB55UVqvgZ2rxn1ExXulq6c85M_ZfiIAoPs/s320/wearing+slippers.jpg" /><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Just to give you an idea of what they look like on! </span></p><p align="center"><br /> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 234px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397852418891298114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK769yTgV3D_MrG3CVXf4IwiUL-HLytPT_KU-TtzRdHUj8QaI5osH8QLS_6jMaIJPtKG5S05LraPHcK9PkbctNmh653qlRoxdpv8qpHiI5c2OIER4mWHMDHepMIVMxuu5oqQvLHX3UA6yT/s320/small+slippers.jpg" /> </p><br /><br /><div align="center">Small ones for my boy<br /><br /></div><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-41045462891918007512009-09-29T20:49:00.000-07:002009-09-29T21:10:08.433-07:00The Handcrafted Gift Season has begun...Yes, it's coming close to Christmas and the time of year I have to really crank out the pressies. There's a whole lot of birthdays coming up in the months before Christmas, then the big event itself, so that doesn't leave much time. Chop chop, snap to it and all that!<br /><br />This wrap skirt is a birthday gift that needs to get sent today if it's to make it to the recipient in time. I finished it about an hour ago. You wouldn't think a wrap skirt would be too hard, would you? Well in actual fact it isn't really, it's just that I always find taking direction from other people all too hard and end up making things difficult for myself because I just want to do it my way. (Yeah, fight the system! The Man isn't going to hold me down!)<br /><br />Anyways, it's done and I think it turned out pretty cute. I just love the Japanese style fabric, I'm not sure if you can tell but there's actually metallic gold print for the outlines. I used the pattern (kind of!) from <a href="http://www.bigredcouch.com/journal/archives/2007/03/wrap-skirt.html">http://www.bigredcouch.com/journal/archives/2007/03/wrap-skirt.html</a> but because I'm not quite sure of the exact size of the person receiving this (she just had a baby but is usually about the same size as me) I made a little bigger than needed to fit me then added 2 darts to the back panel. That way there's enough fabric to let it out if needed, but it's ready to wear if she's about the same size.<br /><br />There were many a sew/unpick drama in the making of this skirt but I think I finally got it right. I think. Doesn't help that the presser foot doesn't stay up on my sewing machine anymore, which is a worry since I had it replaced once before and the machine is only 12 months old - not sure if I'm too hard on it or it's just a design fault. Ho hum, better take it out to get fixed again!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvG4shdJ3md5bluAOrhfdNMKAbCAv3NpNqDHKQHKoS1dxxjMOeJDFMRPU1wMbumd2ETI8V0cxc9iWYqVuvj1Sto5oCL7r2ERlQfDp6HcZUTzqTCzVRrANSMS71OxqRnK1c4N-y8QQXhTi/s1600-h/skirt+front2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387103815904093490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvG4shdJ3md5bluAOrhfdNMKAbCAv3NpNqDHKQHKoS1dxxjMOeJDFMRPU1wMbumd2ETI8V0cxc9iWYqVuvj1Sto5oCL7r2ERlQfDp6HcZUTzqTCzVRrANSMS71OxqRnK1c4N-y8QQXhTi/s320/skirt+front2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />I'm working on some other crochet stuff too, pics soon...<br /><div></div></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-35280036100171658272009-09-02T16:14:00.000-07:002009-09-02T16:23:10.574-07:00Working on the Neverending WIPLast night, I finished the row of neutral colours for this blanket. I'd already finished the row of varigated colours and the warm stripe was one of the first things I'd done! I attached them late last night, and there's only one long row left to do - cool blues, greens and purples for the right side of the blanket (opposite side to the pink/yellow/red long stripe). I'd really just like to have this finished and done with, which means a virtual sweatshop to get that last row done...but I've got a heap of other things I'm working on and I'm at a crossroads with what to do.<br /><div></div><br /><div>Anyway, the latest additions to this blanket are the neutral colours across the top, varigated row along the bottom and the pink/yellow/red etc long stripe down the left side.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377014087796976018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 275px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Y_SbYwKwUxXY0xfYnCx6HnRa47wVJ9xZ-paIzss0iQYdeuk_-_xm5UN-i0Rv-uT4FBo5MzjFgVeLSjXR5fg3XWoiyImwgYSlRn3mX1UPe8HGmutUt1_wsSQeTZufJSYcwtJ2W3oCiIn3/s320/WIP+one+row+left.jpg" border="0" /></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-37608857001977672532009-09-02T03:29:00.001-07:002009-09-02T03:37:45.290-07:00Recycle UpcycleI've not written for a while because I've been working on a few projects that are to be gifts for people who may actually read this, so I'm not going to fill you in on that just yet! Let's just say, the after-Christmas posting is going to be HUGE. We'll leave it at that.<br /><br />In the meantime, check out the awesome retro shopping bags I made from an old tablecloth. Pretty slick huh? I got 4 from this tablecloth, and I've cut up a vintage Sheridan sheet and got 6 bags from that. They're mostly done, I just lost momentum with them and put them aside for now. I'll get back to them later...for now I just love these ones. Funny, I didn't think much of the tablecloth in it's original form, but love these now they're bags.<br /><br />Pattern from <a href="http://www.morsbags.com/">http://www.morsbags.com</a><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376815445432912386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 242px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntpIO-qCgumr5RgwatzvQkdt1RAeMIbjfm6qsQP7BPkGBLHD8MFOtucd4EFObCcq2G7fY6kb_qlpAaBrs6fn0khRQkKy7ftoeRGDm9XISdirkhyphenhyphentWdK5y4_VV4mzgcjb4oBkvvzmv2z0J/s320/shopping+bags.jpg" border="0" />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-87308329946190578972009-08-12T20:23:00.000-07:002009-08-12T20:32:40.294-07:00Pocket-sized dragons<div><div>A little while ago I had a go at making an amigurumi dragon pattern, which turned out pretty good. In fact, it was pretty popular among my friends and I even made a couple for a quick bit of cash! It also had a good response on Flickr, and so after urgings from Biz I have now written the pattern out and plan to sell it on Etsy. (She's going to test it for me and see if the instructions make sense...) This particular little orange and green guy will be for my nephew's birthday in a few weeks time, I needed to make one to test and perfect the pattern so he's been quite useful. Cute too, don't you think?</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369285617523417202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 261px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwozuDi06m_fRlmGGuEgmNlEWcBaph_DoLnb9tM23GDUGbNasf4q0c8VJLkmFRKSFtd6TGCJmy8CQ3XR59p-xS7gW5ZeWWuMXfcCNuI6qsEhyphenhyphenEvRIHrkdQkfSm0HAf2NXWZmsckc1-W348/s320/posing+right.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369284987085776034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 274px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E8EzWEZMbP-0c1YpN8XW6RHDFXNRN_XhWLKoxieVNPhDgF8WLCoLj-szJGYKnyGlHrR3RC_Q4Y56wPQUNugvounV1rm99brOuEesChejtqK2ZLjeJfh0yj8rFpPeIDj-JBZH4bmUc6FZ/s320/orange+and+green.jpg" border="0" /></div></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-40220450026008947542009-08-06T04:20:00.000-07:002009-08-06T04:36:00.248-07:00Things with facesA few months ago, my beautiful arty friend Haline gave me a book on making Amigurumi - little crochet toys. It's gorgeous and has given me something else I can crochet besides blankets and scarves! I made a whole lot out of the book, came up with a pattern of my own and raided other people's blogs and craft pages for free patterns too. Yay internet!<br /><br />I've now sent my 2nd Flickr Amigurumi swap overseas...although I think this may be the last one for a bit. VERY expensive to send the stuff, that's the downfall of living in Australia I suppose. It's a long way to anywhere from here! For this swap I made a cupcake and a mushroom with faces, I reckon they're cute and hopefully the girl I sent them to likes them also.<br /><br /><div align="center">Cakie and Mushie</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTppdQp-rxRK2NqrOrRuemJmoij_NFsJdkXxhgW88NdAMk0qxQc-8FEOLgH1-fXWKXnqOf2Jsabg1DuViw8EA8Q0V_QYcn-JiFYDNX0h-AiSCfcgCbo1Oy1PV-lYcg9Joukrd00eOlMRCv/s1600-h/kawaii+friends.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366810022052523362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 216px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTppdQp-rxRK2NqrOrRuemJmoij_NFsJdkXxhgW88NdAMk0qxQc-8FEOLgH1-fXWKXnqOf2Jsabg1DuViw8EA8Q0V_QYcn-JiFYDNX0h-AiSCfcgCbo1Oy1PV-lYcg9Joukrd00eOlMRCv/s320/kawaii+friends.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />This little doughnut guy was made for Biz, for my first Ami swap. He was based on the character from the Wrigley's Extra gum ad - <a href="http://www.munkmotion.com/ver4/projectsPage.php?id=00003&img=00052">http://www.munkmotion.com/ver4/projectsPage.php?id=00003&img=00052</a><br /><br />And, in a not-so-co-incidental co-incidence, the guy who designed this character happens to be friends with the girl who gave me the original Amigurumi book. Oooh freaky! The circle of life, people, the circle of life....<br /><br /><div align="center">Pink doughnut guy</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDH3RfZdd7Yfz2CnWMvpabcop18MXetWayC_EyX8FtfTFFrb23jjUomxHSbH-0FMu-sX2frFe0CLPkTyDkDPAytuFUE4Wjqd1n-OrMQ6pvAlWtR72EM5nezarVHtRTMwPU6oevorWEEMSA/s1600-h/pinkdonutguy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366810010923318546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 277px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDH3RfZdd7Yfz2CnWMvpabcop18MXetWayC_EyX8FtfTFFrb23jjUomxHSbH-0FMu-sX2frFe0CLPkTyDkDPAytuFUE4Wjqd1n-OrMQ6pvAlWtR72EM5nezarVHtRTMwPU6oevorWEEMSA/s320/pinkdonutguy.jpg" border="0" /></a>My other amigurumi pictures can be seen on my Flickr account, there's not enough room here for me to upload them all.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32075641@N02/sets/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/32075641@N02/sets/</a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-8366492142387758282009-08-02T06:02:00.000-07:002009-08-02T06:19:29.150-07:00Experiments in MiniaturesI'm doing my second Amigurumi swap on Flickr at the moment. My swap partner has Blythe dolls and I thought it might be cute to crochet a Blythe-sized chocolate cake. The thing is, I've never actually a) crocheted a cake and b) done anything in miniature. So wisely (and without an actual pattern) I had a go at making one anyway. Here's how it went:<br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Side angle view</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFCjavba6Qa_IQIltzu8pIILRUGd_1mUzcjcbMQUmso0UDPxYxN-7ZRZWsiIk35NwnDt-iwsccAIYw7NEzELaap5vIuDMjbSqkFDegaGd-ZzXf7OyxVCuBK0arH5b230TFQj2jxGsj6Gc/s1600-h/cake+with+hook.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365351560158542690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 243px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFCjavba6Qa_IQIltzu8pIILRUGd_1mUzcjcbMQUmso0UDPxYxN-7ZRZWsiIk35NwnDt-iwsccAIYw7NEzELaap5vIuDMjbSqkFDegaGd-ZzXf7OyxVCuBK0arH5b230TFQj2jxGsj6Gc/s320/cake+with+hook.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center">Top view<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxm6_5qRnNCMjggUKmyH3iyki3WG4HoK6R8X92Np3uyi-iST5pxtNMdkEtxrTaKse3YNG9d24zjjPetI3-mD2i-D77yqPojHmWCTB3u3jj4aGW6QhBe3r7oPIW2NZYZbuqYYOJgXfpdTS/s1600-h/cake+top+view.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365351550954407122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 279px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxm6_5qRnNCMjggUKmyH3iyki3WG4HoK6R8X92Np3uyi-iST5pxtNMdkEtxrTaKse3YNG9d24zjjPetI3-mD2i-D77yqPojHmWCTB3u3jj4aGW6QhBe3r7oPIW2NZYZbuqYYOJgXfpdTS/s320/cake+top+view.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center">Close up</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365351541493908834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 277px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lT9tDEYMnmnbuRIYxPTHIzcguKamzlVDjTNBGajTHPEzKlRcxG2IK9VowtDcmbH6wqHaXzh1vDoCizh15LXRl92A8gsLBticxewPOAkq-LkSsto5cXPcAs5xl9TZ8veFL6zfwDQimrNu/s320/cake+close+up.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />It turned out all right, but I wasn't happy enough with it to send it off as a gift to someone. So I presented it to my own Blythe petite doll, Ruth. She dug it.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Qea18Fhaa76HXL3dC7HEe78McWbUuce4KzgE4tMKO_ipQhGLcCDqcTaCWmvj2GFg6aM0t6T91Z72Mj4cfnqiaY6Lpy-K521B1fzWCErYViXETBgF2HfVCZ7Eig1pl1h6kxSLwySybCeC/s1600-h/i+can+has+cake.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365351545782642898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 298px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Qea18Fhaa76HXL3dC7HEe78McWbUuce4KzgE4tMKO_ipQhGLcCDqcTaCWmvj2GFg6aM0t6T91Z72Mj4cfnqiaY6Lpy-K521B1fzWCErYViXETBgF2HfVCZ7Eig1pl1h6kxSLwySybCeC/s320/i+can+has+cake.JPG" border="0" /></a> Look at those eyes!!</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">The hook in the photos isn't the one I used to make the cake, it's just there for perspective. I actually used a size 3mm hook for this one, and some Anchor stranded cotton (the stuff used for cross stitch and embroidery). The beads on top are little coral hearts I bought from a clearance sale at Spotlight about 18 months ago.<br /></div><div align="left">When I finish the Amigurumi for the swap I'll post the pics here, along with the other one I did for the first swap with Biz.</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-59807372083178016082009-07-28T21:26:00.000-07:002009-07-28T22:10:37.633-07:00Opposite ends of the scaleLast night I finished the baby ripple blanket, yay! The edging is solid double crochet along the top and bottom, and a mesh along the sides. I used yarns of different thicknesses so the side edges were a little uneven, crocheting the mesh allowed it to "breathe" and even out a bit. It's still a little wavy but not enough to make me unhappy. So here we have a definite "finished object".<br /><div align="center">Green-blue baby ripple</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363740079891434690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 248px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2Gc41xJbIFzozit0rPkxAkp7wneJunPpVNMPDfp7SrIydAHJR0r7Td-93Bsfh63VutWfr6JVjfm7J3NPmZPCptkgmD3Wuo7f06vR8sxbI1tAeoaLVmeCT1dZEs0iHFm8inBTKFE-wssO/s320/greenblue+baby+ripple.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />On the other end of the scale, here is the WIP that has been in progress since December last year! It was meant to be a stash-buster and use up all the yarn I had, but the colours would have been a little bland and I ended up buying some more to mix it up! It's taken so long as I've been doing many, many other projects in the meantime, and I really want to finish it off so I can complete some other things without having this one hanging over me. I still have 4 strips to do, one for each side, so that it's final size is 2 metres square - big enough to cover our queen bed. Actually, I've done 2 of the 4 remaining sides but I haven't attached them yet. I need to finish the other 2 bits first so it can be pieced together properly.<br /><br /><div align="center">The never-ending WIP</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODtSLTLuTtnPUYWrudoJWS8aODekCYumORPeQwq3DP0SvAQNOQVCDtGKgwN9Enc_E1HPHRt022Ifjv78zrJVZDfLWu62my2bYBuQZHqSALLAKOMGWGoH5i_BsPxsxmJcP54T7aHrr4Vek/s1600-h/wip+queen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363740085467322818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODtSLTLuTtnPUYWrudoJWS8aODekCYumORPeQwq3DP0SvAQNOQVCDtGKgwN9Enc_E1HPHRt022Ifjv78zrJVZDfLWu62my2bYBuQZHqSALLAKOMGWGoH5i_BsPxsxmJcP54T7aHrr4Vek/s320/wip+queen.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div> I originally wanted to make a Babette blanket, but the idea of having different sized squares that needed to be pieced together kind of freaked me out. Why? I don't know. I'm just someone who needs things to be in order and equally balanced. When I crochet there needs to be a set colour pattern with repetition and equality. I tried to be random with some of the squares but even then, I set some kind of formula for how many rows of each colour. Bah! The green-blue baby ripple blanket was supposed to have random colour changes too, but it didn't. Still looks good though.</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-45524746048359449492009-07-24T20:16:00.001-07:002009-07-24T20:53:18.467-07:00Blanket mania pt. 2These are the 4 blankets I made for Christmas last year, 3 for my brother's kids and one for my own! I started about August which seems a little early, but I was planning my November wedding and wanted to get them all done in time. I did, well all except for my son's blanket. I ran out of orange yarn on Christmas Eve, drove like mad to the shops but they were already closed. Bummer! So he got it the day after Boxing day once the shops had opened for the mental Boxing Day sales and I had time to finish the remaining rows. He loves it and calls it his "Rainbow Blanket". It was a great way to use up lots of leftovers I had and wouldn't have used otherwise.<br /><br /><div align="center">Rainbow Blanket</div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIH0E1ypix5Rapy5Xu_XfU3ZaTucUKcwIaz_MmkL77HvpO3UAaDQI4Lj_8nPjXvzn9o53DpvqamG_NhvYTsgej-LmmFnYTewJaXsF8MiE2FMgJQPGejGjVpVG6HW6eR33dFSAjQla1159k/s1600-h/dylanrug.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362232435821180130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIH0E1ypix5Rapy5Xu_XfU3ZaTucUKcwIaz_MmkL77HvpO3UAaDQI4Lj_8nPjXvzn9o53DpvqamG_NhvYTsgej-LmmFnYTewJaXsF8MiE2FMgJQPGejGjVpVG6HW6eR33dFSAjQla1159k/s320/dylanrug.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left"> </p><p>This one is for my neice, she was 1 last Christmas and I wanted to give her a blanket that was bright but not over-the-top girly or babyish so she could still use it as she got older. I used the leftovers from this one to make the Rainbow Blanket for my son. There was only the one change of colour per square so I didn't bother weaving in the ends as I went, as a result when I'd finished all the squares I abandoned it and started (and completed!) the blankets for her 2 older brothers! I eventually went back and wove them all in, crying and swearing to myself that I'd never, EVER again leave the end-weaving 'til last. Ever.</p><p align="center">Bright Blanket</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362232091404694354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tqqRCmelw_PcvvPGtKR4VJRity2e2vfObxDGrvw3x5umLFj6pJpg7JvUH0BPlEb7cATRebqFK2U9AOFXFN14bbWlk1LLJEVhRXLF8QDAzt2FT8LBR_xgybfQvBQZZ9OjHKNXxhMTbad0/s320/mackrug2.JPG" border="0" /></p><p> </p><p>I like to think of this one as the "Forest" Blanket because of the earthy green and brown. My nephew loves bright lime green, but after searching and failing to find the green in question I decided that this colour scheme would still be nice. I'm not really a fan of brown as a colour, but recently I've found that it's actually a pretty good colour for blanket making. The green is almost an army green colour, and the lighter yarn is a varigated cream and beige. This one was fairly easy to make, as it's one large Granny Square. I changed the number of rounds so the further the colour bands came out from the middle, the more rows there were. And I just worked over the ends after a colour change so when it was all done I only had a few little bits to neaten up with a pair of scissors. Ha! Pure genius. Again, a colour scheme that still made the blanket useful as he got older.</p><p align="center">Forest Blanket</p><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtyJWDjXUjM8zpPoGNEhdqkrJNmUxQxhhJCZTSynXOqzX92Is5eizMVKfPPLoDd6ETYq-4vD4nXKtYLjLcu4ZCNT9DnMVWH525m2GMNXqDoVefYR3kxLYsdsFgz-E_Aj7B0NK7zwOuvtN/s1600-h/liamrug.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362232088036626530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtyJWDjXUjM8zpPoGNEhdqkrJNmUxQxhhJCZTSynXOqzX92Is5eizMVKfPPLoDd6ETYq-4vD4nXKtYLjLcu4ZCNT9DnMVWH525m2GMNXqDoVefYR3kxLYsdsFgz-E_Aj7B0NK7zwOuvtN/s320/liamrug.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="left"><br />This next one, for the oldest of my brother's 3, I was going with a "Delft Blue" theme, like the gorgeous pottery from the Netherlands. It was going to be all smaller Granny Squares alternating between the typical Granny Square with a few colour changes and one solid block of colour with a light blue border. But I got bored about halfway through and nearly abandoned it all together (seems to happen at the halfway mark with me - the first half is mega easy then the second half takes forever....) So I stopped and pieced together a 9 square centre. Then I did laps around it until it was big enough to fit the remaining squares as a border. Ta da! A beautiful finished lapghan in 3 shades of blue with cream. Classy!</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Delft Blue Blanket<br /><br /></div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBjUPYcklpfeT_Z9SGUiJfrr3cSKJwXVr36PNWNsr-tGqf8j1RJRAV53ND36LcA8Oalj7nptHpz0jXJhrXQ-nn0OBPhQy9yYldUiEomwcvfB117lF0OBTrKeHRBnp4PWHZBqBPzyPUTux/s1600-h/jeremyrug.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362231742268921026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBjUPYcklpfeT_Z9SGUiJfrr3cSKJwXVr36PNWNsr-tGqf8j1RJRAV53ND36LcA8Oalj7nptHpz0jXJhrXQ-nn0OBPhQy9yYldUiEomwcvfB117lF0OBTrKeHRBnp4PWHZBqBPzyPUTux/s320/jeremyrug.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5967395931799190532.post-46058753047153216652009-07-22T22:02:00.000-07:002009-07-22T22:48:51.651-07:00Blanket maniaI'm currently working on a ripple blanket in gender-neutral colours, as the parents aren't finding out the sex of the baby until it's born. What's up with that lately? Oh sure, I understand you want it to be a surprise, but it's not very convenient for the crafters who'd like to make you something ahead of time. *sigh* Well this is where I'm up to so far, I'm using the Neat Ripple Pattern by Attic24 <a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html">http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html</a> which is a really nice one and it's easy too. She's even put step-by-step piccies up so you can see where you've nuts it up. Awesome. I really love this pattern because it's pretty AND it's all in double crochet, my favourite stitch.<br /><br /><br /><div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361518173309015714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 294px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTWOWBZZ7KiknpLzExPJPvXBfPLq4N8TIMruRIElfpIyg4CqgyQnzQ8MeEGN-dG9yyL1D2f53rDj4BSAymXvqe4hh9v85Q7lWDX8UqYaE-64GTlUATMkcCmOH82igSrZ46szOQ1Sy8djS/s320/Baby+ripple.jpg" border="0" /></p><div><br /><br /><br /></div><p>I also did another baby ripple blanket in gender-neutral colours using a different pattern, Bev's Baby Ripple Afghan: <a href="http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/cp2.html">http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/cp2.html</a> This one is all in single crochet and takes a little longer, but geez it's nice.<br /><br /></p><p></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361519447750656754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRvdZcasXwRYYzw6SwE5IFqGFoWWf6lIMX4yBWdesybgq8Bnyjzl4mgR6LfJZqp4TeiTOuIQ6TFXzgJ-9CmfAJKdqfrJDs1l8HxKbDG4SPnc4NWHj4ZqjZI6fbq0EwP-grIQJabwp3cIv/s320/baby+rainbow+ripple.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>Speaking of neutral colour schemes, I've recently completed a blanket for a wedding gift and had major dramas picking something neutral that would suit both bride and groom. The bride does like pink and I started with this idea:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361520601770439986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4oUl6eQY6N6IyxFfq-wfiYIjSbJoqD5WtHvv-nS65gBw18xA9yiMSrb1lnSDC6Qs7FDmSd4IrScI1MmFsCYWIlQx8mTmFdmiVeBQfRZVzekglC2TmFEnr5Hqjeb8s-Dx66E7oJEUNxGR/s320/finished+baby+blanket.jpg" border="0" /> </div><div> </div><div>But it was too girly, I figured that out by the time I'd done the 9 centre squares and pieced them together. This pattern was my own using techniques I'd learned by looking at various websites. It was all ok though, I wanted to make a blanket for a friend who was having a baby girl (the convenience of knowing beforehand!) so this was perfect for her.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>After trawling the web for pattern and colour scheme ideas that would be both pleasing to the eye and gender-neutral for the future married couple, I decided on this. Chocolate brown, beige and cream mitred squares. I looked at a few patterns for the squares but I got confused (not hard when following someone else's instructions!) and just made it up. A 5-round square in cream, then changed colours and did only 2 sides of the square for the rest of it. There were 16 squares in total, and once it was all sewn up it's about 1.5m square.<br /><br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361521867649791922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51-rb_5yDqd-fuUXreqZ1wlrxfeJoMv82zJna4FGQ_cMJxHON3Qoet-74ftCnyHqJZpl2V3XxlgKqfClpfGwvPqLgR-mV21sq08TmJ_KFyzVVQYb_L0FSWKwVJr8iAygfJPkITx2rqYE4/s320/Cream+brown+finished.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>It's rather heavy and should be pretty warm. The stitches are solid with very little in the way of gaps throughout the blanket, only really on the corners of the squares where you do the turns.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I've done a whole heap more in the way of gift blankets and will post the pics and info later, these are just the most recent ones.</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599276505763276930noreply@blogger.com1