Something I couldn’t show you before!

A while ago for my daughter’s birthday I made a couple of cafetière cosies. Why two? Well they have two cafetières.

I had promised a cosy years ago but my daughter had never told me the measurements so on a recent visit I surreptitiously measured them and brought the measurements home on a scrap of paper.

She had liked my rainbow tea-cosyand I had tried out the Jacob’s ladder pattern on a small cosy for myself,so I decided to use those patterns.

In fact the latter had been a sort of trial run for hers as I knew, with the green walls in her kitchen, that was the sort of colour palette she favoured.

Here is a closer look. (Photographs taken just before I packed them up – it was obviously a dull day!)

FrontBackFrontBackAs you can see I decided they needed pretty buttons.

She really likes them but I think that I may have to take my crochet hook when I go there in a few weeks and make an adjustment to at least one of them.

This is because, since I took the measurements, one of the cafetières got broken and has been replaced (looked about the same size and design though when I was there recently) and I realised that with the other one the handle is actually joined at the bottom not the top! I seemed to have missed that fact when I made the cosy.

Since acrylic yarn stretches with time I have already reinforced the top with some shir elastic so it keeps up.

 

A Birthday doll

I think I have probably spent most of my time this last month working on this project and with time ‘of the essence’, as they say, I have had to give up being a perfectionist and just do the best I could in the time.

Originally I had just wanted to buy a boy (not baby) doll and make clothes for it. But not finding anything suitable in the shops, I resorted to making the doll myself.

Previously I have only made knitted dolls with integral clothes and I had no pattern, nor could I find one easily on the internet, so I decided to work up my own pattern. In the end I got quite ambitious.

I used these patterns that I had in my store to help with approximate number of stitches and shaping

but I had to modify all of them to get what I wanted.

I also found this chart on-line

which I used to give me an idea of the correct proportions for a three year old.

So you start with a naked boy doll.

Yes! I know he is two-tone. This is because I had a limited quantity of flesh coloured yarn, and plenty of the cream. So I decided to keep the flesh colour for the head and hands (& arms) which would show most. The cream is actually very poor quality in my opinion but I didn’t really realise that till later.

I decided to give him thumbs

and  stitched rows of small stitches to indicate fingers

and toes.

I am sure most of you could do a lot better with the stitching, which is a weak point of mine, but I wasn’t being a perfectionist; was I?

I decided not to try and make his legs and arms bend but as you can see I did indicate wrists and ankles.

I also gave him ears and nose as well as the essential eyes and mouth.

No! he’s not very pretty but then he doesn’t look girly either.

To finish: a modified version of Jean Greenhowe’s hair. The most important modification was wrapping the stitches when I turned mid row. That got rid of the holes. Yay!

So now he needs clothes.

Some underwear.

That’s better!

And a blue jumper and red trousers will be cheerful.

Let’s put them on!

And what about when he goes out?

He needs a coat and hat and shoes.

That’s cosy!

And to finish: a blanket for nap-time.

Most of the doll and his clothes were knitted but, as well as crochetting a blanket, I did use crochet for the irises of his eyes

and the red angry bird hat and blue and white trainers.

The patterns for these were modified versions of ones I found for free on-line.

Here are a couple of extras that I decided to include in the present.

My first version of the vest/T-shirt made in cotton, later embelished with a crochet edging and my first try at a pair of pants which are on the small side and with a folded over waistband that is maybe a bit too thick.

Well they will do as spares!

I wanted a doll that not only could be companion and object of nurturing (maybe) but would also have buttons and laces to give an opportunity to practise the necessary skills needed to cope with such things.

Both my grandsons are very fond of  ‘angy birds’ and have red angry bird hats so I had to give the doll one. Hope my grandson likes it.

 

 

So Soft Scarf!

Here it is.

And here is my story!

I discovered not long before Christmas that I needed another present and since the person in question didn’t like chocolate, which is always a good option, I thought I would make something.

Remembering how quickly I was able to make a scarf in Super Chunky yarn that seemed like a good idea but what yarn to use and what pattern?

Now, as with so many of my projects, I think I spent more time on the planning and deciding than I did on the making. 🙂

I found a pattern I liked (the one I used in the end) HERE but of course I had to try it out in some odd yarn first to see it in the hand.

I didn’t take pictures of my experiments so you will have to imagine.

I used an oddment of DK yarn and I didn’t like it very much the visible single strands made it look unfinished. But I liked the mesh look so I tried a couple of other mesh stitches but found that I didn’t really like them either. So then I devised a pattern of my own with panels of moss stitch with a double cable stitch (that doesn’t need cable needles) in the middle.

I then decided that I liked the Debbie Bliss Paloma yarn I had seen in the original pattern and so I would buy some for the scarf even though it was a bit pricey. The yarn is 60% baby alpaca and 40% merino wool – so sounded as if it would be very soft. It also was one of the few Super Chunky yarns I could find in the right colour.

I tried to see it (and feel it) in John Lewis but had to buy it from them on-line in the end as they didn’t seem to keep it in stock in my local store. However when it came I found that it was just as soft as I had imagined.

I started out on my self-designed pattern but I didn’t really think it did the yarn justice so after a few rows I had a rethink. Tried a couple of the other mesh patterns I had rejected then went back to the original pattern I had found that is just so easy!!!!! 😆

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You start with an even number of stitches. I used 20.

Then every row is:- Knit 1, then repeat (yarn round needle, purl 2 together) until last stitch which is Knit 1.

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With the very special finish of this yarn it actually looked lovely.

And here is a close up

So having spent quite a few days on all this planning I finally made the scarf in three evenings. It would have taken two but they were shorter than normal evenings! However I still had time in hand before Christmas.

I think the scarf was appreciated but I asked my daughter if she could take a picture of the scarf being worn and none of the photos she sent were quite what I had in mind.

This is the least ‘silly’.

Shh…. It will soon be Christmas

I can’t share with you what I have been doing these last couple of weeks because it’s a few small presents for the family.

But this is as far as I have got with my wrapping of presents.

I will show you what is in the small packages after Christmas.

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I have also been making some Christmas cards.

Now originally I had plans didn’t I?

Last year I made  these.

So this year was meant to be some more crochet cards with angel bookmarks this time. (As made while I was in Criccieth last summer.)

Well I have to admit I haven’t even written out the pattern. I have been so busy with my blankets. Maybe next year. 🙂

So I resorted to a simple alternative.

And I  didn’t even draw the angel. It’s a piece of clip art – but I did choose the colouring.

A special commision with extras

This wasn’t the sort of commision that those of you that sell stuff get, no this was my daughter asking me if I could make some bunting for their friend/lodger, James, whose birthday was early in July.

Since she asked me only a few days before I went to Criccieth, I decided that I would have to try and make it while I was away. I made a few sample bunting triangles, showed her the alternatives and ordered some Rico Essentials Cotton in the required colours, which were turquoise, grey, red and cream.

We decided that one colour triangles would be best and I said that granny triangles would be the best choice as time was short.

So here is the finished bunting.

I made the triangles on the train going to Criccieth and in the evenings watching TV in my room.

Back home I looked at the triangles and thought the the corners were a bit rounded and felt that I ought to do something about it.

However being a cautious sort of person, I first made a small triangle in grey pinned it out and sprayed the reverse with spray starch and ironed it.

I decided that it looked good and so I pinned the triangles (one colour set at a time) to a block of polystyrene under my ironing board cover and spray and ironed them.

I then took the grey and cream crochet cottons and crocheted a long chain slipstitching it to the triangles as I went along.

And here is the finished bunting in James’ room. I am told that the final position has not been decided on but you can see how it fits with the general colour scheme.

While on holiday, however I had finished the triangles in good time, and not being able to proceed any further I decided to try and make some coasters in the same colours to add to the present.

Now while I was making squares for the CAL, I had thought that the centre of this one might be useful for other things.

I couldn’t remember the pattern but I could remember the general look and so I made this.

As you can see it is not exactly the same but I was very pleased with it and thought it looked almost professional!

I made one in each colour.

When I was back home I made an almost rainbow one

But I was inclined to think that I preferred the single colour ones.

What do you think?

Here is another photograph of the coaster with two slate coasters that I bought in Blaenau Ffestiniog.