Zingy Cotton

Hello! Meet my version of the EDF blob Zingy. My Alpaca Sky worsted cotton arrived and after I unravelled it (made quite a hash of it) I got to work on my little blob.

The yarn is lovely - soft, bright and smooth with no spilts. Yeah! Although it does shed a little but this might be to do with the tangled mess I ended up with whilst trying to wind into a ball.

I used a 3.5mm hook to make the blob but I know other crocheters use up to a 5mm on worsted. I wasn't that brave and wanted to make sure the stuffing would be well hidden as I'm giving the blob to my baby nephew.

If you would like to make your own. Here is my free pattern...

Yarn envy...

There are so many lovely things out there that I would love to make only if I could find some decent yarn. I love using cotton for Amigurumi but only have access to dk weight here, so I use it double which is no bother but trying to find some decent colours is impossible.

My sister has asked me to make an orange blob for my nephew. Orange cotton - you would think that would be easy to find but both my local craft shops have failed me dismally. So, I've opted to buy some worsted weight cotton that Stacey from Fresh Stitches uses for her crafts. It's by Blue Sky and looks lovely - but check out the price. In OZ it is $14 per skein plus $8 postage from Perth. Ouch! There is even one website which will remain nameless that charges a non optional extra $1 to wind your yarn in a ball. What a cheek! Anyway I'll let you know when it arrives.
I would love to buy more Australian products from Australian shops but they really seem to be few and far between. Come on suppliers - Oz is one of the biggest producers of wool and cotton. In fact I did find some cotton mix in 8 ply from Aus Spinners under the Panda brand but they don't sell online and I haven't found a stockist so far.
Anyway. Do you know any good lines of cotton yarns for Oz customers? What yarns do you use?

Buy more...

Hello, I finally found some yarn to make a an infinity scarf (I'm suffering a bit form yarn envy at the mo... will write about that another day). I chose my stitch. I wanted it to be chunky and ribbed. I patiently cast on about 200 stiches, worked about 20 rows (30 mins each row) and then I ran out of yarn....no!
I hot footed it back to Big W - no gray skeins in sight! A week later, still no yarn. Lesson - always by more yarn. So here is my scrarf halfway. I've still worn it out and about and it looks great if I do say so myself. Will let you know when I find more yarn.

Coco

Please welcome my latest crochet project ...Coco! Isn't she cute!
Coco is a ballerina bunny complete with tutu and ballet shoes. She is a present for a friends new baby girl due August. Mum is a dancer so I thought this would go down well.

Okay. Will post some close ups and the materials used later. Enjoy.

Crochet Slippers

Winter is approaching here on Oz and it's getting pretty cool in the evenings (hence the socks). So I decided to use my new bamboo hook to make some snuggly crochet slippers.

As per usual I've made my own pattern.I wanted them to be quite firm but have the look of a Mary Jane or clog. So, I got googling and found these two videos mikeysmail & bobwilson 123 .

I used 3 strands of yarn 'Sean Sheep Stirling' machine wash 100% Oz wool and a 5.5 hook. Keep notes as you go along. I had a lot of trial an error as I was using thinner yarn (hard to get worsted yarn here) and used hdc's.

If you'd like to make your own, here is my free pattern...

Ooh... Bamboo!

After leaving my crochet supplies in the UK it was time to get back on that crafting wagon and make a trip to Lindcraft. "No crochet hooks...what?" I couldn't beleive it. So I tried again on a couple of weeks and spotted a lone 5.5mm bamboo hook. It was larger that I needed but I thought I'd give it a try and now I'm hooked (pardon the pun)!

The Sullivan's hook (2nd from top) is my fave. Smooth, pointy with a bit of flex bamboo is supposed to be kinder on the wrists. Worked a treat for my slippers but not so great for amigurami, I snapped mine.

The others I bought online thru eBay. Good value but don't have the point or deep groove. But I remedied that with a craft knife and a bit of sand paper (top pic).

On the hunt for some nice yarn now. TTFN

Miss Piglet

Meet Miss Piglet. This was my second attempt at making a cochet toy back in 2011. It was made for my neice. She used to be besotted with everything Peppa Pig (now superseeded by My Little Pony) - so I thought a piglet it will be.

This is currecntly the only photo I can find of the end result. She is worked in a lovely DK Cotton on 3.00 mm hook. And yes I made the pattern up. Although I did get some inspration for the red top from a tutorial.

My next job is to write it out and hopefully post the pattern. Oink Oink!

Sean the Sheep

Sean the Sheep

Ever since I created my first Crochet project "Mr Red" back in 2010 I promised to make my father-in-law a soft toy. He is an avid collector of soft toys so after a little think I opted for a sheep. It was also an opportunity to mastered another technique - loop stitch  - I like to set myself a challenge.
The pattern has been adapted from Craft Passion 'Little Timmy'. Thank you.
Luckily Bob has a soft spot for slight mishapen toys so my wonkey legged sheep (ran out of yarn) will feel right at home. He now sits pride of place on the mantel piece. Aaawwww! Or should I say Baaaa!
Check out the link for ear muffs at the bottom of the Craft Passion page - So cute!

Crochet | Bunny

Meet Jay my new crochet bunny - another present for my nephew. His Mum and Dad have bought absolutely everything for him so a hand made gift was in order...and its in their favourite colour black so extra brownie points for me.

Jay is worked with two strands of Sirdar DK black crepe. I wanted to use cotton but there was none in my local shop so opted for crepe remembering my Grandma's tip that it doesn't split like other yarns. To minimise holes and unsightly white filling against the black I doubled the yarn thickness and used 3mm hook.





As per usual I like to freestyle. So made the pattern up as I went along. I've added extra details such as the 'J' on the bum, an 'X' for the tummy and cross stitch for the ears.

If you would like to make your own...

Amigurami Tips

#1 Handy guide on making toys from Craft Passion... yarn type, tension and more.
#2 Another great guide from Fresh Stitches featuring a slip knot and alternative magic ring for ensuring your rounds have no holes. Yeah!
Also, top tip from Fresh Stiches... Use a piece of fabric or felt to prevent wadding from escaping whilst finishing your crocheting. Stella. I wish I'd known that when making my bunny. White wadding on black yarn...hard work.

Crochet | Cactus

More crochet....
Found this blog by elf luvs dwarfs featuring some super cute crochet cactus. The pattern is worked in rows using the back loops to form the ridges. Genius!
{photo credit}