Slow and Steady

Having never taught anyone to crochet before....I maybe jumped ahead of myself thinking an Amigurumi Turtle would be possible for a first timer!

Turns out it was .....this wasn't helped by the fact that my student was also left handed... That made things super interesting. After much trial and error I realised just crocheting rows back and forth would probably be the best way to start. Luckily my student was a quick study and she was doing crocheted rows with ease after a while....

I gave her the links to a few You Tube left handed crochet videos...

I love these videos as they are so easy to follow........and apparently she has been finding them a great help also, as she has been coming on leaps and bounds! I can't wait to see what she has made next time I see her.

I also left her with a little gift...to spur her on lol.....

Curse of the WIP's

As many an artist/crafter knows it is usually much easier to start a new project than to finish it.

One project is started then an you have an amazing idea for another and so the first gets put to one side....or you run out of something and so that project will have to wait....and of course in the meantime another one sneaks in its place....

Before you know it you have got a bad case of the WIP's ( work in progress) and boy have I ever!

I've always had a slight problem with my WIP's but it seems to have gotten worse of late...and I think I know why.

Just before Christmas last year I began helping out the odd morning at my local wool shop....its not for money ....just for fun and to help me gain a little more confidence. This however seems to be where my problems start... you see I end up having ideas while I'm in there...what with the patterns and wool and ribbons and buttons and...well you get the idea.

WIP's at the moment include 2 adult hats, 1 child hat, 1 adult skirt, 1 ds case (although to be fair I have finished one and I am just waiting to do some sizing to the second) a bag and they are just the knitted projects.

Sewing: 2 skirts, 1 tunic and 1 needle holder
Crochet: 1 bee and 1 chick
Cross stitch: 1 portrait






So as you can see they can build up.....and so I better get off here....and carry on with them or the list will only get longer!!!!

Let it snow.....

..........actually I wish it would stop. The snow is all well and good, looks pretty n' stuff but the hard icy slippery glaze it leaves after is horrid :(

Luckily when I have had to go out my new favorite scarf has kept my neck super warm :)

If you haven't seen it yet Sirdar are making a fabulous wool .......SNOWBALL it is lovely....very snuggily!The idea is its a scarf in a ball... all instructions are on the inside of the label. I have chopped and changed these about a little ....the scarf I made for myself I have done using more stitches but the scarves I made for extra Christmas gifts I made with less as that way I could get two scarves out of one ball.......the recipients loved them too so good times all round!

Finally finished another scarf I was working on too......it should have taken way less time to complete but I kept getting part way through it and then would change my mind about the size or stitches or needle size. I probably would have been able to make 5 scarves in the same amount of time it took me .....lol but its done now...I just hope the person I have made it for is happy with it.

Fingers crossed :)

Ouch!

Quite new to this cross stitch lark....done a little bit here and a little bit....over there....but this is my first big piece and OUCH! it hurts....to excited by it to stop though....so I shall have to make do with a very sore wrist.......

Square eyes and Mr.Crabbapple

I'm not sure why I thought doing a huge cross stitch was such a jolly good idea...but once I'd had it,it was set in stone and the cross stitch A2 size chart making began..hence the square eyes... I'm attempting to cross stitch a photo I took of a friend some time ago. ..sounds a bit dull but its not your usual portrait so hopefully it will be rather interesting if and when its completed. The actual piece wont be A2 (I'm not that crazy!) it will be between an A4 and A3 size....Eeeek!

As for Mr.Crabbapple he came in to being last weekend whilst sat having some quiet time with my dad in his garden....my brain had switched off and so my hands just got on with their own thing resulting in Mr.Crabbapple. Here he is enjoying the garden.....

Its not for you...

but this one is.

I had decided to have a go of crocheting a mouse for my kitten. I used a pattern from
www.kristieskids.weebly.com



Its really simple and fun to do.


Anyway my kitten loved his...and so I made another one for the cats at my mums house...stuffed with plenty of catnip, I thought they would love it...and they did for five minutes.





After that the mouse was left to one side. Until my sister brought my nephew home and he spotted it...it was love at first sight.He is sixteen months old and I think he mostly loves the size of it...just right for little hands.



So today I knitted a new one for him..catnip free...and he loved this one too...he likes to throw it about and managed a great trick. After one particular throw neither of us could see the mouse...it was only when he turned around I noticed it had landed neatly in his hood! :)

Got my cake...

but I don't fancy eating it.


Great for putting my pins in though....made the pattern up on the fly.I may tweak it as the base looks more pie like in shape than cupcake...then again I might not..I've always liked the fuller figured cake.