Aurora inspired coaster with alternative ending

Last weekend we had a wonderful Aurora Australis due to a solar storm. I couldn't see it from here because we had lots of cloud cover and we don't have a clear view to the south, but there were many pictures posted online. They have inspired me to mix these colours, orange, red, bright pink and purple. For this coaster I used my simple hexagon flower pattern but with an alternative ending. For the 4th round, just do 5 dc into the 6 corners, 2 dc into each 2 ch space, and also 1 dc into the top of each cluster stitch. There is no 5th round.

Simple hexagon flower in 4 rounds

Hexagon Socks

Today, I found out via a crochet group on facebook that you can make socks out of hexagons! I've made a few hexagon jackets as I really appreciate the simplicity of the idea, but socks as well??!! How easy! This was the youtube video that shows you how!

a pair of homemade hexagon socks

I thought I might give it try and went hunting for yarn in my stash. I didn't find any but wondered if I could frog something from my collection of unfinished projects and some variegated yarn caught my eye. When I pulled it out, I discovered it was 2 hexagons! It must have been fate that these unused pieces were destined to become socks! They had about 15 rounds and weren't granny hexagons but that was ok! I think they must have been for a hexagon jacket for my son but I had changed my mind, it was lucky I had saved them! 

one of two hexagons in the pile of unfinished projects

The hardest thing turning these hexagons into socks was unravelling the unnecessary rounds. I had to slip stitch to the corner as the rounds were half way through the side. I thought I could get them onto my son's feet, which are ginormous! I worked out that they needed 12 rounds to fit his feet. The pattern is quite straight forward, and Sirin's Crochet does a great job explaining it! That's a win for today I am thinking!

hexagon socks on large feet

Crochet Adventures - Swirly Bunny Rugs

There are three swirly bunny rugs that I haven't told you about, I just use my own pattern when I do these. I didn't make these for anyone in particular, I just make them for something to do. So I have these bunny rugs in my stash, serving no purpose whatsoever!

For this pink swirly bunny rug, I used a 3.5mm hook and 4 ply luxury wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

pink swirly bunny rug

Here is the start of the pink swirly bunny rug, it took me 2 months from April 2021 to June 2021.

the start of a pink swirly bunny rug

This blue bunny rug was made using 4 ply bluebell Patons yarn, I had this in my stash and wanted to use it for a long time. My records show I made this one up really quickly, but I just don't believe it! These rugs usually take me so long to do! This one is from April 2021

blue swirly bunny rug with Patons bluebell yarn

this swirly bunny rug is a small one for a new born

Patons Bluebell yarn, a vintage yarn in my stash

Here is the start of another swirly bunny rug, this time I am using Patons Big Baby 3ply in a rainbow colourway. I started this one in December 2021.

the start of the rainbow swirly bunny rug

And here is the completed bunny rug, it took me over 6 months to complete, finishing in July 2022.

rainbow bunny rug using Paton Big Baby 3 ply

Crochet Adventures - Drink Coasters

I've made a few crochet drink coasters over the last couple of years, we use them at our computer desks for our drinks. I spend a lot of my day at the pc and drink a lot of water! The doctor wants me to limit the amount of coffee I drink due to high blood pressure, so I only have about 2 or 3 cups a day, but I drink water all day long. These coasters are ones I made last month and they are by our computers now. I used a 3.5mm hook and 8 ply cotton yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

4 crochet drink coasters I made last month

I saw a picture of this pattern which is on Ravelry, so decided to give it a go.

swirly heart crochet drink coaster pattern on Ravelry

I made these happy sunshine yellow drink coasters last year, again using some more of my 8 ply cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills. I just made up the pattern up, the first round is 12 dc, then its 3 rounds of dc then a round of sc.

Happy Sunshine Yellow Drink Coasters

I saw a picture of a crochet seashell online, but I couldn't find a pattern so I had a couple of goes at it by myself, just making it up as I went along. I didn't write down the pattern and they are long gone now, I throw away my cotton coasters when they get too dirty to wash.

Having a go at free form crochet

Another go at free form crochet

These swirly coasters I made using my own pattern, I haven't written it down, I made them in August 2021.

swirly crochet coaster

another swirly crochet drink coaster

I made these 5 heart coasters in August 2022 for my husband's step mum. I have made them before, many years ago, but the pattern is discontinued. So I just looked at the picture and made up the corresponding pattern.

5 heart crochet coasters for Nanna Freya

Crochet adventures- Hooked on Sunshine

I apologise for neglecting this blog! I thought I should bring you up to date with some things I've been doing since I've been away. One thing I've done is I purchased two patterns from Hooked on Sunshine, the Briar Rose and the Whatchamacallit!

I tried the Briar Rose first as it seemed to be the easiest one, and it was pretty easy! I completed this small rug in May 2021 using cotton yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

My first Hooked on Sunshine pattern, the Briar Rose!

I thought long and hard about which pattern to do next. I had these colours left over from previous projects and wanted to use up what I had before purchasing more yarn, which I usually get from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

A selection of left over cotton yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills

These colours were left over from different projects and I wouldn't normally put them all together, but I took a chance and purchased the Whatchamacallit pattern from Hooked on Sunshine. The photo of this project turned out to be a very popular post on Facebook, with lots of people liking it and commenting. I just wouldn't have thought these colours would go together and people would like it so much. I started this rug in November 2021 and completed it in February 2022.

day one of this Whatchamacallit

day two of this whatchamacallit

Whatchamacallit, with cotton yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills

I still have a lot of yarn left in my stash, including this silky acrylic that was given to me by my mother many years ago. I have made other things with it, like a pair of hats for my sister in law and niece, but I still have a lot left. So I started another whatchamacallit in February 2022 using this pink yarn, its all just the one colour. I've been having a lot of trouble with motivation so haven't done much. I am no longer gaming at all, gaming all just feels "finished" and a waste of time. But what I now fill my time with is another dilemma! I think I might work on this rug and try and get it finished!

work in progress,a single colour Whatchmacallit!

My New Year's Resolutions

Last year, I didn't have any resolutions, other than to survive my first year as a mum! The previous year my goal was to learn more about crochet, to try and learn how to read patterns. Well I did that, and my baby son is doing very well now too, so now its time to think of a new goal for the new year!

my collection of fine coloured crochet thread

My goal for 2012 is to use up as much of the yarn that has accumulated around here as possible! I hope to make lots of useful items for friends and family, and perhaps try and sell some things on ebay. I really must try very hard not to buy any more yarn! I'm sure I have a lifetime's supply here already!

My other goal is to sell a lot of other things on ebay, things that we don't need or use and no longer have room to store. Our flat is pretty small and its made to feel smaller than it is with all the clutter. My goal for this year is to stream line my house, ready for a possible house move at the end of next year.

Of course, my other goal for the year is to be a good mum! I want to get Thomas into music lessons, and to take him swimming more. And we need to do some more socialising, too!

I think it's useful to start the new year with a new goal, something that is achievable, and something that you will enjoy doing. A feeling of accomplishment is important as we look back over our past year, especially for people like myself who don't work at a job. Even if you don't achieve everything you set out to, it's good to celebrate the gains you have made, even the smallest ones.

What are your new year's resolutions?

Small Cream and Wine Pentagon Lap Rug

I'm not sure how useful this item I finished yesterday will turn out to be, it's very small due to the amount of this wool I had. But it was so nice to make, I had to use it all up to make this small rug. It could be used as a baby rug, or maybe a small lap rug.

star shaped lap rug in cream and wine coloured acrylic

I've known for a while, I'd really prefer to make items using yarn that is locally grown, spun and dyed. This way, you can reduce your carbon footprint - its better for the environment if we use products sourced locally. Before I saw this yarn, any attempt to source something like that was way over priced in my opinion. But I found some assorted blends that were on special in Lincraft, which were from the Wangaratta Mill Shop. This may include synthetic fibres, so they are blended with local wool, but spun locally. I even found a local spinners site that sells drop spindles if I ever buy some raw local fibre.I've already made a beanie for Thomas using a sea green yarn from the same Wangaratta package.

the star lap rug is the perfect size and shape for our rocking chair

This thick yarn has a nice, soft feel and it was a pleasure to make this small rug. But it is a bit small to be very useful, as I only had 3 balls of this type. I used a 7mm hook to make the stitches large and the rug quick to make up.

In other news, I sold my first item on ebay today, my old queen size mattress! We got a new mattress after Thomas was born, and my old mattress has been taking up room and had to go so I started bidding at .50c hoping someone would come and get it, and they did! The experience was a positive one, so I hope to sell a few other things from around the home that need to go. Who knows, maybe I can sell some crochet projects as well?!

Colourful Scrap Rug for a Toddler

This rug started off as a pile of scraps given to me by my mother last year, and is now the second rug like this I've done. I'm hoping it will be a useful rug for Thomas.

I really enjoy making these rugs. The material is not expensive, you can pick it up at op shops or find it in your own craft cupboard, and it's satisfying to turn balls of left over yarn into something that can actually be used. I enjoyed making the first one so much I called it a 'therapy rug'! There's no pattern to the colours, the only rule is whenever I change yarn it's a different colour to the last. It's therapeutic because there is no stress at all about the design, it just comes down to a decision at the moment it's time to pick a new colour.  And the idea of these rugs is to use up all of that left over yarn, that's why there are not finished rows, rather they run into each other like spirals until the yarn runs out. Then I choose a contrasting colour to continue. This way there are no little bits left over at all.  That's why this is much better than making a rug out of small granny squares sewn together. And I find sewing all those squares together at the end very tedious! For this rug, I used a 4.5mm hook, so not too small so it doesn't take too long.

The first thing to do is sort the balls of left over yarn according to size. The very smallest ball of yarn is the one you want to start with, next choose a contrasting colour that looks to be amongst the smallest of the balls left. I've even resorting to weighing the balls on a small kitchen scale! This way you get the spiral effect. I'm rather proud how this one turned out, the pattern is quite nice considering there was little planning in it. It's good to know I have something useful to do with all those annoying left over balls of yarn!

Sea Green Beanie

The beanie I made on Mother's Day is too big for Thomas, so I made this one to fit him now. I made it the same as the Mother's Day one, but used a 4mm hook  instead of the 4.5mm, so it's slightly smaller. I used Wangaratta Mill yarn that I got from Lincraft on special. There was nothing on the label to say it was a natural fibre so I guess I'll have to assume it's acrylic.

I've made a bunch of beanies already, but they are all too small by now, because he is growing so fast! Thomas is now 5 months old! I can't wait until he is 6 months old, or sitting up on his own. Because he is 2 months premature, he is at the developmental stage of a 3 month old. I hope he is sitting up for my 40th birthday in July when he'll be 7 months old - we're hoping to go to Yum Cha and have him sitting in a high chair. People say babies grow up so fast, that we shouldn't wish the time away, but these last few months have been going so very slowly for me and I can't wait for him to be just a little bigger ...

My First Mother's Day 2011

Happy Mother's Day to all mums, now including me! David made me pancakes for breakfast with a scrummy berry sauce, and Thomas did his bit by being very cute!

All the beanies I've made so far are too small for Tom, yet it's starting to get cold and I think he needs to wear one. So I made this one this morning, using 100% Australian merino wool and a 4.5mm hook. I usually use the 4mm hook but the bigger hook made it slightly bigger, I also added an extra increasing round. So this hat is a bit on the big side, but he'll grow into it! Now he can keep warm in this cold weather, and I'm feeling like making him some more beanies now I know his size!

Green Dress for a Doll

I thought I'd make a post today as I haven't written for a while. It's been challenging to do everyday things and feel normal again. Even though Thomas is being a perfect baby it's still hard, I wonder how we would cope if he wasn't!

I recently made this green cotton dress for a doll on an impulse. No reason really, just felt like finishing something quick. I have several projects on the go at the moment, and they are all rugs so are taking me a while to finish. For this dress I used a 3mm hook and some light green cotton that took my fancy. The doll is one of three I got in a bag for $2. I haven't restored her hair because it's too much of a big job, but she needed a dress all the same.

Another thing I did today to feel more 'normal' was to paint my toenails bright pink while I sat on the deck and worked on my vitamin D deficiency. When I was an early childhood teacher in Darwin, I wore open toed sandals so painted my toenails bright colours like green or pink and topped them off with some glitter. The children sitting at my feet would notice, it was all a bit of fun and seems like a life time ago. It seems like another life completely, but remembering nice things like that helps me feel more 'real'.

Green and Fluffy Easter Basket

 

Here is another Easter basket, just for the fun of it!

This time I made it with green craft yarn using a 4mm hook. I finished with a row of sc (UK dc) in fluffy craft yarn. Just what you need to help little ones pass out easter eggs to the family - cute and fluffy Easter baskets!

Two Red Easter Baskets

I whipped up these two baskets while Thomas was sleeping, we might use them for Easter this year when my young nephews come to visit.

I used some fluffy craft yarn I got from Lincraft on special, and some plain red yarn for the larger basket. I didn't follow a pattern for these, I just made them up using a 4mm hook.

My pattern for an Easter basket

1. ch 3 sl st in 1st chain to form loop
2. 8 sc (UK dc) in loop, sl st
3. ch 1, 2 sc in every st, sl st (16 sc)
4. ch 1, 2 sc in 1st st, (1 sc in next, 2 sc in next) to end, sl st (24 st)
5. ch 1, 2 sc in 1st st, (1 sc in next 2 st, 2 sc in next) to end, sl st (32 st)
6. ch 1, 2 sc in 1st st, (1 sc in next 3 st, 2 sc in next) to end, sl st (40 st)
7. ch 1, 1 sc in every st, sl st
8. repeat row 7 until desired height is reached, then 20 ch and  sl st to opposite to form handle, embelish with a row of fluffy craft yarn

February 2011

It's hard to believe I haven't posted anything for the whole month of February yet, so I better do it now while I have the chance!

It's been wonderful finally having Thomas at home, and David home from work too, so we can play happy families. Thomas has been doing very well, drinking his milk and putting on weight, what a good baby! But David had to go to work today, and I'm now on my own with the baby. He's still sleeping so I've got a chance to post up a couple of photos of things I made that I haven't posted yet.

We bought the bassinet when Tom was in hospital, it was lucky we had a chance to get some things, we also got his cot for when he grows. But the bassinet only came with a frilly quilt not a sheet, and the SIDS guidelines say to remove all the frilly unnecessary stuff. So I made a fitted sheet of my own. I did it very roughly, just hacked at a piece of printed cotton and sewed up the corners. Then I made a pocket around the inside edge, it was very rough with all 4 corners left open. Then I thread some elastic through the pocket with a safety pin. I even forgot I left the safety pin in the pocket and only took it out last night, sewing the two ends of elastic by hand. I was reluctant to use up any more material to make another sheet because Thomas won't be using the bassinet for long. Luckily my mum bought us a couple more.

I made this little white baby beanie when we were 'rooming in' with Thomas in the hospital. I must say the whole experience was very strange. They had us on an overflow ward, and there weren't many people there so they didn't pop in very much. They must have thought we were doing so well they just sent us home early. We were supposed to stay for two nights but only stayed for one. They couldn't find us a single room on the other floor where all the nurses were, and I think they realised it was useless to have me there without David. So far he has been doing all the midnight feeds, and we're not sure how that will work when he is back at work. We were very lucky last night, baby Tom went 7 hours between feeds, so we were able to get some sleep. I think that's pretty good for an 11 week old baby!

Well, thanks for the chat! It's been nice to pop in for a while to make a post. Baby Tom is stirring now and it's time for a feed, so I must go!

EDIT: I just have to add that about an hour after posting this, Thomas had been fed and was happily having some tummy time on a bunny rug on the lounge room floor. For the first time, he rolled over! He gave himself a real fright, bursting out crying. How cute and sweet that he should have a milestone today. I had to ring daddy straight away to tell him the good news so he doesn't miss out on too much.

Three Small Things - blanket, beanie, curly worm

<<< I bought 2m of this warm brown fleece last winter from Lincraft, thinking I could make myself a skirt or wrap dress which I didn't end up doing. So the other day I cut it in half, and then one half was cut in half again to make a 80x80cm square. I then edged it with blanket stitch in a contrasting blue cotton. I didn't do so well when I needed to sew in more thread. I'm sure there is a trick to it, I just don't know it. This is like the material the blankets are made of, and the nurses hospital are using these not crochet rugs which have been donated. But I don't think I'll edge the next one with hand-stitching, I might use my trusty sewing machine instead!

>>> I made up this beanie using the cream yarn from Wangaratta Mill, which is part of the Australian Country Spinners. If I ever sell anything I make, I would prefer to be using locally made yarn, much like this. I used a 4mm hook and the pattern has the ridges at the increases for the 1st 5 rounds. This one has a turned up brim of 3 extra rounds. I call it a "junior fisherman's hat" because the look of it reminds me of the beanies fishermen wear on their boats on cold, early mornings.

<<< This curly worm I made for a mobile I'm working on. Its a common pattern, I found one at Art of Crochet by Teresa. You just make a chain, then trb 4 times in ea ch. For a contrasting colour, I did a second round in red with 2 dc in ea trbl. You can make these into bookmarks, Christmas decorations, cats' toys or anything else you can think of. For this one, I used a 4.5mm hook and it just took me a few minutes, so it's a fun little project to do.

Three Small Things - baby beanie, dishcloth, headband

small sea green beanie for a premmie

Here are another three small things I've completed in the last couple of days, a baby beanie, a wavey dishcloth and a crochetted headband.

I bought some yarn made from the Wangaratta Mill Shop , part of the Australian Country Spinners, that Lincraft had on special. I'm wanting to find some locally grown and spun yarn, hopefully this is what I've been looking for. I really liked this sea green colour and made a beanie for Tom with it. I used a 4.5mm hook and used front post ridges to mark the increases in the crown, then plain down the sides, and finished of with some star-fish looking clusters. I wonder if the nurses will use this beanie? My starfish cluster pattern goes something like this ... ch 1, [sk 1 st, (htrb, trb, d-trb, trb, htrb) in next, sk next, dc in next] * repeat to end

wavey yellow and green dishcloth

I've been meaning to make something with this wavey stitch for quite a while and have never gotten around to it. The cotton I used for the pentagon dishcloths was so nice, I decided to use the last of it up to make this cloth, which I might use as a dust cloth for my piano. There are references to this wavey pattern in many places, in the end I used one at eHow. I used a 3.5mm hook for this cloth.

I'm really proud of this new headband, this is the first time I've made something like this. I only have one headband, made out of black t-shirt material, and I am so very over black that I need a different colour! So I gave this one a go, using a 3mm hook and some greyish-lilac cotton I bought and still haven't used until now. I found the pattern after searching google for 'stretchy crochet headband pattern'. My pattern is based on this but it is different as I turned for every row.

crochet headband

My version of the stretchy headband pattern
1. ch 8, dc (US sc) in second ch from hook, dc in every ch to end (7 dc), turn
2. ch 1, dc in first dc, dc in second dc, ch 3 skp next dc, dc in next dc, ch 3 skp next dc, dc in next dc, dc in last dc, turn
3. ch 1, dc in ea next 2 dc, dc in 3 ch sp, ch 3, dc in next 3 ch sp, dc in ea last 2 dc, turn
4. ch 1, dc in ea next 2 dc, ch 3, dc in 3 ch sp, ch 3, dc in ea last 2 dc, turn
repeat round 3 & 4 until desired length is reached for firm fit
last round. ch 1, dc in ea next 2 dc, dc in 3 ch sp, dc in next dc, dc in next 3 ch sp, dc in ea last 2 dc
sl st to other end to form ring

Pentagon Dishcloths

I feel a need to keep my hands busy right now, I'm not sure but this might be the 'nesting' kicking in. It's hard when I'm not 100% physically, so I've resorted to making dishcloths while I wait for my body to catch up!

<<< I did up this pentagon dishcloth quickly, using a 4mm hook and my own pattern from the top of my head. This dishcloth got put to work immediately in the kitchen after it had it's obligatory photograph taken! This dishcloth has 4 rows of granny clusters then 3 rows of trebles (US dc).

>>> Recently I did these pair of pentagon dishcloths, using the same pattern as my 1st one except I skipped the picot edge. The second pair has 7 rows of granny clusters and 2 rows of trebles. For these I used a 3mm hook and some finer cotton my mum gave me. I like the colours, I think they are perfect for a cheery kitchen!

Three Small Things - apple sweater, dishcloth, square motif

>>> I first saw an apple sweater at Crochetspot and thought it was a fabulous idea. An apple is a great snack, but doesn't go very well in my handbag and always ends up getting bruised, but the sweater would protect it from that. More images of apple sweaters on google show different styles. I turned one of my baby beanies into an apple sweater by simply crochet a chain to go around the edge and sl st to join. This second one I made as an apple sweater from the start. It's my own pattern, it's like a baby beanie but with a chain threaded through the lip and sl st to join a ring. I used a 5mm hook and some more of the pink and blue mohair I had used for the hot water bottle cover. It now lives in our fruit bowl, waiting to be used!

<<< This aqua coloured flower dishcloth is a pattern I made up, turning over after every row to work in a ridge. The 5th round is some 5 treble flower petals. I ran out of cotton just at the end, so the last petal is 5 ch to form a handy hanging hook. For this one I used a 4mm hook and the last of the aqua cotton my mum gave me.

>>> I saw a lacey crochet square motif on a crochet blog, and I really liked it so I tried copying it. I didn't follow a pattern, I just tried to replicate the image. I used my 1.75mm hook and some fine lilac cotton mum gave me. When I was finished this tiny square I wet it and blocked it as it wasn't quite flat. I'm not sure where this square will live, perhaps it can be a dolly's blanket.