To catch a dream (three small things)

The last two weeks have been surreal to say the least, like a walking dream or day-mare. Some thoughtful soul gave this special beanie to David to give to me, it's what Thomas was wearing in the photo that was taken on his first day. Someone even printed up the photo so I could have it in my room. I didn't see Tom until the second day as I left the ICU to go to the maternity ward. I clung to this special little yellow beanie during my stay while I was away from my baby, I even imagined it smelled like him! I give thanks to the person who made and donated the beanie, and to the person who took the photos of Thomas wearing it, and also to the person who thought I might like to keep it when our baby went into the humidicrib and no longer needed to wear a beanie.

While we were in the maternity ward, on the meal tray was a paddle pop stick. We guessed they were meant to be for stirring tea and coffee, which we thought was a waste of wood. Imagine throwing all those not needed paddle pops away? What a waste of trees! So I collected a few and made some into dream catchers to pass the time. When we left the maternity ward and David went home to sleep, I told him to take the brown dream catcher to place above his bed. It is meant to be for good luck in catching your dreams so they can come true. I learnt how to make these from school, you just weave wool in and out, around the sticks.

Three Small Things - soap saver, dishcloth, square motif

<<< I don't really understand why I woke one morning thinking I needed to make a soap saver for the laundry soap, but I did! I don't usually use these things, but the soap I have in the laundry at the moment was a gift and really needed one as it was making a mess. I didn't follow a pattern as it's a pretty basic shape, but I did look at crochetspot and google for some inspiration, and used my thick cotton and a 4mm hook. I got the idea of continuing the first round all the way round the bottom of the first row from the free pattern at crochetspot, there are also pictures and patterns of other soap savers there. I've tested it out, so far so good. The plan is, when you get the little shards of soap left over at the end you keep them in the bag so you don't waste them. Very thrifty, I like it!

>>> I have been working on a spiral dishcloth using the same aqua cotton as my first cotton dishcloth, but I'm not happy with it so it's currently in my pile of unfinished projects. I bought some 'amalfi' yarn from Lincraft for $4, which is 100% cotton. I think the choice of colours look 'dishclothy', if there is such a thing, so chose the aqua greenish one. This time I made a bigger version of the basketweave dishcloth, as David asked for a bigger one. This used most of the 50g ball, there isn't enough left to make another one this size. Consolation is that this cloth can be washed and reused for quite a while, so I can get my money and effort's worth out of it. This didn't take long to do, I used a new bamboo 3.5mm I thought to try for fun. I found working with the bamboo hook that it stuck a little, and is not as smooth as using a metal one. The final product measures 22cm x 18cm.

<<< I tried this square motif, I'm thinking of using it to make some baby play cubes. This coaster pattern is at crochetspot.

Three Small Things - coaster, ornament, beanie

<<< Here is a quick spiral coaster I made in pink following the coaster pattern at crochetspot. This coaster is currently under our water bottle at our pcs to soak up any condensation.

>>> After a discussion at crochetspot about the first thing you ever made, I remembered these things I used to make as a child. I don't have any of the originals left, so made this one recently. When my mum taught me how to crochet, she first taught me how to chain, then how to crochet into a circle. I have a memory of continuing the first round for as long as I could fit the hook into the centre, making the stitches over and over on top of each other, as I didn't know how to start the next round! I didn't know what else to do with them at the time, so I made a chain handle and decided they should be Barbie doll handbags! Now this one is hanging off my pc with the purple premmie booties I made!

<<< After spending a couple of hours window shopping for babies things on the weekend, I was inspired to whip up this little beanie while I recovered on the couch! It was amazing that I had the EXACT amount of yarn left for this, which was great as I wanted to use it all up. This was the last of the arcylic baby yarn from Lincraft. I used the lincraft pattern and a 4.5mm hook. This is the same pattern as my green and orange baby beanie and my purple and white baby beanie, but this one is the bigger size for a 6 month old, as my baby is due in summer and should be in winter clothes by then.

Three Small Things - coaster, dishcloth, flower

These are three small things I've made recently using patterns from Rachel's Crochetspot. Needless to say, this is one of my favourite crochet websites for free patterns and crochet related discussions.

<<< This drink coaster is proving to be handy, I'm using it by my pc to sit my bottles of water on. This was with a 4mm hook and my thickest cotton, it's great for soaking up the condensation on my drinks. The pattern for this coaster is at Crochetspot.

>>> I haven't made a crochet dishcloth before, so I started with this small one to test it out. It's about the size of a hand's palm, we've started trialling it in the kitchen, and so far so good. I made this basket-weave dishcloth with a 3.5mm hook and some thick aqua coloured cotton my mum gave me for my birthday. The pattern for the basket-weave stitch is at Crochetspot.

<<< I had a go at this small flower from Crochetspot for fun. This was with a small hook and fine cotton and is currently hanging from my pc with the my purple premmie booties.

A big thankyou to Rachel and her team at Crochetspot for these patterns!

Three Motifs in Navy Blue

It's time to return my library book as I've had it for nearly 2 months! I've got some fun ideas from it, here are some more. These three motives, which I've done here in navy blue craft yarn, are all from patterns on page 60 of 'crochet basics' by Jan Eaton.

<< Saint George Square

>>Harmony Square and Circle with Spokes, patterns all on page 60

These three will go in my bag of samples. I'm thinking that when I have enough, I'll stitch them all together to make a mish-mash rug of all different shapes and colours.

Pink Doilies my great-grandmother made

These are a pair of embroidered doilies my great-grandmother made which are edged with pink crochet. This is my post for this week's Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound.

I remember these from my childhood. My great-grandmother was so very talented with this, there are many samples of her work in our family, these are the few I have in my possession. My great-grandmother (my mother's mother's mother Margaret) embroidered these, as well as the crochet edges. These two are starting to show signs of age, and I know they look like they are in need of an iron, but I dare not touch them!

Here is another doily, this one my grandmother Beverly embroidered. That is my mother's mother. The fine embroidery is so lovely, I hope one day to improve my skill with this, but I don't think I will get it this good.
I hope you enjoyed seeing these two samples of our very special family treasures made by my great-grandmother, and my grandmother.
<3 <3 <3

Be sure to check out other pretty pinks @ Pink Saturday!

Two Berry Pink Hats

I bought 5 balls of this 'Berry Mix' Lincraft DK wool last year for my birthday, thinking I might make a simple rug with it, but of course that hasn't happened! This is my post for this week's Pink Saturday blog party hosted by Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound.

I made this flower hat one evening while watching some television, the final episodes of Bones and Castle to be exact! I call this hat a 'flower' hat because I started it off with a small 6 petal flower. Each petal is a cluster of 3 trebles all pulled together in one stitch, each petal is then separated by 3 chains. Then I work out in flat rounds, increasing slightly each round until it was just slightly smaller than my out-stretched hand. Then I used the shell pattern down the sides as I did with my wine coloured beanie. This pattern usually makes hats smaller so I was careful to make sure this hat would fit an adult.

This is now the 3rd rose I've made like this to make into a detachable brooch to go with the hat. I still had to refer to Rachel's pattern at Crochet Spot as I haven't yet memorised it. I highly recommend Rachel's website if you are in need of some crochet patterns, its very nicely set out. Just remember her patterns are in American crochet, not English. The cost of the wool I used for this hat and matching brooch was less than $2, and I used a 4mm hook.

Using the same wool I also made a hip-hop cap following the pattern in the Crochet 08/09 booklet from Lincraft. I didn't check the gauge so that might be why this hat turned out a bit on the big side, although I'm not sure if it's meant to be like that! It didn't take me long and I whipped it up in about 3 or 4 hours while we watching tv and David was cooking.

I hope you like seeing two more of my hats, this time they are Berry Pink! And be sure to check out other pinks at this week's Pink Saturday blog party @ How Sweet the Sound!

<3

Some selected highlights from this week's party

• inspirational home-made mosaics @ Anne Fannies Green Acres


• new party goer's pretty quilted handbags @ Kitty and Me Designs


• create from the heart @ Heart of a Wizardess


• Heaps of Inspirational Craft Areas, just a small selection of the wonderful spaces at this week's party
  eg.
  Someplace in Thyme
  She's Sew Pretty
  Creative Chaos
  Studio 48 Tango

A Family of Grey and Green Beanies

This is the post I planned for today's Transformation Thursday party hosted by The Shabby Chic Cottage, but who would have known that today we also have some special news to share? We have a 3rd member of our little family on the way or so the home test I did this morning says, so this family of three beanies seems especially appropriate!!!

Back to the beanies ... The first beanie I did followed part of a pattern in the Lincraft booklet I bought. I just made it longer, skipping the ears and edging, so it's a bit different. That's the hat with the grey pinwheel at the top. I don't really like how the pin-wheel doesn't match the rest of the hat, so the second hat I did was different. I based it on the first hat but this is my version.

Basically, you start with a round of 6 clusters of 3 trebles (American doubles) each separated by a chain, the second round has 12 clusters, 2 in each space, each pair is also separated by a chain. Except for rows 5 and 9, you just put a cluster of 3 trebles in each space. For rows 5 and 9, put an extra cluster in every 3rd space, divided by a chain. I know that's not the right way to write a crochet pattern, but I can hardly read them myself, so that's my understanding of the pattern! It's pretty basic and very quick to do.

For the first hat, I used a 5mm hook which made it fit me. For the second hat I used a 6mm hook so the hat is bigger and fits David. To consolidate the pattern in my mind, I made a 3rd beanie just with left over green and grey as I'd run out of black. The pattern and the wool are the same, the only thing that's changed is the hook. For the smallest hat I used a 4.5mm, and it's a good thing I didn't use the 4mm like I nearly did then it would have been too small! I rather like how the odd two green clusters look at the brim, it makes it look quirky!

This was a great exercise for me to do. I've now found a great, easy and quick beanie pattern that I can memorise and I can simply change the size of the beanie by using smaller or bigger hooks! These three beanies were very quick and took less than a day to whip up!

<3 <3 <3

My selected highlights from this week's party

• a practical hooded beach towel converts into a backpack @ The Train to Crazy


• recycle plastic jar lids to make ladybug toys @ Crafts by Amanda


• make ruffle pants to go under girl's dresses @ Little Lizard King


• chalkboard painted herb pots @ Rose Petals and Rust


• button magnets @ Everything Else I Love

A Set of Small Purses

This set began with a shell pouch I made for my mum to say thank you for teaching me how to crochet. Now the set has grown to include more purses! This is my post for this week's Transformation Thursday which is hosted by The Shabby Chic Cottage. I transformed a ball of  lovely and soft multi-coloured wool into these purses.

I made the tiny purse without a pattern. I again used the shell pattern for one side then plain for the other so the shape would not turn out wonky. I then made a lid for the purse. I was inspired by the lid on the quick clutch at Crochet Spot but I did not follow the pattern. If I did I probably would not have had to pull it apart two times before I got it right on the third try! I also made up my own tiny button, although I might replace it with a proper button if this doesn't work out. This tiny purse took one morning to do.

I completed the tissues cover over two days without using a pattern. I had been planning to make one with a slit down the middle but then I saw the tissues I had bought for this opened a different way. I made this tissue purse using the shell stitch on the front only and plain treble crochet on the back and sides so it would keep it's shape. I had trouble deciding if I would make a lid for it, but settled on leaving it open because the shell stitch made a nice wavy edge.

I gave these and the matching tiny dancing teddy bears to my mum yesterday when she came to visit. She said she likes the set, and promptly put her pens in the larger pouch to stop them from rolling around in her bag! The tiny teddies fit neatly inside the tiny purse, they were so cute!

Be sure to check out the other things linked in with Transformation Thursday, there is always HEAPS of handy home-crafting ideas which I love to check out!
<3 <3 <3

My Highlights from this weeks' party

• sew star pin cushions or beanbag toys @ Sew a Straight Line


• recycle old jeans and pants into aprons @ Keeping it Simple


• turn a child's t-shirt into a dress @ I Can Find the Time


• make a simple memory game using stamps and wood cutoffs @ A Bit O' Shine

Three Small Things - fingerpuppet, granny square, doily

Here are three small things I've made in the last few days, a Teddy Bear fingerpuppet, a cross-my-heart granny square and a lemon doily.

<<< There is no pattern for this finger puppet, it is merely one of my early attempts at making a crochet toy. I decided to pop a little dress on her, along with a matching flower headband. It was after I embroidered her face that I realised she was back the front. Oh well, her backwards legs are hidden beneath the skirt so it doesn't really matter. She is just for practice after all, and was fun to make. You can see her before she was decorated in my Five Tiny Teddies post as one of my early attempts at making a crochet toy. I think she makes a great companion for my Octopus Boy!

>>> When I asked David what he thought I should make next, his idea was for me to make a lovey-dovey blanket for the lounge, one with a heart motif. I've seen lots of square heart motifs so went back to the net for some ideas. One I saw was a cross my heart granny square. I didn't use that pattern, just looked at it for the idea. I think I might have a go at making a granny square all in one colour then out-lining just one of the four hearts in a contrasting colour using chain stitch.

<<< I was feeling brave so was ready to give making a doily another go. I found a simple doily diagram at a page of beginner crochet doilies. I hit a snag at the 10th round so took it to the Women's Creative Centre to see if I could get some advice on it. Apparently my tension was too tight and I need to use a bigger hook, so after we unravelled the mistake we fastened this one off to make a small doily. It's just the right size to put under the phone that is sitting on my piano.

Pretty Covered Coathangers

Every wardrobe is not complete without a few of these covered coathangers! I don't know why I haven't made these before, they are so easy.

Many years ago I replaced all the old coathangers in my cupboard with plastic ones. But you know how these things multiply, right? Somehow, I now have three old wooden hangers in my cupboards and I'm not sure how they got there! They really needed covering, the wood catches on delicate clothes, and the corners leave imprints in the shoulders. Covering them fixes that!

I searched around on the net for ideas on how to do it, but they all  seemed a bit too fussy. For mine, I just cut up some recycled foam packaging and secured it with elastic bands. Then I simply hand stitched the pretty material straight over the top, folding in the edges, using blanket stitch. I folded in the ends and stitched that down, too. The lavender ones have pretty white buttons to secure the ends. I then finished off with a very simple little bow to cover the tiny gap for the hook. These are a cinch and don't take long to make at all.

Three Small Things - showerpuff, beaded hanger, doily

>>> I finished this pink shower puff yesterday. I used the crochet shower puff pattern from Crochetspot. It was really fun to make, the pretty pink cotton yarn I chose to try was really nice, but it took more than a whole roll. It certainly isn't the cheap option for shower puffs, as you can pick up the plastic ones for a dollar or two, and the yarn cost $3 each. It took a while to do as well, but it was a relaxing exercise. Apparently they last longer than the plastic ones, so I decided I needed to try it out in the shower. It feels like a face washer, and lathers up about as much. I'd rather the exfoliation of the plastic shower puff, so I think I'll pop this one in the guest bathroom because it is quite pretty.

<<< After I picked up David's suit yesterday from the drycleaners, I beaded the wire hanger with some old plastic beads I had stashed away. I don't have any other wire hangers, I threw them all away years ago, but wanted to try this out to see if it works. I got the idea for the beaded wire hanger from allfreecrafts. With it being summer, I'm wearing more singlets than usual and want to hang them up, but don't have enough of the kind of hangers where the straps won't slip off. I finished this hanger with some red ribbon and a cute little bow.

>>> On Monday, I bought a new dress that might do me as a wedding dress, if we actually get around to organising a wedding sometime in the next 12 months or so, which might not happen. I'm wondering if I'll be able to make myself a little cream coloured bolero to go with it, so I've started practicing and working out a draft pattern that has potental. I'm really liking the gathered petals, which is (tr 4 tog).  Part of this sample was inspired by a pattern my mum gave me, and I used some lovely lemon coloured cotton she also gave me. Thanks, mum!

Wonky and Blue

<<< While I was surfing the net for inspiration I stumbled upon this seemingly simple small heart pattern. I had success with the pattern from Crochetspot, so thought I should give this one a go, too! It's a little wonky I know, but I think my next one will be less so.  I don't know what I'll do with it, but who knows, it might end up as a bag handle end or something, lol.

>>> I used the same wool as I did yesterday when I whipped up a quick project at the end of the day. I got the idea to make a scraptrap from Granny Judith's website. But I figured I could use it as a pin cushion when it was done, instead of a child's toy. I didn't use any pattern, I just made it up as I went along, so like my blue heart, its a little wonky! But for a pin cushion, I have a feeling that's going be quite ok (take That, perfectionist tendancy!) And at the end of the day, I had a heap of cotton and scraps to go in it already. It was an excellent way to finish up the day, with a quick tidy up!

<<< While I'm waiting to go to the doctor, I'm keeping myself busy so I whipped up this one in a few minutes. I really liked this photo of a ten petal flower doily. I just looked at the picture and tried to copy it. My flower only has seven petals because I didn't count the dc in the 1st round. I just ... gave it a whirl!!