Forest Fairy Hat

Here is a Forest Fairy hat I made for Chloe my niece to wear right away in size 00. Its a green hat with purple trim. If you're after the pattern for this hat, I hope to have it available in my Ravelry store by the end of the Australian autumn.

This Forest Fairy hat is green with purple trim

size 00 hat worn by a doll with a 15 inch head

Forest Princess premmie hat, free pattern

This is the first of a set of Princess hats I will be making available in 6 sizes, starting with this premmie sized hat. As the mum of a premmie baby, I don't feel I can sell the premmie hat so its available for free!

the premmie hat on a 12inch head

Summary -
There are 3 increasing rounds, plus 7 rounds of 12 granny clusters. This premmie hat fits heads from 10 inches to 12 inches in circumference. The picture is of the hat on a 12 inch head, so will appear larger on a smaller head. The hat is 4 inches high from crown to brim, or 5 inches stretched.

gauge - 1st 2 rounds measure 1.75 inches in diameter, 8 ply yarn with 4mm hook recommended
special stitch "Granny Cluster" - sk 2 3 dc into next, OR 3 dc into next ch sp
two colours are required, for "Forest Princess" green is the main colour, and pink is the contrast colour

1. (in main colour) 3 ch (counts as 1st st) sl st into 1st ch to form loop, 11 dc into loop, sl st into 3rd ch (12 st)
2. sc into next 2 ch (counts as 1st dc throughout), dc into same (2 dc into next) repeat to end, sl st into 2nd ch (24 st)
3. sc into next 2 ch, dc into same (dc into next, 2 dc into next) repeated to end, dc into last, sl st into 2nd ch (36 st)
4. sc into next 2 ch, dc into same (sk 2, 3 dc into next, counts as granny cluster throughout), repeat for 11 granny clusters, sk 2 dc into same as 1st sc (counts as 12th granny cluster throughout), sl st into 2nd ch (12 granny clusters)
5-10. sc into next ch sp 2 ch, dc into same (3 dc into next ch sp) repeated for every ch sp, dc into same ch sp as 1st sc, sl st into 2nd ch (12 granny clusters) fasten off
11. (change to contrast colour) attach to any ch sp (sk 1 2 hdc into 2nd dc of granny cluster, dc into same, 2 hdc into same, sl st into next ch sp) repeat for each granny cluster, fasten off
12. in contrast colour, make a tiny one round flower, free pattern at Flushed with Rosy Colour, and attach securely to round 7, weave in all ends

the Forest Princess hat is green with pink trim

Pink & Green Doily

I found making this doily very relaxing, so I think I should have more things like this for sale in my little online shop. Pinning it out to be blocked was also relaxing, and it needed quite a bit of that!

a pretty pink and green doily I've put up for sale in my online shop at madeit.com

When I was pinning this I noticed something about my design that I think I oculd improve, so the next doily will be 11 rounds instead of 10 rounds like this one.

blocking the doily

I completed it within an afternoon so that's not too bad, time wise. I used some of my beautiful 4 ply cotton from Bendigo and a 3mm hook.

When I'm happier with the pattern I hope to share it on Ravelry as a download in a set of doilies. My friend Hazel has offered to pattern test so I'm very excited!

Green Willow Bag

This is another string bag, like the large blue one I made which I will keep for myself as a beach bag. I liked it so much, I made this green one to put in my shop just in case someone else might like it, too.

I was reading on Ravelry, an online community for knitters and crocheters, that other members had also made this willow market bag which is in the Crochet So Fine book by Kristin Omdahl which I borrowed from the library. There is a new stitch for me to learn in this pattern called the ldtr which was quite hard for me to work out. I tried to finish the row how it was described in the book, but the end result in my blue bag was messy. But a ravelry member suggested how to finish it and the result was much neater for my green bag.

detail of the willow pattern

I also had trouble with the foundation single crochet in the handles, so did the same in this green bag as I did for the blue one. That is, I did ch instead, then inserted an extra row of sc on top of that, which is the eqivalent of following the pattern. I think it ended up just fine.

Another thing I need to remember is when to start the handles on a bag, as I don't have that in my notes. There are 36 sc along then 72 ch for the handle, but skip just 36 stitches. Then another 72 sc along until its time for the next handle. Skip 36 and chain 72 for the handle, then finish of with another 36 sc which brings you to the start of the round.

green string bag as a bag of fruit

This time I made the bag as big as was suggested in the pattern, so its not quite as big. I hope someone will like it enough to buy it!

green string bag on a chair

Large Green Rag Rug

I've made a couple of different attempts at making rag rugs, my most successful before this was the heart shape one I made a couple of years ago. The method I used this time worked up a lot quicker, was gentler on my hands and produced what I think is a neater result.

rag rug made by crocheting acrylic around strips of rag

I've been meaning to make a rag rug like this for quite a while. For this rug, I ripped an old sheet that had torn into 2 inch wide strips, then I sewed the ends together with my sewing machine. If I simply tied the ends together, it made an ugly knot in my work. I didn't hem the edges of the rag strips either. This way the bulk in the rug was reduced, I just tucked in the ends.

Using the principles of a flat circle, I did sc around the strip. At first I used a 4mm hook, then I switched to a 5mm hook at about the 4th round. After about 10 rounds I switched to a bigger hook again, this time it was a 6mm hook. Because the rug had started to buckle up, I undid a bit and with the bigger hook stitched more loosely, so the cordage would fall flat better.

an attempt at rag rugging

Back in March I went to my local library to learn more about rag rugging. This workshop was the main driving force to get me to put Thomas into day-care, which was very hard for me. But then he liked it so much and was getting so much out of it, we decided he could go two days a week instead of just the one. I was fairly unhappy with the method they taught me at the rag rugging workshop, it was basically platting and gave a messy result. It was fairly slow going too, so I gave up on that idea. At least they taught me how to rip up a sheet, which is fairly basic. You just rip it up! And that's a lot of fun, too.

Towards the end of this rug, I did a couple of rounds that were non-increasing because the edges were ruffling up. Then the rug came flat again so I went back to increasing once at each of the 9 sections. I had to keep checking the flatness of the rug throughout my work, often stopping to place it flat on the floor to see if it was buckling. By the end I was using a 5mm hook, and just used a tighter or looser tension to make the rug lay flat. To finish off, I did one round of scallops, they're just 5 dc into one sc, sk 1, sl st into next, sk 1, repeat. But because I didn't count every stitch to make sure there was a multiple of 4, I started with 2 ch and 2 dc into same. That way, at the end I could insert an extra stitch to make the joining scallop a little larger (3 dc, dc into next, sl st into 2nd ch).

detail of the scallop edging

The end result does have some buckles in it, but you can stamp them flat and that's all you need. As the rug ages it will become more and more flat. I will put this in the high traffic area of the kitchen, if it ages well I will make another one. I ended up ironing the rug flat and it came up better. It also slips on the tiles, so I need to get some non-slip rubber to place underneath it. I hope to make a smaller pink one for the ensuite bathroom!

Summer Lime Coasters

I made this set of 6 doily coasters in green and decided they should b e called Summer Lime Coasters! I think they're nice enough to have for sale in my shop, and if no one buys them, I think I shall use them myself!

these coasters in summer lime are perfect for a tea party

getting ready for afternoon tea

These were made following my four round doily pattern, except  the last round has scallops of 7 dc instead of 8, and the start is a loop of 4 ch. I used a 3.5mm hook, and 8 ply Australian made cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mill.

top down view of the summer lime coasters

Three Round Triangle, free pattern

I can't wait for my camera to get back from the shop! I hope you don't mind the photos I've taken with my old camera. I made this three round triangle to see if I could do a third round on my two round triangles. Let me write the patter for you. Because I am still learning to write patterns, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

three round triangle

Three Round Triangle
gauge not important, yarn and hook determine size of finished triangle
(I used 8 ply acrylic and a 4mm hook)
1. 3 ch sl st into 1st ch to form loop, 4 ch (counts as 1st dc), (dc into loop, 1 ch) repeat a total of 5 times, sl st into 3rd ch (a wheel of 6 spokes)
2. sl st into next ch sp, 3 ch 2 dc into same ch sp 3 ch 3 dc into same ch sp to form 1st corner, 2 dc into next ch sp (3 dc 3 ch 3 dc into next ch sp to form corner, 2 dc into next ch sp) repeat, sl st into 3rd ch
3. 2 sl st to next ch sp, sl st into that ch sp, 3 ch 2 dc into same ch sp 3 ch 3 dc into same ch sp to form 1st corner, dc into ea dc up to next ch sp (8 dc), (3 dc 3 ch 3 dc into ch  sp to form corner, 8 dc) repeat, sl st into 3rd ch fasten off and weave in end

Tiny Shells Premmie Beanie, free pattern

With my mother-in-law currently visiting, the subject of the premature birth of our son came up, and how now, looking back we're able to say just how much of a hard time we had. It made me think of this lovely pale green merino baby ply I had and how much I really wanted to make premmie beanies to donate to the nursery where Thomas spent his first 2 months. Here is a pattern I made up to make this premmie beanie, please let me know what you think.


tiny shells premmie beanie to fit head circumference up to 10 inches

Tiny Shells Beanie
~ worked in rounds, the first 5 rounds are a flat circle, see Tiny Shells Coaster for more ~
gauge, the first round is 1 inch in diameter to fit a small baby, perhaps a premmie
I used a 3mm hook and 4 ply merino baby yarn
1. ch 4, 16 dc into 1st ch, sl st into 2nd dc, tucking the starting chain behind the last dc
2. (3 hdc in next, sl st in next) repeat 7 more times (8 tiny petals)
3. 2 ch, sk hdc, sc in 2nd hdc (sk hdc, 3 hdc in sl st, sk hdc, sc in next hdc) repeat 6 more times, sk hdc, 3 hdc in slst, sl st into 1st sc, tucking starting ch behind last hdc (8 tiny petals)
4. 3 ch, sc in 2nd hdc (sk hdc, 5 dc in sc, sk hdc, sc in next hdc) repeat 6 more times, sk hdc, 5 dc in sc, sl st in 1st sc, tucking starting ch behind last dc (8 scallops)
5. 3 ch, sc in 3rd dc of scallop (sk 2 dc, 5 dc in sc, sk 2 dc, sc in 3rd dc of scallop) repeat 6 more times, sk 2 dc, 5 dc in sc, sl st in 1st sc, tucking starting ch behind last hdc (8 scallops)
6-13. repeat round 5 until desired length is reached, (eg. 8 more rounds of scallops)
14. sl st into 1st dc of next scallop, ch 1, sc into same, sc each into next 4 dc, (sk sc, sc in ea next 5 dc) repeat to end, sl st into 1st sc
15. ch 1, sc into each sc around, sl st into 2nd sc to tuck starting chain behind last sc, fasten off and weave in end

pale green 4 ply merino baby wool by Cleckheaton op shop find

Large Green Buddha

In the 1980s, there was craft craze known as greenware painting. Basically you bought a plaster cast of a mould and painted it, then it was fired in a professional kiln. My mother took me with her to classes and we made several things, this green Buddha is one of my favourites.

green-ware Buddha my mother painted

I like him because he's so simple, just painted in a glaze that burst in spots inside the kiln. He is a stately gentleman standing about 12 inches high, I believe he brings good-luck! He currently lives at my mother's house, I think he is busy trying to make a lucky life for them <3

A Pair of Small Green Doilies

I made these two small doilies for my sister-in-law Lynelle, who asked me to make some to match the large green doily I gave to her last year. These ones are intended to sit on a dresser as doilies for small objects, but they are the same size as drink coasters. You can use them as coasters but I wouldn't recommend that because they will need to be washed more often.

pair of coaster sized doilies with tea cup

I was going to make up my own pattern, but decided to follow one I saw on pinterest. This easy doily pattern was easy to make up, the pattern is by Maggie Weldon and is available for free on bestfreecrochet.com.

Although I do prefer working with less fine cotton and larger hooks, tiny work like this really hurts my eyes. For these doilies, I used fine cotton and a 1.5mm hook. To help me memorise the pattern I simplified it, its basically a round of 24, then a round of 24 (dc 1 ch), then a round of 3 chs, a round of 4 chs, then 3 rounds of 6 chs, the last is 7 dc into every 2nd ch sp, (1 ch sc 1 ch) into the other ch sps.

The doilies needed blocking because they were slightly different sizes, after blocking they came out fine. To wash these doilies you need to wash in cool water and squeeze gently. Then lay flat onto white foam or thick white cardboard and pin out, starting with a pin in the centre. This will make the doilies sit nicely, don't remove them from the pins until the doilies are dry.

blocking a matching pair of doilies on top of each other

I'm going to post these to Lynelle for her birthday, I hope she likes them!

Organic Spiral Baby Beanie

I used organic wool from Nimbin for this spiral beanie, this is the first thing I've made with it. I basically wanted to see if I could do it! It was simple enough, except the final rounds were tricky to decide how to finish it evenly.

spiral baby beanie made with organic wool from Nimbin

In the end I allowed an uneven finish, and embellished it with a vintage button from my old collection. I used 8 ply organic Australian wool and a 4mm hook. I made this up in a morning, while David watched Thomas so I could get some much needed time out! As much as I love being with my son, he had to stay home all day every day this week because he had a bad cold, and I think he missed his friends at day-care. Staying home with mum every day can be a very boring for an energetic toddler a few months away from his second birthday!

organic newborn beanie in green with blue, embellished with a vintage button

Toddler's Comfort Pillow with Slip

I've been meaning to do this project for a while, I'm hoping it will help Thomas with his sleeping. But finding an opportunity to drag out the sewing machine when one's major task is to care for said toddler is not an easy task!

toddler comfort pillowslip with bubble minky fleece and flannel for a nice soft texture

I bought the material weeks ago, but only got to make it last Tuesday when Thomas was having a fun day at the day care centre, which we call "Playcare" or "Playschool"! First I made the cover for the actual pillow using a scrap of bright material my friend Hazel gave to me, which was perfect for the job.

a bright cotton sea-theme fabric was perfect for the cushion

When it came to the slip, I realised the stretchy material of the green bubble fleece would not be easy to sew, I had to plan how it would fit with the flannel so it wouldn't stretch. I made up the slip, but it turned out wonky. Oh well, it will still do the job! I made sure the cushion was going to fit inside the slip before stuffing it with chunks of old pillow, then I sealed it up.

In the end, the slip measures 22 x 11 inches, or 56 cm x 28.5 cm (thanks to grandma's tape measure!). I had a pillow a similar size and shape when I was small. I remember I was so attached to it, it was very hard for me to let it go. I hope this pillow will bring comfort to my son as he grows a little bigger and learns to sleep better. And hopefully not for too much longer in our big bed with his mummy and daddy!

Sea Green Beanie Ear Flaps

The weather is getting decidedly chilly so I've been trying to convince my toddling son to wear a beanie on his head, at least when he is outside. Of course, no sooner do I have it on his head does he rip it back off again! The solution? Ear flaps added at my earliest convenience!

ear flaps added to a sea green beanie

I made this sea green beanie over a year ago, yet it still fits Thomas. It's rather a nice colour of sea green, an acrylic from the Wangaratta Mill. It was a simple matter to add these ear flaps, like I did for a purple monster beanie a few months ago.

18 month old Thomas wearing sea green beanie with ear flaps

I put the beanie on Thomas when he woke from his nap, and he's still wearing it 10 minutes later. Sesame Street helps as a distraction! He wore the beanie for nearly 15 minutes, its a record!

Dark Green Divine Hat

Here is a hat I hoped to give to a friend for her birthday on 22nd May, but I've been so busy I didn't get it made in time!

dark green divine hat

I followed the pattern at Rheatheylia, anyone is allowed to use the free patterns there as long as the author is credited and a link provided. Using my 6mm hook for body and 5mm hook for brim, I made this beanie in one day. Its a very thick beanie, only suitable for really cold weather, it might be too thick for an Australian winter.

I misunderstood how to hide the starting chain, I hid it at the end of the round instead of the beginning. I think this may have caused a buckle that wraps around the hat where each round starts. I also sl st along one cluster to do that, which might also have caused the buckle. I want to make this again, but I don't feel like making another one the same colour!

I'm still considering if I should unravel this and do it again, maybe it is alright as it is because once the hat is on you can't see the buckle ...

Green Monster Beanie with dark green tail

Here is a child sized green monster beanie I have made with dark green tail and dark green eyes.

green monster beanie with dark green tail and dark green eyes

I finished the eyes in the early hours of Friday morning,. The only time I can do the tricky monster eyes with yarn needle is when my baby is sleeping!

Toddler's Autumn Cardigan

Its Autumn here in Australia at the moment, so its perfect timing to finish this cardigan that has been a work in progress for quite a long time! This cardigan is so very special to me, because I started the granny squares while I was in hospital after my son was born.

Autumn Cardigan

I was so very sick when Thomas was born, which is why he had to come 9 weeks early. He was in the baby nursery for nearly 8 weeks, and I was in hospital for 2 weeks. I chose this beautiful 4 ply baby yarn when I was pregnant before I knew I was having a boy. I now wish I chose dark blue instead of the orange, but at the time I thought these colours would be good for either a girl or boy, but now I don't like the orange.

Autumn Cardigan

I wanted to crochet when I was in hospital but couldn't do anything too complicated as it was too hard for me to concentrate. My husband brought in some yarn from home and I chose the most expensive yarn I have bought which I was saving for a nice cardigan. But when I was sick I simply started making granny squares thinking I would make a rug! Some of the granny squares are not even simple granny squares like most of them are. Some squares start with an attempt at a circle but I didn't know how to do them properly at that stage so the circles are wonky! I did do some strange things when I was sick.

the granny squares I made while I was sick in hospital

As summer was drawing to a close and the promises of a chill in the air could be felt, I went back to these granny squares. The thought of this very expensive yarn going to waste bothered me. I didn't want to waste it in another bunny rug, the yarn is so soft it should be worn. Thomas did need a cardigan, so I started increasing the rounds on some of the squares so they were all one of two sizes. I started to plan how I would put the squares into a granny square jacket. It was all I could do with these squares.

Doing a spot of autumn gardening

 I ran out of yarn towards the end and started unravelling a few of the tiny ones that were left over. I only just had enough to make this cardigan, but was determined not to buy any more of this wool. Its more than twice the price of the Australian wool I now buy from Bendigo in Victoria. With this 4 ply baby wool I used a 3.5mm hook.

checking out the baby cherry tomatoes

This cardigan took me a long time to finish, even though in the end the design is very simple and straight forward. I learnt a lot from making this one. I've now decided the best way to join granny squares is with a yarn needle to create an invisible join. I now also join yarn using a Russian join instead of knotting. These methods reduce the ends eventually showing through after wash and wear. And because I've made it for my own son I'll be able to see first hand how it wears. I expect the joins I made with these new methods will persevere longer than the old knotting and weaving methods I used to use.

"Hello" from Thomas

All in all I'm relieved and pleased how this turned out. This has been bothering me for quite a while, and I thought I would just have to end up making something not very good with the squares I started when I was sick. In the end, its turned out rather nice after all. Thomas seems happy with it!

Monster Beanies with double tails

The first orders for my online shop have been for monster beanies, so last week I was hard at work making a bunch. I plan to make each one of my monster beanies unique, no two will be the same.

baby sized green monster beanie with green tail and purple eyes

The double tails are my own design. I first came up with the idea to hide the seam along the back of the hat which was bugging me. Then I realised the single tail wasn't symmetrical so I mirrored it to come up with the double tail design. I hope to find the time soon to write the pattern down, and perhaps try selling it on craftsy and ravelry.

toddler sized purple monster beanie with purple tail and red eyes

child sized red monster beanie with red tail and blue eyes

The first 3 monster beanies are for my mother in law. I won't be charging her for those though, as she and her husband give us so much and I'm happy to make them for her. Every time we visit them, they give us a box of fresh veggies from the garden, including heaps of tomatoes, and beautiful home-made pickles which I love. Grandpa has even promised to make Thomas a little table with chairs! I can't wait, because I just love the wooden blocks and train he made for Christmas.

Another Green Basket

This was made with the same yarn as the first basket I did, but the bottom circle was different so its sides are straighter.

2nd green basket

The bottom circle starts with a round of 6 sc, followed by a second round of 12 sc. Although it has 8 rounds, 2 more than the other basket, it should have end up larger but it didn't. I think that might be because the first basket has a bottom circle that is not flat, instead it is a bit hyperbolic because it started with too many stitches. For this one, I used the same 3 strands of acrylic as the last basket, white, aqua and dark green, and a 7mm hook.

This basket might come in handy holding socks for Thomas. They have been turning out to be hard to find in a hurry!

Mottled Green Acrylic Basket

I was inspired by a photo I saw of a basket made from yarn, so I made one myself this morning!

crochet basket made with acrylic yarn

The photo I saw was on a blog called Crochet in Color, I know she spelt colour wrong, didn't she? (lol, just kidding, we spell it differently in Australia). She suggested 3 to 4 pieces of yarn held together and a 7 or 8mm hook. As suggested by Liz, I spiralled up the sides instead of sl st each row, so there is no seam to see. I also crochet the last round of the base so that the loops show on the outside, as suggested.

mottled green crochet basket

I used a 7mm hook and 3 yarns held together to make this basket. I used white, dark green and aqua acrylic my mother-in-law gave me at Easter. I really like how the colours came together like this. I found this a lot easier than making a basket out of plarn, which I have tried. That's quite hard on your hands. This is too, but not as much. I also found using T-yarn hard on your hands. I think I'd must rather make baskets out of acrylic if I have enough to use, like this great stash I scored from my MIL.

handle detail of green basket

This basket will become my 'indulge' basket on my dresser. You probably know what's like with a small child, you just don't get a moment spare for yourself. I had to go through my dresser yesterday to make room for a vaporiser as we're all really sick with flu at the moment. I realised I have a bunch of beauty treatments that I'm not using, so they will go into this nice basket. When I get a moment to myself, I hope to quickly grab something and slap it on!

Grandpa's Easter Beanie

Two years ago I made a simple brown beanie which I gave to my father. He's been wearing it to bed because the sleep apnoea machine he has to use digs into his ears at night. But the beanie is too warm to wear in summer, so he's asked me to make him a cotton one. Although summer is nearly over, I've made him this green and blue cotton beanie to wear for now. I'll make him a warmer one for winter.

Grandpa's Easter Beanie

For this cotton from Bendigo Mill, I used the recommended 4mm hook. To get the size right, I started with a round of 20 dc. I thought to make 6 increasing rounds, but this made it too small and I had to unravel it and make a 7th increasing round. The pattern is simply (dc, sk 1 ch 1) repeated, this makes spaces and a light wearing beanie for warmer months.

I wasn't happy with the round joints and how the yarn was showing through because I was carrying it and not cutting it at every colour change. Luckily this Wednesday I had a chance to go to my old craft classes, now that Thomas is in childcare one day a week. My old teacher was still there, thank goodness, because she is a most excellent teacher! I haven't been since I was pregnant in 2010, so it was wonderful to go back and ask her some pressing crochet questions! Dell showed me how to twist the carried yarn so it wouldn't show from the front. She also suggested I put an extra slip stitch to stop the beginning of the round slide too far over, which was making the first stitch of the round too spread out. I secured the first stitch inside a chain, thanks to Dell. I hope I will find time again soon to go back to my favourite crochet class at Creative Women's Centre at Greenslopes Mall. And nope, I don't have a link to their website, because they don't have one - shesh!

Despite having to unravel most of it when I was nearly finished, this beanie still didn't take me long to make. I hope it fits my dad and he likes it!