Knitted Red Bonnet

Here is the knitted red bonnet I wore as a small child, my mum has just given it to me. I remember wearing this hat, even though it was nearly 40 years ago! This was not made by anyone I know, I think my mum bought it from a shop.

a red knitted bonnet that inspired me to make another bonnet

It was the memory of this hat that inspired me to make a bonnet for Barbie in the same shape. Its simply two squares sewn together with a tie to hold it under the chin. Very simple!

the pink bonnet I made for Barbie

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!

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

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.

Pretty Irish Rose for a Sunhat

I had a go at adding a flower to the child's sun-hat I made the other day, using a tradition Irish Rose pattern. I think the end result is very cute, if I do say so myself!

I wasn't sure how the colour changes would go, but it worked out fine. I changed colour after doing the back posts and chain foundations for the next row. I made a 6th petal, although the pattern I followed had 5, as I prefer it this way. A couple of buttons added to the centre provided just the right amount of embellishment. I'm glad a couple more of my homeless buttons have found a new home. This flower is not removable like my other flowers I make for hats, I just sewed it right on securing it tightly.

I wonder if my 4 year old niece would like this hat? I don't know anyone else this would fit, and it would be a shame if no one wore it, it's just too nice!

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.

Silk Bamboo Wool Hat with Flower Brooch

This is the most expensive wool I've ever bought, but it was on special and I just couldn't go past this gorgeous blend of silk, bamboo and wool. I chose a colour similar to another hat I've made, because my sister-in-law said she liked it.

I used a 4mm hook for this hat, and the pattern is my own which is the same as my Pretty Patterned Beanie. As promised back then, this time I used a much nicer yarn with a 60% wool, 20% silk, 20% bamboo blend. This yarn was a such a joy to work with. It has a luxurious softness and consistent thickness, it's called 'silk plus' yarn from Lincraft. Again, I made a matching detachable rose brooch, using the free pattern at Crochetspot.

In everything I make I would like to include a little of what I call 'wabi sabi'. Apparently it's a Japanese term that means imperfect perfection, and is often included in handcrafted art works! I think it helps remind me that not everything can be perfect, no matter how hard we try. It's much healthier to accept and appreciate the beauty in handcrafted things that often include a slight flaw and lend the piece some personality. It also helps me avoid an obsession to try and produce perfection, which can be very frustrating as I find little flaws irritating! The 'wabi-sabi' in this piece is hidden at the base of the rose brooch! If you see it you will know this is a homemade piece made with affection.

It's my sister-in-law's birthday and I wanted to make her something but I wasn't sure what. I remembered she said she liked the patterned beanie but it's too small for an adult to wear, so I made another one with nicer wool in a similar colour. I was worried this one would be too small as well, but it's slightly larger than the proto-type as I used a bigger hook and thicker yarn.

I also put it on David's head for a while to make sure it was big enough, which was pretty cute! Sorry I forgot to take a photo of that, lol. I'll be posting this one off with the first one I made like this as a pair, which is a smaller size. Hopefully these two will get some wear, I'm just sorry they didn't arrive in time for winter!

Enjoy and Happy Birthday
<3 <3

Four Little Lost Angels

As I was taking them home from the market, I knew I would have so much fun cleaning up these second-hand dolls and dressing them in new crochet outfits, perhaps even with angel wings! In the end I settled on summer dresses complete with pretty bonnets and mary jane slippers. These tiny Kelly dolls are just 4.5 inches tall.

pretty outfits for four Kelly dolls

I first found the little blonde in a washing basket full of toys. The stall holder was busy selling a set of Dora dolls, so when I said I would like the tiny doll, she dismissed me saying I could have it for free. Well, I wouldn't take something so special for free, it just wasn't right! Her hair is in excellent condition, and she even has two near new shoes. I was thinking to give a dollar, but when we looked in David's wallet a 50 cent coin was sitting on top so I grabbed that and pressed it into hand of the man that was helping her with the stall. I think it must have been Karma, because later on at another stall, I saw the three other dolls, all with different coloured hair and all just 50 cents each! It was so uncanny it must have been fate that these four tiny Kelly dolls should meet in this way!

how I found these 4 dolls at the market for 50 cents each

Crochetting some clothes for these dolls turned out to be a lot more challenging than I first anticipated. I made several attempts before I ended up with a dress I was happy with. At first, I did a smaller version of the Barbie doll dress I usually do, using baby yarn, but I decided the result looked too bulky. Later, I made matching knickers for that dress using a free pants pattern I found on an old blog, again using the baby yarn. I made a top using baby yarn and a free ruffle top pattern, but I did not use the right size hook and yarn, and it didn't fit. The problem was, I was using baby yarn when I should have been using fine cotton thread.

At first, I really didn't think I would need to follow a pattern for this project, but I did. I had a little success with a free dress pattern @ Crochet Crafts by Helga, using fine cotton and 1.5mm hook as recommended. But I didn't like the skirt, I thought it was too short so added more rows, which then made the result bulky. Finally, I made a dress I liked using the bodice from Helga's free pattern, but adding my own skirt. Using the same cotton, I made some panties using Helga's free pants pattern,shortening the legs by making just one row of sc. I stitched up the gap at the back of the pants as I don't think it needs a button, pull on pants are fine for this small doll. I then made matching pull on panties for the other dresses I made, one each of pink, green, apricot and yellow. Each dress has one button on the back of the bodice.

matching beach outfits for four Kelly dolls

Because you can't see the panties underneath the dresses, I decided the dolls needed some little tops to show them off! Maybe these outfits can be PJs or summer beach outfits? The tops are just the bodice part of the dress, with every stitch in the bottom frill incr. The tops looked a little plain, so I crochet a tiny heart, clover, flower and sun to attach in contrasting colours to the front, to make them look more fun (hopefully!). The flower is just clusters to form 5 petals, and the sun is a round of 15 trbls, with a 2nd round of a picot in every 3rd trbl. I used the heart and clover patterns explained in previous posts.

Then I made them all matching Mary Jane slippers with my own made up pattern.

Mary Janes for Kelly Dolls by Teena Sutton

using 1.25mm hook, fine cotton

1. ch 7, trb (US db) in 3rd ch from hook, 2 trb, 2 db (US sc), turn

2. ch 2, trb in next 5 trb, 3 trebles in the stitch space at the toe, go round to the other side of the shoe and do trb in ea 5 trb, 1 trb at the heel, sl st in 1st trb of this round

3. ch 2, db in next 2 trb, sk 2 trb, trb in next 3 treble to form top of toe, sk 2 trb, db in next 3 trb, sl st in 1st db  of this round

4. ch 8 to form ankle strap and sl st in 1st ch

after some hair care the bonnets fit perfectly

Finally, I finished the outfits with bonnets, again with a pattern I made up myself. When I found these dolls, their hair was mostly 'fly-away' and a real mess. After shampooing, conditioning, air drying and finally smoothing with baby oil, their hair came up very nicely indeed. The pretty bonnets help keep the hair in place.

Pretty Bonnets for Kelly Dolls by Teena Sutton

using 1.25mm hook, fine cotton

1. chain 10, trbl (US dc) in 3rd ch from hook, trb in ea next 6 ch, 5 trbl in last ch which is the bottom of the last trbl, trb in the bottom of the other 7 trbl, turn

2. ch 2, trb in ea trbl, extra 3 trbl in last trb, trbl in bottom of each trb, turn

3. ch 2, sk trb, (3 trb in next trbl, sk trb, trb in next, sk trb) twice, 3 trbl ea in next 3 trbl (9 trbl), sk trb, trbl in next trbl (sk trbl, 3 trb in next trbl, sk trb, trb in next) twice, turn

4. ch 2, (sk trbl, 3 trb in next trbl, sk trbl, trbl in next) thrice, 3 trbl in next, trbl in next, (sk trbl, 3 trb in next trbl, sk trbl, trbl in next) thrice, turn

5. ch 2, repeat (sk trbl, 3 trbl in next, sk strbl, trbl in next) seven times, each cluster of 3 is in centre of cluster below, turn

6. repeat row 5 except don't turn, ch about 12 or enough to be long enough to form the chin strap, measure, slip stitch into the other side of the bonnet to form chin strap, don't turn

7 (bonnet frill), ch 2, repeat the pattern from previous row, except each cluster has 5 trebles instead of 3, turn

8. ch 2, repeat the previous pattern, except each cluster has 7 trebles instead of 5, fasten off.

Making outfits for these four Kelly dolls was heaps of fun and very satisfying. I learnt more about adjusting patterns for size, and also how to make pants. These are such a joy - but I think they will be going in a box soon. One day I'll bring them out again as a special treasure.

This is my post for this week's Transformation Thursday hosted @ The Shabby Chic Cottage. Be sure to check out fun crafty stuff at this blog party!

White Sunhat with Daisy Garland

The purpose of making this sun hat was to practice before trying to make one for a child, possibly my niece who has gone back to live in Darwin and has no use whatsoever for one of my winter beanies!

This is a very special doll my mother gave to my grandma. When nanna went to hospital I was given this doll for safe keeping. I think my mum wants this doll back one day but when I offer she says 'next time'. So I am taking good care of her by making her a pretty hat, so she doesn't feel left out because all the other toys are getting clothes made for them, too!

I have real trouble reading patterns as I often say, I need to understand in my mind beforehand how what I am making will work. This means I have a lot of trial and error while I try and make up my own patterns when I want to do something a little more complicated. I looked at images of cotton crochet sun hat on google but did not follow a pattern or any one image idea. I started with a five petal flower then continued with a flat round, then stopped increasing down the sides, making gaps in the five corners. With the brim I started increasing again at the corners, filling in the gaps with increasing stitches. I mostly used double trebles (American trebles) for this hat.

The hat was a little loose on the doll and I made it that way so it wouldn't ruin the doll's curls. But it wouldn't stay on! Looking at the completed hat I decided it needed some more five petal daisies to match the one in the centre. So I came up with the idea to make a little daisy garland to go round the hat to keep it tightly on the doll. The daisies in the garland are the same size as the daisy on the hat, but are made differently so the tips of the petals are not joined in a round. The daisies on the garland were (3 ch, sl st, 3 ch US treble into centre cluster, 3 ch, sl st into centre) repeat 5x, then each flower was joined with 15 ch. I had to do the final sl st of each flower on the opposite side to front so they would sit properly on the garland, all nicely facing the front.

I'm still not sure how I will make one to fit a child though. This used cheap 4ply mercer cotton from Lincraft and a 1.5m hook. It might be a bit fine for a child's hat, but I wouldn't want a summer hat to be much thicker either. Making a child's sunhat is just one more thing on my 'list of things to do'!

<3 <3

Purple Baby Jacket and Hat

This was an easy jacket I made following a pattern David's sister Michelle got free for me from Spotlight, the hat I made using an easy pattern from Lincraft.

The hat was the first of these that I made using a pattern from the Lincraft booklet I bought some months ago. I then had a go at the matching jacket but I just couldn't make sense of what the pattern wanted me to do. My M.I.L had a look at it for me and tried to explain but in the end I decided it was harder than it deserved, so I gave up and had a go at the pattern from Spotlight, which made more sense to me.

For the jacket, I used more of the purple dimples baby yarn from Lincraft, this pattern required a 4mm and a 4.5mm hook. It's a straight forward pattern and now I know how to do it, I'm sure I could make more variations of it. I really like the stitch in the skirt, so much so that I'm also working on a scarf using the same stitch. I think it looks like a pretty flower or star pattern. The buttons are recycled from my old stash and I think they suit perfectly! The pattern has sleeves, and also says to thread a ribbon around the waist, which I can choose to do later if I wish. For now, I think this is ok!

Perhaps I need to have a go at the booties ?

<3

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

White Rose of Peace

I've made a flower to go with the white hat I made about four years ago without a pattern. I like to call the flower I made for it "The White Rose of Peace" ! This is my post for this week's White Wednesday blog party hosted by Faded Charm.

I've made this flower before using the rose pattern on Rachel's Crochet Spot website. I prefer to attach these flowers to a safety pin so they are removable according to whim and fancy! This one was made with white wool I was given amongst a large unwanted stash by the mother of a friend, and I used a 3.5mm or  4mm hook for the flower.

I've decided my White Rose of Peace shall bring Harmony and Tranquillity to all who look at it with Magical Imagination! It is a special flower I've made for good luck and forgiveness!
<3 <3 <3

Be sure to check out other wonderful whites @ White Wednesday!

My selected highlights from this week's party

• beautifully hand embroidered baby dress @ The Old Fashioned Baby Sewing Room


• chalkboard tray @ Keepin' Up with the Tatums


• beautiful photographs of white flowers @ Laughing with Angels


• a wonderful collection of white pottery @ Cabin & Cottage

Winter Hat Collection 2010

Here is a gallery of all the hats and beanies I've finished so far!

I'm hoping to give some of these to family as gifts, I just don't know which ones they would like so I hope they can tell me! <3 <3 <3

I have already written on my blog about some of these hats, but I'll be posting more in future, explaining how I made them, the pattern and washing instructions for the wool.

[gallery columns="5"]

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

Dreamy Mango and Cream Beanie

I started this apricot coloured beanie ages ago, and now it's finally finished!

After I made the blue beanie for David about 3 years ago without a pattern, I thought to make myself a warmer one as well. The white one I made for myself in 2004 has too many holes to be warm enough. So I chose three lovely bits of wool that seemed to match, the cream wool has flecks of orange in it, one ball still had the label which said the colour was 'mango'. But I hit a snag and the beanie was turning out too big so I left it aside for a couple of years!

When I recently started working on my beanie making skill in earnest, I went back to this to try and finish it off. I undid a few rounds and started making the straight sides, adding in a rough apricot coloured stripe in the middle to use up the last of that yarn.

This is a very simple beanie made from beautifully soft wool that feels nice on the face, and it's nice and warm too! I think I am ready to get some nicer wool to make more beanies for family and friends!
<3 <3 <3

Barbie's Pink Tea Party

The pink dress I made especially for today's Pink Tea Party could very well be the most beautiful thing I've made so far! I think my Barbie is very pleased to have something so nice to wear to the party today, which is to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Pink  Saturday and is hosted at How Sweet the Sound.

The vintage doll's cane furniture is the first thing I've ever bought from Ebay about two weeks ago. I remember when I was a little girl some of my friends had these but I didn't, and when I saw them on Ebay I just had to grab it! There was also a four piece lounge set for sale with normal chairs instead of the peacock chairs, but because it was my very first ebay purchase, someone else bid at the very last minute so I lost! I didn't make the same mistake on the peacock chairs though, and got them for $16 including postage. Probably a little on the expensive side for my modest doll collection as I'm not too serious about it, but I do believe the seller when they said this cane set is about 40 years old! I think it's a very special thing.

Using a 2.5mm hook and a small ball of baby pink yarn, I started the doll's dress on Monday afternoon and finished midday Tuesday, so it took less than one day. This is not the first dress I've made like this, although I think it's an improvement on the orignal because it crosses over at the back so you can't see her knickers - if she is wearing any! The Barbie dresses I make are inspired by a dress I've kept and treasured from my childhood which my mother tells me was made by my Nanna Pam. You can't tell when she is sitting down, but you can pinch the skirt to make pleats appear. I am so tickled pink I could manage to make something as pretty as this!

In an attempt to preserve the doll's hair as long as possible, I try and keep it tied up in a little snood. Anyone who has collected dolls knows how synthetic hair can ruin over time. But the pretty pink dress needed it's own hat, so I decided to give making a bonnet a go! I looked on google for images of crochet doll bonnets, but there were not many that I could see. I remember a knitted bonnet I wore as a young child which folded neatly into a square, so I made one up kind of like that. I didn't follow a pattern at all, and used the same stitches as in the skirt of the pink dress.

The tiny coffee table needed a pink doily, don't you think? This is my first completed proper doily and it took me between 2 to 4 hours I think, finishing it last Thursday morning. I used a pattern in a book I borrowed from my local library on Monday called "101 Easy Scrap Crochet Projects". The pattern for this doily is on page 40-41.

This doll's setting would not be complete without a tiny doll's teaset but when I looked on ebay for those I decided they were too expensive. But when David took me to the Salvo's store last Saturday I saw this set for just $1! That was more like it I thought, but didn't notice until I got to the counter that the teapot has been broken and glued back together. Oh well, I don't think Barbie minds! And the tiny teddies don't drink tea anyway. The cheeky things have hidden a big bottle of liquor to sip during today's party, those Party Animals!!! A good thing too, because there is only one teacup!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my special pink tea party!
<3 <3 <3

For more pinkness check out today's special anniversary of Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound.

Highlights from this week's party

• a truly magical and artistic tribute to Beverly's Pink Universe @ Heart of a Wizardess


• gorgeous pinks like pink shoes and pink chandeliers @ Enchanted Revelries


• images of a tiny tiny vintage doll with crochet dress, hat and knickers @ Connie Eyberg Originals