UFP JANUARY ... 2020

WOW, two posts in one day!!!

So as with previous years, January is usually the month that I work on all the outstanding UFP’s in my work basket.

I updated my list this year, and the majority of outstanding projects are crochet ones!  We’ll get to them in a minute, but my first finish of 2020 was actually this:

It seems to have taken forever to finish this one, the fill pattern is quite slow to work up.

The next finish I had was this:

This design was recommended by you guys so I hope I’ve done him justice!  Next on the rota is Abra, but I’ll probably not start that one now until next month.

Now onto the crochet…

I have projects in my work basket going back to 2013, which is not that old, considering how long I’ve been working on the “Gettysberg” project, but I was keen to get them done … so, here they are!

I have quite a few other projects that are ready to sew up, or don’t need much crocheting doing to them, and hopefully I can get them all (or some) finished before the end of this month.  If not, I’ll work on them as and when I get time!

Till next time … keep Kalm and cross-stitch!

+SHOW 'n TELL+ CROCHET CRITTERS

Howdo Guys!

Well, the months are ticking down to Christmas and I can only apologise for my lack of posts this year.

It's been a real stinker and motivation has been somewhat lacking.

Whilst new patterns have been few and far between, I've still been crafting away.

Here are all some of my crochet critters I've completed recently:

"Stack-o-Saurus"

Baby Totoro

Mr Fish

"Mini Hardy"

These have all been uploaded to my deviantART page, where you can find the pattern links!

Don't go away guys, more "show 'n tell" coming right up!!!

Redundant Santa and Left Over Turkey!

Greetings one and all!

Well, Christmas has come and gone in the blink of an eye.  I hope those of you who celebrate it had a wonderful time.  For me, whilst I enjoy the chance to relax and spend time with my family, this year has not been so enjoyable (which is a shame).

I have to admit that I am looking forward now to the New Year and getting back to normal.  

This also means that I will be able to start charting new patterns and go back to stitching all the projects I had to abandon whilst I'd been doing Christmas projects.  I had quite a lot of projects planned for Christmas, but in the end, I had to abandon quite a few due to time restraints.

Good news, I finished all my Christmas cards!

The only project left to complete is a festive Newton's Law design that I hope to finish before the 6th January.  I don't normally continue festive projects after then, but if he's almost done, then I may make an exception!

Here are some festive crochet projects that I did manage to complete:

Now that Santa has delivered all the presents to the children of the world, he is feeling a little redundant.  However, before he starts thinking about recruiting a new batch of elves to help him organise next Christmas, he might have a nice long holiday with Mrs Claus on a tropical island!

The pattern for this Santa came from issue 55 of Lets Get Crafting - Knitting and Crochet (you can view the project HERE on Ravelry).

Terry the turkey was feeling very relieved to get a reprieve at Thanksgiving!  He was very excited to get into the Christmas spirit (hence his hat), and was even more excited when Mrs Claus invited him for Christmas dinner!  Terry was a little nervous that he might get served up as the main course, but thankfully, they were having goose!!!

The pattern for this turkey came from HERE.  He was initially a Thanksgiving turkey, but as we don't celebrate that in the UK, I turned him into a Christmas turkey and made him a little Santa hat.

With only a few days of 2013 left, I hope to have a few patterns to upload.

Until then, enjoy your weekend and ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch :) xxx

Ook!

Charlie the Chimp is always complaining he is hungry so I made him a banana...

I have been wanting to make an amigurumi banana for some time, and I was going through my patterns recently when I came across this.  Last night I decided to sit down and make it!

It wasn't difficult, although working the "peels" was a little fiddly!

If you fancy making your own banana, I downloaded the pattern from HERE.  If you are on Ravelry, then you should check the designer out -- she is very talented!!!

Next, I want to make one of these to go with it!!!

I must apologise again for the lack of stitchy updates.  Apart from the two Pokemon featured recently in my WIP (which I'm having colour issues with at the moment), I have been working on a few side projects.  The downside is that I have no white aida at the moment so I can't start stitching them.  Thankfully, Monday is payday so I should be able to rectify this!!!

Hopefully I'll have more of an update on this soon, but for now...

Keep Kalm and cross-stitch! xxx

PS - the chimpanzee plush holding the banana is called "Charlie the Chimp", I've had him since 1987 - he was from Avon Cosmetics :) xxx

Stitchy Update

Happy Easter Guys!!!

Apologies that this post is slightly later than planned. As you all know by now, work have increased my hours which means I have less time to design, chart, stitch, crochet and update my blog!

Still, here in the UK we have a 4-day weekend so I'm planning on doing as much as the aforementioned as possible over the next few days :D

On the stitchy front, here is the latest:

Kudos must go to Missy-Tannenbaum of Dork Stitch fame who correctly guessed that both the Pokemon I'm working on are "Victreebell" (as shown above) and "Dexoys", the later she referred to as having "noodly" arms (which I thought was quite amusing)!

I want to try and get these patterns finished as soon as I can (so that I can share them with you guys), and also so that I can start working on new patterns!

Turning back to my Easter crochet, I finished my chicken today:

I'm not sure that I'm overly happy with the way it turned out (the shaping isn't as defined as it is in the reference image - I reckon it would work better if the pattern was worked back to front).  I may do this one again, but at least it gave me a chance to practice making french knot eyes!

I've put some more pictures from my work in progress on my Facebook page and you can view them HERE.

Well that's probably me done posting now until after the Easter weekend,  To all my followers who celebrate Easter, I hope you have a wonderful time -- but don't overdo it on the chocolate!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch :) xxx

Easter Chick Project

Greetings guys!!!

Those who follow me on Facebook will know that over the weekend I posted images relating to a crochet project I recently started.  For those of you who missed it, you can see the images I've uploaded to date HERE.

Since I uploaded the pics at the weekend, I have started working on the chicken and the yellow chick:

I also intend to make chicks in the two other colours shown, but I am doubtful that these will get done for Easter.  Progress is slow, especially now I am working more hours.

I would recommend to anyone who wants to crochet to give DMC's Natura Just Cotton yarn a go as it's like working with embroidery thread!  It's silky and smooth and works really well.  Using small hooks does take some getting used to, but the results are worth it.  Not only that, but there are 56 gorgeous shades to choose from!!!

I have featured (in the link above) links to purchasing the yarn and the booklets via Sew and So. (these are the cheapest on the net -- unless someone knows different)!!!

Whilst perusing the web (in my endless search for stuff I'll probably never make), I came across some "free" patterns that use this fabby yarn, and I thought I would share them with you: 'FREE' DMC Natura Just Cotton Patterns.  The good news with this link is there are some stitchy projects too (for those non-crocheters amongst you).

For those of you wanting stitchy updates, I can only apologise that I haven't done much cross-stitch recently. All being well I shall have an update for you tomorrow!

Till then ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch :)

GRANNY SQUARE CHRISTMAS STOCKING

Greetings guys!!!

So the World didn't end on Friday and it's only two more sleeps to Christmas!!!!!  I can't believe that it's Christmas Eve tomorrow -- this last week has just flown by!  Hopefully, I'll have a super duper gaming themed festive pattern for you tomorrow :)

In the meantime, I want to share a pattern for a crochet pattern I've been working on this year.

When me and my sister were kids back in the 70's, my mum was quite nifty at knitting and crochet and she was always making us clothes and toys.  One Christmas she made us both a Christmas stocking , which we used for many years.  Recently I came across the stocking in a clear out.  It had started to see better days (holes, frayed ends etc...) so I decided it would be fun to make a new one.

My mum sadly hadn't kept the pattern, so I would have to use the old stocking as a guide to make the new one.  The basic design was straight forward -- 5 granny squares sewn together to make an "L" shape and then sewn to a spine to make it look sock like.  A hanging loop is crocheted to the top of the stocking.

I started working on this over the summer and I only just finished it in the last week!!!  

I'm really pleased with how this turned out in the end!!!

Here it is also, next to the 1970's original:

My stocking has turned out bigger and it may be that I have used a larger hook than recommended in the original pattern (or I have shit tension).  Either way, I think it looks quite spiffy, and I hope to be able to use this too for many years to come.

My brother and his girlfriend have already hinted they would like one for Christmas 2013, so I can see myself being busy making lots of these next year!!!

If you fancy having a go at making your own stocking, I have written down the pattern -- I hope it reads okay as crochet patterns are not something I am good at writing. 

Materials:

• DK weight yarn* in - red (A), white (B), green (C)
• 3.5mm (E) hook*
• Yarn needle

Notes*:

• 1x 100g ball of each colour should be sufficient for project
• Hook size is not specific – using smaller or larger hook will give different size to finished item!

Instructions:

(A) Granny Squares (make 10)

Using “A”- ch6, join ss

• R1: ch3 (counts as first tr), 2tr into ring, ch3, *3tr into ring, 3ch* (*repeat x2), join ss into 3^rd of ch3 – F/O “A”
• R2: join “B” in any ch3 sp, ch3 (counts as first tr), [2tr, ch3, 3tr] into same ch sp (corner made), *ch1, [3tr, ch3, 3tr] in next ch3 corner space* (*repeat x2), ch1, join ss into 3^rd of ch3 – F/O “B”
• R3: join “C” in any ch3 sp, ch3 (counts as first tr), [2tr, ch3, 3tr] into same ch sp (corner made), *ch1, 3tr into ch1 sp, ch1 **[3tr, ch3, 3tr] into next ch3 sp**, ch1* (repeat around), join ss into 3^rd of ch3 – F/O “C”
• R4: join “B” into any ch3 sp, repeat R3 around, join ss into 3^rd of ch3 – F/O “B”
• R5: join “A” into any ch3 sp, ch1 (counts as first dc), 3dc into middle ch of ch3 sp, 1dc in ch3 sp, 1dc in each st along, 1dc in ch3 sp, 3dc in middle ch of ch3 sp, 1dc in ch3 sp, 1dc in each st along (repeat around), join ss to ch1 – F/O leaving a long tail for joining squares together

(B) Spine

Using “A”, ch7

• R1: 1tr in 3^rd ch from hook, 1tr in each to end (5)
• R2: ch3, 1tr in each tr to end (5)

Repeat R2 until spine is desired length

Making Up:

• If squares are not all same size, block and press squares – it is important that all squares measure the same to prevent lop-sided stocking!!!
• Line up squares in an “L-shape” formation with RS facing upwards.  Using the long tails, thread into a yarn needle and then 'whip stitch' the squares together (ensuring that RS is always facing).
• Repeat process for other side, but remember to work squares in reverse formation.
• Take one of the “L-shaped” panels and 'whip-stitch' the spine around the outside length – use dress-making pins to hold spine in place (if this helps). 
• Repeat process with the other panel
• Once both panels have been sewn up, ensure all lose ends etc.. are weaved in/trimmed (these can be hidden by the stocking top!

(C) Stocking Top

• R1: join “A” to top of side panels, ch1 (counts as first dc), 1dc in each st around, join ss into ch1 – F/O
• R2: join “B” at any point, ch1 (counts as first dc) 1dc in each dc around, join ss into ch1
• R3: ch1, 1dc in next dc, 1dc in each dc around, join ss into ch1
• R4: repeat R3
• R5: repeat R3 – F/O
• R6: join “C” at back of stocking, ch1 (counts as first dc), 1dc, ch30, 1dc in next dc, work 1 dc in each ch (30), 1dc in next, 1dc in each dc around, join ss into ch1 – F/O – weave in all ends.

If you decide to make one of your own, I'd love to see the finished stocking.  Also, if anyone has any concerns regarding the pattern, give me a shout and I'll try to help out.

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! :) xxx

Crochet Stuffs

Those who follow me regularly will know that I crochet as well as cross-stitch.  It's nice to have another craft to do when I don't always fancy stitching.  It's been a while also since I showcased some of my crocheted pieces, so here are a few of my recent ones:

First Harvest

This cute little pumpkin came about because I wanted to make some Halloween Amigurumi but I like him as he is with his little leaves -- if I have time, I may make some more.

Pattern for the pumpkin courtesy of Planet June, HERE.
Pattern for the leaves, HERE

Frilled Flower

My first attempt at making a layered flower -- the back layer (worked in yellow) is worked round the spokes of the blue layer.  It's not difficult, but you do requite some concentration when working the back layer.

The pattern came courtesy of the book Encyclopaedia of Crochet Techniques.

Tudor Rose

Having tacked a simple frilled flower, I had to go and try something harder!  I found the Tudor Rose pattern HERE.  The link doesn't provide a full pattern to make the rose.  To make the rose, you need to purchase a book called "Crochet Bouquet" by Suzann Thompson.

This design is rated "intermediate" and I certainly found this one challenging!!!

Mitred Granny Square

It's amazing what you can find when browsing the internet -- I can't even remember what I was looking for when I came across this.  First time I came across the pattern I thought there was no way this would work, but it does, and it looks stunning!!!

HERE is the link to the pattern. 

As well as written instructions, there is also a symbol chart (which I find easier to read).  Once you get the gist of the pattern its no harder to make than a standard granny square, but it looks far more impressive!!!

And finally:

Granny Octagon

Bevelled Triangle

The last two images are taken from one of my favourite books: Crochet to Go!

Between now and Christmas I have quite a few crochet projects I plan to do.  If you're a keen crocheter like myself, I hope you will give some of these patterns a go -- I certainly enjoyed making them!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! :) xx

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Hey guys, I hope you're all enjoying your Easter break.

I know I'm a day late, but I had a hectic day with family yesterday and by the time I got back from my mum's it was late, and I wanted to go to bed.

Over the last week, I have been busy making Easter gifts for my family.  As I can't afford large expensive eggs, I decided to get everyone a small egg, but I wanted to make a crochet egg cosy to put them in.  It took me a  while to find a pattern I was happy with, but eventually, this is what I made:

These cute little chicks have been designed by Nicki Trench (a very talented crochet designer) and were featured last year in the very first edition of Craftseller magazine.  I have decided to share the pattern.  If you decided to make them, please be sure to give credit where credit is due :)

Note -- this pattern uses UK terminology!

Easter Chick Egg Cosy

Materials:

• Small amounts of DK yarn in various colours (I've used mint green, pale blue, yellow and pink).  For the comb, you will need red yarn
• 3.5mm (E) hook
• Red card (to make beaks)
• 10mm wiggle eyes
• Yarn needle
• Red sewing thread

Chick:

• Make 2 ch
• R1:  6dc in 2nd ch from hook
• R2:  2dc in next dc (x6) [12sts]
• R3:  2dc in next dc (x12) [24sts]
• R4-10:  1dc in each dc around [24sts]
• R11:  1dc in next dc, dc2tog over next 2dc (x8) [16sts]
• Fasten off

Comb:

• With red yarn, make 8 ch
• R1:  1dc in 4th ch from hook, *3ch, 1dc in next ch* (*x2), 2ch, miss 1ch, 1dc into last ch
• Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing

Making Up:

• Sew comb to top of egg (I used a dressmaking pin to hold in place whilst doing this)
• Attach the wiggle eyes to front of egg
• Cut a small diamond shape with the card for beak.  Fold in two, and along fold, use a pin to pierce two holes in card and sew this to the front of the egg.

Note -- you can use felt for the beak, if you prefer!

Before long, you can make your own army of egg cosies:

*FAINTS*

They're just the right size to fit a standard hen's egg and/or a small chocolate egg!!!


Now you can make up fabby little gift boxes to give to your family and friends:

*AWWWW*


So that's enough Easter cuteness for today :)  Tomorrow, I should have some more!!!


Till then ... Keep Kalm and Cross-stitch! xxx

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

May the luck of the Irish be with you today :)

I have Irish descendants (and my surname is Irish).  Before he died, my dad had been researching his family tree and had gone back as far as a great-grandfather who came from Tipperary in Southern Ireland.  I've never been to the Emerald isle and hopefully one can I can afford to go and perhaps complete what my dad had started.

Anyway, to celebrate, I made this:

I've worked this little shamrock leaf using the same variegated green yarn that I bought just before Christmas.  It's worked with a 4mm (G) hook.  It was a little fiddly, but I managed to finish it in a couple of hours.

I've also sewn a brooch pin on the reverse so that it can be worn on a jacket (or a bag strap).

If you'd like to try this yourself, the pattern is HERE.

Staying on the subject of crochet, I've completed some more squares for my throw (HUZZAH)!!!  I've uploaded the images to my Facebook page, HERE.  

So that's all for today!

Till next time, Keep Kalm and Cross-stitch! xxx

The Art of Crochet and other motifs

As you know, in between stitching I like to Crochet.

This is especially so in the late evening when following a cross-stitch chart is tiring.  I find that it can be quite therapeutic and relaxing to do and unlike cross-stitch, mistakes are easier to rectify.

When I  first started learning to crochet I used to get lots of books and magazines so that I could teach myself the basics (YouTube is also helpful for this).  Back at the start of 2010, a new weekly collection magazine hit the shelves called "The Art of Crochet".  Each issue is packed full of fabby patterns and tips, and comes with a ball of yarn (there are eight different colours).  The main project is a large throw and each week you get a pattern to make up the throw.

I've only just felt confident enough to start tackling the throw squares.  

Here's square #3 (a granny square):

Naturally, some are easier than others!  Getting the tension for each square right is awkward and I've been experimenting with different hook sizes.  Sometimes, if I'm unsure about a certain pattern, I'll have a go at making a swatch first.

Here is my attempt at square #18 (an alternative granny square):

This was actually easier than I thought it would be and the finished size is pretty much spot on!  (BTW, the colours are not representative of the finished square!)

I've set up a project for this on my Ravelry account and the plan is to post images of the different squares as I do them.  Most of the patterns get repeated over the course of the series, so obviously, I shall only upload one of each.

If you're interested in this project, you can follow it HERE.

***

Earlier this month, I talked about a new Crochet book I had bought called "Crochet to Go" and I featured a few pieces I had worked out of the book.  I have worked two more motifs (although one went wrong) -- here's the one I got right:

It's called "Rose Octagon"

Another reasonably easy project that I stitched pretty much in one evening, although I don't like how the colour arrangement turned out.  I will probably try this one again!


Recently, my fiance's aunty gave me some crochet mats in various geometric shapes (triangles and pentagons).  I've seen triangular patterns before but not pentagons.  I would love to have a go at making my own (especially at the pentagon) but no patterns were provided with the mats so I will probably have to try and write a pattern using the mat as a template.  It doesn't look all that difficult to do, it's just a question of getting the right number of chains for the corners!


I shall keep you posted how I get on with that!

So that's all for now, till next time ... Keep Kalm and cross-stitch! xx

Crochet to Go!

Recently, I treated myself to this book:

Before Christmas, I'd borrowed it from my local library as I thought it was a fabulous book for anyone who loves to design crochet motifs and then make them into afghans etc...  The book is full of motifs in different shapes and caters for crocheters of all skill levels.

I loved the book so much that I renewed it several times, and photocopied a good chunk of the patterns to have a go at.  Anyway, the other week, I had saved up so money so I decided to treat myself.

The book is written in US terminology but patterns are given in written instructions and symbols charts, which are easy to read and useful for me cause I'm more used to UK terminology (and it doesn't take much to confuse me these days!)

To date, I've worked three of the patterns (the one above and below is called "Oro Sol" which is Spanish for golden sun).  Despite the fancy scallop edging, this is rated "beginner".  It wasn't difficult, and it took me about three hours to do.

The next one is called "Polka Dot" and is rated "easy":

Again, it was stitched in a few hours!


Finally, we have "Puddles Gather Rain", also rated "beginner":

The side bits in the book version stick out more than mine do :(

I've stitched this one three times now (the one above is the best one) and I can't get any of them to have square/pointy corners -- I guess once they're fitted into the afghan with other motifs it'll look more square shaped!

The book has gone down quite well with the ladies at our weekly Stitch 'n Chat, they all had a good mooch and some of them were eyeing up the price too!  I bought mine from Amazon, HERE -- can you believe that it's gone down in price since I got it!!!!

Hopefully, I will do some more soon, because these were very quick to do and a lot of fun to make.

Anyway, don't go away -- there's a Pokemon blackwork update coming straight up!!!!

More Crochet Stuff

As well as working on Christmas stuffs at the moment, I've also been finding time to crochet too!

Here's what I've been up to:

My Little Blankie!

I'm still very rough around the edges with my crochet and because it hurts my left wrist and elbow, I can only do it for short bursts!  This was an experiment to practice working treble crochet which is the staple stitch of granny squares.

I started working my foundation chain and row in brown yarn before I realised I needed this for something else so I moved onto green yarn.  I've worked two rows in each colour before swopping to the pink yarn which is worked in double and treble crochet!

The edges were a little ragged and I kept dropping stitches so instead of maintaining 60 stitches per row, by the end I was down to about 40-ish *eek*  I resolved this by pinning out the work on an ironing board and steaming with a hot iron to stretch and shape the fabric.  This made it easier to finally work the border which is worked in double and half treble stitch.

BTW, I have used UK terminology here but I plan to provide a terminology converter at a later date!

Pudsey thinks the little blankie makes a great duvet!!!

Yesterday, I posted links to some poppy patterns and I hope to have a go at them when I've finished working on another project that is holding up my red yarn!

A few years ago I came across a fabby blog with a pattern for the Mario Invincibility Star.  It would certainly make a great Christmas gift, and it doesn't look too complicated!

I've probably mentioned this before, but another great blog for downloading freebie stuffs is Wolfdreamer-Off the Hook.  She has some great Pokemon dolls to make as well as other gaming goodies.

And finally, whilst we're on the subject of Christmas, I made this last night:

I subscribe to a weekly magazine called Art of Crochet and last weeks magazine had a pattern request for Christmas mistletoe.  I thought it was worth a try and so as I said, last night I made this!  It was a little fiddly as the leaves are worked by starting with two triple trebles and then working down to double treble, treble, half treble and double *PHEW*

I really like how it turned out and given how quick it was, I plan to make lots in time for Christmas!

As always, you can find these on my deviantART page too!

Till next time ... Keep Kalm and cross-stitch! xx

I'm a Happy Hooker!!!

Hehehehehehe :-D

Okay, so as well of my love for all things cross-stitch, I've decided to get into crochet!  I first picked up hook and yarn a few years back and tried, with varying degrees of success, to have a go.  I stopped crochet last year but recently I have been encouraged to take it up again.  I really have to thank my fiancé's 87-year-old aunt, who has just taught me how to make a granny square!!!

She goes to a "Stitch and Chat" club on a Monday afternoon and for the past few weeks I have been going with her.  At the class, she showed me how to make a granny square.  When I got home, I decided I felt confident to have a go myself, and this was the end result:

My first (wonky) Granny Square!!!

It's far from perfect, the hook I used was the wrong size for the yarn, and I've had a few mis-counts, but as a first attempt goes it's not bad.

The pattern came from a book called Encyclopedia of Crochet Techniques.  The chart is listed as symbols which I actually find easier to read than lines of abberviated code.  I managed to find a pattern on the internet with a similair chart that you can download HERE (that's if you'd like to have a go yourself!!)

One thing to remember with crochet is that the terminology is different in the UK and US (the pattern linked to is in US terminology).  It makes it confusing when reading lines of code, but less so with symbols.

For anyone who's interested in getting into crochet, I plan to post conversion charts for abbreviations/terminology and hook sizes in due course!

Oh, and speaking of hooks, a few years ago I treated myself to some Hamanaka double-ended crochet hooks:

For those who can't navigate webpages in Japanese, these gorgeous hooks can be purchased through eBay, but they are expensive!!!  Definitely worth the investment though because they're so nice to work with, and double-ended hooks take up less room in my hook roll...LOL!!!

I would recommend crochet to anyone!  I find it a lot easier than knitting, and once you've learnt the basics you can make pretty much anything!

Well that's me done for today, I'm off now to do some more stitching on my halloween projects!

Till next time ... Keep Kalm and Cross-stitch! xx