August 2011

Granny Skirt – Granny never looked so good.

The really great thing about the new Inside Crochet Magazine blog is that you can view the patterns featured in the next month’s magazine, before it even hits the newsagents. As a designer this is doubly exciting. I get to see how my hookery will be featured way before I get my sticky mits on the paper copy. I was really excited to see this photo of my Granny Skirt which is featured in Issue 22.

When I designed Granny Skirt, Claire the Editor was kind enough to let me make it in black. You might have noticed that whilst most of us wear quite a lot of black or navy for both flattering and practical reasons, very few knitting and crochet magazines feature patterns in those colours. I think mostly it because the dark colours are fiendishly hard to photograph well, it is hard to get the definition of the stitch without washing the whole image in a flash. But I have to say that the photos in Inside Crochet are really very good. When I design something I have in mind the outfit  would put together with the garment. I try REALLY hard to design things that I actually want to wear and are practical. This does mean that sometimes I imagine myself to be taller and of a slimmer shape than I actually am, but generally I hope to be wearing the design myself.

So to cut a long story short, I really wanted to Granny Skirt to be in a practical black colour. The idea is that you would wear a contrasting colour slip underneath or perhaps a silky black slip for evening. I imagine it would be teamed with black boots and a denim jacket, an unfussy top (as in the magazine photo), so that the skirt did all the talking.

A couple of years ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing a crochet skirt… but this season is crochet season and I can’t wait to pop it on. I have seen a number of designs which use an i-cord to gather the skirt at the waist. However I have put an elasticated waist in this design, to ensure I cover my modesty. Otherwise knowing me I would stand up and find that the  I-cord had worked loose to leave me standing in my underwear – you see practical and polite!

Anyway I hope you like it, x

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Cutie Hootie Owl – Back to School Toy

The summer holidays are quickly coming to an end. It occurred to me yesterday that going back to school for a new year is both exciting and a little nerve wracking. I wanted to make Little B something he could pop in his pocket and find in an absent moment for reassurance.

It was actually Little B who named him ‘Cutie Hootie Owl’, genius. If you are an amigurumi fan, this a a quick make. It is a 3D adaptation of my Oliver Owl Keyring. I have put little beads in the base to make him perch nicely on a desk. I think he would look very jaunty in stripes as well.

But the most important thing is that Cutie Hootie Owl has the facility to pop a quick we note under his arm. A little word of encouragement to reassure the most nervous, new term student. Hope you like him. If you would like to make him yourself, please download the pattern for free.

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Sweet Popsicle

I saw this cake pop on a stick and it reminded me of the hydrangeas in the garden. Too cheeky for words. If you are a master cake baker and mastered the art of cake pops, I take my hat off to you. I think I had better stick with cupcakes. Pretty though!

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Cable Cafetiere Cosy

A couple of people have asked me recently whether I have a cafetiere cosy pattern. I remembered that I put one together a few of years ago and so here it is. If you would like to make a little cosy to keep you coffee pot snug please download it for free here.

It is a strange thing really but we are big coffee drinkers in our house, and I can’t really think why we haven’t used a cosy before. We had a meeting in out house the other night with lots of friends. After about an hour someone asked if they could have a second cup of coffee, and reached for the pot, it occurred to me then that a little cosy would have been very welcome. (I did offer to make a fresh pot you will be pleased to know).

I have been very concerned about the drips falling on the cosy and the possibility of strands of yarn making their way into my beloved cup, so I have made it shorter than some patterns. However if you are a beginner at cable, this is a fine pattern to build up the practice.

Hope you have a lovely week x

 

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Beautiful Butterfly

Botanical prints  are very ‘in’ at the moment. I was reminded of this when looking at the fab blog, Sweet Paul. For ages I have wanted to do a little arrangement using some feather butterflies I bought on a whim. Then this week I was driving past an interiors shop I am very fond of and saw that they had all their glassware for sale. Almost skidding to a halt I ran in and bought this lovely tall jar at a very knocked down price. It took some explaining to my little one, when I sent him off to hunt for sticks in the garden. It took even more explanation to reassure him that the little butterflies were not real, but made out of feather. I think that’s a good result.

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Show and tell

Firstly thank you to all my lovely friends who sent me a postcard recently in response to my blog post, really lovely. Most of these lovely cards have found their way onto to the pin board for inspiration. Secondly the lovely Mrs J, spotted this fab bag and thought of me and my Tunnock Tea Cake obsession. I love it! I think might become the new knitting bag.

Now I felt a little celebratory ‘show and tell’ was in order. A couple of people have emailed me photos of their finished projects, which is so exciting. I met a really lovely lady only a couple of weeks ago at a party and we started talking about knitting/crochet (can you imagine how rock and roll my life is?) She wanted to make a couple of teacosies as Christmas presents and another friend interjected and said she should use my cable pattern. Well shockingly this photo arrived. Really nice. I especially like the cute small one.

Finally I taught my friend J to knit in March. By May she had made all these things, and most of the items are from her own design

In May she decided she wanted to learn to crochet. So in one evening I showed her how to crochet. My goodness who knew that quite so much speed and skill could be achieved. This is a laptop cover and phone cover of her own design, using Drops Cotton and 3mm needle. Fairly intricate stuff. She was inspired to use colours she had see on her holiday in Croatia.  How cool is that! I take no credit for the teaching. J has that wonderful ‘no fear’ style. It’s like watching someone play jazz piano through intuition. Very cool.

 

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Tis the season to be…Stash Busting

If you are not a knitter/crafter you will be horrified by this fact. Now is the time when people in the crafty way begin their…(sssshhh say it very quietly) Christmas gift projects. I know how dreadful! Can you really believe it? But it is true.

A friend of mine, Mrs McD has already begun. She has some super ideas. I know there are others out there too. I might post a few photos of projects completed by visitors to the blog using my patterns.

Now a lovely friend of mine Katie K, runs some very successful vintage and craft fairs. She put a call out to stall holders in my local area to say that she was planning an event in October. I got back to her immediately and said. ‘I won’t be able to do a stall of my own, as I don’t think I have the time at the moment’. It was like a little secret challenge to myself.

Now my mind can’t stop racing with little trinkety stuff to fill up the Christmas stocking. So first up.

I have been swatching some crochet granny motifs. Rather than put them in the bin or allow them to collect dust. I made this one into a rather jaunty pin cushion.

Firstly I marked out two squares of felt slightly bigger than the crochet square and cut the edges with pinking shears.

Then I tacked the motif to the felt using co-ordinating cotton.

I then sewed round the edges of the square on the sewing machine, leaving a small hole for the stuffing. This prototype was not particularly neat.

Finally taadahh! I am loving pin cushions at the moment, so much handier than racing round a little tin to pick up a pin.

I think more will follow to add to my accumulating stock for the Craft Fair. Lets hope they get snapped up, otherwise friends and family might find them in their stocking.

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Landscape and Lambs

We had a wonderful escape to the Lake District recently. Just for the weekend. Just the two grown ups (due to the enormous generosity of friends). Obviously I am not here to be Cumbrian tourism board, but how beautiful the scenery was even on a rainy weekend in August. We had the opportunity to walk at relative speed and to stop and take in the view without being urged on by a little infant.

Recently I have taken more and more interest in the local sheep of our region and the need for us to preserve our heritage breeds. I have mentioned before the wonderful company Herdy who produce a really contemporary range of gifts and home ware. Their products help support sustainable causes in the Lake District. The emblem for the company is this very cute sheep.

As we were walking in the fells, these cute Herdwick sheep were peeping around rocks and sitting very happily on the craggiest edges. What is lovely is how their characters and faces are really captured by the Herdy symbol.

On our last day we took a drive along the Langdale valley. This place has such enormous grandeur and beauty.

The light and the tones reminded my of some of the watercolours by Beatrix Potter. Truly beautiful.

Newlands Valley taken from Beatrix Potter 1866-1943 (Taylor, Whalley, Hobbs, Battrick)

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Coastal Cosy

My last few teacosy creations have been very much in the ‘vintage’ style, my last was out and out kitsch. So I felt a return to a more organic, artisan style was called for.

I don’t know about you, but one of the joys I have with knitting and crochet is tailoring my creations to reflect the style of my friends. Making something with love. Saying; ‘this is a little bit of you reflected in this trinket’. I found this pattern from Ruth Bridgman from Ruth Cross in the book Purls of Wisdom by Jenny Lord.

The pattern reminds me of a fossil or a shell and I knew immediately that it was perfect for Mrs M, who has had a birthday this month.  Those of you with a particular eye, will be thrilled to know that I have tidied up the pom pom on top before sending it off. Phew! A delightful pattern for a dear friend…now what’s next?

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