Crochet Pom Pom Scarf no.2

This is just a short little post today to show you the scarf I made for Lulu. It's similar
to her sister's with rows of treble stitches and blocks of colours. It's also the same mix
 of leftover Drops yarn - mostly cotton with a bit of merino and alpaca. But it's narrower
and a little bit shorter and, as per her request, it has two smaller pom poms on either
end. She's pleased with it and I am, too. There hasn't been much chance to use it yet -
the weather has been mostly mild here lately. But when it does get very cold again,
she'll have this to help keep her warm and toasty.

I am making slow progress with the baby blanket but I am hopeful that I can get it
finished on time. I just have to knuckle down at some point over the next few days
 and crochet for as long and as much as I can. Wish me luck!

Have a lovely weekend with your nearest and dearest.
See you soon!

Winter Woollies

Hello and a lovely Tuesday to you. It's very cold here today. It was -2.5 C when
we were driving to school and even now at midday with clear skies and full
sunshine there is still frost on the ground. I think it's the coldest weather we've had
for this November - just the day for wearing my newly made winter wollies:
my Mollies Makes scarf and matching hat. I had them on earlier when I went for
my morning walk and I was comfortably cosy the whole time.

The pattern is in the magazine's November issue (number 72). I used the recommended
yarn for both hat and scarf which is Stylecraft Special Chunky. They are worked in
suzette stitch (1dc,1tr in each alternating stitch) to create this thick, lovely texture
which was what first drew me to this project. I really like this stitch;
I think it will make a gorgeous, plush, snuggly blanket.

I've made some changes, though, to both patterns. As you can see, the original

scarf tapers off on the last few rows with a different coloured yarn and there are

big pom poms on either ends. I decided to skip those rows and continue with

the same colour yarn and finished off with a row of suzette stitches and double

crochets in fuchsia. I think that's a bit more my style, a little more subtle, and

I'm pretty happy with that.

I decided to have a go at making the hat, too. I've never crocheted one before

but the pattern looked straightforward enough and actually it was. It's worked

in double strands of yarn so it's much chunkier and made up really quickly.

I finished it in one evening and was really chuffed that it fits!

Again, I changed the yarn colour and finished the edge with a round of double

crochets but I didn't skip the pom pom this time. It makes the hat, don't you think?

 I certainly couldn't leave it out. 

I am not fond of the winter season but I'll be a little bit more toasty and a little
less cold in the coming days and weeks, thanks to these chunky scarf and hat.
What I need now are mittens and wrist warmers to match. I have a lot of leftover
yarn for those but they will have to wait. I have to get cracking with our festive
preparations. We've already made our Christmas cards and the girls' advent
calendar is nearly ready. I'll share them here next time.


Have a great week. See you soon!

Cowls for Christmas

Hello! How was your Christmas? I hope it was beautiful and
peaceful, and full of joy, warmth and good cheer. Sorry I haven't been around these past few days. I took a break from blogging and all
social media over the holidays and it was nice. But it's also good
to be back again and today I've got the rest of the presents I've made
to share with you.

As you can see, they're all cowls. I actually made four in total
this Christmas. I wasn't really planning to but they turned out to be
 my favourite gifts to make this year. I've enjoyed crocheting each and
 every one and I'm happy to report that they've all been well received.

 The first one I made was for my mother-in-law. I showed it here back
 in November. This dark grey one was for a new friend I'd met through Instagram. It's a Christmas present and also to say thanks for
the lovely felt garland she'd made for us.

I used Drops Andes, a super chunky wool and alpaca mix, with

a size 9 hook and this pattern by Sarah Hatton. I don't often crochet 

with chunky yarn but I enjoy it when I do. Projects work up quickly

and take less time to finish, and with a lovely, soft yarn like this, 

it was even more enjoyable.

The girls also asked for cowls after seeing the one I'd made

for my mother-in-law. I was going to make them pom-pom slippers 

but decided to give in to their requests.

Markie's cowl is made with rows of trebles in various colours.

She was quite specific about it being colourful and I think we've

got colours here.

I used the same yarn for Lulu's but with little granny squares.
This took me longer to finish as I got distracted making other things
but I did manage to get it ready by Christmas Eve.

The yarn were all Drops Merino Extra Fine, one of my favourites.
Both girls like their cowls although they haven't actually worn them
outside yet. It's been quite mild lately and warm, cosy woollen accessories have not been needed that much. But better this than
ice and snow if you ask me. I'm a warm weather girl at heart and

 I'm always happier when it's not so cold.

So that's my Christmas present making done for this year. I wonder
what I'll be making for Christmas in 2016....


Enjoy the rest of the Holidays and happy New Year in advance!
See you soon!

A Crocheted Cowl

I've ticked another item off my Christmas making list this week.
 I've finished crocheting this cowl which I've made especially for my mother-in-law. I hope she likes it. It's been an easy and fun make and
the yarn, Drops Cotton Merino, is always a pleasure to crochet with.

 The pattern is based on the Stars Cowl from issue 57 of Inside 
Crochet magazine. I started off with the first two rows from the pattern. The third row has 'deep double treble crochet' stitches or ddtr in a different yarn colour to create the stars effect but I decided to just keep
 going with the first two rows. The cowl turned out much simpler and
not at all like the original but I prefer it like this. I like the fan-like
 pattern and the texture that had been created by the stitches and
 I'm pleased with it. The muted shade (it's beige) will go with various colours and outfits so hopefully she'll be able to wear this often.
 It measures about 98cm in circumference, not wide or long enough
 to wind round the neck twice but I know she likes to wear cowls
 draped down like in the photos here and I think it's just the right
 length for her - hopefully!

I'm currently making a very colourful cowl for Markie and I'm going
to start on the bunting soon.

 How's your Christmas making going?

 Take care and have a great week!

Sidetracked by a Bear

 I got sidetracked by a bear last week. Blanket and costume making
had to be put on hold because this sweet little thing was demanding
to be crocheted and made into a bag.

The idea came to me one morning while I was thinking about presents 

I'd like to make for the girls and it kept nagging at me until I gave in. So

 I got my hook and yarn out and the pattern that I've worked out in my head seemed to have worked. Yay!

My bear is made of cotton yarn both DK and aran. Her face and nose

were crocheted on the round but her ears are double crochet triangles*

that I've slipstiched round to make them less pointy. I've even made

a loop and attached a button at the back so it can be closed like 

a proper bag. 

I'm really, really pleased with her. I'm usually not very confident
with crochet and wouldn't attempt anything without a pattern to
follow so I'm very chuffed with how this has turned out. And the
girls love it too which always makes it even better.

I'm glad to have been distracted by this little project because it's
given me lots more ideas. Someone said this will make a cute cushion and I do think it will work. I'll just have to make it much bigger and
add two more loops to close the opening. That's definitely something
I'd like to try soon but first I have to make another bag so the girls can have one each. They love this bear but I might make a fox or a cat
 for the next one. I'm not sure yet, we'll see!



*from 201 crochet motifs, blocks, projects & ideas by Melody Griffiths

Honeycomb Lace Shawl (part two)

Hello. I hope you're all having a great weekend. I'm back here
 today with another finished project to show you: my second
Honeycomb Lace Shawl. I made my first one  back in spring and
I loved it so much I decided to make another one. But this is not for
me though. It's for a lovely lady who's been very kind to our family
and we'd like to give this to her to say thanks.

 I worked on this throughout the summer holidays, finishing the last
rows this week. I really hope she'll like it. I've made it extra special
 by using Drops Cotton Merino wool. It's the softest yarn and the
 nicest to work with and I've really enjoyed crocheting with it. I've also
 made this shawl much wider than mine with 264 foundation chains instead of the original 222. Hopefully it will be lovely to wrap round
the shoulders and it will feel nice and warm for her to wear on
very cold days. The pattern is from issue 65 of Inside Crochet and
 I used five and a half of 50gram balls of yarn for the whole project.

I'll be back soon with our latest baking (mis)adventures, and
maybe even with another finished crochet project - I'm hooking
a rug!  Enjoy your Sunday!

Honeycomb Lace Shawl

Hello. I hope you're having a lovely day. I have a finished project
to share with you today: my crocheted shawl. It was actually finished a couple of weeks ago but it was only yesterday that I got around to taking photos of it.

This shawl is designed by Sally Shepherd and is in issue 65 of
Inside Crochet. I started off with another pattern that I found online
 but halfway through the project I decided I wasn't happy with it and
unravelled my work. I was looking round this website and saw the
Honeycomb Lace Shawl. I thought I'll give it a go and I'm very glad
 that I did!

The pattern, which is a repetition of three rows with decreases as you
go along, is simple and easy to follow. I really like the lace-like design
it creates. Simple but very effective.

This really is a shawl for summer but because I used a slightly heavier yarn (Drop Merino Extra Fine in pistachio) than the recommended
cotton, it feels heavier and cosier which was what I wanted. I want
to wear this all year long and I think I'll be able to.

If there's one thing I'd like to change, I think I'd like it to be a few inches

wider. The base is about 50 inches wide, wide enough to wrap around

the shoulders comfortably but if I'll make another shawl- and I'm 

planning to- I'd want it to be even bigger and wider so it's even more
snugly and cosier. That's in my to-make list now, but first I have

teachers' presents to make.

And if you're wondering, I used five 50gram balls of yarn for this shawl.
It's been a great pleasure to make and fun too.

Thanks for stopping here. Enjoy your week whatever you're up to.
See you soon!

Seashell Shawl

Back in November I mentioned getting these lovely new yarn
 to make a Christmas present for my mother-in-law. I wanted
to make her something that she can use and decided to
crochet a shawl.

I looked around for a shawl/wrap pattern that was simple and easy
and found one in this Nicki Trench book. Actually the pattern
I liked was for the Chunky Seashell Scarf. I just adapted it so
it was much wider and longer, a shawl rather than a scarf.

I really enjoyed making this. It was the only present I had to make

so I was able to take my time and felt relaxed about it. I crocheted

in between baking, decorating and crafting with the girls and

it was done when it was long enough and just perfect for 

wrapping around the shoulders.

The yarn is lovely and soft and as it's in aran weight,

it's got a nice drape and feels warm and cosy when worn.

I'm pleased to say that my mother-in-law likes it. It's always
on her favourite arm chair, ready to use when she needs it
which is quite a lot. Theirs is one of those lovely old houses
that's wonderful to live in but not very easy to insulate
 (original stained glass windows, no double glazing!).
I'm very glad that she's pleased with it and it's helping
keep her warm and cozy this winter. I'm thinking of making
one for myself too; I'd love to have my own crocheted shawl.
For now I'm still trying to finish my pot holder and I think
it's about time I give some attention to my long neglected
granny square blanket, so we shall see!



I hope you're all having a good week. Fingers crossed
I'll have another finished project to show you next time
Bye for now!

Crocheted Headband

This is my happy little project this weekend. It's very simple and easy,
something I thought of making yesterday evening. I've wanted to make
headbands this summer as I wear them a lot but since I haven't had
much time to sew I decided to try and make a crocheted version instead.

It's just rows of double crochets with an elastic band attached
to both ends (I got the idea for this from Pinterest).

I'm really pleased with it. It's not too tight and stays in place
 and looks nice too--all I want from a hair accessory. So I guess
I can say my first attempt at headband making has been a success.

I'm planning to start making another one tomorrow on the
car journey to Hull. I've enjoyed using this Drops Muskat cotton
yarn and I have a few other colours of this same yarn so expect
some more headbands in various colours soon.



I hope you're enjoying your Bank Holiday weekend.
Take care. See you soon!

A Little Bit of Crochet

I learned to crochet when I was growing up in the Philippines.
My mother showed me how and we were also taught the
basic techniques in school. I made little bags and hats but
eventually got bored and forgot all about it.
Then earlier this year I started reading craft magazines and blogs and
saw so many beautiful crochet creations and felt inspired.
After so many years I thought I'll try crochet again.

But it's been a very long time since I have worked with
a hook and yarn so it was quite slow going when I started last spring.
I remembered some of the simpler stitches but got all muddled up
trying to follow a pattern. In the end I opted for something quick
and simple and made this mug cosy.

It was just a small project but was actually just right for someone
like me trying to get back into crochet. It gave me some confidence to do
a bit more but I got busy with sewing last summer and crochet never
got another look-in. Not until this autumn when I saw this book
at the local library.

It's by Vanessa Mooncie and it's packed full of gorgeous projects.
 My favourite of all was this brooch.

I love cherries and have always wanted a brooch like this.

The pattern was easy enough for me to follow and best of all

I already had the yarns and brooch back at home.
I just had to make it!

It took a few attempts before I managed to make two cherries

that were roughly the same size, then the leaves and joining them all up

and then I had my crocheted accessory!

I think they look very nice- just perfect with my denim jacket!



And now that I'm less busy with sewing I've had time to start

another crochet project and there's two more lined up after this.

When I told my mother I'm enjoying crochet again

 she said she's very pleased.

 So am I.

Thanks for reading!

Have a great weekend!!!