top hat

So I made a top hat.  Not the kind of thing you hear everyday.  It was another prop for my friend's baby photo business (which you can see here if you're interested), but it's the last one for the time being before you fall asleep.

Made from black felt, it was a bit of a feat of engineering.  I didn't even look to see if I could fnd a tutorial as I knew I wouldn't!  The brim is interfaced, as is the crown, but the tubey-bit isn't.  It does seem to stand up OK though.

I called Mr Hefalump into service again.  He didn't mind modelling for me whilst he sorted my pins into colour groups.  I think the hat makes him look more dignified than the bonnets I usually make him model.

I made it to fit my friend's daughter, I took it over to her and it's slightly too large, but that actually makes it even more adorable!

Here's the inside view.  It's not the neatest stitching on earth (I challenge you to make a neatly-stitched top hat!), but it looks fine from the outside.

Job done!

santa hat and nappy cover

I've still got more newborn photo props for you I'm afraid!  I just hope my friend remembers all this when she's a rich and famous photographer (she will).  She'd asked for a Santa hat to take photos of her little one.  Although she's now almost 8 months, she's a tiny little thing who wears clothes for 1-3 month olds, so this would probably fit some newborns anyway!

In case you can't guess, this is a Santa hat and a nappy cover.  A nappy is a diaper to you North Americans.  I used this free Santa hat pattern, but I used a chunky yarn and didn't add the rows in white, instead I sewed on a maribou trim.  It was a nightmare.  Not only did the feathers get everywhere, the thread didn't like it and got caught up with most stitches.

You can imagine how much I enjoyed sewing it to the nappy cover, for which I used this free nappy cover pattern.  The front tabs fold in to encircle the baby's waist and are fixed with buttons through the rows of trebles (US - so UK double trebles).

I think I prefer the back view!

I was rummaging through my button jar for the perfect white buttons, but couldn't find any big enough, then I remembered my self-cover buttons. 

I used a scrap of Christmas fabric, not that you can tell!  I think white might have been a better choice, but then everyone will be looking at the cute baby, not the method of closure!

Right, I'm off to lint roll myself, the sofa and floor.  Again. 

wee willie winky

A friend of mine is a newborn photographer.  She started out when she had her children and is really talented.  She's now gone beyond the friends and family stage and is photographing babies of people she doesn't know.  She told me she'd been looking for photo props but they were so expensive.  Enter Wendy.

 

I absolutely love this free pattern at Oodles for Noodles for an elf hat (it also makes me think of Wee Willie Winky, hence the title).  I crocheted it in chunky yarn - Sirdar Click.  It used most of both balls which was a shame as I wanted to do a purple and beige striped one too.  I may go back for more.  It was from Hobbycraft on their 3 for 2 offer.

I made a chunky pom pom with my Prym pompom maker.  I know you can make pompoms with a circle of card, but that little gadget makes life much easier and it wasn't expensive.

I had about 6 false starts with this pattern.  I couldn't get the colour changes right on the stripes without cutting the yarn after each round, that would have made for a monster number of ends to weave in so I persevered and finally got it.  

You'd be right if you thought you'd seen this hat on my blog before, click the link if you want to see my previous version.

Expect more baby props soon...

nightmare hat

I have just realised all my recent posts are sewing-related... my apologies for my non-sewing readers, I will try to do something else in the near future!  

This, my ladies, is #21 fleece baby hat from the infamous list.  Perhaps not so infamous...  It is taken from Scandinavian Needlecraft, so also counts towards my craft book challenge.  Links to two of my ridiculously long lists in one paragraph, doing well.

I started this hat ages ago and abandoned it as the fleece was impossible to sew.  Then I bought some Stitch n' Tear and thought it would work for the fleece.  Then I lost the Stitch n' Tear.  I strongly suspect that Sandra stole it, but she's returned it now so the hat could go on.

I had completed all the embroidery and thought I'd sewn the motifs in place, but found the snowflake only attached by a pin.  I didn't think to measure, or make sure it was straight or anything sensible like that, I just sewed it in place.  Hmmm, bit wonky then.  Just like the bird!

Every seam that was sewn was ripped out and resewn.  It took me ages to fold up the hem and then stitch it and I was finally left with a little circle to stitch to the top.  I didn't even attempt it, it was clearly NEVER going to happen so I didn't try.  I hand stitched the opening closed in a "funky" pattern (i.e. the only thing I could think of) instead.

The hat was given to my friend who had a baby boy a few weeks ago, but clearly he won't be wearing it for a few years, it's enormous!  I'm not sure if the pattern was off or it just stretched a LOT whilst sewing.

The seams should have been topstitched with a zigzag in a contrasting colour.  I tried twice.  Even I have my limits and clearly they come from sewing this fleece.  Oh, it came from a blanket I bought in IKEA for a couple of quid.  I thought it was a real bargain.  My sewing machine disagreed and won the ensuing fight.

So pleased it's done, even if it is a little odd.

twisted beanie

I was recently asked to pattern test a new crochet hat pattern by the lovely Hanni at HanniCraft.  You can find her Etsy shop here.  I'm not sure if the pattern is up for sale yet, but it should be soon.  (Edited to add - you can buy the pattern on Ravelry).   Oh, it's called The Twisted Beanie. I was asked to do the testing just before my holiday, so I went to buy some yarn so I could whip one up sitting by the beach (yeah, in my dreams, I do live in England!).  The pattern called for Worsted Yarn which isn't available in this country, having checked the internet, most people said to substitute it with DK.  Hobbycraft had a sale on and I bought some Sidar Soft Spun for less than £2.  Wow, this yarn is gorgeous.  So soft, just lovely.  It was black with a sliver of silver running through.  Halfway through the pattern, I realised it was too small.  As in FAR too small.  It might even be too small for Jacob!  I didn't want it to get longer, so I abruptly finished halfway down the twisted pattern. 

So sweet!  I know the photos aren't amazing, it was very hard to shoot as the yarn is glossy and light reactive, I'm pretty pleased with these "floating photos" though. 

I tried to get a close up of the colour as in the top photo it looks more silver than it actually is, the above photo is more accurate.  I emailed Hanni about the size issue and she said her other testers had used Aran weight, so back to Hobbycraft for me!  The selection of Aran was rubbish, a handful of variegated yarns basically.  I didn't want to use variegated for this project as I feel the texture would be lost in the mix of colour.  I finally found Patons Wool Blend Aran.  The wool is 63% which was a concern as this beanie is for me and I find wool very itchy, but it's not, so that's good! 

 

Here's the finished item, proudly modelled by the small globe that sits on my windowsill! 

 

I LOVE the pattern and if I can find some black aran, I'll crochet up another.  As far as my pattern testing job went, I didn't have to correct the pattern at all, it was very well written.

 

elf hat and a bit about Pinterest

I'm going to talk about Pinterest as the following project is something I pinned on Pinterest.  I've read quite a few blog posts recently where people are saying that they've stopped using Pinterest due to issues of copyright.  Now, I don't share these concerns.  I've come across very few pins which aren't pinned correctly and the projects I pin are all crafty projects, either tutorials, pictures from blogs or pictures from on-line shops.  I find it odd that these people would have an issue with me pinning them as they've put their work on the internet for all to see.  I'm not claiming it as my own, I'm linking to them.  For the shops, this means exposure, for the others, it also means a new audience.  I don't pin paintings or "art photography" or illustrations, so I'm struggling to see the issue.  Personally, the photos on my blog are appalling quality, there's no way anyone would want to claim them as their own, and I see being pinned as an honour.  Someone likes my stuff!  Where am I going with this?  I don't know!  Most of the comments attached to the posts I'm referencing agreed with the author saying they shared the same concerns.  Am I wrong people?  Am I missing the point?  Personally, I don't intend to give Pinterest up, I love it!

So, want to see what I found, pinned and made?  First of all, credit: this design is a free pattern published by Oodles4noodles.  Click on that link to go to the pattern, not the pin.

This was my first attempt.  I had a few difficulties with the pattern - not because of the way it was written, but because I wanted to use the baby bamboo and merino yarns I had to make a snuggly hat, and they are lighter-weight than the worsted used in the pattern.  I shifted down a hook size too.  I also had problems because of my own stupidity.  Having got to the bottom of the long bit, and started on the increasing, I discovered a hole 3 rows up.  I'd slip-stitched through the stitch, not the chain gap.  I tried to unravel, but there were knots!

Discard and start again!  This time it went much better.  I had to alter the pattern due to my lighter yarn, I did a few more increasing rounds before making the cuff of the hat.  The next issue was down to my inexperience.  The pattern says to do a front-post dc, then a dc, etc.  Doing it the way I thought it would be done, I'd have doubled the number of stitches.  I couldn't quite work out where to do that dc, so I did front-post dc, back-post dc and I love the way it turned out.

How cute is that?  I'm not sure if it will fit Jacob (yes, of course, he had to get a mention before long!), I measured the circumference but couldn't find my head size chart anywhere and couldn't be bothered to log on to find the one on Pinterest as it was almost midnight by then and I wanted it finished!  Big Love has now finished, so my Friday night ritual after Mr CA goes to bed is to watch House.  I love House, but this is the last series - I'm going to have to find something else to tape for Friday nights that Mr CA won't want to watch.  Any suggestions?  We watch crime type stuff together so it needs to be something slightly more "girly".  Slightly mind, I'm no girly-girl (definitely NOT Downtown Abbey - I don't do costume drama!).

Oh dear, I seem to keep getting distracted!  Which reminds me, I crashed my car into the gatepost at work this morning.  It's the third time.  The first two times I just clipped my wing mirror but this time I bounced off it and have 2 massive dents in the passenger side.  Ooops. 

In the absence of Jacob, or any small baby, Mr Hefalump agreed to model the hat for me.  He felt a bit sheepish, but then Humphrey was laughing at him...

FSNI - November

So, last night was FSNI and looking at the sign ups it seems there were 155 of us ladies FSNIing together.  Unlike a lot of the participants, I don't head up to my sewing machine.  I'm always tired on a Friday and I like to spend some time with Mr CA, so for me, it's always handwork on the sofa infront of the TV.  Usually, I don't get much done, this time, I did!

First of all, I finished up the book mark for my nana-in-law.  Her name is Iris so this Iris bookmark was perfect.

I showed you the finished cross stitch in the week, but here it is sewn to it's felt backing.

With a tassle added of course!

Here's a rear view - that's actually purple though it looks quite blue.  The free pattern can be found here.  It's a design by Katherine Martin Tripp and she has loads of freebies, so go and check them out if you're cross-stitcherly inclined.

It didn't take me long to finish, just a running stitch around the edge, so I moved on to making some baby hats.  Brown bear hats from this free pattern, one for my friend's son for Christmas and one for my nephew-to-be.

And panda bear hats from the same pattern for the same two babies.  One of each is size 9 - 12 months, the small brown one is 3 months and the small panda one is new born.

I couldn't find any chunky black wool anywhere, so this is super-chunky.  It's fine to crochet with, but sewing it in is a right pain in the arse.  It's got barely any twist and is a bit like unspun fleece so when you pull hard to sew with it, it breaks.  I got one large ear sewn on, then started the next and it broke, so I unpicked both.  I moved on to the tiny hat and sewed them on with embroidery floss.  I just have to finish the large hat now, but Big Love had finished and although I was half way through House, I wanted to go to bed and finish my book.  I've just read Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall about her life in a polygamist sect - riveting!

Right then ladies, time to go and see what you all got up to on FSNI, though judging by the fact it's only 9am, I doubt any of you trans-atlantic or antipodean ladies have posted yet as you'll be asleep... Or are you ahead of me in Oz and NZ?  Time zones confuse me!

Just a little hookin'

Good morning ladies.  I hope you're all well.  I think I mentioned that I'd had a blood test to find out if I had food intolerances which were contributing to my migraines and my eczema.  Well, it turns out I do, and they're also making me bloated and feel ill a lot of the time, something I'm so used to, I don't even think about.  I am intolerant to yeast.  Well OK, you might think, so no bread and no beer.  Oh no, it goes MUCH further than that, the list of things that contain yeast is massive and I've still got to talk to the consultant, this is just what I've gleaned from the internet: - bread, cheese, marmite, oxo cubes, soy sauce, bacon, ripe fruit, grapes, plums, wine, beer, most spirits, chocolate, cakes, biscuits - that little list (except the alcohol) is the mainstay of my diet!  Some serious life changes coming up.

Anyway, enough whinging, want to see what I've made?  Back in April I made some baby bear hats, if you want to see, and for a link to the pattern, go here.  My brother's closest friend had his first baby last week - technically his girlfriend had the baby, but you know what I mean.  As he's been around my whole life, I wanted to make something for his little baby son and what better than a panda bear hat?

I'm hoping to get a linen bunny finished this weekend to add to the parcel for baby Sam.  I've also called a stop to the Big Knit crocheting so I can get the parcel in the post.  I managed a total of 39 in the end (I thought it was 40 when I stopped, but then counted them.  Here are the last few:

I had a little tidy up of my beside-sofa stash last night and found loads of WIPs I'd forgotten about:

- a needlepoint bookmark that just needs backing

- my sampler square blanket

- charity 4" crochet squares

- the shopping bag (which I've frogged as I think I'd gone serious wrong)

- my hardanger heart which just needs finishing (how did I forget that, it was only the other week!)

- my teacup and flower embroidery

Add to that my other WIPs

- my Rennie Mackintosh cross stitch

- my giant granny blanket

- my second hardanger attempt

- 4 linen bunnies

- more tissue covers

- Christmas decorations

- my chair cushions

- the pinwheel table topper

- the alphabet chart

I'd better get busy this weekend!  I know it's good to have WIPs so you've got variety and all that, but this many is stressing me out!

Before I go, a link you might be interested in.  I know a lot of you love Mary Englebright and loved her Home Companion.  I never saw it, but I have one of her books and by the sounds of it, I'd like it a lot.  They're thinking of bringing it out again, but they need your vote/comment to see if it's worthwhile.  Go here and say YES!

Not my usual chirpy post - with hats

I don't usually write about personal stuff on my blog, and I'm not convinced that I'm going to start now, but I half think it might make me feel better.  I don't have much to show you, but I have got one or two photos which I thought I'd intersperse between my tale of woe! 

This is my progress so far on Mackintosh.  The magazine says it has a total stitching time of 12 hours.  12 hours my arse!  Maybe with a team of super-fast stitchers!  I've still got a long way to go and I've put in more than 12 hours already.

So, that tale of woe.  Well there isn't really one.  Nothing has happened, there's nothing wrong.  I'm just... down.  Blue.  Call it what you will.  I was fine on Friday but when I woke up on Saturday the world wasn't right.  For no reason.

The thing is, and I wasn't going to tell you this.  I struggled with myself about it but in the end I realised that it's not a secret with my "real life" friends, so why should it be a secret with my online friends who I may not have met, but I count some of you as real friends.  Also, there's a lot of stigma attached and a certain amount of shame, yet this is the 21st century, it's time we faced up to it.

So that thing.  7 years ago I was diagnosed with clinical depression.  Not because of some terrible event in my life - I've been very lucky, but because of a chemical imbalance in my brain. For years it was terrible.  I was on meds but they didn't do the trick.  Then last year I changed my meds to see if it would help with the migraines.  It didn't make a blind bit of difference to that, but it did help with the dreaded D word. 

 So most of the time I'm OK.  Happy even.  But sometimes, times like yesterday, I just want to crawl under a rock and die.  For no bloody reason.  I'm not ill, nor are my loved ones.  I have a wonderful family, gorgeous husband, my own house and car (even if it is a clapped out Focus, I love it), 4 lovely bunnies, a good job and tons of friends.  I have my crafting.  So now I feel guilty.  There are so many people out there suffering, really suffering, yet I feel like this.  For no bloody reason.

 Yesterday was a bad day.  I did nothing.  I didn't sew despite having a sewing list as long as my arm, which isn't very long as I'm a short-arse.  So as long as a normal person's arm.  And then I felt guilty about not sewing.  Today is a little better, though I still can't sew and I'm paralysed with a stupid fear I may never sew again. 

But I have been crocheting hats for the Big Knit.  30 so far, which might sound great, but it's only £7.50 for Age Concern UK.  Deadline is 14th October so I'm hoping I can add to this little gathering of tiny pom-pom hats. 

Thanks for reading.  Normal service will be resumed in my next post.

experiments in crochet

My name is Wendy and I'm a crochet addict.  There, I've said it.  Since I learnt to crochet last November, I just can't stop.  I spend hours looking for free patterns and tutorials and then trying them out - with mixed results!

Do you want to see what I've been crocheting?

I found this great tutorial, here, for a crochet bowl.  It's made using two strands of yarn.  Now please ignore the colours as I wanted to use up so yarn I had in case it didn't work.  I love the shape!

Then I used this pattern to crochet this cute little baby hat.  I used a Sirdar snuggly yarn with sparkly bits in it that you can't see on the picture.  Love the little flower!

My final experiment wasn't so successful.  I found this pattern for crocheted slippers and had to give it a go.  I have so many pairs of slippers, I have to have them scattered around the house so there's always a pair convenient, but some off them fall off all the time and have caused me to fall downstairs!  I thought that if I was making them, I'd be able to make sure they fit.  The pattern gives different sizes.  I started with a 5-6 as I'm a 5 and I think that's a 6 in the US so I thought I'd covered all bases.  The resulting base was so tiny a three year old would have struggled to fit it - OK, so I'm exaggerating, but it was tiny.  So I tried the size 9 pattern.  This is it.  I can't get my foot in it.  It's tiny.  I must be crocheting far to tight as I'm using the right yarn and hook.  I'll try again with a larger hook.

I've gone wrong on the toe bit.  I realised I had after I'd done the final row, that's why it's so misshapen.  Ah well.  It's only made using budget DK yarn (£1.50 for 100g) and the pair I make for myself will be from some Sublime Merino wool I have in a lovely blue.  I've just got to get the size right first so I'll try again with this yarn and a giant hook!

I've got my eye on a lovely hat pattern and I'm waiting for some yarn to arrive so I can crochet a fab bag I've found.  More crochet coming this way very soon!

Success, and failure... (and a dirty little secret)

What do you want to start with?  Failure?  Failure it is!

So, I had some projects cut out and ready to sew.  The first was a fleece baby hat from Scandinavian Stitches.  I was very excited about this project.  I'd bought a fleece blanket from Ikea for the princely sum of £1 a while ago and I'd hacked it up according to the pattern.  I did the little embroideries for the labels and stitched them on.  Then I sewed it up.  Yuck.  It was horrible to sew.  Then I had to sew the zig zag across the seams.  Nightmare.  The fleece wouldn't feed regularly and getting into the top bit was hard. 

I really could have done with using my walking foot but I don't think I can zig zag with it.  I then turned the big hem and botched that too. 

I'm going to unpick the embroidered patches and start again.  Just not now!

Oh no!  My dirty secret is out - should have moved that ashtray!  Just a note of warning - I don't take kindly to people telling me I shouldn't smoke and that it's bad for me etc.  I do know. 
Failure number two comes courtesy of Tone Finnegar's Sew Pretty Homestyle.  I decided to make the slippers from the only piece of wool felt I have and to use some Tanya Wheelan spotty fabric which went perfectly with the felt.  So I cut and I pinned and I sewed.  Three problems.  First I'd missed half of the sole when I sewed so it was flapping open (forgot to take a picture), second, at no point does she indicate a seam allowance - not helpful when you've got ready made pattern pieces.  Thirdly, it was supposed to go up to a European foot size of 41.  I'm a 38.  I could barely squeeze it on!  So, I've unpicked.  Another one for the WIP pile...

So a success?  Well there have been 2 but I only have photos of one. 

I made some coasters from Last Minute Patchwork Gifts.  OK, so coasters are easy but this is the first time I've quilted.  I made four coasters using bits of layercakes.  I didn't follow the instructions in that I used a different front and back.  I used four different patterns and each pairing is different.

I don't think the instructions told me the best way to do it and I'll be doing it differently in future.  I had to sew up 3 sides, then put the wadding in and try to catch the whole 5 inch seam in my first round of quilting.  Not easy.

The quilting went well and this is my LANT for the month.  It's a simple spiral quilting.  I haven't yet worked in the ends of the threads as I wanted to get photos before I lost the light so I'll do that tonight.  I've got plans to try out other quilting patterns on these little babies!

The second success was the dress I altered for my friend.  She'd picked it up at a charity shop and it definitely wasn't a size 12 as stated so I sewed a new seam either side for her.  It was a simple straight sided dress so I sewed in a few curves and she looks knockout in it!  I really should have taken photos...