Beanies in Summer??

It is the last day of summer here in sunny Brisbane and don't ask me why, but I got the urge to crochet a beanie.  I have never done one before so I jumped on pinterest and took a wonder.....so many choices and so many variations!  In the end I settled for  fairly simply looking pattern and got down to it.  

3 hours later I had a rather ugly beanie that didn't fit me.  But the magic of crochet is that you can always pull it apart and start again.  And this time, with the basic understanding of how to make a beanie, I made it up as I went along and ended up with something I rather liked!

I am thinking of writing up the pattern and offering it here for free.  Would you like that? 

Basket Case

Yup, I am a basket case, but in the nicest kind of way.  I have gotten myself hooked (excuse the pun) of crocheting baskets lately and I have been having so much fun with them!

I started making just one for my Mum as part of her Christmas present, but as per usual, after the first one I felt compelled to make a second, then a third.....and well, you get the idea.  I think I am now up to number 8, but I really stopped counting after number 5!

These two were for my Mum and my Aunt as part of their Christmas presents

We had an early Christmas with family a couple of weeks ago.

My Uncle thought the basket would make a great hat!

After number 5, I started adding embellishments to the baskets - just for the fun of it.

And this is the one I am working on at the moment.  I have promised myself that it will be the last one, but you just never know.........

I dont have a pattern or tutorial for these, I just made them up as I went along.  I also checked out other people tutorials through pinterest.  My crochet board can be found here if you would like to check them out.

Pretty in Pink

QUESTION:   

If you have so many fine line markers that they no longer all fit in their holder, do you stop collecting them?

ANSWER:

Hell no!!!!!  You just make a bigger holder!!!

Well, that is my way of thinking anyway.  And then of course the next question is what to make the newer, bigger holder out of.  Because I have been doing a fair amount of crocheting lately, it seemed only logical to crochet one.....and here is how it all came together.  

And there you have it...........more room for even more pens!

I don't have a set pattern for this.  It all depends on how large you want it to be but I used 8ply wool, 2mm hook and it is done in single crochet.

Mini Crochet Obsession

I love drawing and colouring, but sometimes I can go off on crafty tangents.  And it is always "oh I will just make one and see how it goes"  And then I make two....three.....you get the idea!  This tangent is crochet candle covers.  I love candles, but when the ones in glass jars get down a bit, they can look a bit messy - this hides all of that and adds a bit of colour to the lounge room.  They are my justifications, as I start on number 9 hehehe!!

And then of course it seems logical to me that if I am going to cover candles, I might as well cover the toothbrush holder and make a cover for the bathroom counter :)

Granny squares galore

At the tender age of  13, while watching my Mum crochet around a washer with cotton, I asked her to teach me how to crochet.  Surprisingly (looking back now) my first few attempts at washer crocheting failed miserably.  My tension was way too tight and the tantrum I chucked was very undignified.  Undaunted, my very patient Mum look me down to the local Co-op (this was in the dark ages before Spotlight, Lincraft and bargain stores) and got me to pick 4 colours of 8ply wool.  Once home again she started to teach me again- by doing a granny square......and so my love of crocheting was started!

 This is the granny square blanket that my Mum taught me to make with those 4 colours of wool.  And I am really happy to say that this photo was taken today, as my 10 year old loves it on her bed (so does Joey)

 This huge single granny square is not the most elegant thing I have ever made, but I did it while recovering from a life threatening illness - I think it helped to keep me sane and my hands occupied.

And this is the world's ugliest granny square jumper.......but it is warm and took me a week to make - so it is a house jumper only.

 This is the cardigan I made to wear at work.  The back and front only are done in granny squares

 Of course all granny square projects don't have to be a big undertaking.  A single one can make a nice bedside table covering.

This is one that I am working on at the moment.  It will be a cardigan by the end of next week.

The best thing about granny square rugs is that they are a great way to use up left over wool from other projects.  This is my on going winter project - the longer I work on it, the bigger it gets.  And it is lovely to work on a project while it keeps you warm.

 And this?  This is the start of my granny square bag and the tutorial that will go along with it......coming soon.

And the most exciting thing about granny squares?  Just as my Mum taught me how to do them and instilled in me a love of crocheting, so now I am doing the same with my 10 year old......and I can always hope that one day she will also pass along this lovely skill <3  

An Altered Attitude

Way back before I  joined up for facebook, a blog and my madeit shop, I use to do craft projects just for me, gifts for friends and for things around my home.  Therefore I would start a project and finish it before I moved onto another one.....in short, a WIP pile was something I never had or had to think about.  

These days, things are vastly different.  The more I create, the more I want to create and the more ideas there are in my head screaming waiting to come out.

I now seem to have an ever increasing work in progress pile, that I swear multiplies when I am not looking.   Even when I would finish one, there would be two more to take its place.

It use to get me down and make me feel completely disorganised, until.......I worked out a better way of thinking about it.

I am not a disorganised, obsessive crafter with too many unfinished projects - I am a mega multi-tasker, just brimmng with creativity (sounds better to me anyway lol)

So with the altering of my attitude, I figured I would share this thought with you in case you need to adopt the same way of thinking, to keep sane about that pile lurking in the corner, cupboard or assortment of boxes.

Having justified my WIP pile, let me share just a few of my current ones with you.

A Granny Square cardigan - The back and half the front are finished.  The last one I made was too big, so I felt the need to get it right.

Cute crochet shapes - they are waiting to be made into hangings. 

Mandala Drawings - I haven't even finished the first one, but have already drawn up the second one.

Shell Scarf - I wasn't happy with the flower one I did last week, so HAD to start another one - it is cold after all!!

Doilys and Coasters - I discovered this lovely pattern on Pinterest.  It is for coasters, but I just had to have a play around with different size wool and hooks.  The pattern can be found at http://crochet.about.com/od/vintage/ss/aa052606.htm

Waffle Pattern Bath Mat - We need a new bath mat and I wanted to learn Waffle stitch so I combined the two - makes perfect sense to me.

Pens & Hooks

There just never seems to be enough time for all of the craft and art things that I want to try, master and just generally have fun with!

I have far too many projects on the go........but I probably wouldn't have it any other way.  I cant remember the last time I was bored - not because I have so much that I have to get done, but rather, I have so much that I enjoy doing.........Having said all of that, here are a few things that I have been working on this week.

This is a sneaky peek at a logo that I am doing for a lovely lady.....it is something I have never drawn before and it is coming along nicely.

Some more paint colour sample based gift tags.

This is my most time consuming work in progress at the moment.  It is A4 in size and is chock full of fiddly little details.

After crocheting numerous pairs of socks, owls and a couple of cardigans, I thought I would use up the left over wool by making a basic granny square rug.  I am enjoying doing it and Joey is pretty pleased with it too.

Crochet Owl Brooch Pattern

These cute little guys at around 5.5cm high are the perfect size to make into brooches, bag tags, magnets or anything else your heart desires.  

Note - this is a free pattern.  You are free to make as many as you like, as they would make great items for Christmas, fetes, etc.  I only ask that if you share this pattern online that you please link back to Sugarbird - thank you :) 

This pattern assumes you know the basic of crochet.

And as this is only the second crochet pattern I have ever written, I would appreciate any (constructive) feedback.

Materials

2 colours Bella Baby Bambini wool (or any scraps you have of baby wool)

2.5mm crochet hook

2 buttons (for eyes)

Brown felt (for beak)

1 brooch back

White thread for eyes and brown thread for beak

Polyfill (for stuffing)

Normal needle for attaching eyes and beak

Darning needle

scissors    

Terms

ch      chain

sl st   slip stitch

sc      single crochet

dc      double crochet

Make three ch and sl st into first chain to form a small ring

Row 1    3 ch to count as first dc.  11 dc into ring. Sl st into first 3 chains  Total of 12 dc 

Row 2    Change wool colour - sl st into first space BETWEEN the stitches in row 1.  3 ch to count as fist dc. Dc into same space.  2 dc into each remaining spaces.  Sl st into first 3 chains  Total 24 stitches

   

Row 3   Change wool colour - sl st into first space BETWEEN the stitches in row 2.  2 ch into 1st space.  sc into each remaining space.  sl st into first 2 chain.

ROW 4   Work this row into the stitches of Row 3. 2 ch - counts as first dc.  2 dc into next stitch - 1dc - 2 - dc - 1dc - 2 dc - 1 dc - turn work

  Row 5   Work this row into the stitches of Row 4.  2 ch - counts as first dc.  2 dc into next stitch - 1 dc - 4 sc - 1dc - 2dc - 1 dc

Make another owl exactly the same as the first.  Finish off threads.

Beak   Cut a small triangle of brown felt and stitch onto one owl, with matching thread.

Eyes    With white thread stitch on the eyes.

 Brooch Back    Attach brooch back with yarn to the other owl piece.

With matching yarn, stitch owl pieces together with wrong sides together - leave a small opening to insert polyfil and then finished stitching the pieces together.

And there you have it!!!  One cute little owl brooch - see if you can stop at just one!!!!!!

Simple Sugarbird Crochet Cowl Pattern

Simple Sugarbird Crochet Cowl Pattern

This pattern is very simple and easy......because it is the first time I have attempted to write a crochet pattern.  The instructions assume that you know the basics of crochet.

Materials
50gm Ball of 12ply wool
#7 Crochet Hook
2 x 3cm (approx) buttons
Scissors
Darning Needle

Terms
ch.........chain stitch
sc.........single crochet
dc........double crochet

Starting
ch 78

1st Row
dc into 3rd ch from end.  This is counted as 2 dc.  dc into remaining chains for a total of 76 dc. Turn

2nd Row
ch 3 ( this counts as the first dc)  dc 75.  Turn

Rows 3 to 8
Repeat 2nd Row

 Edging
Crochet 1 row of sc around the entire edge of the cowl, using 3 sc into each corner

Finishing
Finish off and weave ends in with a darning needle.

Buttons
Attach buttons and shown in the picture above.  Because of the chunky stitches there is no need for specific button holes. I have used handmade polymer clay buttons, but wooden ones also look nice.

You can always make the cowl smaller or larger by adjusting the number of ch when starting, or the number of rows.

Enjoy :)