Grey Crochet Baby Blanket

A quick post at the end of the year, just to show this baby blanket I made at the beginning of the year.  This was before Covid, and before returning to work after my maternity leave, juggling work and child-care.  My creativity has been hold a fair bit!

This was made for a very special little boy, the son of a friend.

I couldn't find a surface that wasn't grey with enough light to take a picture - so excuse these images.

Details

Pattern: Peek-a-Boo Blanket by Sandra Paul - Size: Small Baby Blanket
Yarn:
  Main colour: Sirdar Snuggly in Cloud (487) x 5 balls
  Border: Sirdar Sunggly in Sky Blue (216) x 1 ball
              Sirdar Snuggly in Pastel Blue (321) x 1 ball 
Hook: 5mm (I'm a tight crocheter - pattern calls for 4mm)

Check out my completed crochet items here.

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Felt Pastel Christmas Pudding Decoration

 I started a tradition in 2018 of making a felt Christmas tree decoration each year.  This year's got finished on Christmas Eve Eve!

I really couldn't get inspired at all this year, but kept coming back to the idea of a Christmas pudding.  However, I didn't fancy the dark brown of the pudding, so decided to make a pastel version.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

As per tradition, I embroidered the year on the back - probably my least favourite part!

Above you can see the star from 2018 and the Emily mouse from 2019 (the year she was born).

I hope you managed to enjoy the Christmas festivities, if you celebrate!

Crochet Carrot

My daughter received a play kitchen for her first birthday (back in May) which she loves playing with.  I decided to crochet her a selection of fruit and vegetables to go with it...

Well, I've only completed a carrot so far, I'm afraid to say!  She does have a tub of plastic food to be getting on with, but I do hope to make more crocheted items at some point.  I've been finding it very hard to be creative in recent months, so output has slowed a lot!

The pattern was from this e-book and I was inspired by Gillian of Tales from a Happy House who made crochet food years ago, before Emily was even a twinkle in my eye, and I kept it in mind ever since!

I made a few tweaks to the pattern as I went along, but I have no idea what they were now as I made this months ago!  It's taken a while to make it's way onto the blog!

I've got a strawberry on the go, so maybe I'll finish it one day!

Check out my completed crochet items here.

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Snuggle Down Cowl

I've been very remiss with my crafting and blog posting lately!  I finished this knitted cowl at the end of June, and it's taken me this long to show it here.

It is the Snuggle Down Cowl by the lovely Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet.

I love this pattern - it is so simple and yet so effective, and very enjoyable to work on.

I used some 100% silk DK yarn by Willow Knits in colour Jade that I bought from Unravel in February, for only £10!

I used 40cm circular needles in size 5mm.

I do plan to make this pattern again, using the suggested method of holding fingering weight yarn along with some soft floof - suri alpaca yarn.  I've got the below minis and floof just waiting!

I can't wait to see how it looks knitted up!  It's in the queue, though, as I'm working on yet another cowl at the moment!  (How many cowls does one person need??)

Check out my completed knitted projects here.


Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Fimo Bead Keyring with Tassel

I requested FIMO for Christmas in 2017... it's taken me until now to actually make something with it!  This is the first time I've used FIMO since I was a kid!

I just had the sudden desire to make some beads and turn them into a little keyring / bag charm kind of thing!  One of those pretty but pointless items really...

I used pink and white FIMO to make the plain beads, then mixed some of both to make the marbled bead.  I already had some lobster clasps in my craft room, and some leftover Kingcole Cottonsoft yarn in just the right shade of pink for the tassel!

This brings me immense pleasure - I'm not sure quite why!  I just love it.

Next time I use FIMO I'm going to have to be more careful about dust, as I ended up working some dust into the FIMO and struggled to get rid of it.  But for a quick project, whipped up on a whim, I'm happy!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Yarn Hoop Wall Hanging

I mentioned in the post, My Current WIPs, back in January, that I wanted to finish this wall hanging...

Which, as you can see, I have!  It doesn't look much different from the picture in my WIP post.  In the end I just wetted the yarn to straighten it out.  I left everything else the same.

It is made by attaching two hoops together with yarn, which you can see at the top, incorporating a hanging loop.

I then strung some old beads I had between the two hoops and added a fringe of yarn to the bigger hoop.

Here it is, hanging in Emily's bedroom...

It is made using leftovers from Emily's heart blanket I made for her before she was born.

The idea for this hanging came from my friend Kimberly of Swoon Worthy Blog - she made this sophisticated version which I copied in a less classy fashion!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Handmade Candles

For Christmas 2018, my husband bought me a candle making kit.  I made a couple of candles during the Christmas break... and it's taken me nearly a year and a half to finish them off and show them here!

One is in a tin and one in a jar, and I wanted to add a bit of decoration to the tin and a ribbon to the jar.  This took me a matter of minutes the other day, so here they are!

The jar has been used a bit, hence the wax being a bit low.  Also, I overfilled the tin - the wick was getting a bit crushed when the lid was on.  I've since burnt it down a bit, so it's all good now!

I just used some card making decorative paper to cover the tin.  It is very simple, but pleases me!

They are scented with jasmin, which came as part of the kit.  It's not my favourite scent, so I'm thinking of buying some more fragrances to use for the next candles I make (whenever that may be!).  I do like a sweet smell, or something spicy for winter.

So, there you have it - something a bit different from my usual creations!

I hope you are all surviving lockdown, and are well and safe.

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Stevie Top by Tilly and the Buttons

I've been wanting to start making my own clothes for a while.  I've dabbled a bit - but not made anything "proper"... until now!

I've made the Stevie Top by Tilly and the Buttons.  I bought the digital pattern, as we're currently on lockdown in the UK and - at the time I ordered - they weren't delivering their paper patterns, but they did have a 10% discount on the digital pattern.

It took me a while to print out, stick together, and cut out the size I needed.  It's all ready now, though, for future makes.  And if I get fatter or thinner in the future, I can just print it out again and cut out the new size I want!

I cut out a size 3.  My measurements put me as follows:

Bust: Between 3 and 4
Waist: Size 5 (too much cake eating during maternity leave!)
Hips: Between 2 and 3

My hips are the size I probably was for all measurements, pre-baby.  I ignored the waist size, as it is quite an oversized top.  I "should" have gone for size 4 really, to accommodate the bust size.  However, as it is an oversized top, and as I'm currently breastfeeding but won't be for too much longer, I thought the 3 was the best bet.  I think that was the right choice.  Once I stop breastfeeding, I think the size will be spot-on.

The best bit about this top is the back - I love the yoke and tie detail!

The fabric I used was a spot print chambray from Minerva Crafts in sky blue.  This was left over from something I was doing in the past.  I'd like to make this again in a more colourful floral fabric - something really summery!

It was a lovely simple top to make, and it could have been very quick to whip up if I wasn't trying to make it in small pockets of time, around looking after Emily.

The photos of me wearing it were the best I could do with a timer on my camera phone, balancing it precariously on unsuitable objects, while Emily got increasingly impatient!

A couple of out-takes, with a little photo-bomber, for you...

Hopefully this is the start of more handmade clothes for me!

Check out my sewing projects here.

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Bright Happy Drawstring Bag

As I type this, we are currently in lockdown in the UK, due to the Coronavirus.  These are strange and scary times we are in, but this post is a bit of light cheerful relief.

This is one of those projects where inspiration strikes and you just have to get making!  For some reason, I really wanted to make a drawstring bag.  I had just the right fabric in my stash, and the bag came together just as I hoped!

I made the pattern up myself - it is very simple.  This is the first time I've made a drawstring bag with the drawstring channel at the top, made out of separate fabric, rather than a channel within the body of the bag.  I like it!

The ribbon was some I had in stash too, and I thought it was perfectly sunny and right for this fabric!

The lining is the same spotty fabric as the drawstring channel.  I've not used any other interfacing or wadding, as I wanted the bag to be soft and relaxed.

Don't you just love it when something comes out just as you'd hoped?!  I think I will use it as a small project bag, for little knitting, crochet or embroidery projects.

What do you think?  I hope the fabric brightens your day!

Check out my sewing projects here.

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

A Knitted Peach

Another finished WIP!  I started this in October, and finally finished it this weekend...

It is the cutest little knitted peach!

I have always thought that crochet works best for amigurumi... until I saw a knitted peach on the instagram feed of Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet.  I had to get the pattern and make it!

The pattern is called Peached by Hunter Hammersen.

It was a fiddly little blighter to make, I have to admit - especially as I'm not very proficient at that kind of knitting - but totally worth it in the end!

I used an odd combination of yarn weights for this...

The peach yarn was from a Norah George mini (fingering weight) that was in an advent calendar I bought from Jooles (Sew Sweet Violet) in 2018.

For the stalk I had to use some aran weight yarn, as it was the only brown I had.  So, I altered the pattern to make the stalk by knitting a 3 stitch i-cord or the stalk would have been way too thick.

I used DK weight King Cole Bamboo Cotton for the leaf, and tried to knit extra tightly!

I used 3mm needles for the lot as I am a tight knitter.  I made the bigger size peach from the pattern, and the smaller size leaf.

I love it!  A very cute little make!

Check out my completed knitted projects here.


Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Paper Flower Wall Hanging

Well, following my WIP post, I didn't expect to get something actually finished so quickly.  I must have been inspired, though, and completed my paper flower wall hanging...

This was made with the kit that came with Mollie Makes issue 108.  I'm not usually a magazine buyer, but I'd seen this wall hanging on Instagram, and really wanted to make it!  After looking for the magazine in three local shops where I live, to no avail, I had to send my husband out to the shops in his lunch break - as he works in Reading.

After that desperate rush to get hold of the issue last July... it's taken me until February to finish it off!

It was quite time consuming, as you had to cut the templates out first, then draw round them onto the coloured paper and cut each shape out.  Then comes all the sticking.  It's quite a fiddly business - but I'm very pleased with the outcome!

Hopefully I'll have more finished items to show you soon!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

My Current WIPs

I thought I'd do a round up of the projects I'm currently working on.  It might focus my mind and inspire me to complete some!

The most recent one I've started, I'm making pretty good progress with.  My second Peek-a-Boo baby blanket (see my first one here) for a pregnant friend...  [EDITED TO ADD:  See completed item here.]

There is some yarn hoop art on the go, for Emily's room, to co-ordinate with the crochet blanket I made her...

I want to straighten the yarn and make it neater.  I might also trim it into a sharper V.  Maybe it needs something else too... I'm not quite sure!  [EDITED TO ADD:  See completed item here.]

I have also been working - very slowly and intermittently - on a Monsoon Stole in a Scheepjes Whirl.

I love this pattern, and I love this whirl, so I really need to get this done so I can see the final result!

I started a bit of paper craft in the summer, with a kit from Mollie Makes for a paper flower wall hanging.  Its been left untouched for far too long!  [EDITED TO ADD:  See completed item here.]

Even older are these crochet face pads...

I planned to make a whole host of them, but only got as far as two before Emily was born!  I'm going to need a lot more to be able to replace cotton wool pads for cleaning my face.  Must get on that!!

Now the next WIP is quite annoying, as I actually finished knitting it in August 2018!  It is the Rosewater Shawl...

It's not annoying in itself - the annoying thing is that it's been this long and I still haven't blocked it!  I need to get it finished as it looks so pretty.  [EDITED TO ADD:  See completed item here.]

The last WIP I can think of is this embroidery...

It's been on the go since 2018 too, and will make a cute little beach hut scisoor keep.  It is actually further along than this picture shows, and probably doesn't need too much work to get it finished.  Another thing I need to get on with and finish!

This is all I can remember right now - although I wouldn't be surprised if there are more languishing in my craft room, amidst the chaos that is that space!

[Edited on 14th Feb 2020 to add...]

I forgot about this knitted peach I'm working on!

Another one to get finished!  [EDITED TO ADD:  See completed item here.]

As I complete these projects I will, of course, post about them.  I'll also link those posts to this one - for a sense of achievement and to satisfy any curious readers coming across this in the future!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Dinki Dots becomes A Playful Stitch

Hello!

You may have noticed a few changes around here - including a new name and a redirection to my custom domain - www.aplayfulstitch.com - exciting!

I've had this blog for nearly 9 years, and for quite a few of those years I've wanted to change the name.  I just didn't really like Dinki Dots anymore... although now it's gone I feel a bit sad!

A Playful Stitch is a better name, though.  "Stitch" covers quite a lot - sewing, crochet, knitting - and I feel my work is pretty playful.

I've even got a fancy new logo that a friend of mine created for me when we were chatting about my new name idea.  Thank you, Kimberly!

I'm still tweaking the website, so things might change here and there.  I have limited time to work on it, as Emily only takes 30 minute naps!  If I waited until everything was perfect, though, I'd never get round to launching the new name and branding.  So, I'm just going with it!

I hope you like the new name and look!  If all goes well, I should be bringing you lots of finished creations... hopefully more than I managed last year.

Creation Consolidation - 2019!

It's that time again... when I round up my creations from the previous year!

I'm going to start with the most impressive thing I made...

This little cutie!  Our beautiful Emily arrived in May, so crafting slowed down a fair old bit after that!  She takes a lot of time and energy, but she's completely worth it!

But on to what crafty things I made over the year - click on the headings or pictures to be taken to the blog posts:

Knitted Baby Hat

Filet Heart Crochet Baby Blanket

Hand-Knitted Socks

Cross-Stitch Hoop

Geometric Knitted Baby Blanket

Crochet Coasters

Crochet Christmas Bauble

Knitted Christmas Treat Bag

Felt Mouse Christmas Tree Decoration

Not a lot this year, for obvious reasons!

I've got a lot of works in progress, though - so I hope to get some more things finished at some point soon (or soonish!).  There is also going to be a change of name here on the blog, so keep an eye out for that!

If you are interested, here are my consolidation posts from previous years:

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017
2018

I didn't do a round-up for years before that, but you can see other finished items at the below links:

Crochet

Knitting

Sewing

Here's to a great 2020 for us all!  I am hoping to get my life more organised, but not sure it will happen as it's so hard for me to get anything done with a little one in tow!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!