Instagram Crochet Hook-Up - Part 2

As I mentioned in Part 1 - I took part in a crochet hook-up on Instagram, organised by Lazy Daisy Jones.  You can find more information in that post.

I showed you half of my pictures then, so here is the other half...

Day 11 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Yarn Storage. This is my #ikea #expedit or #kallax in my #craftroom - not the best yarny picture as most of it is in the turquoise boxes at the bottom, but you can see a few balls if you peer at the top left hand corner cubby!

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 11, 2016 at 1:18am PDT

Day 12 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Finally Finished. I struggled with this one as the last thing I finished was a pair of gloves you can find earlier on my feed. They were for someone else so I don't have them to snap. This, however, is the first blanket I made - a baby blanket with no baby in mind (maybe mine one day?!) and I took ages to finish it. I tried one border which wasn't working, left it for ages, then eventually ripped it back and settled on a simple yellow border.... it was "finally finished" #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 12, 2016 at 7:21am PDT

Day 13 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Border. I usually do simple borders but this was a skull doily I made for a lovely friend - and it called for a fancy #crochet border! I was really pleased with it. This is an old picture I took, just as I finished, before weaving the end in, as that tail was the last smidge of yarn I had left - only just made it!!! #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 13, 2016 at 1:58am PDT

Day 14 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Pastels or Brights? I'm more of a brights girl, but I like a bit of pastel too! I just love colour! These two WIPs show pastels on the left and brights on the right.. although the pastels have a hint of brightness to them I guess! #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 14, 2016 at 3:36am PDT

Day 15 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Crochet Bag. Hmm this is not a bag - I've never crocheted one!!! Will a bowl do?! #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 15, 2016 at 1:55am PDT

Day 16 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Toy. I've already shared my #crochet #monkey - but I'm a bit short of crochet toys, so here he is again! And that big ball of super chunky yarn... well that's a new toy for me to play with! #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict #crochetnowmag

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 16, 2016 at 3:00am PDT

Day 17 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Stitch Combo. This is #crochet and a #crosstitch cherry on the phone case I made. Not sure it's my favourite stitch combo, but I like it #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 17, 2016 at 3:33am PDT

Day 18 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Granny Square. I made this granny square baby blanket with single colour granny blocks, bordered and joined with white to make the squares pop! #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict #crochetnowmag

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 17, 2016 at 11:50pm PDT

Day 19 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Mandala. This is my one and only #crochet #mandala - it was great fun to make! I started with the pattern for #littlespringmandala and changed it slightly as I added to it. #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 19, 2016 at 4:07am PDT

Day 22 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Gift. This is a bright cheery #crochet baby blanket I'm making for a pregnant friend of mine.. to keep her upcoming arrival warm and cosy! #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict #colorshare

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 22, 2016 at 11:42am PDT

As I mentioned, I went to Cost Rica on holiday so couldn't finish the month, but I had great fun doing the days I did do!  Thanks to Lazy Daisy Jones for organising it and looking forward to the next one!

I'm over on Instagram here if you'd like to see more.

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Tapestry Crochet Chevron Phone Case

I got a new phone at the beginning of the year.  Despite being all excited about making a new phone case for it - it's taken me until now to finally do it!

I used a technique I've never tried before - tapestry crochet.  Using this I was able to create the zig-zag (or chevron, as 'zig-zag' doesn't seem to be a fancy enough name these days!) design.  It was quite fun to try, and there are all sorts of design possibilities.

It does give a kind of jaggedy edge between colours, but I think that is all just part of the effect.  Although there may be techniques to make a smoother line - I'll have to research this if I do another tapestry crochet project.

I used a pretty mint button to hook a crochet loop around, to secure the phone.

My previous crochet phone case, I crocheted in a continuous loop, rather than ending each row with a slip stitch and chaining to start the next row.  It creates a very neat fabric.  For this one, I thought that the design might get muddled if I did it that way so I didn't use the continuous method.  You can see in the picture that this has created a diagonal join 'seam' on the back, where each row ended and the next began.  I prefer the look of the continuous crochet, but it's not too bad.

Front

Back

Below you can see the pattern I created in Excel to use when making this...

Each square is a single crochet stitch and a row covers both sides of the case as the whole case was made in one, rather than making each side and sewing together.

I think I prefer my previous phone case, but I still like it and it was fun to learn a new crochet technique!  What do you think?  Have you tried tapestry crochet?

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Instagram Crochet Hook-Up - Part 1

It's a little bit delayed, but I wanted to let you know about a 'Crochet Hook-Up' I took part in on Instagram back in April.

It was organised by Lazy Daisy Jones who blogs here.  I'd not tried anything like this on Instagram before, but I really enjoyed it.  You post a picture a day, following a subject prompt.  It's great as it gets you thinking in different ways and means you take pictures that you might not have thought to take.

We went on holiday to Costa Rica before the end of the month, so I didn't complete the full month, and there were also a couple of days I missed.  However, I thought I'd show here on the blog the pictures I did take, as it was such good fun!  Half of them are shown in this post, and I'll show the other half another day.

I covered and decorated a tin can to serve as my crochet hook storage.. joining in with #ldjcrochethookup

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 1, 2016 at 11:13am PDT

Day 2.. this WIP has been in progress for over two years now.. it's going to be a big cosy #crochetblanket when it's finally finished! #crochet #ldjcrochethookup

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 2, 2016 at 2:38am PDT

Day 4 of #ldjcrochethookup - a cushion. Still love this african flower #crochet cushion I made a few years back!

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 4, 2016 at 12:15am PDT

Day 5 of #ldjcrochethookup - a shawl. This is my #crochet #sidewalkshawl - I keep it at work and wrap up like a little old lady when the aircon gets too cold for me!! Tricky to get a decent picture to show it at its best.. but here it is.. #crochetersofinstagram

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 5, 2016 at 2:29am PDT

Day 6 of #ldjcrochethookup - Crochet Space. I snuggle in the corner of the sofa surrounded by cushions and #crochet blankets... cup of tea... #crochetersofinstagram

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 6, 2016 at 12:50am PDT

Day 7 of #ldjcrochethookup - My Favourite Hook... well hooks! I use these metal hooks and haven't really tried anything else.. they do for me! In fact the size I use most often (5mm) is off tangled up in a WIP somewhere! #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 7, 2016 at 1:44am PDT

Day 8 of #ldjcrochethookup - Blanket! This is my waterlily #crochet blanket which lives on my sofa and keeps my cold little body warm on many an evening snuggled in front of the TV! Joining in with @lazydaisyjones and @crochetnowmag #cnfridaywin #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 8, 2016 at 12:48am PDT

Day 9 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Pretty in Pink: I have picked my pink #crochet monkey! Just chilling out on the dresser... #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 9, 2016 at 2:41am PDT

Day 10 of @lazydaisyjones #ldjcrochethookup - Flowers. These are #crochet #japaneseflowers in bright zingy colours which I use as coasters. #crochetersofinstagram #crochetaddict

A photo posted by Maria (@dinki_dots) on Apr 10, 2016 at 3:32am PDT

I'm over on Instagram here if you'd like to see more.

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Chunky Knit-Look Crochet Cowl

Well, here I am with a very season-appropriate make... a chunky crochet cowl!  Well, it's meant to be summer at the moment, but when you get hit with inspiration you just have to go with it.

I was buying yarn for the baby blanket in my last post, and somehow ended up walking away with this gorgeous chunky yarn too...

It's Robin Super Chunky in Candyfloss colourway and I just couldn't resist those colours!

I used half-double crochet (half-treble UK) but I crocheted only in the back third loop, which I'd never tried before.  It was so easy to do, and is what gives the lovely knitted look...

The two loops that are usually at the top of each row get pushed forward to create this look.  The current/last row you're working on always looks like it has a longer stitch, as it is the crocheting of the next row which pushes the top loops forward.  Therefore, I finished off with a row of single crochet (double crochet UK) in the third back loop, to give a neat finish and keep the rows looking constant.

I crocheted in the round, and I wanted it to go round my neck once - not to be a long cowl that you loop round a few times.  Sometimes I find those a bit bulky and claustrophobic.  This just slips on and doesn't get in the way.

Excuse the pained expressions!!  I was attempting to take some half-decent photos of myself, with and without the timer, as I think it's always nice to see these things on a person to get a better idea.

Yes... I'm just gazing off into the distance, perfectly naturally...

So, it may not be a very summery make, but at least I'm prepared for the autumn chills when they arrive.  Or the way summer has been going so far, maybe I'll get use for it sooner than I thought!

What do you think?  And do you find yourself making things completely out of season, just because you have to satisfy the creative itch when it strikes?!

Check out my crochet tab for other crocheted items I've made.

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Stripy Crochet Baby Blanket

Sorry for the silence - I have been away on a lovely holiday in Costa Rica for two weeks, amongst other, less interesting, things!

My friend's baby was born whilst I was on holiday, so since being back I've been frantically trying to get the baby blanket finished.  She's had a little girl, so I hope that this will be suitable - a take on cheery primary colours!

I made it using Stylecraft Special DK in:

Sunshine
Turquoise
Lipstick
White

It was all made with half-double (half-treble UK) crochet stitches.  The sunshine and turquoise stripes were 14 rows each, the lipstick stripes were 7 rows each, and the white between them were 2 rows each.

I bordered it with 3 rounds of half-double (half-treble UK) crochet in white, then 2 rows of single (double US) crochet in lipstick.

Quite a simple design, but hopefully quite effective!

I'm hoping my friend likes it.  I will be seeing her, and meeting the new little one, tomorrow - can't wait!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Crochet Baby Blanket - Colour Change

I thought it was about time I showed you the progress on the baby blanket I'm working on, as I had a change of heart on one of the colours!

My original colours were shown here and, as I mentioned in this post, I wasn't sure about the grey.  I carried on for a bit longer with it - but then decided 'no!' and ripped it back... changing it for a cheery red.

The red I chose is Stylecraft Special DK in Lipstick, and I am loving it!  So bright and cheerful.  With the Turquoise, Sunshine and Lipstick colours, it gives a twist on the classic primary colours vibe - a timeless choice for babies if you ask me!  And gender neutral too, if there is such a thing...

I'd better get on with finishing it, as my friend's baby is due in a few weeks... and I really should be sewing those ends in as I go!

What do you think?  Do you prefer the red to the grey, or should I have stuck with my original plan?!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Quick Free Cloakroom Refresh

I haven't shown any home transformations for a while.  You can see my previous posts in my Home Improvements tab.

This weekend, however, I completed a very quick refresh of my downstairs toilet or cloakroom, if you will!  The emphasis on this project was that it be quick and cost me as little as possible.  Well, I achieved that.

If I'd wanted to spend more time and money on it, I would have made quite a few more changes... but speed and economy were of the essence here!

Let's see what I started with...

Pretty grim!!  What we have here is mainly magnolia walls, a half-hearted coat of white paint on part of one wall, started during another DIY project at some point, and some haphazard bluey paint using up the end of a roller, for no apparent reason.  And it all needed a good clean too as it had been used for DIY activities or storage at times.  I don't even use this toilet - I don't go in there if I can avoid it!  Any guests get sent upstairs too, as it's too shameful.

In an ideal world I'd have liked to get all those ugly pipes boxed in and possibly even changed the sink and toilet for something a bit more modern.  I don't like the colour of the tile floor either, so I'd have liked to have changed that too.  I'd have picked a cheery wall colour, and some funkier accessories... but this would all have cost time and money!

So, instead I did this:

My boyfriend, Rob, and I painted it all in a bright white paint that I already had.  At one point we were both in there - me cutting in and him rollering.  DIYing in a confined space - that's a test for any relationship!  (Luckily we passed!)  Even though I'd rather the pipes were boxed in, they do look better in white I think.  It all looks fresher and cleaner.  (Well, I cleaned it too, so it is cleaner!)

Then I added some bright accessories that I already had - the lovely colourful hand towel, an empty pink vase and flowerpot (just unceremoniously plonked there to add some colour - probably would be better if they weren't empty and a bit of thought had gone into some semblance of styling!), and an old picture frame with picture cards from Ikea.  I've had this since I rented a little flat 12 years ago.  It's just been floating around with no home since I moved into this house and I've been thinking of getting rid of it.  However, it brightens up the white and makes the room a bit cheery.

Again, I'd have put a lot more effort into this if I'd wanted to spend time and money on it - but I'm pretty pleased with the quick free makeover.  I won't be ashamed to let people use that toilet now!!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Baby Blanket Progress

I've been making a bit of progress with the baby blanket mentioned in my last post...

I love the turquoise and sunshine colour - but am not convinced on the grey.  I like the combination and think it's quite modern and trendy - but after the bright turquoise and sunshine, I'm thinking a bright red might actually look great for a cheery baby blanket!

I've only done a couple of grey rows, so I'll do a little more to see what I think.  But it might end up being ripped back - watch this space!!

In other news, I've actually managed to get some amaryllis to flower...

I'm definitely not green-fingered, so this feels like some kind of miracle to me!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Baby Blanket Plans

One of my oldest friends is having a baby at the end of April, so - of course - I had to make her a baby blanket!

They haven't found out the gender of the baby - so I had the challenge of picking gender-neutral colours.  Whether any colour should be gender specific is a whole other topic of conversation.  Whether is should be blue for a boy, pink for a girl... that's opening a can of worms I don't feel like opening right now!

Regardless of this, my friend isn't really a pastels and pink kind of girl, so even if she is having a girl and had found that out, I wouldn't have gone for pinks anyway.

Therefore I have picked what I hope to be modern bold colours that would work for a boy or a girl, and that I think would fit my friend's preferences.

I've bought Stylecraft Special DK in Turquoise, Grey, Sunshine and White and am planning a stripy blanket with a border I am yet to decide on.

I generally take forever to finish anything, and I've started this fairly late... so I'd better get a move on!  I will be sure to show you my progress...

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

V-Stitch and Those Pesky Ends!

I've started work on a colourful new crochet project in a stitch I've never tried before... v-stitch.

I love it - so easy but so effective!

But changing colour EVERY row causes the inevitable plethora of ends to sew in...

Two ends for each row... argh.  I have decided to make a start on sewing them in and will not continue crocheting until they're all done.  Then I'll force myself to deal with them after each row.  It's got to be better that way - as hard as it is to resist the urge to add just another row, and another, and another... and leave the ends till later.  Future Maria will thank me for this discipline!

What's it going to be...?  Well, you'll have to wait and see!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Crochet Gloves - with Fingers!

I mentioned in a previous post that I was trying to make gloves for a guy at work who struggles to buy gloves that fit as he has short wide hands.

It was a tricky project as everywhere there are patterns for fingerless gloves, wristwarmers, etc - but there are a lot less for 'proper' fingered-gloves (so to speak!).  In the end I found this one and used it as a very vague guide in so much as I crocheted from the top down - the fingers first.  But I used dc (tr UK) stitch and after looking at it for the initial idea, I mostly just made it up as I went along to try to fit it to his hands - made to measure!

Well, I finished them on Sunday night and handed them over yesterday at work - just in the nick of time as the temperature has plummeted!  He seems very pleased, reporting today that they are nice and warm.

If the baby finger on one glove looks smaller than the other - it is.  He damaged one of them playing rugby, so it's a bit crooked and didn't need as long a glove-finger on that hand.  See?  Bespoke!  (And during this process I discovered I seem to be the only person who calls it a 'baby' finger - but hey, I'm calling it that anyway!)

As I finished them in the evening and handed them over at work the next day, I didn't have much time to get any decent photos in daylight.  The above picture was in the morning before work, whilst it was still pretty dark and dingy.  The rest were in the office in artificial light, so excuse the quality...

These were worn by a female friend at work, who was helping me try to get an ok picture.  They don't fit her properly - you can see they're too big - but this gives you an idea.

As grateful as the recipient was, he is a bloke and they do not enjoy women fussing around them, trying to get them to hand-pose for pictures!!  (Especially when they're at work trying to do their job, which I should also have been doing - this is a place of work, not a craft club!)  This is the best I could get...ha!...

They do fit him very well (like... well, a glove - hilarious!)  I really am quite pleased.  When I spotted him putting them on to leave the office at the end of the day yesterday, I admit I felt a little proud!

So, there you have it - my first completed make of 2016.  I hope for lots more!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

To Make or To Buy?

If you are a bit of a crafter and a maker, you might find yourself seeing things in the shops and thinking 'I could make that myself'.  This happens to me all the time - so much so that I often don't buy the item, or actually feel a bit guilty if I do.  

For ages I'd been thinking of making myself a lovely soft grey cowl.  Then I spotted the above cowl in the Cologne Christmas markets, on a trip with my family at the end of November.  It is made from such soft snuggly alpaca yarn that I really couldn't resist it, despite thinking I should instead find some wool of equal scrumptiousness and make one myself.  It's not like it would be difficult, it's just a long strip sewn into a circle...

But, there would be the challenge of finding the ideal yarn and then the hours I would need to spend making it, and would I ever actually get round to it?  (So many craft ideas, so little time!)  Sometimes, when the perfect item presents itself to you, ready made and just waiting to be used and enjoyed... it's hard to say no.

I have made cowls in the past - a knitted one and a crocheted one - but they were small ones designed to go once around my neck.  I can choose to have this new one wrapped once, twice or three times around and it is so warm and cosy!

What do you think?  Do you ever have this dilemma and the guilt of buying something you know you could make yourself?  Surely, just because we CAN make it, doesn't mean we HAVE to..?  I say we should cut ourselves a little slack!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Crochet Glove WIP

A guy at work has asked me to crochet him some gloves.  This is because he struggles to find gloves in the shops that fit him due to the fact, as he puts it, he has "short wide-ass hands".

I'll be honest, I didn't really want to make them as I had no idea what I was doing and didn't find the idea particularly inspiring.  But... I felt bad for him and his poor cold hands, so I got guilted into starting!  I made no promises it would work out, but I thought I'd give it a go...

This has been ongoing since around October - I started a finger, ripped it back, started again, and had some to-ing and fro-ing bringing them into work to check they fit ok.  (Of course there was the big gap when I was working on the advent calendar and couldn't possibly focus on anything else!)

Before Christmas I got to the point above where I think for the first time the poor guy thought he may just end up with a pair of gloves after all!

I think it's time I got back to the hook to see if I can actually do this and produce gloves that fit him.  I guess he's just lucky it's been a mild winter!  But it would still be helpful if I manage to finish them before summer...

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!

Creation Consolidation - 2015!

Happy New Year!

(And I have FINALLY responded to the comments on my last few posts - so if you have been waiting for a reply - there was a question on colours used in some crochet back in October - it should now be there!)

I wasn't actually going to bother with a round-up of last year's creations, as it was a bit of a strange year for me.  I started the year in a long-term relationship, which ended in June.  He moved out and since then I've nabbed myself another victim boyfriend.  All the life changes meant I haven't really been very creative at all during the year.  To be honest, I wasn't feeling very positive about this new year either.  During the last few days of 2015 and the first few days of 2016, I felt less than optimistic about the year ahead.  I guess 2015 really didn't go how I thought it would, and it left me wondering what unhappy things might await me this year - how's that for cheery?!

However... I perked up yesterday!  Oddly enough coinciding with going back to work after the Christmas break - who'd have thunk it?  So, time to be more positive and upbeat and have a little look at what I did manage to make... click on the titles to go to the original posts...

Crochet Hot Water Bottle Cover

Organisation - Print Your Photos

(Not a make, but some tips and motivation for actually printing some of those digital pictures hidden away on our computers)

Beanbag Cube

(Actually made end of 2014 but blogged in 2015)

Shoe Care Box

Washi Tape Pen Pot

Crochet Skull Doily

Glass Fused Coasters

Washi Tape Picture

Japanese Flower Crochet Coasters

Fabric Advent Calendar

And there you have it.  Not a lot at all, and some very quick makes amongst them.  There were a few decent items, though, that it's good to look back on.  I think it does help to see them all in one place on these round-up posts, as I made more than I thought.  I hope that 2016 will be far more creative and productive, though!

In case you're interested, here are my yearly round-up posts for:

2014

2013

I didn't do a round-up for previous years, but you can see all my finished projects at the below links:

Crochet

Knitting

Sewing

Fingers crossed for a good year in 2016 for us all!

Like what you see?  Follow me on bloglovin!