Amigurumi cacti in crackle glaze pots

Julie over at Gleeful Things created these adorable amigurumi cacti for her mother and grandmother. I really should get round to making some myself - I've been thinking that a selection of ami cacti would make a great header.

Julie also did the crackle glazing on the pots - have a go yourself by following her tutorial.

If you fancy making your own ami cacti, there's a free pattern for a similar cactus over at Ana Paula's Amigurumi Patterns & Random Cuteness.

Rabbit Rattle

My friend has had her baby and while I haven't given her the presents yet (Mr V and I are holed up with a bad cold), I can share my latest makes with you because she hasn't mastered being online and breastfeeding just yet. First up, a crochet rabbit rattle.



Over-reaction Man (new name for hubby, hereafter known as ORM) took the photos outside for me. I think the one in the tree came out best, but it makes the rattle look deformed, hence sharing both images. (Side note: if only the weather was like that now - it's hideous outside today, storm central.)

The pattern was from Crochet Today May/June '09 by Vicki Howell and should have looked like this:



Mine came out quite differently, as you can see. But as a wise woman
once said: "There's no such thing as the crochet police". So there.

Baby Cardigan

It's been a long time, I know, but at last I am proud to present a finished project - a baby cardigan. "Baby" being the operative word, since it's tiny and much too small for its recipient. Damn and blast.

Still, I am rather pleased with how it turned out. I made it from Baby Crochet: 20 Hand Crochet Designs for Babies 0-24 Months by Lois Daykin. It's the first garment I've made and it was pleasingly easy to do. Lot of ends to weave in (why I leave them all to the end, I don't know), but no actual difficulties.

I blocked it - another first for me - but even that sneaky stretching didn't perform the much needed miracle. Ho hum, next time I'll check my gauge twice and then still use a larger hook to be sure.

If there are any readers left out there after my four-month hiatus, hello! My new job is going very well, as evidenced by a total dearth of posts. Had a horrible cycling accident shortly after I started and broke my back, but that's healing nicely now, so no long term harm done. Sounds worse than it is/was, honest!

Patriotic Baby Booties

These have to be the fastest booties I've made so far. The Hubby announced that his friend had just become an auntie and since he also knows the friend's sister and husband, could I make something for them? The catch? Just two days before the friend came to collect the gift before making the trip to Amsterdam to visit them.

I took a chance and made a start on some booties I've not made before, knowing that this could very well end in boots fit only for the tiniest baby ever (I crochet very tightly). I don't know about you, but even if a pattern works out really well, I always want to try something new when I pick up my hook. I even get bored making the second bootie of a pair. I chose the "victorian aster baby's booties" from 201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Patterns and Ideas, but left out the aster flower adornment and the second row of embellishment around the top. These were for a boy, after all!

I used some white yarn form my stash (Red Heart Dallas) and worked my little (OK, freakishly long) fingers off. I didn't quite make the deadline, so Hubby's friend had to play with VV for 20 minutes while I finished them off (I don't think either of them minded). I added a bue ribbon to make them a bit more boyish. It was then that we noticed I had made very patriotic Finnish booties. And when I quickly wrapped them in some orange tissue I had (in yet another stash), we realised that was a very Dutch colour to choose. Almost as if I had carefully planned it all.

The booties looks a little Wellington-boot like to me, but I think the shape is good for fat baby legs and feet, so they might actually stay on. And they are probably too big right now, which is an achievement in itself.

Pass the Pigs - crocheted!

Brigitte over at roman sock has made the most amazing crocheted version of Pass the Pigs, which she's named Pass the Piglets. Look at how detailed and cute it is:





Strangely, rather than spurring me on to make fab handmade Christmas gifts myself (as is my plan), it's thrown me into the doldrums. There's no way I could make anything that cute, dammit. And certainly not two things exactly the same - none of my booties have really been true matching pairs so far...

Hopefully Pass the Piglets has the opposite effect on you, so go and check it out for yourself now. I'd certainly love to receive something like this as a present: Brigitte's friends and family are lucky indeed.

Mohair Capelet

I finally got round to doing something with the excess Schachenmayr nomotta idena Mohair Lux I have, although there is still a lot left over (see here for why I have so much. And yes, I abandoned The Tapeworm). Since I couldn't really see myself wearing anything made from mohair, I let my husband choose from three shawl patterns. He chose Cold Shoulders from Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker.

Using two strands together to get an approximation of the correct weight of yarn, the pattern worked up really quickly. I also got to make my first pom-poms (the first since childhood at least, and that was a looong time ago).



I actually really like it (although I think the pom-poms are a little large), but I'm still stumped on what to wear it with - any suggestions greatly received! I know that all things wooly are currently in vogue, but I'm not sure if I have the guts to wear it with my normal casual clothes.

And still the question remains - what to do with the rest of the mohair?

The crochet crocs are finally on their way

I finally got round to buying the extra buttons and finished off the crochet Crocs. I didn't have a suitable box to wrap them in, so I hacked up a box we already had and wrapped that. I also used some fluffy packing material that came with something we ordered recently (I forget what). So, while I didn't do that great a job with the wrapping, at least it was recycled.



Now if only I could find my other friend's address, I could post the bear booties as well...

My First Beanie

And it turns out that the title is more accurate that it first seems.

I decided it was about time I tried my hand at a hat and thought I would make one for my brother, who has recently started up his own business doing flat roofs. Not quite sure what that involves, but I think hot black sticky stuff features somewhere along the line.

So, out came my trusty Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. Flicking to page 125, I started in earnest on the Boy Beanie by Laura Killoran (check out her own site here - I rather like the look of her Applejack Cap, as it happens).

Merrily I crocheted away, sitting on the sofa drinking tea, as is my custom. And I was pretty pleased with the result. That is until I tried it on. It's like wearing some kind of mediaeval torture device! Luckily there is one small-headed person in my family and it fits him just perfectly - six-month-old VV.


I suspect it was my yarn choice - leftovers from the Rabbit Slippers from the same book, plus some random orange wool - that was the culprit, helped in part by my super-tight stitches. Oh well, it was about time I crocheted something for my son. The hat was a doddle though, so with the right yarn in hand, I'll try again sometime...

Crochet Baby Crocs

Not the animal, but the shoe. I spotted these, or rather the pattern, on Etsy and just had to get it and make some. This is my first attempt, which is why it's in boring old white - I've got a huge bargain ball of it. There's only one in the photos because I had a "doh!" moment in the shop and only bought two buttons, instead of four.



The pattern, available from The Hooker in Me, comes in two sizes, 0-3 months and 3-6 months. The largest size comes out at about 4 and a quarter inches long, when crocheted loosely with a big hook. You might be able to make them bigger than me though, since I crochet really tightly (I now have a really bad joke about skinflint hookers in my mind, but I won't share).

I had hoped to make these for VV, but sady he's got kipper feet like his mother and at six months is way too big for these. Not to worry though, I've got plenty of newborns to make for in the next few months. I think I'll make a pair for each one and add a couple of other gifts too. They only take about an hour each to make, so they're perfect for running up in front of the TV of a cold wintery evening.

RSS Reader Must Reads

Since I've neglected this blog for a couple of weeks, here are a few highlights from my RSS reader that I would have shared. Hope you enjoy them.

Crochet Eyeball Doorknob cover by bella_domanie on Craftster. She generously shares the pattern too, so you can make your own (via Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins):



Ann Wood's cardboard castle diorama caught my eye - it's cardboard box modelling for adults (via CRAFT Magazine):



I love the idea behind Fallen Fruit, a website that maps the location of fruit trees in public spaces so that people can pick and eat it. I'm all for a bit of foraging (this blog should probably be called the crafty and somewhat hippy cactus lover) ; it's a real shame that perfectly good food goes to waste. Fallen Fruit is a global site, but there's not much mapped yet - add your local trees and help kick-start it. I found out about it from 365 Days Of Trash.

I can envision these shadow decorations at an upmarket Halloween party. Create your own by following the tutorial over on Folding Trees:



The anatomist in me loves this wine carafe from Etienne Meneau (via sub-studio design blog):



I'm working on several projects of my own right now, so I'll post some WIP pics soon. I also made a major purchase yesterday which I must share...

Bear Baby Booties

Can't resist a spot of alliteration. Finished these cuties last weekend, for my friend's new baby (as yet unnamed). I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out, although I think the bears' faces are a little too cartoony:



They're from Baby Crochet: 20 Hand Crochet Designs for Babies 0-24 Months by Lois Daykin and they're the first project I've done from the book. Instructions were easy to follow, although they lacked the step to sew up the bottom of the booties. Pretty obvious it needed doing though, so no biggie. I used about half a ball of the pink yarn and next to nothing of the beige and white - helpful to know in case you plan to make them yourself. Luckily I have two more female babies to make for, so I'm sure I can think of a use for the pink!

Yarn crazy? Then you need Crazy Yarn!

Pure genius by Laughing Purple Goldfish, Crazy yarn is random stash yarn knotted together to make balls of yarn. The perfect way to use up your stash - those lone balls that aren't enough to make anything can make friends and be something!

She made this Crazy Yarn:



And then made this bag with it:



Via CRAFT Magazine.

Queen Victoria was a Hooker!

As in crocheter, of course! While we were in England visiting friends and family we visited Dover Castle (definitely worth a visit, although possibly the windiest place on earth up there on the cliffs). While hubby took a peek in the keep (too tricky for me and VV in his stroller), we popped into the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment Museum and among the endless uniforms, medals etc etc, we found this:



The last place I expected to find some crochet, I have to admit. And by none other than Queen Victoria! Apparently she made 8 scarves for "brave soldiers" (her stipulation) of the Colonial Forces in South Africa. Sounds like the soldiers wore them with their dress uniforms, which seems a bit of a shame, but then I suppose it's not that cold in South Africa.

Meet Cyril the Amigurumi Pig

Cute, isn't he? I made him from Amigurumi!: Super Happy Crochet Cute by Elisabeth Doherty (see cover shot below). He's yellow, because that's what I had in my stash and I figured that it didn't matter, since the multicoloured spots meant he wasn't exactly lifelike anyway.



I found out a few things along the way. Firstly, cotton yarn is not so great for Amigurumi. At least, I don't think it is, but then I haven't used anything else yet. Seems very tight and hurts my hands. Mind you, deciding to take up crochet wasn't the most intelligent plan ever, what with the years of RSI I have behind me.

Second, I am incapable of making two things that match. Both ears are different, both front legs and both back legs. I told myself that adds to Cyril's charm.

And finally, it is really very hard to follow a pattern while looking after a four month old baby. So much unravelling!

Cyril is now at his new home with VV's cousin (my nephew) Luke, over in the UK. Scarily VV weighs the same as Luke who is 2!

PS Sorry for the lack of posts - we've been in the UK visiting friends and family.

Things I want to do...

There are so many things I want to do, all rattling around in my head, that I thought it prudent to note them down. Here goes, in no particular order:

1. Catalogue all my books in Library Thing. Totally anal I know, but I love it. Have persuaded myself that there is a point to this wanton time-user - if our books ever get lost, burnt or otherwise destroyed we can work out a sensible insurance claim. Of course, that will require household contents insurance.
2. Get household contents insurance (see #1).
3. Post more often to my blog. See, I'm doing this one already!
4. Finish making the rest of the fleece nappies. They have already been cut out by hubby, so it's not that much work.
5. Make a nappy bag that both of us will use (no flowers, then). Needs to have cunning strap arrangement so that it works with the baby wrap.
   
6. Make a boring wrap for hubby to use. Again, no flowers.
7. Get on with The Tapeworm. Progress thus far has been slow.
8. Declutter. No small task, but I'm getting great tips from Unclutterer. My hubby pointed out that nearly all the clutter is mine and I have to agree. We started today with a new rule - nothing new can come in without something going out. So, we took a vase to the Salvation Army shop before we set off on our Saturday Adventure.
9. Become more ethical. Very large task, but we've already started. We use washable nappies and we've just signed up to an organic veg box scheme. Yep, there is one here in Finland, but it doesn't run in the winter, when nothing grows. We also just bought some biodegradable nappies to use during the journey to and from my Dad's place in Spain at the end of the month. Sadly we're flying, but next time we'll go by train. I've been thinking ethical for a while, but Leo Hickman's Life Stripped Bare: My Year Trying to Live Ethically has just spurred me into action.

That's all I can think of right now, more to follow and hopefully progress reports too...

New project: mohair shawl

Otherwise known as The Tapeworm - check out the photo to see why (loose base chain has made it a bit curly, but I'll block it when I'm done). I'm making it from the Easiest Shawl Ever pattern from Crochet Me. However, I'm using a 6mm hook, so it's taking way, way longer than a day to make and using a hell of a lot more yarn. But neither matters, since I wanted a project to do while breastfeeding (which is pretty much all the time at the moment) and I have 8 balls of Schachenmayr nomotta idena Mohair Lux to play with.

I bought the mohair for another shawl pattern in the Spring issue of Interweave Crochet, but somehow my friend and I managed to totally lose our heads in the shop, ending up with fingerweight mohair when the pattern calls for a pretty heavyweight yarn. But hey, this is only my third crochet project. I'm still hoping to make the original shawl, but that'll have to wait until this one is done and I've found suitable yarn. I won't post a picture of that pattern yet - who knows how long it will be before I finish The Tapeworm...

Flower Power

In order to improve my fledgling crochet skills I started making flowers, from 201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Patterns and Ideas by Melody Giffiths. At first I thought this book might be a bit too traditional for my tastes (I lean towards the quirky, punky and alternative), but I enjoyed making these and I'm pleased with the results.

I made the larger flowers into brooches and mounted them on a card for my Nan, to wish her Happy Easter. I sewed the simpler flowers to another card, for my Dad and his wife. Sent them both off to Spain today, but no doubt too late to make it there for Easter.

So, I now know how to do the magic ring thing when crocheting in the round, which means I can start making Amigurumi. Just stumbled across this cute octopus, which I think I might start today...

First Crochet Project Completed: Rabbit Slippers

Feeling rather pleased with myself about these - my first crochet project and they actually look like the picture on the pattern. They're from Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller. Sadly I'd have to amputate my toes in order to wear them. Seems that one size fits all really means one size fits all midgets :)

I'm confident I could adjust the pattern myself and make them in other sizes, but I'd like to do something else next. I think it's probaby about time I got on with the fleece nappies (34 weeks now, time is getting short).

Hooker Status: Official!

The week up in Lapland (Saariselkä), plus the assistance of a knitting friend did the trick. The latter was very important - I knew she'd pick it up quicker than me and so the competitive spirit got a hold of me good and proper.

I've now made samplers of the most common stitches and am planning my first real project. I'll post some pictures of the samplers later. They aren't great by any means, but they are crochet and that's what matters to me.

I'm off to the wool shop today to buy some odd balls (heh) and some stitch markers. It appears that my addled pregnancy brain doesn't allow the complex task of counting...

I Will Become a Hooker

Not an ambition one hears often! Of course I am referring to knitting's supposedly lesser cousin, crochet. I am now the proud owner of 3 books about crochet and still I cannot get beyond one row.

So, since I am spending next week in Lapland with H and two close friends, I hereby declare that I will become a hooker during that time. We're going to laze around, reading and having spa treatments (or at least the girls are - the men will probably do something active), so seems a good time to learn. I aim to have completed a square of crochet by the end of the week and I will post the proof here. There, that should motivate me enough.

The books I have are great, by the way:

• Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller
• Amigurumi!: Super Happy Crochet Cute by Elisabeth Doherty
• Baby Crochet: 20 Hand Crochet Designs for Babies 0-24 Months by Lois Daykin

If I don't learn now the baby will be born and nearing 24 months before I've crocheted anything!