Crocheting in the Sunshine!!

This is my second attempt to post this. I am retyping it and retyping all the links.....bleeping internet.

Yes it's true yesterday was a lovely day, warm and sunny and since it was half-term I took myself and youngest daughter to the park. And for a brief while. before she fell in the mud and wanted to go home, I actually sat in the park and crocheted. A little taste of spring. Didn't last of course, now its raining again. Still in honor of this unexpected treat...here is my sunshine award. I have accepted this award, thank you for the nomination. Now I have twelve crafty bloggers to nominate.

The sunshine award is awarded to the blogger whose creativity and positivity have inspired others in the bloging world.

The rules for accepting the award are as follows:

Put the logo in your blog or within your post.
Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their posts.
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

These are my 12 nominees:

Nifty Knits
Kool Kooky Kreatures
The Bear Necessities
Charminglochie
Curly Girls Crochet
Stitchville
Dizzy Izzy
Experiments with Sugar Mice
Fiona's Knitting
Wellydog
Freyluna
Lightwear Jewellery

Finally made these for Etsy

I've posted these lovely gloves on etsy. I still seem to enjoy making them even though I've made them loads of times. I started making another pair of them two weeks ago and I was crocheting them at my Knitter Knatter group when one of the women there said she liked them so much that she would buy them when they were finished. So I sold them to her, (mind you she hasn't paid yet!) and had to make another pair (in secret). Glad they are done now, though that is the last of that yarn, I really really love the colour and mercerised cotton is so easy to crochet with. It doesn't split at all unlike most other kinds of cotton. Having read a few things about cotton production I am trying to buy only organic and/or fair trade cotton but I have yet to find any mercerised organic cotton.

I have received a lovely sunshine award, I will post it here when I have compiled my list of 12 other blogs to pass it on to.

Sarah's Skirt

Well here it is. I am very pleased with this, very quick and easy but very effective. I made this in a lovely alpaca and silk mix 4 ply and kid silk haze for the trim. I tried this because I want to make a full size one for me. I thought I would start by doing a 'working model' of course it will be quite different on a full size one but this did help me work some things out. Like why if you make X chain, then work back into it with dc, chain one,miss one chain, dc, to try and make the spaces for the tie, that row is way too tight. I've found out on this that you have to put more chains between the dcs, I don't know why. Its one of life's mysteries and one of the reasons I switched from fiber to metal all those years ago. Metal stays where it's put and does what it's told. Yarn has a bleep bleep life of its own. Lol

Pattern for Doll's Shoes

Well here is the pattern for those strange shaped dolls shoes. It is very rough and ready but feel free to contact me if you have any problems.

This is for a pair of shoes for a 'Jelly Cat Doll' approx 14" tall.

4ply Cotton, 3.5mm crochet hook. Tension (approx) 18sts to 10cm /4".

(note) I made one of these then counted everything and made the second. The second one didn't seem to have the exact same no of stitches as the first, however following this rough pattern should work for you to make two the same. Please forgive me as I am giving this one away.

I am giving the English name for the stitches. Treble (tr) is Double Crochet (dc)in the USA and double crochet in England is single crochet in the USA. So just substitute your name for mine...err hope that makes sense

Left Shoe. First Round: , chain 13, 1 tr in 4th chain from hook, top loop only. 1 tr in each of next 8 chain, top loop only. 10 tr worked including the 3 chain. 2 tr in same place as last tr, turn the work around (not over) and work 3 tr in the bottom loop of the same chain. (It makes more sense when you work it than it sounds!!). 8 tr in bottom loop of next 8 chains, 4tr in last chain, join with ss to 3rd chain of 3 chain.

Second Round: Dc in next st, 3 dc in next st, half tr (ht) in next st, tr in each of next 6 sts, ht in next st, 1 dc in each of next 2 sts, 3 dc in each of next 2 sts, 3dc in next st, ht in next st, 6 tr in next 6 sts, ht in next st, 3 dc in next st, ss in next st. Sole Made

Sides, First Round: 3 chain, 1 tr though back loops only of next 34 sts, ss to third chain of 3 chain.

Second Round: Same as first.

Third Round: 3 ch, tr 2 together over next 2 sts, 1 tr in each of next 30 sts, tr 2 together over next 2 sts, ss to 3rd ch of 3 chain. This end is the toe end.

Fourth Round: 1 ch, dc 2 tog, *3 dc in each of next 3 sts, dc 2 tog* rep from * to * to last stitch, skip last st, ss to chain, fasten off.

Strap: Rejoin yarn at what looks like a good spot, about 5 sts round from the first st for the left shoe. Dc in that stitch, 2 dc in next 2 sts, *turn, 1 ch, 3 dc in next 3 sts* work from * to * till the strap just overlaps the opposite side (I did this with the dolls foot in the shoe, if you don't have the doll, strap should be approx 2" at this stage). Form a point on the strap: Turn, no chain, 2 dc next 2 dc, turn, no chain, 1 dc, fasten off. Sew a tiny button on the opposite side from the strap, you should be able to just push the button through the strap without having to make a button hole. Sew in ends.

The right shoe is the same as the left, just be sure to attach the strap on the other side, just match it to the place for the first one.

I hope this makes sense. Good luck and I'd love to see any of them that you do make. :)

Doll Shoe Update

Thanks for the interest in these, before I post the pattern I need to make a few things clear. They won't work as baby shoes, the reason I had to make my own design was that baby shoe pattern's wouldn't have worked. The feet of this doll are a really strange shape, there is no difference between front or back, they have an oval shape at the bottom and then come straight up the sides much thicker than a baby's foot. They are most similar in shape to a fat golf club. I think these shoes will only fit this particular kind of doll. It is a 'Jelly Cat' doll and that company don't even make these dolls anymore. I guess I wasn't thinking when I mentioned that I could post the pattern. I'm still happy to do it but I think unless you have that particular doll it won't be much good. Anyway let me know and I will see what I can do. :)

HI, I hope you like my new background.

So here are the shoes I crocheted for Emily's doll, sorry Sarah. She is Emily's oldest companion and she's had her for so long that her shoes which were just patterned fabric have worn off. I'm very pleased with this effort as I worked out how to do them myself. I have a rough written pattern and if anybody wants it I will try and work it out so that it is intelligible to others and post it here. I had a look at posting patterns on Ravellery but it seemed immensely complicated and I just couldn't get my brain round it. I think technology is getting the better of me.

Got a new background, I found the link on one of the blogs that I follow, thanks for that, I am Not a Volcano. I knitted Sarah's jumper as well, many years ago in the dry period between the 80's and a few years ago, when I didn't knit or crochet. I guess I must have done some. I did use crochet to help me give up smoking but I don't think I made anything, just frantically crocheted to keep my hands occupied.

I've made a lovely skirt for Sarah as well and a beret for a doll that my daughter has made for one of her school friends. When she is fully dressed I can use a picture of her.

Cold Snap on the way - official!!

Yes apparently the big freeze is coming back. I hope it is, I love the snow, even though I ended up getting caught up in all the worry last month because I was waiting for my mum to come over on a plane. When we were younger her and me used to love walking in the snow and laughing at all the worried people and nervous walkers. Even though she is in her mid 70's now and I worry about her slipping in the snow I don't think she does so much. Coming from Idaho as she did, whenever it snowed and everything ground to a halt she uses to say. "Snow, call this snow! when I was a child we would regularly have to climb out of our first floor window and dig out the door." That sounded so exciting to me when I was a child and I used to dream of such a big snow.

Over in the east coast of the states they are having a real big snow, no doubt if it snows at all here it will be a few inches and everyone will complain. Not me, bring it on!! This year I have noticed that I think I prefer the winter to the summer. Spring and Autumn aren't too bad but hot sticky summers in the heat of the city, no thanks. I love the way snow transforms the landscape and the drab and dirty streets. Just after the snow falls is the only time you could call Hackney beautiful, I know it does have some lovely places but the snow transforms even the council estates and dodgy high streets. Also for a crocheter/knitter there is nothing better than curling up on the sofa with the latest project, wearing my creations and dreaming of all the things I want to make. Summer and yarn arts just don't go together that well, even though I try (see my first post here).

I've been making clothes for dolls for my daughter, as soon as she lets me I will post some pics. So in the meantime this is a photo I took a year ago, didn't take any photo's in the snow this year, don't know why.

Finally back to crochet

Ok I seem to have some ideas now, suddenly thought I ought to do something for Valentine's day. These little hearts are something I managed to come up with quickly. Trying to think of things other than hats scarves etc to make. I thought of cushion covers, but can't think of other things. I like bags but they always seem to take so long.

I really am going to start work on a skirt, a long term thing since I want to make my own design and pattern. Then I start to browse books and the internet and see lovely patterns that I want to make....definitely a case of too much yarn and not enough time..but that's another blog!