Red noses

It's Comic Relief day here in the UK tomorrow.  The tag line this year is "make your face funny for money".  My kids aren't great fans of face painting so I made a couple of red noses with googly eyes for my eldest to hang off of her glasses.

It's a simple ball pattern(UK)

round 1 crochet 6 single crochets into an adjustable ring
round 2 crochet 2 single crochets into each from the previous round (12 sc)
round 3 crochet 2 sc, and then 1 sc (18 sc)
rounds 4-6 - 18 sc around
round 7 decrease in the same way incresed - sc 2tog, sc 1 (repeat until 12 sc)
stuff
round 8 decrease 2 tog around (6sc)
round 9 sc 2 tog to close the hole

sew or stick on googly eyes.

Elephant hat

It was World Book Day yesterday. Harriet wanted to be Oona the elephant from the Michael Morpugo novel  Running Wild.  The hat was a slight challenge.  My starting point was one I had seen by Red Heart.  I liked the look of it but wasn't sure about the pattern.

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/elephant-hat

In the end I made a basic ear flap hat from this pattern

http://craft-chic.com/free-crochet-pattern-basic-ear-flap-hat/

I liked this pattern as it was worked in half doubles/trebles (US/UK) so the hat came out nice and cosy but robust - ready for the heavy ears and trunks to be added.  The ears flopped when on the head but I thought it looked more elephant like.

And then I winged it with the embellishments. The pattern for the ears I wrote down but the rest was improvised.  It did the job I think.

Another Triangulation

Another hat for Toby.  Brown and orange as requested.

Popcorn stitch granny square

I am hatching a holiday plan to make a small blanket with bright colours contrasted with black.  I couldn't find a pattern to match what is in my head so I am worked out a square this morning.

Using - Stylecraft special and a 4mm hook

First create the popcorn "flower"......

Round 1 - 16 treble crochets into an adjustable ring

Round 2 - 8 x 5 stitch popcorn "petals" on alternate trebles from the previous round with 3 chains between each petal

Front of flower....

back of flower

Granny border

Round 3 - attach green to one of the 3 chain spaces behind the petals.  Chain 3 and then double crochet into the 3 chain space.  Repeat 7 times more to create 8 chain spaced "loops"..

From the back,.,,,

Sidewards view to show the double crochet

Round 4 - 3 chains and 2 treble crochets into the first 3 chain space to create granny cluster.  1 chain then 3 trebles, 3 chains, 3 trebles into next 3 chain space to create first corner.  Repeat around to create a square around the popcorn flower. Slip stitch into the top of the first 3 chain to complete the round.

Round 5 - slip stitch into the next 1 chain space.  3 chain and 2 trebles to create granny cluster.  Then create granny cluster corner with 3 trebles, 3 chains, 3 trebles.  Continue around the square with 3 treble granny clusters in the chain spaces.

Round 6 - change to black and repeat the same method as round 5.

Toby's triangulation hat

Yarn - Stylecraft life in Bracken/Hobbycraft chunky blue (half a ball that has been hanging around for years)
Needles - 4.5mm/6mm
Pattern - Triangulation by Kat Goldin

Ah the trials and tribulations of choosing a hat for Toby.  There's so much choice on Ravelry which is great but a bit bewildering to someone who likes to over think these kinds of crafty decisions.  After a couple of Worsted weight false starts I settled on purchasing a pattern for the Triangulation hat by Kat Goldin.  I was apprehensive about colour work and using magic loop due to usually getting in a tangle with both.  Turns out I didn't get in that much of a mess.  I was careful to unravel the two colours at the end of each round.  I don't yet understand how people can knit such colourful creations without getting muddled but maybe there is hope for me yet.

The best thing about making this hat was one little boy's response when I presented him with it.  To say he loves it is an understatement.  He has slept with it, wore it constantly during waking hours and told at least 5 people about it during yesterday's trip to the opticians.

As for notes, well my gauge was off vertically.  What is that all about?!  I must try and understand it as my stitch count across was fine.  So I added extra rows although I could have safely knitted an extra repeat of the triangles.  I made the pom pom with a clover pom pom maker.  It's nice and full and fluffy.

Toby has requested a second hat with orange triangles.  Brown and orange?!  What a fantastic retro plan.

Resolution review - February

How things are going......

1. Learn to use DPNs   -  Hmmm, not even started

2. Finish or Frog abandoned WIPs - working hard on my Sunny Spread which I started last june.  Ahem, not much else finished but I did "assess" another half finished crochet blanket by getting it out of its bag and then putting it back in again.

3. Knit a pair of socks - I bought the yarn.  Does that count?

4. Learn Tunisian crochet - Not yet

5. Blog/Ravelry finished items - One item finished and added to ravelry.  High achiever!

Christmas makes 2014

Where to start?!  There was fair bit of crafting this Christmas.  Mostly crochet.

Sooooo..

Make number 1

Santa Baby (from Simply Crochet magazine) by Cara Medus

Using Stylecraft special dk


Make number 2

Robins adapted from Attic 24.  I made 6 for the school fair and others for friends


Make number 3

Nativity from this fabulous pattern

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/holy-family-nativity-set

Made in double knit but I would really like to try these in DMC Petra.

Make number 4

Sprout (okay mine looks more like a cabbage),  Pattern from here

http://messyla.typepad.com/messyla-blog/2014/11/christmas-wrapping-ideas-crochet-brussel-sprout-.html

Make number 5

Snowman wreath from Repeat Crafter Me blog.

And finally one fairy light.  Not very effective on it's own but I may well come back to this one
next year.