Tag Archives: Inspiration

Finished

Rocking Chair Adventures

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Recently I was given my mum’s old sewing machine as she upgraded. I haven’t sewn in year and years so was keen to give it a go again. I attempted a few tops, but as I wasn’t following a pattern they tuned out “questionable”.
So undeterred I decided the next easiest thing would be to make covers for an old rocking chair. I’ve been looking for a rocking chair for ages and one came up on Marketplace that was really cheap. The only problem was the cover was filthy from being white and being used. No worries. On my way home I grabbed some thick duck cotton in this amazing elephant and leaf print.
I seam ripped the cover off and pinned it to the new cotton, so far so good. Then simply cut it out, pinned it up and sewed with together. I left the bottom open and hand stitched that all together. My reasoning was if it got dirty it would be easy to break my hand stitching and wash and re sew.
The rocking chair also came with a foot rest. There was no way the fabric was coming off, so I steam cleaned it as best I could, cut the fabric and stapled gunned it together.
It came out amazing. Not 100%, but so so happy and proud. It literally took all day, but I don’t care. I am so happy with this. I have more cotton left over which I will make some cushion covers with. My cat seems to love it as well.

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Crochet

Knitcrate

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How awesome is this yarn! Knitcrate gave me the opportunity to try it for myself and I’m in love! I’m a big fan of subscription boxes as they allow you to try yarn you don’t usually have access too. We have NO awesome yarn shops within 1.5 hours drive here so I rely on the internet. The box comes with a crochet or knit pattern, or you can use your own, the options are endless!

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Inspiration

2017

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Ok so i seemed to lose my cro-jo in the second half of last year. Do you ever get like that? Nothing seems to be working, all the yarn is wrong, patterns don’t make sense. I did get a few things finished, but not at my usual pace. So 2018 has began and I’m pleased to say, I’m back! I ended the year on a cruise to New Zealand where I had literally nothing to do but eat, drink, relax, and crochet. It was magical. I finished a shawl made from a Whirl! It had been 4 years since my last cruise and boy did I miss it! New Zealand was magical, and I can’t wait to go back! Since coming home I ordered some more yarn. I hadn’t ordered yarn in forever! This has sparked something in me and now I’m a crochet machine again. I’ve finished a yellow baby blanket and started 2 more. I hope to use up some of my stash of yarns and make a heap of blankets this year. I also plan on making heaps of beanies with my knitting machine and donating them to charity. What are your crochet goals?

Crochet, Travel

How to: Crochet and travel

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I enjoy both crochet and travel and have mixed them together on a lot of occasions. Crochet is one of those hobbies that can be really portable and can fill in those long hours. I crocheted on my USA trip and have come up with a few pointers and tips for anyone interested.

Size. Don’t bring a giant double size blanket with you. It’s heavy and not practical. Bring something small or something you can sew together later. Make a few granny squares, a baby size blanket, a scarf, beanie, or shawl.

Limit yourself to only a few colours. The last thing you want is to juggle 15 different colours. This takes up space in your bag and increases the risk of misplacing something. Stick to 3 balls of yarn. If you must bring heaps of colours rewind them into smaller balls.

Storage. Project bags are a must. I have several made of cotton or organza. The opening is a drawstring allowing it to be fully closed but still be able to draw up the yarn. I travel with a normal sized handbag which allows for 1 ball of 100g 8ply yarn. This is an awesome size as it isn’t too bulky. Watch out of liquids in your bag (or nature) from spilling on your project.

Hooks. While it is legal to carry hooks on Australian international and domestic flights you should always check with your airline. I’ve had mixed results in having to open my bag and prove that it’s just a hook. With my first flight with hooks i was so scared they’d take them off me I brought a plastic hook! I hated this and it slowed me down. My next flight saw me take my ‘good’ hook and wasn’t any drama. I also took my hooks through security at The Pentagon, One World Observatory, and The Capitol Building in Washington with no problems. This info may change at a later time 😉

Looks. People will look, people will be curious. It’s something you have to deal with. I go into my own world and don’t even think about it, my sister seems to notice it more.

Goals. Don’t set goals, enjoy your holiday. If you don’t feel like crocheting, don’t do it.

Finished, Uncategorized

Finished: Purple Sunday Shawl

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If i like a pattern there’s a good chance I’ll make it a lot. I finished my first Sunday Shawl and instantly wanted to make another. I did want to mix it up a bit, cause i like to personalize everything. I found this yarn at Spotlight and grabbed a pack. Then ran back and grabbed another when I realized it was not 4 ply and more like 8ply. So I hate trebbles, not good when this pattern is mainly that! So instead I worked double crochets. I work much faster this way. Due to the limited yarn I had to change colour in the body of the shawl. I wasn’t Continue reading Finished: Purple Sunday Shawl →

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Finished: Birds of a Feather shawl

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I decided to try my hand at a shawl made from 8ply yarn. I usually work with 4ply, but i wanted something warmer. I found this yarn at Lincraft and got 2 balls. Then hours and hours of Ravelry later I downloaded a pattern. I’ve decided to buy patterns to support designers. This pattern is called Birds of a Feather shawl. It’s a super easy repeat pattern and works up sideways. Super cool looking! The gradient yarn came out great and this didn’t take that long to make. I used a 4.5mm hook, but should have used a bigger one to make it drape.

 

Pattern:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/birds-of-a-feather-10

Crochet

Blanket Progress

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I’ve been making a lot of shawls and scarfs lately but not a lot of blankets. I got in stages of loving giant projects then hating them. I’ve recently started a few blankets and work on them every so often. I have a stash busting 12 point ripple, yellow cotton baby blanket, and a pink diamond baby blanket.

I’m trying to use up a lot of my stash as i’ve had yarns sitting in it for years and also because i want to buy more yarn hahaha A 12 point Continue reading Blanket Progress →

Finished

Finished: Garden Granny Blanket

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I love a granny blanket. So simple to make. I found this yarn in the clearance bit of the local craft store and loved it. I love pink, blue, and green together. This worked up so fast, I’m not sure how. Maybe I was just really enjoying the project. This took about 400g of yarn and came to a very decent size. I gave it a nice ruffled border and called it a day. I’m not sure on the brand of the yarn as it didn’t have a wrapper. It was amazing to work with and incredibly soft. This would be great for a baby blanket. I enjoy making simple blankets with beautifully coloured yarn. It’s so relaxing to not have to count a pattern out every row.