Crochet rug

While out shopping today, I picked up the latest (well latest to Australia off the boat) copy of Inside Crochet.  One of the patterns was for this:

[Image: Doily Rug by Tracey Todhunter© Tailor Made Publishing Ltd]

How gorgeous is this?  I think I'll have to make one for the Casa as soon as I can find a suitable wool.

The more I knit, the more I love crochet...haha.

Any yarn suggestions?

The link

...that saved my sanity earlier.  I HAD started this blankie project, but the tension on the foundation row had messed it right up, for it was all tight along the bottom and then starting to ripple up top.  I did a few rows, but pulled them out in disgust on Thursday night (after a few drinks, no less) and tried to start again.  Same problem.  So I trashed that effort too.  And got cross. And then I found this link and it was so easy-peasy I almost jumped for joy. (Note the "almost"...I don't enter into wanton physical activity lightly.)

Now I am four rows into crochet blankie, and all is going well.  So far...

And I've also discovered a delightful blog in the process.  All good.

(something you'll never hear me say)

Frock me

Today, from my permanent spot on the couch, I indulged in some dress shopping from ModCloth. I'm pretty sure everyone is familiar with their variety of gorgeous clothes. They seem to have a good range of sizes too, so I thought I'd take a gamble and order a frock or two, including this one:

[Dress pic from ModCloth's site, obviously that's the frock in a Size 2 or something.]

I'm somewhat concerned though, as I fear after paying the ridiculously large postage ($30 US!) they won't fit my fat arse and it will be a case of this:


Wait and see, I guess.
....

In other news I've done a few rows of my crochet jumper and am not liking it. The edges and colour joins look too messy, and I'm not sure if I want to pursue it. I might show it to the Knitting Knazi and see what she advises. I'm not feeling optimistic.

Bit o'crochet

Today during a somewhat aimless wander in Lincraft, I bought this pattern book:




There's also a crochet blankie pattern in there, and a granny square one too. I know the rest of blogland seems to be madly in love with granny squares, but no, I don't really want to make a cardi trimmed with them, or a scarf, or slippers.

But each to their own.

What I did start is the long stripey v-neck jumper...which basically looks like a straight multi-coloured blankie worked in treble. The yarn is somewhat yummy. Of course, it remains to be seen if I will actually finish it.

Hump Day again

Not a great deal of exciting craft this week... just been working on the troublesome grannies, might be time to go back to Lincraft and look for a couple more colours to mix in, seeing as I've abandoned the original yarn I was using. Also been stitching away...have a pillowcase with this pattern in the works, as well as a meaty sampler.

I picked up the latest issue of Crochet Today! last week, as there was some granny-a-rama contained within. Including these rather fetching potholders. Pattern here.


Will I make any of the patterns? Probably not. But they're nice to look at.

Score

There was a nice, non-stinky, non-trashed crochet rug waiting for me at Savers this afternoon. So I took it home and washed it and now it's living on my couch. Yay!

PS Big footed bunny was made for me by Anthea, many moons ago.

Hump Day Roundup

Everytime I sit down to write this post (actually I always sit down to write my posts, I can't blog standing up) I ask myself where the previous week went...? And have no idea. I've been stitching here and there, but nothing finished. What I have been doing is granny squaring. And I can't quite explain why, but I've been neglecting my lovely Bendigo cotton in pretty colours for grannying with supermarket acrylic, in questionable colours. No I don't understand either. It may be that the supermarket acrylic withstands Ninja attacks better, or that I get a buzz about being able to buy wool along with cat food, or that it's easy to cart about (as it's not in the giant Bendigo balls)...but I don't think that's the reason why.

And I have a quandry ~ I know people believe that bright colours, clashing tones and the like are great for grannies, and I agree...when other people do it. (This is my idea of granny beauty.) The problem is, when I do it, it looks crappo. Evidence:
(Hmm the colours on this photo are wrong too, the blue in the pic is actually a Port Adelaide teal colour.)

I'm much preferring the solid colour squares too. Maybe I need some yellow or orange? I just bought the red this morning to see if it would help? Anyone got anything helpful to suggest?(besides bin the lot, haha.) The only thing I can think of is to do another round on each of them with cream wool.

Hump Day Crafting Roundup #1

For want of a better title. My lovely bud Cam commented the other day that I appear to have my crafting mojo back and I'm tending to agree. I'm actually out of the doldrums a bit and interested again. I attribute my 2009 crafting FAIL to this theory:


So for my own self-indulgence, I'll try and remember to regularly post a round up of my endeavours for the week.

Tally this "week":
- semi-finished the deer embroidery (I still want to fill in its antlers and add a bit of a border.)
- pieced together my cutesy Japanese quilt-top (this project is at a temporary standstill...do you know how hard it is to sort quilt batting and a quilt-top with a 9 week old kitten trying to help? I think I might ask the fella to help me on the weekend with the assembly.)
- started a deery pillowcase embroidery (using this pattern.)

This post at Pip's made me gasp! So pretty! She's all about granny squares this month, which reminds me of my Granny Malarkey. It's currently safely stashed in the spare room wardrobe, after the Ginja Ninja unravelled some knitting recently. I'm trying to work out how I can crochet without piquing a small kitten's interest. I take my hat off to all of you crafty mums out there, how do you get crafty creations done with kidlets around full time?
For a bit of eye candy, from the same Flickr in the link above, a pic of grannies and a ginger! Easy to see why it appealed to me:

And of course, never letting the grass grow...(actually that should be my motto!)...I etsy'd this pattern today from Badbird. Oooh I love Delilah! I'm impatiently waiting for her to arrive in my inbox so I can start.

I'm also having the urge to go scope out Savers. This is bad of me because a) I can't afford it b) I should go and clear more of my stuff out of my old house rather than buying more and c) I really should try and curb some spending. But Murphy's Law... if I go there today, we all know there'll be a $25 art pottery vase that wants me to buy it... if I don't go... hmm... what treasures will I miss? (The pillowcase stash needs replenishing.) Am I a greedy pig? Argh!

Okay

...so why is it, I can sit at home of an evening and not feel like crafting, but the minute I'm supposed to be working, all I can think about is playing with wool (and boys, but that's another story.) Further to this post, and totally inspired by this post, I have bitten the bullet and ordered a nice range of colours from Bendigo Woollen Mills for a crochet blankie...everyone's doing it, dahling! Eyeing the colour card, I decided that the following range of colours did it for me:

Except, big poo, no Cappuccino left...so now on the hunt for a nice 8 ply brown cotton yarn. Any ideas?