The moonlighting navigator

When hubby and I travelled around Europe in an old Combie van in 2001,

I had not yet become a knitter.

He was designated driver and I was designated navigator.

No GPS or the like.

A good old fashioned map book and off we went.

Even without the distraction of crafting in the front passenger seat,

I will admit to a "few" uptight and I might say rather terse moments during those 7 months

when Mr Boozle had NFI where we were going

and neither did his navigator.

Who would have thought Lyon, France, could be such a pain in the butt to navigate?

This time around, Mr Boozle was again designated driver.

(Designated by me.

No way I was driving a 29 foot RV on the wrong side of hilly, windy roads

with 3 children in the back)

That left me to navigate.

Just me and the GPS from hell (but that is another story)

So I carefully chose a relatively mindless project for our recent RV holiday.

Just my favourite colours.

A simple repeating pattern.

No sharp needles with which to stab the driver in an impetuous moment of nagivation rage.

A crocheted blanket.

It filled in those driving hours and those quiet early morning hours.

(For some reason I was bright eyed and bushy tailed between 5 and 6 most mornings)

So I present...The evolution of My Very Excellent USA RV Adventure blanket.

(More on Rav here)

Las Vegas- Zion Canyon- Bryce Canyon- Capitol Reef- Canyonlands- Moab-Arches National Park- Mesa Verde- Canyon de Chelle- Petrified Forest National Park- Sedona- Grand Canyon National Park- Route 66- Las Vegas

I started the day that we picked up our RV

and finished the morning that we dropped it back.

The 4 hour car ride from Vegas to LA

was spent "therapeutically" darning in the ends.

Now if I can keep those sharp-clawed moggies away from it,

I have a blanket to keep me warm

and to remind me of an amazing holiday for years to come.

Coco's Bobble dress

I came across this gorgeous little pattern a few months back.

It is based on a very old design

but is simple and whimsical and the perfect little girl's dress.

I started it as a project to give me some quick crochet gratification

but with a busy couple of months,

my crocheting time was minimal.

Add to that,

those oh-so-cute bobbles are quite time consuming

with wool that insists on splitting.
Plus they give the old fingers a good workout.

The result is really sweet.

It is smaller than I thought

so the little goddess will be wearing it to death in the next few weeks

before the weather gets too warm.

You can find the pattern at www.purlbee.com/cocos-bobbble-dress

Zombie robots

...and other little things for a swap.

This month the Crafty Mamas swap was all about passion.

Send your swap partner something that you make, sew or create with a passion.

While I am generally passionate about sewing and creating,

the specifics of such passion are harder to pinpoint.

I was sending to Lisa, owner of Crafty Mamas itself.

My current passions?

Love making key fobs...

...have lots of fun making little wallets and purses

(and surely someone who is involved with her own and her hubby's businesses

has a use for business card holder)...

Keyka Lou business card wallet

...and actually am rather passionate about the old crochet hook...

While I get that little things are cute,

agirum...amugur...those little Japanese crochet things have always filled me with dread at the prospect of repetitive strain injury and tiny tiddly fiddly bits driving me up the wall.

But when I saw this book,

I had to get it to make some for my boys.

And who doesn't love a zombie robot?

...complete with a loose eye,

partially amputated arm

and of course nails and screws embedded in his head.

I think that she liked it.

My 5 year old son, however, thinks it needs a bit more work-

"Good job, Mummy.

But you need to stitch that arm on properly"

When good crochet turns bad.

It went wrong.

Terribly wrong.

So I am putting my tail between my legs,

retiring to the corner and whipping up another easier project in between licking my wounds.

This is a coat that I will give another go next winter.

The issues with it where most likely self inflicted. I used a smaller ply wool than was intended

and because I am impatient I made a bigger size
rather than check the gauge.

It did fit my daughter around the back and sides but not the front.

I also did something to the edges that meant the front was just...well, not going to happen.

Next time I will use a bigger ply

and will try to work out what I did wrong at the edges.

Meanwhile the remaining wool and the pattern will be made up into a skirt.
"Good idea mummy" says the wise 3 year old.

Sigh.

Granny squares rule!

Garnstudio and Drops Design crochet skirt

I lost a lot of momentum with my crocheting on my last project

but, since finishing it, have thrown myself with enthusiasm into my next project

and the ones beyond that.

Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic Elm 8 ply.

(Actually a mossy green as shown in the last photo)

I really wanted some rustic wooden buttons to finish it

but didn't have any and was too impatient to wait till I could go and find some in a shop.

Note to self: trying to take a photo of yourself wearing a skirt to show it off

is not going to work...

...but it will give a better indicator of colour!

What is not to love about the gorgeous granny square?

A crocheted thorn in my side.

So glad to have finished.

This project wasn't particularly hard

but it just dragged on...and on...and on.

I started at Christmas

and just did not spend enough time getting on with it.

A smidge of time here and there

just meant that it was taking so long.

Salvation came in the form of an interstate road trip last week.

I am luck in that most of the time I can crochet in a car without needing a vomit bag.

So the flowers got done

and the cardi got finished.

Pattern: My Little City Girl Flower Power bolero.

I added some extra length on as I don't love boleros

but this pattern caught my eye because of the sleeves.

Just beautiful.

ZToo big for the little goddess this year as you can see

but I will hang it carefully in her cupboard and hope that she "does" red next winter.

But now I can get onto my new project.

Hoo-bloody-ray.