The shawl..

A gift for my beautiful mum on Mother's Day.

This was such a joy to make. Well, it was after about my 15th attempt at trying to achieve the perfect triangle angle! I started it a few months ago when I stumbled across this gorgeous Italian cotton on a clearance table, but I got so sick of it not working and threw it in my 'works-in-progress' basket for another day. 

Isolation has been a great reminder to make do with what I already have, and also, nothing says "I love you" like handmade.  So I dug it up and persevered. The end result was definitely worth all the frustrating fails.  I've never been able to follow patterns, as you may know already. I don't know what it is but my brain just doesn't function that way. So like everything, it's trial and error and making it up as I go.  I really hope I can remember this one because I can't wait to make another!

A Blog Revival..

Three years! It's been three years since I posted here last. All it took was a longtime blogging mate Kooandyoo to put a shout out on Instagram for a reunion tour, and here I am!  Gosh I've missed those friendly chats, the regular catch ups, getting inspired by people's craft and feeling connected.  Nothing like a worldwide pandemic to bring us back together, hey.

Here's a quick catch up on life over the last three years..

Where do I start, there's so much to share and nothing all at the same time.  Life just plods on.  Frustratingly, my crafting mojo has not returned to full function, and my 'works in progress' basket is overflowing with projects that I've started enthusiastically and abandoned all too quickly. It seems the only thing that sparks my making these days is new baby announcements or a random beanie request. Things might change now that I'm back in blogland with my creative mates. Fingers crossed!

Mum life ramped up to, well, off the charts. It became my life's work to be the best I could be for everyone all of the time. Of course it has always been my priority as a mum, but somewhere along the way it became unhealthily and unrealistically so. It wasn't until a breakdown of sorts, to be honest, that I realised just what I'd been doing. Being Supermum, the way I was doing it, was unsustainable. So I'm also my own work in progress these days.

The big boy finished year 12 last year, received the dux award, plays in a band with his 3 best mates, has deferred from uni to work fulltime, to live life on his own terms and to play music. Fifteen to eighteen were not easy years to parent, but we made it through.

The middle guy is almost 16, he's taller than the big boy, he's super social, forever with his friends either online or out and about (at the moment its strictly virtual of course).  With the gentle nudge of a very special teacher, he discovered he loves drama and is in fact quite good at it.  That should probably come as no surprise when we look back at previous posts dedicated to his boundless imagination, glorious quirks and daily dress ups. He takes his school work pretty seriously these days, which is a relief and something we thought might never happen. His entire life was PLAY, do you remember that?

The little guy is 13 and not so little. He's almost my height now.  He discovered music back in grade 3 and is a great drummer, though prefers to be the guitarist whenever his mates come over to jam.  Music has helped him in so many ways, what a saviour! He also loves to skate and draw, and he still loves his craft.

Olive is 7. Seven! She's funny, still adoring of us all, and loves rainbows, fairies, and unicorns.  She dishes out hugs and love notes regularly. Life is pretty sweet with her around.

Nick is doing what he does best, taking care of us all and cooking a Sunday roast as I write. His work hasn't been shut down at this stage, so he's working busily and mighty carefully as long as he still can. Perhaps Stage 4, should we come to it, will change things. It's just a matter of living day by day at the moment, never quite knowing what's ahead.

How about you? What have I missed? How are you all managing life in isolation? Want to join the reunion tour with us? Head over to Kirsty's if you do!

the first make of the season..

My first project of the season is off the hook and ready to wear!  The perfect shade of grey too, so it'll be well worn over the coming winter months, I know.

I absolutely loved making this cowl.  It's big and chunky and quick to whip up, my most favourite kind of project.  In fact, I could sit and make a mountain of these if I found the right place to purchase quality chunky wool from, and also if I had the time (sigh).  If anyone has some suggestions or recommendations of suppliers, I'd love to hear.

In the meantime, I'm working on a blanket for my biggest boys room, and an order has been placed by the little guy to have one for his room too, so these should keep me going for quite a while yet.

I'm constantly receiving emails and messages asking about this rib stitch (tutorial here), which has to be my go-to stitch for just about everything I make these days.  I think its because it looks so much like knitting, and deep down I just want to be able to knit!  I taught myself the basics years ago, but I think its about time I had another go.  Plus, I keep being swept away in all the knitted beauty that fills my Instagram feed and I just want to dive right on in there.  I'll keep you posted! 

winter..

Just like that, we're more than half way through winter!

I've been trying super hard to change my tune this year, to embrace this bitterly cold season.  To be honest, it's the clothing that makes it easier for me to bare.  I love winter fashion, mixing up my layers, a snugly scarf, finding the perfect pair of Uggs to wear both at home and out in public,  if there is such a thing?  Either way, warm feet!

I've been making warm woollen gifts and reading in bed at night time.  Our Friday night, movie night, has become somewhat of a ritual to end our week and kick off our weekends.  We're spending time around the fire pit when we can, drinking soup or hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows. 

I'm putting fresh flowers or dried branches on our dining table, turning on the fairy lights when its dull and rainy outside. It all helps. It's the simple things we do to make the everyday just that little bit more special.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very pleased that springtime is just around the corner, and I can't wait for our slushy yard to dry out a bit.  To be able to spend more time outside and see our garden come back to life.  To not have a permanent rack of washing drying in our living room.  Oh, Spring will be wonderful! 

Until then, we're keeping warm, getting out when the sun makes a rare appearance and enjoying a little bit of forced downtime.

this knee rug..made with love

Our lovely elderly neighbour is forever spoiling the kids with gifts or sweets at significant times throughout the year. Christmas, Easter and birthday's when she remembers.  

I've been wanting to make her something for so long now, but it would just be left by the wayside every time I'd make a start.  So finally, I made her a knee rug.  Just in time for this very cold coastal winter that has arrived with vigour.

I have to say, this was such an enjoyable project.  Maybe because I was excited to be making something for our sweet Zayda, maybe because the yarn was so lovely and soft to work with, and maybe because I loved the way this stitch looked as it came together to make one large snugly square.

It's deliciously soft to touch and just the right shade of silvery grey.  A simple treble and double crochet alternating, repeated over and over until it was just the right size.  Small enough to fold neatly onto a chair and light enough to pull softly over the knees.

I hope there are many cosy afternoon naps and comfy nights of watching her favourite shows to be enjoyed under this knee rug.  This knee rug, made with love.

Happy winter everyone!

what I've been making..

It's been a while between crochet posts, so here's a little update on what I've been making and what's currently on the hook.

Bonnets for gorgeous new babies, beanies, cowls and blankets in the making.  

It's been a busy couple of months juggling lots of projects at once, and there are still so many things I want to make a start on.  It's always so nice to have something on the hook, ready and waiting for me to pick up when it suits me, when my fingers need to be busy and my mind needs to rest. 

a bear hat..

Why is it that until recently, only one out of four of my children will wear my wares?  The middle guy has always been a fan, the biggest never and the little guy only took a shine to my beanie's last winter.  You can imagine how excited I was when that happened!

So when this little girl saw the gorgeous bear hat made by Charissa at Joyful Four, she was busting for me to get started on one for her too.  I, naturally, was beside myself thrilled!

Then I made it.  She 'oohed' and 'aahed' as I kept measuring against her head for size.  I thought, this might be the one. The one she wants to wear all winter long, the one she asks for me to make in every colour!

Of course, that was delusional.  As soon as I finished, she refused to try it on, and I've only just managed to get it on her head now with the lure of bandaids!

Ce la vie!

simple lines...

I've just finished working on this simple scarf for the coming season.  I was in need of a project that wasn't going to take too long, with simple repetitive stitches for their therapeutic nature.  Some craft therapy to ease my busy mind and to calm an anxiousness that was gradually building in my chest. Mindless repetition is good like that. 

It's long and wide, and I really do love its simplicity and fall.

However, I've never used this yarn before.  Its a cotton/acrylic blend, super soft to touch and drapes beautifully, but I'm really a little nervous about how well its going to wear.  I can always trust 100% wool or 100% cotton to wash and wear with ease, so we'll just have to see how this one goes.  

Fingers crossed, because it really feels like I'm wrapped up in a warm hug.

the big blanket..

I started this blanket back in January last year, slow summer days on the hook when it was too hot or too wet to be outside.

It soon became one of those projects that sat in the 'works-in-progress' basket for months on end because I kept starting on something new.

Every now and then I'd pick it up and crochet a row or two, I'd get distracted or run out of yarn and back in the basket it would go.  It's the first thing I've ever made that I wasn't in a mad rush to see completed.  I'm terribly impatient when I make.  I get an idea, I see the end result in my mind and I want it done now!

I'm not sure why this blanket was different, but it was lovely to have it sitting there, waiting for my attention whenever I was ready, giving me comfort when I needed it, distracting my mind with each new stitch.  Working on this was almost like a meditation.  

At one point I thought it was just not going to work out, but I couldn't bring myself to undo it.  We had a connection this blanket and I.

Eleven months later I finished off the last row, and I love it so very much.  It drapes invitingly over the end of Olive's (spare) cot in our room, and I stop to admire it every single day.  

It's not perfect.  Hiding ends is tricky with chunky, loosely worked yarn like this, and I think if I were to lie it flat it might be a little misshapen, but I have a feeling this big chunky cotton blanket is going to be loved by us for years to come regardless.

noticing..

pretty piles awaiting my attention..

a neat stack of unfinished blankets

a very slow going work in progress

beautiful merino

wooden hooks

does anyone know why all my pictures and text are publishing in the centre when I have written them all to be on the left? blogger mysteries..

the ribbed beanie..a pattern

After so many lovely compliments on the ribbed slouchy and lots of requests for a pattern, I've managed to pull one together!  Well, a pattern of sorts, more of a 'how to' I'd say.

As most of you would know, I'm not so great with the pattern following and like to make things up as I go.  For this one, with whoever I happened to be making for, I'd chain roughly how long I thought it should be to make a good slouch (using different family members head sizes to guide)  and then repeat row after row until it looked about the right size.

For this exercise, I am basing my pattern on the adult one pictured above in olive green.  It's a little more slouchy on my middle guy because it was made for my husband, but I actually like it like this on him! 

The cream one with the pompom was made for a ten year old, which fits more snug but still has slouch when its not turned up.

You'll need a 4.5mm hook and approx. 100 - 150gm of 8ply yarn.

To begin, I have chained 60 (50 for the child size) plus 1 (this is my turning stitch)

First Row..
1 treble into the back loop of each chain all the way to the end, chain 1 and turn your work

Second Row..
just like your first row, 1 treble into the back stitch of each treble in the previous row, do this all the way to the end, chain 1 and turn your work

Subsequent Rows..
Repeat as per row 2 until your work is the desired width to wrap around the head. For this I have worked approx. 47 rows.

After about the fourth row, you'll be able to see the rib effect taking shape..

To finish..
Tie off your yarn, leaving a long tail.  Make sure it's long enough to gather your top and to stitch the beanie's sides together.

To gather your top, we simply weave the yarn tail through the top stitches using a tapestry needle, and pull tight so that it forms a round.

Fasten this off and neatly stitch up your gap at the very top.  You could use a pompom to disguise your stitching if its a bit rough.

All that needs to be done now is to join your sides, once again using a tapestry needle.  Be careful to keep your stitches neat and you'll find they will be almost invisible when you hold/wear your beanie.
Weave in your ends.

I hope this has been helpful to those who asked.

Enjoy, and keep warm!

making..

beanies, bonnets, scarves, neckwarmers..from the teeny tiny to the super dooper! 

I'm finding that the more demanding my work and family life, the more I crave time to make.

Even if it's just a few rows in stolen moments.

Tuning out and busy hands.  They're my breathing space.