Week two be or not two be.

It was not to be. Week two came and went as I tried to catch up from my frogging disaster of week one, coupled with finishing my job on Friday and starting my new one on the Monday. Busy busy busy. Still OH (other half) is away this week so maybe I'll make big strides this week. I will set myself a target of competing week two and doing the crochet for week three by the end of the week. Targets. Targets are the answer. 😅😅 Tx

Bobble or not.

Week one has been quite enjoyable really. Not that I've finished it mind.  The furor on the FB page has been immense! The pattern called for bobble stitch. There were some that like it and some that didn't. But there were some that were so perfectionist it was so far over the top it was OCD bobbles. Honestly for something that is hand made and individual why obsess over whether they 'pop' or not. Mine don't btw. Am I dissapointed? I'm dissapointed that I haven't mastered the stitch, but actually I like an understated bobble more as my colours are understated. Now when I do the rainbow Hygge then, ok I'm looking for an improvement in my technique and that it will be a little more bobbly. 

So I'm almost there with week one. I started on Wednesday by doing no crochet at all. In fact all I did was prep my kit and watch the video that a nice lady called Esther puts up for us. Then others on the FB make their own videos to show how they get their result using individual techniques. Me, I'm more of a follow the rules kinda girl and learn as a go. 

Well it's been 2 weeks since I wrote the above and so far it's been a bloody disaster. I very nearly got to the end of week one, was tootling along quite nicely, bobbles were ok-ish when I noticed that I had somehow used the 4.00 hook for part of it instead of the 4.5 hook I'd stared with. So I had to froggit all the way back down to the third row and start again. And it's taken me until 2 march to finish part one, two weeks behind! Not happy with myself at all. I've gone ahead and finished the whole ball of stonewashed just to see how far a single ball would go. Not quite enough to finish week two. 

Here's how week one looks anyhow. Bobbles not very bobbly but I'm fine with them they way they are. It's a learning curve right? 

 

On to week two.... Tx 

Ready, steady, CAL

Today is the day. The release of the first pattern of the Scheepjes 2017 Crochet Along and there is some serious feverish excitement on the Facebook page. Some ladies are hurriedly doing housework so that they can just sit and craft this afternoon. The patterns being released at 1300 CET (Central European Time) which to us Brits is 12 noon. Should've checked the time out a bit sooner really as I thought it was 1400, an hour ahead not behind, as then I would've had something to do in my lunch hour, do'h! Had a bit of a look at the pattern and it looks ok, can't wait to get home and have a go. But I've got some chores to do first. Furry girls have to have a walk as a priority, lock up chickens, make my tea as I'm on my own this week.  I've also go to, without exception and absolutely mustn't wimp out, go on my spinning bike tonight. It's only a month until we go to China to visit my older daughter (#botherer no1 as we affectionately call her) and I've got some big mountains to climb, therefore fitness levels need to be addressed and pretty damn sharpish! Think I might be in for a late night. Tx

Team Mermaid

I got one!! Yay! I managed to get a Simy's Choice Danish mermaid Kit for the Hygge CAL. I'm so pleased. The reasons being that because I've lost my cro-jo recently I'm hoping that the group dynamic and pressure (self imposed pressure I might add) will motivate me as the weeks go my. 

So let my tell you about the CAL. It last for 14 weeks, starting on the 15 February 2017. Each week a part of the pattern will be released and you carry out the instructions. There also a video for you to follow. When they tested the pattern out it took on average 5 hours a week. So that's quite a commitment. 

A few days ago Simy release a little taster of what her colour choices look like made up. I'm ecstatic, it looks amazing. By far my favourite colour way.

 

 

 Fancy a quick,look at my kit? 

 

 

Lovely eh? And the opening of the box was almost ceremonial in itself. A bit like when you get a new phone or iPad lol

 

Well it a week to go before the start of the CAL and the Scheepjes company have released a test swatch for us all to have a go at because we just can't wait to get hooking. 

The yarn is lovely and squishy and soft. The main background colour is an  acrylic cotton blend in a stonewashed style so it looks a bit distressed. The colours are 100% cotton and are very vibrant. In the kit is a little pouch with some charms, a button, a stitch marker, a couple of wooden snowflakes (?) and an  embroidery/yarn needle. It recommends the size hook to use as 4.5 to gauge a swatch that is 10cm by 10cm square. 

So this week on Wednesday the week before the start of the CAL Scheepjes have suggested we all have a go at a gauge square.  Basically a square that measure 10cm by10cm square is the correct gauge for this project and it will turn out the right size and more importantly you will not run out of wool towards the end of the project. Well I've  never made a gauge square before as I'm more of a 'wing it and see' type, but I thought I'd have a go. I dived right in using a 4mm hook. The gauge square was a chain of 20 s riches for twenty rows. Easy enough. Well it was definitely 10cm high, however it was 11.5cm wide. In order to get the square to measure exactly I would need to use a smaller hook. Problem was that the feel and drape of the square felt just right, and I was reluctant to go any tighter. I've decided to stick with the 4mm hook and just buy an extra ball or two if the need arises. 

Here's my square.

 

Then I had to have a little go at the cross stitch that brings the Hyyge to life. This was fun, I must admit. I have a lot of experience with cross stich and knew that this wouldn't be a struggle for me. I centred the design on the square by folding the piece in half and then in half again and using the embroidery needle pointed out the centre hole. Next I identified the centre stitch  on my cross crochet pattern and that was my starting point. Away I went. 

Here's the finished gauge square. So cute. I wanted to make another straightaway as I really did enjoy it but I'll wait until the CAL starts now. If I managed to source a rainbow kit I'll make a gauge square just for fun. 

 

Tx 

To moan or not to moan

There is a crochet along (CAL) starting soon with a company call Scheepjes. They're quite a well known company and have held annual CAL's for a while. I saw this years advertisement and thought "why not?", and promptly joined their international page on Facebook. It's quite something listening to all these ladies across the globe waxing lyrical about crochet. They are a very supportive bunch and their excitement at the new CAL had recached near hysterical proportions. Here's what the CAL will produce. It pronounced Hoo-ga and it's danish for cosinesss and warmth. A bit like a Cwtch.... 

 

Gorgeous, but quite challenging I think! But I've done cross stitch in the past so I thing I can do it. 

There are three colours to choose from, so I chose the rainbow (above) as my youngest daughter wants it. So off I go shopping on the internet looking at the suppliers who will stock it. It comes in a kit with everything included. There are three kits. Rainbow, Jewel and Pastel. 

 

Then, they added a special limited edition Danish mermaid colour scheme a week or so later. It's not been made yet so there no way of knowing what it looks like finished! But here's the colour scheme for what is called Simy's Choice. 

 

So the kits aren't going to be released for a few weeks and I have to register an interest in them on various well know yarn stockist here in the UK. 

A week or so later I get an email to say that the kits are in stock and I can place an order, which I manage to do within about 2 minutes of getting the email. I was really very happy. I want to do the CAL in time with everyone else as it kind of motivates you to keep up and share your progress, ask about any problems as you go along. I'm looking forward to it in my own sad nerdy little way. 

A few day later my kit arrives and I absolutely squeal. The Facebook page is buzzing with people ordering and receiving by now, so I'm looking to forward to contributing to the online conversations. 

When I opened the package it was obvious straight away that they'd  sent me the wrong colour, I'd received pastel. Ok, no biggie, mistakes happen, its not been done on purpose. So I call the supplier and have a quick convo with their customer service. They send me an email returns label and they offer me a refund. 

"Can't I just swap the colour?"

"No, no more kits available."

"These things are like rocking horse poo to get hold of!" I say, "Can you just send me the yarn colours instead of the kit" I plead. 

They called me back, "Yes that's fine. Send back the kit and we will despatch the yarn colour pack."

Lovely, happy, feeling relieved. 

I go and post all this on the Scheepjes CAL Facebook page. I got various reactions from across the globe. Some were worried that they might get the wrong colour kit, others outraged at the inconvenience and disappointment. But by then of the day, other ladies have come forward with the wrong kits being sent as well and all hell had broken loose! Demands for compensation, keeping the kits, discounts etc. But I am sanguine. I am unworried. My kit has been returned and my pack will arrive in due course. 

Or so I thought. 

A week has passed, and nothing has arrived. I call the supplier and they tell me that they're very sorry, but I won't be getting the yarn pack as they decided to wait until the get the kits back in stock (which so happens to be the end of February and 2 weeks after the CAL starts). I'm fuming. 

"Why didn't you let me know last week?!" I say, "I could have placed an order with someone else?" 

"We sent everyone an email." 

"Yes I know. I replied to the email telling them I had returned the kit and was awaiting the colour yarn pack. This was acknowledged."

"We're very sorry." they say. 

"I want a refund," I say, "all you've managed to teach me today is that unless I complain and throw a tantrum I get nothing. If your nice and polite your ignored."

I was telling my elsdest daughter my tale of woe. 

"Just order another one from someone else." she says. 

"I can't. They're all sold out everywhere. They sellout, like in half an hour of the emails, it's crazy."

"Wow, it's like they're the Kylie lipkits of the crochet world."

Sheesh 21 year olds!  Pmsl.

Three years later......

Three years have passed since I last looked in on this blog. Why did I stop? Life, that's why. It just kind of happened and you stop doing something that you enjoy because you become focused on other things in your orbit. So now that the things that circle me are a little less, I've decided to return to this and have a little muse about my hobbies and work and life. 

Work

Well since I last mentioned this I have well and truly completed the computer course I enrolled on. In fact I started a new job in a pharmacy, which I loved, and finished my qualification for that about 2 years ago. However the winds of change have blown through again and I handed in my notice to the pharmacy this week after securing a new role.....watch this space!

Life

Big, huge, enormous changes here. Both my girls have flown the coup, both off to university. A year apart. #1 is currently in Beijing on a years exchange, having a ball. In fact it's her that's inspired me to return to this as she has just started her own blog on her year in China. #2 is in gorgeous Aberystwyth and  I get to visit lots, which is great for my Welsh practice (yes I'm still learning Welsh, it actually never stops). Other half (OH) is always busy with his job but it has is upsides, I get invited along to some pretty fabulous long dress-up occasions and stays in nice hotels occasionally. My furry girls (dogs) are still a huge centre of life for me and quite honestly, with spending such a lot of time on my own, I'd be lost without them. 

Hobbies

Well this is a little sporadic really. One of the reasons I stopped writing about my crochet and hobbies is because I lost my cro-jo. Yep it's an actual thing. Cro-jo. Not to be confused with #2 daughters nick name Clojo. Over the last three years I have made quite a lot of things from yarn/wool but more recently in 2016 I hardly completed anything. Well anything worthy of showing off. I thing my skills have improved somewhat, but I still regard myself as a beginner/intermediate. I follow a few crochet groups on Facebook that give me a lot of inspiration and I've recently joined Pinterest. I joined a new Facebook page a couple of weeks ago and am planning on doing a CAL (crochet along) with an international group of about 20,000 others so I'm hopeful that my cro-jo will be nourished. The hype and hysteria to the release of the kits for it is certainly something that's made me excited.  Something I can talk about separately . I haven't been completely unproductive though, I've amassed a huge pile of stuffed animals that I will talk about in another piece with photos. And I've still got a huge pile of WIPs. I'll get round to doing that WIP walk of shame too. 

So I'm going to try and write this blog for me, for my enjoyment, to try and encourage me to stick at it and continue to improve my skills and learning on not just the crochet, but on design and colour. And I might add in some random life stuff as well. 

Tx 

Autumn just wizzed past me!

Good grief where has the time gone!! It's like there's a big hole in a bucket labeled 2013! It's been a busy busy couple of months. Since I last blogged I've been busy in my work life. I've enrolled at college to do some computer courses and update my computer skills so that I can maybe, fingers crossed, get a new job in the new year. Exciting changes are afoot in Somerset! In my crafty life I've been quite busy too. My wool stash is completely out of hand and I really must organise it at some point. I've for several WIPs on the go which I will photograph and list later. I got a couple of commissions for a hippo and an elephant for Christmas which were delivered on time (relief). I have another to be ready for February. 

One of the most exciting things that has happened, was in November I went to Iceland (no, not the frozen food shop). It was fab from a hooky point of view. They have a Handknitters guild there and produce the most gorgeous pure wool jumpers. 

Just stunning!

I found myself in a wool shop called Allafoss just outside of Reykjavik on the last day of my stay. They were very nice and let me take phots. So as a thank you I though it was only polite to buy  half a suitcase  of wool!! Not Yarn mind, proper pure Iclandic wool!!!! Unbelievably cheap. Came home and wished I'd gotten more to be honest, but hey-Ho, it's another excuse to go back!!

Yarn porn!

 More yarn porn. 

Not a ball of acrylic in sight! All pure wool.

Look at the size of that! They sell them like that lol. 

It was a lovely visit and my brother bought himself an Icelandic jumper.  I wish I'd bought one now as they are absolutely stunning. But after buying my balls if wool I couldn't justify the expense. The nice thing that I liked is that there's a little label on it telling you the name of the person who kitted your jumper. Anyhow here's  a photo of the one he bought.

Cost a lot, I can tell you but it'll last forever. I bought myself a little wool bundle as I mentioned earlier. 

I haven't decided what to do with it yet, but the one thing I must do first it sort through all my WIPs. It's getting out of hand! Tx 

Finally finished

It's been a while I know. Things have been a little difficult and the blog has had to take a back seat for a month or two. But I have been busy with the hook. I have finally finished the 400! Woo hoo. 

I've also been busy with a little pal for the Hippo. She will be have her debut today as well I think. 

So the glorious summer of 2013 is over and we have now entered the rainy season again. Wasn't it fab while it lasted. My veggie garden has done really well and I picked my first runner beans last weekend. I've been eating spinach out of the garden for a while, so satisfying when you know you've grown it yourself. Feeling very smug! Lol 😄 

So back to the 400. I nearly lost the will to live putting it together and to be fair I got so bored with it I had to put it down for a while and work on something else after I'd finished it. Well nearly finished it, I decided to put and edging around it as it looked a bit....well sort of not right. So I edged it with a scolloped edging from Atiic 24. 

It's a very pretty little lap blanket and I'm very pleased with it. Here's a little peek at all the bits I had to trim of once a finished it. This alone took me 2 hours!! Still it's done now. Never to be repeated. 

 Here's what happened after I took the Ta-Dah photo

My furry girls dived on in! 

So I said there was going to be another debut. So I made a little companion for my Hippo, initially named Huw but now rechristened Hywel Happypottamus. So I introduce to you, another Heidi Bears design ( I'm such a fan of hers). This one is Enfys Ellephant (Enfys means Rainbow in Welsh).

 

She was surprisingly easier to do than the hippo, or maybe my skills are a little better, possibly. She's cute, but not a cute as the hippos according to the family (miserable lot!) Here's another of Enfys

So now I've got to find something else to do, and I'm going on holiday to Philadelphia next week. Must get it sorted out, got 6 hours on a plane to fill!!! 

Ooo I nearly forgot. I made my #2 teenager a little surprise summer holiday pressie. All over Facebook people/friends have been changing heir profile picture to minions and sending out little things about the film Despicable Me 2. So I copied a couple of designs I saw on The Creative Crochet Crew Facebook Page and made her a little something. 

Here she is modelling it, she was very pleased, my #1 teenager tried to steal it of her a couple of time but she held onto it pretty tight lol

Happy Summer Tx

Oh Frogg!

Question. Why is it called frogging? Frogging what eh? I'd never heard the term before either but apparently that's what the action of undoing all your work is called. Funny really.

When I first started to crochet, way way back last summer, well last August (not sure it can be classed as summer really the weather was so appalling) I bought a magazine in Tescos. You know the sort, they come complete with wool pack and a crochet hook. So this was my little foray in crochet. I started to make a teddy bear. It was a lovely striped teddy bear, done in the round (amugrami) and I took that thing apart so many times until I got it right. Any way, I subscribed to said magazine and so every month I have received a new wool pack. They're some lovely colours these wool pack, always coordinated. But the projects in the magazines left a lot to be desired (the crochet clock was a particular low IMO). So I have accrued a lot of 'magazine' wool over the last 10 months. But what to do with it? They are only 25g balls. Granny stripes was the answer!

Yes I know very pretty. Trouble is the wool is acrylic and not at all soft so it feels quiet stiff. And it's not decent quality will either, it keeps splitting and although not difficult to use it is not without it's frustrations. Here's another pic, as it it very pretty. We've taken to calling it my Gay Pride Rainbow blanket (lol)

But I started it as a beginner not really following a pattern, not knowing what I was doing. I didn't really know how to turn properly when I first started it. So because of this the edges of the blanket are really uneven. It no where near finished, only roughly 25 balls used on it. My sister told to just put an edging on it and it would be fine, but ever the perfectionist, I would know that it was wrong. And as I had just crochet on a 25g ball at a time, there were some rows of 2, some rows of 2 1/2, others of less than two. It was all a bit uneven. Not uniform and equal as I like things (I'm ex military, can you tell?) so I decided to unravel it, or 'frog' it as I've discovered it called. Where does that term come from??

So I googled it! It's quite sweet actually. When you undo your work you literally 'rip it'. So you 'rip it, rip it'...get it?? That's where frogging came from. Thought it was funny. There also another knitters term of undoing your work called 'tinking'. This one was genius, it's basically knit backwards, 'knit-tink', lol. Love it. 

Here's how my granny strip look now. Pretty pretty balls of colour. Tx

Chuffed to bits

Oh my goodness, I'm so so so happy with my latest little project. Do you want to see??

How beautiful is that?? Can't tell you how pleased I am with him. So easy to make, making it up is hard but very rewarding when it starts to take shape. I want to make another now straight away. He needs company. Hubby wants to turn it into a door stop, which is a good idea but I objected on the grounds that I wanted to keep it clean. And he also needs a name. Thinking of Huw Happypotamus? Suggestions on a postcard please. 

Oh go on have another picture, just for luck! Lol Tx

It's been a while....

It most certainly had been a while since my last blogg. I've been pre occupied with various family 'things'. Both daughters have been sitting their exams in school. It hasn't been going well!! Lots of work in the 'Mum's taxi' department too! 

We've had some fab weather here in Somerset about a fortnight ago and I planted out a veggie patch, I've been titivating and generally getting down in the ground with that.

 Looking neat and tidy eh?

And the other thing is that I've returned to the gym last week after quite a long six week hiatus due to a poorly back. (Silly me tried lifting a 90kg boxed trampoline by myself, ouch). Sooo good to be back in the gym, managed a 5k run yesterday and oh spin classes I have missed you. Kettle bells tonight!! Woohoo

Elder daughter has decided to 'make some bunting for my room' which I initially thought was a 'mum could you...', but no she wanted to do it for herself. She bought her materials and fabrics, measured out her triangles with the precision of an A level maths student (OCD) and set her self up cutting away.

She's done very well, except for the small hiccup of the sewing machine breaking down after sewing only two triangles. She's been hand sewing since and doing a really good job.  She wants to come to the next crafting bee at the end of the month, AND she went out yesterday and bought the British sewing bee book! Gob smacked!! For years I've tried to get my girls into 'making'. 

Think I need a new sewing machine though. Oh poo, I've had that machine 10 years! 

So my crafty projects have had a little bit of a back seat this last two weeks, but there has been some progress. 

The 400 is doing well, it's about a third of the way put together now, reckon another week should break the back of it. However I've run out of cream stylecraft and my local wool shop in Cheddar have stopped selling stylecraft wool. Changed the whole range to Patons!! So now I've got to go and hunt down some stylecraft elsewhere, probably in Burnham-on-sea, there's 3 really good wool shops there. 

So I started a new project and I'm oh oh oh so excited! It going to take about a week. Here's a little sneaky peek.

Oooo what could it possible be???? Tx

2nd Crafting Bee event

We all had such fun on Saturday at the crafting bee that the next one is already booked! Hope to have more guests from local crafty business's and I will let you know who will be attending closer to the event. I look forward to seeing some of you very soon at the 2nd crafting bee!

The Crafty Cwtchers get together!

So yesterday (Saturday) we held a little get together in Pips local community centre in Pontnewynedd. We had a lovely kid free afternoon chatting about our various crafty like and crafty histories. But the absolute best thing was the sharing of skill!! Pip had five of us simultaneously making a heart. Something I've never been able to grasp until yesterday. There's clearly something wrong with me (twp in the head!)  as she made it so easy!!

And then Andrea from Black Mountain Fabrics, who came along to show us her 'fat quarters' took the time to show me how to make a fab raised flower square. Ever so slightly chuffed with my result! 

I did that!!!

So excited to learn something new (twice). Well the afternoon was a lovely success and Pip is going to repeat it again at the end of June. It was a gloriously sunny afternoon yesterday so maybe next time we could do it outside?? (Yeah right, this is Wales, rain for 40 day and 40 nights is considered the best summer ever!!!) Tx

Pip the teacher!

The lovely Gemma and Tracey xx

Nearly there, but here comes the hard bit!

Hmmm 432 square and round 3 complete!!! Wizzed through round 3! All my little squares look so cute all staked up in groups! Now comes the hard bit. I've got to start making it up, which I've only ever done using a needle. This pattern calls for it to be made up using a Double crochet to join the squares.....uncharted territory for me. I'm a bit nervous to say the least.....

400 Progress Report

It's going well, well I think it's going OK. I take my crochet bag with me to work or if I have to pick up the girls anywhere, cram in a quick bit of hooking here or there. It's a nice easy project. I started by doing one stack of colours at a time. But have done realised they it probably easier to do them in stages. Yesterday I did loads of the centre colour. When the bowl is full I'll add the second round in cream.

Think I need a bigger bowl. 2 more colours to add yet.

Well since I took this photo which was before I went on holiday there has been some significant progress with the 400. I added another two colours to the centre, a nice mellow yellow and a kind of purple grape colour. The bowl was piled high and looked fab and I forgot to take a photo, do'h. so Iv'e now started on round 2, which is putting the second colour on the centres to make them square. This is quite quick and  I'm probably about 2/3rds of the way through doing that now. My 2nd bowl is already full to overflowing so i'm definatley going to have to rethink my filing system shortly. Tx

OOOOO so pretty!

Back in March for Mothers Day my daughters went of to Wells to do some stealthy Mothers Day shopping. We don't go to Wells very often, why I have no idea as its a very nice quaint place, with a cobbled market square and individual shops, not so many chains. My elder daughter surprised me with a little button box from a shop there called Sew Vintage. Both my girls kept gushing on about how cute it was and that there were bowls and bowls of buttons everywhere. so one day about a fortnight ago I made the effort and drove the whole long 9 miles to Wells. (that was a little bit of sarcasm, in case you missed it).

It is a gorgeous shop and the lady there was lovely
 and very graciously let me take some photos to put on the blog. its a mixture of haberdashery, quilters paradise, some very nice rowan wools and buttons, buttons buttons galore!! I think my favourite thing though was the way they have lots and lots of old singer manual sewing machines everywhere. My Mam had one when we were little and she taught me to sew on it.





Post holiday blues

I've been on holiday recently, been to catch some sun and warmth in better climes than the UK. It's been so cold here for so long now, it's nearly a year since we had that minor heat wave. So my better half and I jetted of for some much needed vitmain D! and to recharge our batteries. It was our wedding anniversary while we were away as well and because of that we decided it would be our first holiday with out the girls, who were left in the capable hand of Nanna!

Nanna got a bit bored whilst she was 'babysitting' so she helped herself (with my blessing) to my 'lets get crafty magazine and wool pack that had come through the post. My Mam is a pretty handy crafty lady mind you, she's quite the seamstress having worked in various factories over the years, including a shoe factory when she was a teenager lol, and she passed that on to me as I'm pretty whizzy with a sewing machine. she's also always knitted and crochet and tried to teach me to knit when I was young with very limited success.  I have always been handy with needle and thread and have done loads of embroidery and cross stitch over the years which no one else in the family has tried. Mam is really chuffed that Pip and I are crocheting now though and she likes seeing what we're working on. Anyhow Nanna was looking after my girls whilst I was away and was armed with a pattern and wool and freebie bamboo needles and got clicking away....

How cool is that! Thank you Nanna xx

The thing with going on holiday though is that I didn't take my crochet with me, a complete break was needed as I tend to let things become an obsession and then that will be all I do...literally. It was a silly thing I know as my sister was surprised, but I think my husband had visions of me crocheting by the pool and was a bit embarrassed by it (and to be fair I did ban him from taking his blackberry!). I did look into whether  if I could get a crochet hook on a plane, apparently you can as long as it is a wooden one. Well now I'm back and can get stuck back in to my 400 blanket again, woohoo...Tx

Mini granny square purse

After the success of my granny square sunnies case I made yesterday (my friend wants me to make her one too), today I decided to use up some more of my stash of mini squares.
I just so happened to have a purse clasp lying around, I think it was a freebie from a magazine awhile ago, so set about making a purse from 8 mini granny squares.

I stitched four of them together using double crochet and then treble crocheted around all four of them to make it slightly larger to fit the purse frame better.

I did this twice then slip stiched the two sides together. I lined them with some pink felt by just placing the folded over felt with stitched up sides into the two granny square sides.

Next this was a tricky job I stiched the felt and crochet sides into the frame, this is tricky as you have to push the both fabrics into the gap in the frame and get the needle at the right angle to pass through the hole in the frame and go through the two layers of material at the same time. It took me a while to do this and I pricked my fingers a few times (didn't bleed to much over the project thankfully) but it is now finished and looks fantastic! I'm really pleased, what do you think? Pipx

Granny square glasses case.

My new crochet magazine landed today!   Both my children were out enjoying the sunshine, the housework was already done, well downstairs anyway, where it matters lol! (done by my early rising husband <3), so I decided it was a crochet day! lucky me :)

I read an article about using granny squares for smaller projects other than blankets, and had a think to myself about the basket full of granny squares that I have crammed in one of my ever expanding crafty cwtches! Would I ever realistically make a blanket with those squares? The answer was a big fat NO, I really do not like large projects I love to finish something within a day or two or even less, a few hours even better! I love the satisfaction of seeing something finished and although I know I would absolutely love to be able to finish a large project like a granny square blanket, I just know I would get bored and never finish, this being the reason I have a basket full of granny squares!


So today I was inspired to make a sunglasses case out of 4 pretty little squares I had. It was quite simple, quick and very satisfying.

I simply joined 2 squares together twice, using any stitch you enjoy will do, I used double.

Then I simply layed them on top of each other and treble crocheted all around making sure I left one of the narrow sides open for the top.

Once I had done this I treble crocheted around the top to give it a better finish, them sewed on a button crocheted a small chain making sure it was long enough to go go around the button and ta dah! It was done!

Ta Dah!

So if you have any granny squares hanging around you just know are not going to be used as intended this is as good a use as any and an ideal quick gift for someone. Post any photos of your granny square uses for me to see I would love some more ideas! P.x